Trophy Homes: Snow fields price record falls in Mt Buller

There’s whispers of a $6m off-the-plan sale at Mount Buller’s Kooroora redevelopment, an Australian snow price record.

There’s whispers of a $6 million off-the-plan sale at Mount Buller’s Kooroora redevelopment, which snares the Australian snow price record away from the NSW ski fields. The Thredbo record dates back to 2005, when entrepreneur Andrew Roberts paid $3.5m for the five-bedroom chalet Tussock, bought from Melbourne architect Andrew Norbury and wife Jane Parker, one of the founders of Country Road. Norbury designed the home on Crackenback Ridge, one of Thredbo’s highest blocks. Set in the heart of the village square, Kooroora is a collection of 21 residences. Five are left in the four-storey, $35m Grollo project through Melbourne agent John Castran. The site is rich in history, having been established in 1953 by brothers Ernest and Aurel Forras. Their mother and sister came out from Hungry to assist, cooking and serving in the chalet’s dining room. It burnt down in 1961 and was rebuilt and reopened for the 1962 winter. Kooroora provided the first post-war high-end commercial accommodation on the mountain. Property mogul Rino Grollo sold his 300sq m Howqua penthouse in the Mount Buller Chalet in 2015 to Autobarn founder Garry Dumbrell for $1.7m.

Taj on Swan under offer

Taj on Swan, Perth’s notorious building block, has gone under offer following Sunday’s auction where the bidding stopped at $15.6m, with talks apparently getting nearer $17m. The abandoned home building block of flamboyant billionaires Pankaj and Radhika Oswal, listed through Ray White agent Vivien Yap in conjunction with Sotheby’s Graham Bowie, cost $22.7m in 2007 when bought from developer Warren Anderson.

The 42ha Maleny bidding hit $5.6m.

Across the country, another trophy offering remains for sale. Dean Shannon, former chief of Ladbrokes Australia and now MD of the Nets gambling website, and wife Kelly are still seeking a buyer for their equestrian property in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The bidding at last Sunday’s auction stopped at $5.6m for the 42ha Maleny holding.

Riverfront block hits market

Just weeks after an $11.3m vacant New Farm block was sold, a nearby riverfront knockdown opportunity has hit the market. It is 33 Maxwell Street, a 940sq m offering that features frontage to the Brisbane river. Tina Quintner, who has owned New Farm Bikes for about three decades, has watched the cityscape evolve into a world city in this time. Ray White New Farm agents Nicholas Given and Matt Lancashire said the block has attractive development potential.

Lilybrook manor up for grabs

Lilybrook, the Georgian manor in the Perth Hills built for businessman Brian Johnston, has been listed for sale. The 20ha Parkerville holding is listed by Marina and Bob Roget with a $6.5m asking price through Neil McAllister at Bellcourt Property. There is a tennis court, lake, church, a six-bay stable complex, and some 750 macadamia trees. The Roland Road property was first sold to Perth car king Brian Gardner.

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