Trophy Homes: Clive Mensink home for lease

Fugitive ex-Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink has listed his Sovereign Islands investment property for lease.

Inside the former dairy.

Fugitive former Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink has listed his Sovereign Islands investment property for lease. The 1996-built executive waterfront home is on the market for $1200 a week. Set on 770sq m, the Gold Coast home has four bedrooms, a rumpus room with wet bar, pool and pontoon. It has been owned by Mensink, the nephew of tycoon Clive Palmer, since 2012 when he paid $1.35 million. Mensink has failed to cut short a long, cruise-studded overseas trip to return to Australia to testify about the collapse of the business.

Artist’s latest offering

Some $2.8m-$3m is tipped for a three-bedroom house and artist’s studio, inside a former dairy, at Carlton. The Dorrit Street space has been listed by artist and printmaker Bruno Leti. It is the work of the late architect Col Bandy. The light-filled space, with CBD views, has been scheduled for auction next weekend by Nelson Alexander agent Arch Staver. Leti, who was born in Italy and emigrated to Australia with his family as a child in the early 1950s, has had his work exhibited in collections including the National Gallery of Australia.

Comedians serious about property

Comedian Colin Lane, best known as one-half of former comedy duo Lano and Woodley, is among the rather busy property plays by comedians across Melbourne. Lane has bought a land parcel with partner Marnie. The couple have spent $1,380,500 on a 285sq m parcel in Balaclava. North facing, the block near Balaclava village is ready to build with cleared, level land and two street frontages. Buxton St Kilda selling agents Arthur Apostoleros and Zoe Cherrie marketed the land as “rare as hens teeth”. The couple have been living nearby with their three sons and boxer dog Mac in a five-bedroom Federation timber cottage known as Kipling Mews, sold for $2.56m in March. Comedian Andy Lee sold in Seddon last weekend, securing a very bullish $1.04m after the co-owned investment property came with initial $700,000-$770,000 hopes. And investor Dave Hughes spent $3.07m on the winning Block Elsternwick house of model Elyse Knowles and her boyfriend Josh Barker. Last year Peter Helliar spent $2.55m on a home in Ivanhoe, having sold his Plenty mansion for $3.2m. And the talk is Wil Anderson has started looking following his move from Sydney to join the Triple M Hot Breakfast.

Architect’s house sells

A Haverbrack Avenue, Malvern property listed with demolition approval sold post-auction mid-week through Andrew Hayne at Marshall White after it was passed in at $9.7m. There were three bidders. The price guidance for the five-bedroom family home on 1485sq m was given as $9.1m-$10m. The 1924 home was designed by Fred Ballantyne, the first articled architect pupil in the Melbourne office of internationally acclaimed couple Walter and Marion Griffin. It last sold in 1992 for $800,000. Ballantyne, who died in 1988, appears in the Dictionary of Unsung Architects.

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