In the Palms of his hand: Centuria’s Jason Huljich sells in Elizabeth Bay

The lavish penthouse of Centuria Capital financier Jason Huljich has just sold at the upper end of its asking price of $4.5m to $4.75m.

Celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey at his Bowral property. Picture: Simon Bullard

The lavish penthouse of financier Jason Huljich, joint chief executive of Centuria Capital, has just sold at the upper end of its asking price of $4.5m to $4.75m through McGrath Double Bay’s William Manning. The 12-16 Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay, property sold prior to auction and within two weeks of listing, achieving more than $40,000 a square metre. (Back in January 2019, Manning set the Australian terrace record for the nearby sale of 25 Challis Avenue, Potts Point, which sold for more than $14m). With sweeping Sydney Harbour views, the Elizabeth Bay penthouse features three bedrooms and two bathrooms and is set within The Palms complex. Its interiors were designed by Iain Halliday of BKH Architects. Huljich is a scion of the wealthy Auckland-based family who are well known for their property, meat processing, philanthropy, movie production and investment interests.

Big splash at Mermaid

The Gold Coast’s ever-popular Mermaid Beach continues to record strong sales, with developer Sahba Abedian,of Sunland Group, buying on millionaires’ row for $11m. Sahba, the son of Soheil Abedian, the founder of the Sunland Group, which at one stage listed James Packer as one of its directors, has bought a twin title 900sq m beachfront Hedges Avenue lot in the name of his wife, Nava. Demolition of an existing older style two-level house on the lot started recently. Sahba and Nava Abedian recently sold a penthouse in the Sunland-developed Abian tower in the Brisbane CBD for $5m. It is understood Harry Kakavas handled the Mermaid Beach sale. Kakavas was also responsible for the $25m sale of former AFL footballer and Bali beach club developer Tony Smith’s 2 Heron Avenue transaction. Smith is understood to have sold Heron Avenue to Dean Pask, a scion of the Queensland-based Pask property development family, as revealed by Trophy last week.

Barrister’s tree change

Prominent QC and University of Melbourne chancellor Allan Myers is understood to be behind the purchase of the Clarke farming family’s historic Devon Park in Dunkeld, in Western Victoria. It is understood Myers bought the 1273ha holding, used for livestock grazing, at a public auction, paying $14.155m. CBRE agent Danny Thomas handled the public auction but declined to comment. Myers, who hails from the surrounding area, is understood to own a significant amount of adjoining land. The holding last traded in 1928.

Booming in Bong Bong

Celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey has not only recently expanded his Double Bay salon in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, he has also tripled the size of his Bowral premises in Bong Bong Street in the bucolic NSW Southern Highlands. Bailey has leased the adjoining shop to his existing salon and says renovations will begin as soon as social distancing rules are further relaxed. Bailey is a big fan of the Southern Highlands, buying an estate in nearby Woodlands a couple of years ago where he has numerous horses, pet dogs and a stunning house overlooking his own lake. He says the hairdressing business in Bowral is doing well and is buoyed by the fact the Southern Highlands township has recently attracted a Peter Alexander store.