Top 20 sales: Sydney king of the mansions as $1.1bn in homes sell

Sydney has retained its crown as the king of prestige residential real estate in Australia, despite an incursion by upstart Melbourne into the top 20 most expensive sales for the financial year.

69 Wolseley Rd, Point Piper sold for $55m to come in at No.6 on our top 20 list of prestige sales nationally.

Sydney has retained its crown as the king of prestige residential real estate in Australia, despite an incursion by upstart Melbourne into the top 20 most expensive sales for the financial year.

Sydney mansions took out 17 of the top 20. Melbourne managed the second, and fourth spots in the top 10, and 18th in the Top 20.

And the only apartment on the list is also in Sydney.

The top 10 sales add up to around $716m worth of real esate while the top 20 have a combined worth of around $1.12bn.

The rogue Melbourne homes in the top 10 are two mansions in the exclusive suburb of Toorak, one which reportedly sold for between $115m-$125m (early reports of $150m have been ruled out) and another for $70m.

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Reichman, who did the $55m deal in conjunction with Ray White Double principal Elliott Placks and Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s, says: “Sydney’s got some of the best and most iconic landholdings in Australia by far.”

Director of leading prestige property valuers and author of the Dyson Austen Top 10 Prestige Residential Survey Simon Feilich says the latest results don’t suggest Sydney’s top-end homes are falling out of favour.

“It’s the first time Melbourne has featured so prominently,” Feilich notes.

“These are two highly unique distinctive properties in premier, A-grade locations.

“Ultimately, it came down to the exceptional quality of the homes and significant land holdings.”

Ray White Double Bay’s Adam Reichman, who recently sold the sixth most expensive property in the country at $55m, doesn’t expect Melbourne to come this close to being top dog very often.

“The reality is that if you’re looking at trophy real estate, Sydney’s got some of the best and most iconic landholdings in Australia by far, with luxury properties and waterfronts,” he said.

“These properties are very rare commodities and when they do get snapped up, buyers pay a premium.”

There was also a $40m sale in Queensland, which comes in at No.19.

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Elaine, at 550 New South Head Road, Point Piper, is set to be carved up into four trophy home sites.

1. Elaine, Point Piper, $130m

Billionaire Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar sold Elaine, in October 2024 for $130m and its developer owners are now selling the 7000sqm estate as four trophy home sites via Ken Jacobs of Forbes and Brad Pillinger of Pillinger, with prices starting at $50m for the 1863-era unrestored seven-bedroom mansion.

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Coonac, in Clendon Rd, Toorak, came close to stealing Sydney’s crown.

2.Coonac, Toorak. $115m-$125m

Former Essendon Football Club boss Paul Little and his Melbourne University chancellor wife Jane Hansen sold their Clendon Rd, Italianate mansion on a hectare with pool and tennis court in February. Billionaire Dennis Bastas denied he was the buyer. The exact price for the off-market sale, via Kay & Burton’s Ross Savas and Gerald Delany who aren’t commenting, won’t be known until settlement.

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The Crown penthouse sold earlier this month.

3. Crown penthouse, Barangaroo, circa $80m

James Packer adviser Lawrence Myers is tipped to be the mystery buyer of the 849sqm six-bedroom six-bedroom residence on levels 81 and 82 of the casino building tower, sold at the start of the month, via The Agency’s Steven Chen.

This Macquarie Rd, Toorak home comes in at No. 4

4. Macquarie Rd, Toorak, about $70m

A six-bedroom mansion with pool and tennis court on a 7168sqm block owned by Sue Lord, wife of automation platform Neota chairman John Lord, sold last December via Forbes Global Properties director Michael Gibson.

Despite being a knockdown, this home is Sydney’s biggest sale this calendar year, because of the size of the land and view.

