The Bachelor Australia: Inside the mansions and its sell offs
The Bachelor is about to get a shake up after it was snatched by a rival network - and now the love show has suffered another sad blow.
Extravagant mansions and stunning backdrops were once the glitzy settings of The Bachelor Australia.
But with ratings plummeting, Network 10 pulled the plug on the once-popular reality television franchise after 11 seasons – resting the show in 2024 and confirming its axing earlier this year.
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It was announced last week that a reboot of the franchise with a spin-off on the original format “The Golden Bachelor” hosted by former Farmer Wants A Wife host Samantha Armytage.
But it turns out the Nine grab of the reality TV love show from Ten has come with another blow after some of the mansions have been listed for sale.
The premise of the show’s new incarnation features a senior Bachelor hoping for a second chance at love with a crop of sexy singles aiming to impress.
It is unclear whether Channel 9 intends on rebooting the The Bachelor and it’s spin-off editions — The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.
Osher Günsberg hosted the show for the entire Network 10 incarnation of the show and its spin-offs from 2016 to 2023.
So where did all the contestants live while they waited to find love? From lavish French chateaus to sprawling bush sanctuaries — some of Australia’s most luxurious homes played host to heartbreaks, and infamous moments. See below some of the homes to have hosted The Bachelor franchise, and how much they’re worth.
68 Minkara Rd, Bayview
Home to the first season of The Bachelor where model Tim Robards met his wife Anna Henrich – the couple has defied reality television odds and are still together.
According to CoreLogic data the exquisite La Joie De Vivre, meaning “the joy of living” in French, changed hands for approximately $9.5m.
The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion at 68 Minkara Rd, Bayview was sold fully furnished and previously belonged to freight tycoon Clive Thomas. The couple acquired the property for $7.05m in 2016.
The homes architecture is a blend of French provincial elegance and contemporary and is nestled against the breathtaking backdrop of Pittwater, including a semicircular driveway with a porte cochère.
The mansion is spread across 4,091sq m of manicured grounds, including customised entertaining areas, a tennis court, and a resort-like heated pool.
The home’s commercial granite kitchen is equipped with dual ovens, dishwashers, and a butler’s pantry.
La Joie De Vivre also boasts a temperature-controlled wine cellar, ducted airconditioning, and an alarm system.
Its full brick and concrete floor construction includes surround sound both inside and out.
The home’s former listing said the property is a 25-minute drive to Manly, followed by an 18-minute fast ferry to Sydney’s CBD – and minutes away from Sydney’s best beaches, marinas, schools, and village shops. The home was listed for rent in March last year fetching a whopping $6500 a week for rent.
7 Woolwich Rd, Hunters Hill
A seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home at 7 Woolwich Rd, Hunters Hill was home to the second and third seasons of The Bachelor Australia.
The home is now currently on the market.
The second season saw Perth-based real estate auctioneer Blake Garvey find love with Sam Frost – that didn’t last.
Garvey shared that he didn’t have romantic feelings for Frost, despite picking her.
Frost went onto to star in the first season of The Bachelorette following the heartbreak and has since enjoyed an acting career on Home and Away and started up a mental health charity.
Season 3 of the show ushered in Melbourne-based personal trainer and founder of children’s fitness company Gecko Kids, Sam Wood.
He found love with Snezana Markoski from Perth and the pair are now married living in Melbourne with four kids.
The Hunters Hill historic home “Clifton” is a sandstone mansion, constructed in the 1880s – with the estate spanning 5125sq m and boasts a 1000-bottle wine cellar with a dedicated tasting room for wine enthusiasts
Additional features of the home include a championship tennis court with an adjacent BBQ area, a swimming pool and spa, and an underground garage capable of housing ten cars.
6 Abbott Place Glenorie
The Bachelor franchise took a daring step into the bush for its fourth and fifth seasons, setting up inside a lavish two-storey mansion at 6 Abbott Place, Glenorie, just an hour’s drive northwest of Sydney.
This sprawling 2.02ha estate served as a romantic retreat, featuring large manicured gardens, pristine lawns, a tennis court, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool – perfect for reality television.
The home offered countless private spots for intimate moments during cocktail parties, first kisses, dates and explosive arguments.
For the shows fourth season, Perth rope access technician Richie Strachan found romance with Melbourne venue manager Alex Nation in this swish setting. Their love story was short lived and lasted just a year.
