Thurstons buy one of Townsville’s nicest beachside homes for $4.5m

Johnathan Thurston and his family have bought “one of the nicest homes in Townsville” for a huge seven-figure price. It’s the same house fellow Australian sporting legend Greg Norman used to live in.

Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston and his family have gone up in the world and they’ve only had to move down the street.

The Thurstons have bought one of the city’s nicest homes in Rowes Bay, for a record price understood to be around $4.5 million, at the very same address where another of Townsville’s favourite sons, Greg Norman, used to live.

While the Thurstons have moved in, their previous home is undergoing renovations.

Property records show they own both homes, as well as another house in the same street. They obviously like the area and have shown their faith in Townsville.

The home they have just bought was previously owned by Pickerings Auto Group managing director Brendan Pickering and his wife Angelique for over a decade.

It has beautiful views out to Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island.

When the Normans lived here in the early ‘70s, the home was a basic high-set Queenslander.

The Pickerings had the property improved and extended by Townsville builder Graham Watt and beautifully furnished.

It is now an expansive two-level home with five bedrooms, each with en suites, a study, media room, lounge, dining and entertaining area, pool, large kitchen and drawing room where guests are welcomed.

Mr Pickering revealed an interesting story about how Greg and his sister Janis had signed their names in concrete at the home when they were children but that unfortunately this had been lost during the home’s redevelopment.

Greg Norman posts a picture of himself as a child at the Townsville home

Being a keen golfer, Mr Pickering had asked the builders to cut out the concrete with the signatures and set it aside but one of the apprentices, who did not know of the request, threw the piece of concrete in a skip and it was dumped.

“It still breaks my heart to tell the story,” Mr Pickering said.

Townsville real estate agent Janice Gallagher who initially listed the home for sale, before it was sold privately, and has another property in the street listed for sale said the Thurstons’ new home was magnificent.

It is all timber with some of the original home retained.

“It’s one of the nicest homes in Townsville,” Ms Gallagher said.

It is also one of the most expensive. The sale price is believed to be a record for the area.

A home on Castle Hill, bought by 1300 Smiles founder Daryl Holmes earlier this year holds the record Townsville home price at a cool $6 million.

As an aside, Greg Norman returned to Townsville for a trip down memory lane in 2017, taking a photo on Castle Hill and visiting Rowes Bay Golf Club where his mother Toini was a club champion.

He likely had happy memories looking at his old home and signing that concrete.

He might be pleased too to learn another sporting legend Johnathan Thurston has moved in.

Originally published as Thurstons buy one of Townsville’s nicest beachside homes for $4.5m