5. 38 Vaucluse Rd, Vaucluse, $56m

The highest Sydney sale of the calendar year was a knockdown with iconic harbour views on a 1400sqm block owned by 98-year-old philanthropist Isaac Wakil sold a few weeks ago via Ray White Double Bay’s Riki Tawhara and Elliott Placks, with buyer’s agent Simon Cohen introducing the local family who are planning a dream home.

69 Wolseley Rd, Point Piper comes with this pool as well as iconic harbour views.

6. 69 Wolseley Rd, Point Piper, $55m

Just before the Vaucluse sale, the luxury four-bedroom home on a 703sqm block owned by Retail Apparel Group co-founder Stephen Liebowitz and his wife, Pam, sold via Ray White Double Bay’s Adam Reichman and Elliott Placks in conjunction with Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s. It had a pool and iconic harbour views.

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12 Dumaresq Rd, Rose Bay sold in February.

7. 12 Dumaresq Rd, Rose Bay, $55m

The Bruce Stafford-designed six-bedroom residence owned by recycled shopping bag tycoon Frank Qiang Gengh and his wife Juanjuan Zhao sold in February, having had a $20m price cut from the $75m when first listed last June. But the sale, via Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s and Brad Pillinger of Pillinger, was still sufficient to nab the Rose Bay house price record.

69 Fitzwilliam Rd, Vaucluse had last traded for £19,500 in 1958.

8. 69 Fitzwilliam Rd, Vaucluse, $52m

This sale, last November, was the waterfront home of Dawn Lincoln-Smith, which last traded for £19,500 in 1958 when bought by Lincoln-Smith and her late husband Paul Lincoln-Smith, the former chairman of Magnum Gold and Magnum Resources. By Highland Double Bay Malouf director David Malouf in conjunction with Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s.

78 Kambala Rd, Bellevue Hill sold in March.

9. 78 Kambala Rd, Bellevue Hill, $48,500,000

Award-winning film producer Warwick Ross whose first big break was the 1980 classic The Blue Lagoon sold his stunning mansion ahead of a mega international campaign in March. McGrath Double Bay’s Luke Hogan and William Manning did the deal with buyer’s agents Simon Cohen and Isabella Lucas.

28 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill sold to the neighbours without agents involved.

10. 28 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill, $45m

The French Riviera-inspired residence on a 1,252sqm block of hardware tsar turned property developer Fedor Czeiger and his wife, Elizabeth, sold in a private deal between neighbours in March. The couple had bought the four-bedroom for $6.25m in 2012 from the estate of the late Lady Sonia McMahon.

45 Kambala Rd, Bellevue Hill is on a 1183sqm block.

11. 45 Kambala Rd, Bellevue Hill, $45m

Ellie Tavakoli of the eastern suburb’s Tavakoli family, who operates national retail group ACS Designer Bathrooms, sold a rebuilt home with pool and tennis court on a 1183sqm block via Highland Double Bay Malouf director David Malouf in conjunction with Alex Lyons of Raine and Horne Double Bay. Updated property records show the buyer was Elham Dalvand.

Monkton, 53-55 Cranbrook Rd, Bellevue Hill, has enormous potential.

12. 53-55 Cranbrook Rd, Bellevue Hill, $43,500,000

Food blogger and renowned mansion renovator Stephanie Conley-Buhre’s September purchase of ‘Monkton’, via McGrath Double Bay’s William Manning and buyer’s agent Simon Cohen, followed her $80m sale of the Bellevue Hill Spanish Mission-style residence, Alcooringa, last June. Monkton was owned by veteran investment banker Tim Burroughs and his wife, Judith, who’d bought it for $30m 18 months before. The five-bedroom home, on a 1,252sqm block, has massive rooms, harbour views and enormous potential.

