Trophy Homes: Lisa Curry lists Mount Vellum home

Former Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry and her fiance Mark Tabone have listed their Mount Vellum property.

The historic 1880 Fitzroy House in Adelaide has been listed for sale.

Former Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry and her fiance Mark Tabone have listed their Mount Vellum property near Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Ray White Beerwah agent Theo Grigoriou has a $679,000 price tag for the property, 35km inland. It seems the couple have been too busy to get around to developing the 14ha parcel that cost them $550,000 just last year. The site has two sheds and solar panels. The land is mostly bush with rainforest pockets, gullies and two dams. Curry is one of Australia’s most decorated female athletes, having won 15 gold, seven silver and eight bronze international swimming medals. She lasted nearly six weeks in the South African jungle in the Channel 10 show, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

Historic house on offer

The historic 1880 Fitzroy House in Adelaide has been listed for sale. Built for South Australian senator, early Australian attorney-general and part-time viticulturist Sir Josiah Symon, the home has been restored since it last traded for $800,000 when bought by the Thomas family. Set on 2500sq m of botanic gardens, the six-bedroom, four-bathroom home spans 800sq m over two levels. The gracious ballroom is the showpiece. A floodlit lawn tennis court and heated swimming pool lie either side of the central entertaining area. Bernard H. Booth agent Jamie Brown has the listing. Fitzroy’s price record was set in 2012, when the Snell family paid $3.675m for the nearby 1890 Carlton House.

Port Douglas retreat for auction

The Port Douglas retreat of Melbourne property developer Michael Yates and wife Lou has been scheduled for May auction. It is listed through Barbara Wolveridge of Raine & Horne Port Douglas Mossman. It came on to the market last August with a price guidance of $8.8m. Michael and Lou bought the home for $6.5m from the Juniper development family in 2006. Designed as three pavilions by architect Alex Gencur, the five-bedroom home on the Wharf Road dress circle is surrounded by tropical flora and towering palms. It takes inspiration from the plantation-style British West Indies architectural vernacular — cathedral ceilings, columns and lots of louvre shutters. The couple sold their South Yarra mansion last month for about $11m to clinical psychologist Renee Bittar. They are building a home on the Murray River at Tocumwal in southern NSW, which they have in mind for their retirement.

Returning Brits list penthouse

British expats Brian Ames, who was a director of Harrods Management, and wife, Diane Ames have listed their Brisbane penthouse to return to England. They paid $4.5m for the designer New Farm apartment in The Freshwater development in 2014. Spanning 468sq m, the three-bedroom apartment features a reading room, a home office and wine cellar. A 34m balcony runs along the riverside. Ray White Albion agent David Treloar has the offering. At Harrods Management, Brian was tasked to look after international VIPs and the royals.

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