Keeper’s Cottage sold to Chinese buyers for $7.5m

One of Sydney’s most prominent luxury houses has been sold to Nanshan Group executives as their local base.

The Cottage vendors, Stephen and Carmen Davidson, bought the property in 2002.

One of Sydney’s most prominent luxury houses, the Keeper’s Cottage in the upmarket Vaucluse, has been sold to one of China’s richest families.

In a deal announced today, the house has been sold for $7.5 million after a number of attempts over the past few years.

It was sold to Nanshan Group’s Jianmin Song and Hailing Xu. The house is expected to be their Australian base as they oversee an aggressive expansion plan which included buying a major Virgin Australia stake from Air New Zealand earlier this year. The Nanshan Group is one of the largest private companies in China.

The house was due for auction in a fortnight.

“We had other offers in the vicinity of the sale price. Jianman Song and his partner in the sale, Hailing Xu, were very clear that they wanted to negotiate prior to auction,” Ray White Double Bay’s Evan Williams said.

“The group has a lot of business dealings in Sydney. The Keeper’s Cottage will be their Australian home.”

The Cottage was first owned by the Commonwealth.

The Cottage vendors, Stephen and Carmen Davidson, bought the property in 2002.

Mr and Mrs Davidson said: “we have tested the market before, but only now were we prepared to let go of the property. It has been an emotional decision for us.

“It is the family home and I don’t think we will ever feel the way we do about the Keeper’s Cottage with another property again. It is that special.”

The heritage listed Keeper’s Cottage is set on 2600m² of land adjacent to Macquarie Lighthouse in Vaucluse.

“Jianmin Song is the third private owner of the The Keeper’s Cottage, it was originally owned by the Commonwealth,” Mr Williams said.

The house was due for auction in a fortnight.