16 March St, Bellevue Hill has this tennis court with lighting, plus a resort-style heated pool.

13. 16 March St, Bellevue Hill, $43m

The Bellevue Hill mansion of fashion stylist and personal shopper Natalie Jacobson and husband “Wazza” sold in April. The five-bedroom recently completed three-level home on a 1278 sqm block came with a resort style heated magnesium pool, championship-grade tennis court with lighting, state-of-the-art gym, infra-red sauna and cinema. It sold after three weeks via Ray White Double Bay’s Ashley Bierman and Elliott Placks.

49 Coolawin Rd, Northbridge broke the north shore record in February.

14. 49 Coolawin Rd, Northbridge, $42.75m

The largest waterfront landholding in Northbridge reset records on Sydney’s north shore when it sold in February via Michael Coombs and Andrew Drury of Atlas. Sydney-based Manrong Xu snapped up the grand estate on a 3434sqm block, records show. Coombs said at the time of the listing in late January: “In my two decades of real estate, I’ve never come across a waterfront property like this.” The vendor was Kristie Ward of the Primo Smallgoods family.

26 Olola Ave, Vaucluse sold after 21 months on the market.

15. 26 Olola Ave, Vaucluse, $42m

The five-bedroom, six-bathroom residence on a massive 2266sqm block came with pool, championship-sized tennis court and harbour views to the Manly headlands yet it took 21 months to sell. Its most recent agents, Highland Double Bay Malouf’s David Malouf with Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s, had a $45m guide. When listed initially with different agents the guide was $50m-$55m.

96 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill was bought by IT entrepreneurs, returning to Australia from Monaco.

16 96 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill, $42m

EverBlu Capita founder Adam Blumenthal and his wife Annabelle Shamir sold their trophy home to IT entrepreneurs Olivia Skuza and Heath Wells, returning from Monaco, in a late-night deal last November. The six-bedroom, five-bedroom mansion sold via Ray White Double Bay’s Ashley Bierman and Elliott Placks with Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger. Buyer’s agent Simon Cohen introduced the buyers.

Kia Lama, 7 Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman, was the longtime home of Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham.

17. 7 Bradley’s Head Rd, Mosman, $40m

The record-breaking $40m off-market sale of the grand merchant mansion, Kia Lama, owned by Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham occurred last August via Michael Coombs of Atlas. It best the previous Mosman record of $33m for a knockdown rebuild on the Balmoral slopes two years ago. Pridham, who is also an investment banker, bought the home on a 2600sqm block, with tennis court, pool, gym and views to the city for $6.05m more than two decades ago and did a major reno.

This Myoora Rd, Toorak home sold for $40m.

18. Myoora Rd, Toorak, $40m

Long-time owners Dion and Sandra Abrahams thought they had their 3700sqm property opposite trucking magnate Lindsay Fox’s sprawling compound offloaded in February 2024, but the sale to Phoenix Lithium CEO Nick Wakim fell through. Records show it sold last October at the same price, via Michael Gibson of Forbes Global Properties, to Juan Ma.

This residential property is an amalgamation of three properties in Jefferson Lane and Fourth Ave, Palm Beach, QLD.

19. Jefferson Lane and Fourth Ave, Palm Beach, QLD, $40m

The deal on this amalgamated beachfront block (1525sqm over three titles) set a new Queensland residential sale price record when finalised last September. It

was sold by former Sydney Swans AFL player and property investor Tony Smith, who owns FINNS Beach Club in Bali. The Brisbane buyer plans to demolish the 1960s beach shack, villa, and timber pole house on the site to make way for two new beach homes.

1 Rawson Rd, Rose Bay took six years to build during Covid.

20. 1 Rawson Rd, Rose Bay, $38,500,000.

A Rose Bay dream home that took the Pacanowski family six years to build during Covid sold to the co-owner of Lowes Menswear, Jeffrey Mueller and his wife, Stephanie, last July. It sold via Biller Property’s Paul Biller and Ben Torban. Jeffrey Mueller co-owns the iconic Lowes brand with his sister, Linda Penn, who is CEO.

Originally published as Top 20 sales: Sydney king of the mansions as $1.1bn in homes sell