Legal eagle who bought $6.5m Bondi house lists it for $12m
The former Solicitor-General of Australia Justin Gleeson SC and his author and academic wife Dr Bernadette Brennan are selling their Bondi house with a price guide of $12 million.
Positioned in between Bondi and Tamarama beaches, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house has 180 degree ocean views to Ben Buckler.
The Bondi home spans across four levels with internal lift access.Credit:
Set on 330 square metres, the luxury residence spans four floors with lift access to all levels and includes triple auto-garaging with an EV charger and a solar-heated salt-chlorine pool with an outdoor shower.
Within walking distance to the Coastal Walk, Bondi Icebergs and the beaches in between, the couple purchased the home for $6.5 million when it was built brand new in 2017.
The Gleeson-Brennan family were Walsh Bay locals for more than a decade before making the move to the eastern beaches where they plan to stay and downsize locally.
Gleeson returned to the Bar and the chambers he founded, Sydney’s Banco, after his resignation following his public fallout with Attorney General George Brandis in 2016.
Former Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson SC Credit: Andrew Meares
Meanwhile, Brennan has won several accolades for her published work, including her award-winning literary biography A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work.
Their home is scheduled to go to auction on 31 May. It is being sold through Simon Exleton of Pillinger who said current interest is between $10 million to $11 million.
Second time lucky in Point Piper
Rag traders Stephen and Pamela Leibowitz are having another crack at selling their Point Piper trophy home with a price guide of $65 million after they first listed it on the market last year.
The Point Piper home of the Leibowitzs with gun barrel views of Sydney Harbour.Credit:
Set in an exclusive harbourside enclave, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom residence was first designed by Leslie Wilkinson then updated by architect Michael Suttor and its beautiful parterre garden is by Annie Wilkes.
With gun barrel views across Sydney Harbour, the home has luxury en suites, a chef’s kitchen, butler’s pantry and lift access.
The couple is said to be downsizing in the neighbourhood after the Retail Apparel Group co-founder sold his stake in the company, the Group operates men’s retail stores Tarocash and Connor.
The Leibowitzs have called the sought-after peninsula home since they purchased it for $12 million in 2004 from James Packer’s close friend and once right-hand man Ben Tilley.
It is being sold through Michael Pallier of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty.
New era in Vaucluse
In Vaucluse, Barry Smorgon OAM, of Tismor Health & Wellness, and his wife Sandra have listed their deep waterfront with a price guide north of $60 million.
The five-bedroom, six-bathroom trophy home is set on 1000 square metres and comes with its own private jetty and pontoon.
Barry, who is a descendant of the wealthy Melbourne family, sold the majority of his company Jalco, a fast-moving consumer goods manufacturer, for about $80 million to billionaire Pratt family member Raphael Geminder’s Pact Group in 2015. Meanwhile, Sandra and Barry’s family office Sandbar Investments retained the food and wellness division which it renamed Tismor Health and Wellness, according to their website.
The deep waterfront trophy home in Vaucluse of the Smorgons. Credit:
In 2010, Barry received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his service to the community and to business.
The home is being sold in an expressions of interest campaign through Elliott Placks of Ray White Double Bay.
Another tightly held home in Vaucluse has changed hands. Lowes retail empire owner Jeffrey Mueller and his wife Stephanie have sold their long-time Vaucluse family home for $16 million, local sources report.
While the home had an initial guide of $18 million, the Muellers did well considering they paid $2.85 million for the prestigious address in 1993.
The Muellers had already made a move to Rose Bay after they paid $38.5 million for a contemporary house with no mortgage last year.
The home sold through Paul Biller of Biller Property who declined to comment.
Italian farmhouse in Byron’s hinterland
In Byron Bay, award-winning grazier and regenerative farmer Charlie Arnott and his wife Angelica have listed their stunning Byron Bay hinterland property with a price guide of $20 million to $22 million.
The Arnotts’ exquisite Byron Bay hinterland residenceCredit:
Lo Scoglio is set on 8000 square metres and the original 1980s home is unrecognisable, having been transformed into an exquisite two-storey Italian farmhouse after a complete renovation.
It was a two-and-half-year passion project for Charlie, of the Arnott biscuit empire, and Angelica who paid homage to her Italian heritage in the process.
The serene, modern rustic property, which they purchased for $2.45 million in 2018, features a four-bedroom main house and a private studio with five bathrooms across the two residences.
Charlie and Angelica Arnott on the patio at Lo Scoglio.Credit: Alicia Taylor
With Charlie’s main business a 2000-hectare farm in Boorowa, where their family now reside, they no longer need the property, which is a luxury short-term rental that fetches $3750 a night.
It is being sold in an expressions of interest campaign through Adam Ross of McGrath Pyrmont.