Bankrupt marketer's mansion on the Gold Coast sells for $9.5m

A GIANT house on the Gold Coast once owned by a thrice-bankrupted property marketer has been sold.

mansion

A GIANT riverfront Southport house once owned by thrice-bankrupted property marketer Dudley Quinlivan sold at auction this week for $9.5 million.

The price was the second-highest paid on the Gold Coast in three years and came just weeks after former motor vehicle dealer John Zupp paid $12 million for a Sanctuary Cove home.

The buyer of the Quinlivan property, who declined to be identified, competed against four other bidders.

He now owns a house that includes a cinema, games room, internal lift, large wine cellar and even a panic room.

The two-level mansion was auctioned for the Westpac Bank by receivers.

The house, which reportedly cost more than $10 million to build, was owned through Sandtrend, controlled by Mr Quinlivan's wife Jo.

The Quinlivans left the house, on a 3366sq m site in Winchester St near the Southport School, several weeks ago.

Michael Willems, who marketed the home with Ray White Prestige Gold Coast colleague Robert Graham, said 18 people registered to bid at the auction.

He said most of the bidders were from the Gold Coast.

"Bidding started at $3 million but it quickly became a spirited contest,'' he said.

Auctioneer Andrew Bell said receivers were told a "previous occupier'' had questioned alleged defects in the home.

He said because of the short time between the claim and the auction, the allegations could not be checked and the house was sold "as is, where is''.