Todd McKenney moves to Melbourne, spends $2m on chic Fitzroy home

Todd McKenney is shaking up his life, and he couldn’t be more excited.

The stage and screen performer has sold his suburban idyll in Sydney, bought a home in inner-city Melbourne and is ready for a new chapter.

Todd McKenney has bought a home in Melbourne.Credit: Jellis Craig, Jamie Brown

He’s moving to Fitzroy, where he has bought a chic warehouse conversion in a former factory. Public records show he paid $2,035,000.

The industrial-style home comes with three bedrooms, soaring ceilings, open-plan living, a courtyard and two parking spaces. Fitzroy’s median house price is $1,595,000, on Domain data.

It’s not only a move interstate, but a change of scene from his home in Pymble on Sydney’s upper north shore where he used to hold high-tea soirees for up to 40 people at a time.

He listed the Sydney suburban residence in spring with a $5 million guide through Paul Langsam and Ben Langsam of Raine & Horne Double Bay, and sold it for well above that price. The sale was handled by DiJones’ Sophie Su, Tim Fraser and Mark Lauzon.

McKenney said he usually stayed in the Elwood and St Kilda area when visiting Melbourne.

But a stint in Fitzroy North, recently crowned Melbourne’s most liveable suburb, working on seasons of Cinderella and Hairspray, gave him a fresh perspective.

“I had such a lovely experience there, I thought ‘I could live here’,” the former star of The Boy From Oz and judge on Dancing with the Stars told this masthead.

Then he did a spell in Richmond while working on a stage production of The Odd Couple. He called a real estate agent and put his home on the market.

“I just did it on a whim,” he said. “I just wanted to shake my life up a bit.”

One advantage of moving to Melbourne is to be closer to his daughter during her Year 12 studies. But he is also enamoured with his new residence – purchased through Jellis Craig’s Simon Shrimpton, who could not be reached – and is looking forward to being in the heart of the action.

“I wanted to get back into city fringe-living, cafe society,” he said, also praising the vintage stores selling clothes and furniture nearby.

“I wanted something slightly industrial … I have come from an elegant old farmhouse.”

He is already planning some renovation work such as redoing the floors and moving the kitchen to let in more light, while keeping the good bones and industrial feel.

His friends in Sydney need not fear. He still owns a shack on the Hawkesbury River that he plans to keep, ready for visits.

But he’s ready for the new adventure.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “I love Melbourne.”