Trophy homes: Cottesloe comfort

Kevin Manuel and Elizabeth Gaines, the new CEO of Fortescue Metals, have listed their luxury Cottesloe apartment.

Kevin Manuel and Elizabeth Gaines, the new CEO of Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s mining company Fortescue Metals, have listed their luxury Cottesloe apartment.

They bought it for $3.57 million in 2016 from the Hughes car dealership family, just after Gaines was made CFO at the company.

It became their West Australian base after they sold their house on Sydney northern beaches, the former home of model and Myer ambassador Jennifer Hawkins and builder husband Jake Wall at North Curl Curl.

Fortescue CEO Elizabeth Gaines. Picture: Colin Murty

The Cottesloe three-level apartment is in a block of just four designed by the architect Blane Breckenridge. It comes with interiors from New York designer Al Martinez of Interior Management. Andrew Porteous at William Porteous Properties International is marketing the home.

Chef serves up Barwon

The South Yarra trophy home of celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and his actor wife Madeleine West fetched $9.78m when it sold late last year at private auction.

They listed Barwon, an updated 1880s Cromwell Road home, last November, having spent about $16m on a Toorak mansion, a four-level Lansell Road home sold by the Melbourne pub owner Mazen Tabet. The couple bought the South Yarra home for $4.805m in 2012, when upgrading from Kensington. There were $7m to $7.7m price indications for the home through Kay & Burton agent Ross Savas and Steven Rode. The five-bedroom home had a Jackson Clement Burrows’ renovation and extension by the prior owner. It sold to the Crowe family of Armadale, who will be upsizing from a four-bedroom timber cottage.

Shannon Bennett. Picture: David Smith

Canavan’s upper house

The federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan has secured a family home near Rockhampton, Queensland with his wife, Andrea. The palm tree-lined property cost the couple about $550,000. It is set on 4000sq m near Yeppoon, just north of Rockhampton, amid fruit and nut trees. It has four bedrooms for the family of five. It looks to be a smart purchase by the pollie, with it initially listed at $619,000. Those hopes were reduced to $599,000, then $585,000. Canavan still owns a Canberra bolthole, a Macquarie townhouse bought in 2009 for $499,500, just after he took a job at the Productivity Commission. A year later he was chief of staff in the office of Senator Barnaby Joyce. Senator Canavan, 37, has been considered a rising star since elected to represent the Liberal National party for Queensland in 2013, with Malcolm Turnbull appointing him to the ministry in 2016. He briefly stepped down during the citizenship saga last year.

Costello Carlton cottage sold

A two-level Carlton home listed for sale at $2.3m has sold quickly. The 100 Barkly Street terrace was significantly rebuilt in the 1890s with an elaborate baroque facade. It had been an 1850s cottage owned by Patrick Costello, the great-great grandfather of high-profile descendants, brothers Peter and Tim Costello.

It last sold in 1984 at $80,500. It was once the home of Di Gribble, the late publisher.

Agents Nicholas West and Charlie Barham from Nelson Alexander secured the sale.

According to CoreLogic, the suburb’s median house price is $1.47m.

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