Season 5 witnessed a longer-lasting bond as marketing director Matty Johnson fell for jewellery designer Laura Byrne.
Now happily married with two kids, Johnson has even written a children’s book titled Two Doting Dads: The Quest For Free Time, inspired by their family life.
The pair remain one of the most successful couples out of The Bachelor Australia franchise.
1059 Spicer Rd, Oxford Falls
Season 6 of The Bachelor the show moved to Nelly’s Farm in Oxford Falls and remained there for three seasons.
The mansion’s architecture is a Hamptons-inspired French Provincial estate.
The sixth season of the franchise proved to be one of the shows most controversial to date with former professional rugby player Nick Cummins, also known as The Honey Badger opting to pick none of the remaining girls Brittany Hockley or Sophie Tieman, as no one was right for him.
Cummins has since gone to star in other reality television shows including I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and SAS Australia.
The shows seventh season saw astrophysicist Matt Agnew cast as The Bachelor, who fell in love with chemical engineer Chelsie McLeod, but their romance only lasted six months after the show finished filming.
Agnew has since launched “Drink Pash” – a non-alcoholic beverage company with McLeod founding her own venture breathable nail polish “nude”
Season 8 of the show was hit by the global pandemic which saw some challenges for the show starring reality television star Locky Gilbert.
Despite lockdowns, travel bans and pausing of the shows filming during production, Gilbert found love with Melbourne nurse Irena Srbinovska.
The couple are still together and welcomed their first child Ava this year following their wedding last year.
In 2011, the owners of Nelly’s Farm completed a huge renovation on the property spending $250,000 – with experts tipping in 2018 that the property was worth more than $5m.
PK Property buyers agent Peter Kelaher said prior to the sixth season airing that he knew the property and area well.
“If it sold for that ($2.3m in 2010) back then, it’d be closer to $5 million now,” Mr Kelaher said.
“And in terms of renting, it’d be hard to say — because they put a lot more on when they’re doing those sort of shows.
“But it could have been around the $4000 mark.”
15 Vineys Lane, Dura
In a dramatic change of scenery for its ninth season, The Bachelor Australia moved into an opulent $6.3m French chateau-style mansion nestled on five lush acres at 15 Vineys Lane in Dural, Sydney’s northwest.
This lavish six-bedroom, 12-bathroom pad at 15 Vineys Lane, Dura boasted luxurious Parisian park-style landscaping with whimsical animal statues decorating a stunning feature fountain, all complemented by an indoor swimming pool.
Approaching this majestic property via a long, grand driveway, the contestants were greeted by an elegant fountain, with the mansion’s facade reflecting the charming details of French country estates, including distinctive sandstone steps, a mansard roof, and manicured gardens.
Known as “Le Chateau,” this lavish estate served as the romantic backdrop where pilot Jimmy Nicholson played out his role as the 2021 Australian Bachelor, ultimately finding love with marketing manager Holly Kingston.
The pair are still together and expecting their first child this year.
87-89 Monaco Street, Broadbeach Waters
The show moved to the Gold Coast for its 10th season, the six-bedroom, five-bathroom pad at 87-89 Monaco Street, Broadbeach Waters was home to not one but three hopeful bachelors Felix Von Hofe, Jed McIntosh and Thomas Malucelli – in a bid to spice up the shows dwindling ratings.
Fans heavily criticised Network Ten’s casting for not being diverse enough.
The home was by designed by Jared Poole with Beverly Hills-style architectural innovations with suspended concrete construction, and is now back on the market.
Arguably the most premium home used in The Bachelor Australia franchise to date included honed concrete, Calacatta stone, limestone tiles, and French oak flooring.
No couples remained together after the show’s tenth season and soon split after the final.
43 Middle Crescent, Brighton
Melbourne housed the final season of The Bachelor Australia at a six-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 43 Middle Crescent, Brighton.
Producers attempted to spice up the show again with three hopeful bachelors: international model Ben Waddell, lumberjack and former NRL player Luke Bateman and theology student Wesley Senna Cortes.
The 1850s Victorian residence in Brighton sits of 1553sq m of resort-style grounds – the home includes Carrara marble fireplaces and stained glass details enhancing its grandeur
The home includes a swimming pool and floodlit mod grass tennis court and interiors meticulously designed by Charlotte Heine.
The final season was supposed to air in 2024, but Channel 10 quickly pushed it out late in 2023.
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Originally published as The Bachelor Australia: Inside the mansions and its sell offs
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