The Sell: Jodhi Meares trades Sydney Habour for Northern Rivers hinterland gem
Swimwear mogul Jodhi Meares seems set to be making a tree-change, trading Sydney Harbour for life in the hinterland Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
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Swimwear mogul Jodhi Meares seems set to be making a tree-change, trading Sydney Harbour for life in the hinterland Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
The founder of Tigerlily, who is currently trying to sell her Watsons Bay fisherman’s cottage, has emerged as a $4.1m cash buyer at Brooklet, inland between Ballina and Byron.
Her four-bedroom, three-bathroom purchase, 15 minutes from the beach, was sold by bushfire consultant and builder Matt Toghill and his wife Taylah Toghill, who had sought $4.25m.
The modernist-inspired home with a Z-shaped floor plan was designed by Seven Mile Architects. Replete with an avocado, citrus, banana and papaw orchard, the property also has an art studio.
With a chalky limewash paint coating, the house appeared in the blog The Design Files earlier this year, which noted that the home “references mid-century homes from around the globe, mostly prominently the 1959 house of artist Pierre Soulages on Mont Saint-Clair”.
“Instead of the Mediterranean, the design of Brooklet House embraces its surrounding wide open spaces with openings to the outdoors from almost every room.”
The brief for the home was to create a “simple, special and functional” home after the Toghills bought the 3.78-hectare block for $899,000 in 2016.
It had been a four-bedroom homestead on the property known as Richmond Valley Stud.
The Ballina district has increasingly enjoyed the spillover from the Byron Bay hinterland buyer market for the last few years.
Brooklet, with a population of just over 250 people, has fewer than 100 houses. It is home to Gaia Retreat and Spa, the luxury wellness retreat co-owed by the late Olivia Newton John before being snapped up by Twiggy and Nicola Forrest’s Tattarang for just over $25m in 2021.
Brooklet’s priciest listing is Yverlyn Farm, on Rishworths Lane, which has been listed at $12m. The estate combines a residence with equestrian facilities overlooking the Nightcap Ranges.
Meares, who was married to expatriat tycoon James Packer between 1999 and 2002, is looking for a buyer for her two-bedroom Watsons Bay cottage with $5.5m price guidance.
GIANTS STAR KICKS GOAL IN NORTH BONDI
Veteran GWS Giants player Callan Ward and his expectant wife, Ruby Keddie, have sold the North Bondi home they bought for $4.866m back in 2022.
Apparently a western suburbs estate agent was its buyer, having missed out on Hastings Parade.
The 1920s semi, which was renovated in 2021, hasn’t been touched in the years since their purchase.
The sale price has not been disclosed by Ray White agent Dion Markovics, who had the property in conjunction with Sydney Sotheby’s International, but it is understood to have fetched $5.035m.
It had an initial guide of $4.8m, which was dropped to an overly pessimistic $4.5m. It was also not quite as dire as local buyers agent Albert Sassoon, who has set up Pacific Property
Buyers after his departure from TRG, recently suggested in his market update on the neighbourhood. Noting there were 13 houses for sale, including eight semis, Sassoon suggested sellers could expect up to $1m less than their hopes or last sale price.
Architect James Garvin designed the Midelton Avenue home – which has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a rear entertaining deck with infra-red sauna and beach shower – for the prior owners.
The home features hydronic heated floors, terrazzo and mosaic-tiled bathrooms, a plush pink kitchen and a striking steel stairway.
It was marketed as being “influenced by the modernist school of architecture, with geometric curves, generous proportions and seamless integration of indoor and outdoor living spaces”.
Ward, 34, signed a one-year contract extension in September, having weighed up moving back to Melbourne. His two-bedroom 1920s Bronte investment remains for sale through R &H agent Mark Yeats.
BLOCK COUPLE RACHEL AND RYAN STILL CALL SHIRE HOME
Rachel and Ryan Carr, the replacement contestants on The Block in 2022, have bought in Sylvania after selling in Oyster Bay.
They have secured a four-bedroom, one-bathroom house for $1.62m in the heart of the Shire.
“We won’t leave the Shire,” Rachel affirmed during the marketing of their Oyster Bay home.
The Sylvania purchase was well under the suburb’s four-bedroom median, which PropTrack puts at $1,807,500 based on 52 sales over the past year.
It had previously traded in 2010 for $750,000.
The couple, who now run The R&R Design Co, secured $2,725,000 in Oyster Bay after having an adjusted $2.7m asking price for their Mediterranean-inspired home.
There had been initial $2.8m hopes for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which the couple had renovated before they were late starters on The Block Tree Change in 2022.
“We love this house so much, but the time has come to start a new adventure” Rachel told her 42,000 Instagram followers.
“While we absolutely love doing renos for all our amazing clients, what we love the most is renovating our own place … and we’ve renovated all we can here. This house has been so good to us.
“It’s the first home our family of five has known,” she said.
They had paid $1.68m in 2019.
“Over the years we’ve renovated the bathrooms, laundry, staircase, alfresco … but our biggest renovation happened during Covid, when we turned our pool area into a luxury resort-style oasis complete with cabana, outdoor shower and limestone pavers.”
Their Gisborne renovation for The Block in country Victoria was among the many acquisitions of Melbourne IT entrepreneur Danny Wallis, who paid $4.25m.
The couple took home $169,000 after replacing Bondi influencer Elle Ferguson and her partner Joel Patful on the Channel 9 renovation show.
LOTTERY SCORES A REAL PRIZE PROPERTY
The RSL Dream Home Art Union has bought Portum, the Byron Bay trophy home, for $10.55m from former dual code footballer turned builder Todd Miller and his artist wife Diana.
The three-level home, overlooking Tallow Beach, sold recently through Su Reynolds from First National Byron.
The house, built by Miller from Ziegler Build, came with a price guide of $10m to $11m.
The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home is set on Pacific Vista Drive sculpted around a striking spiral staircase that leads to light-filled living spaces with ocean views and the Arakwal National Park.
Portum’s low-impact design comes with Australian-made clay bricks and low-emissivity glass.
There is a 10kw solar system with Tesla battery, water tanks and carbon water filtering.
The 660sq m holding was bought in 2021 for $2.85m.
There are 10 multimillion-dollar dream home draws every year, including two prize home draws mostly in Queensland. The first Art Union lottery was in 1956, fundraising for RSL Queensland.
Their previous mid-century modern-style Palm Springs-inspired home, just five houses away, fetched $5.6m in 2021.
Miller began his career in professional rugby league at the Cronulla Sharks, then the Manly Sea Eagles, Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Chargers, before switching to union with the Gold Coast Breakers’ inaugural team.
WAUGH FAMILY HOME LISTED IN PATONGA
Last Days, the holiday home set 100m from the sand at Patonga, has been listed through McGrath Terrigal agents Trevor Hamilton and Dale Bassett.
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom house, which sits on 626sq m, is expected to fetch $1.6m at its December 7 auction.
The marketing says the Bay Street property was last traded in the 1950s when bought by Lloyd and Opal Doughty as the family retreat.
They were the grandparents to Lynette Waugh, the wife of retired cricket champion Steve Waugh. It cost £130.
“Over time, we outgrew the house, so various family members bought houses there too, until we had four holiday homes in the family,” Lynette said.
“All the babies have been unofficially christened in Patonga Creek as their welcome to the community.”
Lynette and Steve Waugh will retain their home in the fishing village where Lynette taught Steve, and then their children, to fish.
Of course, beach cricket played over summer tends to be top-class at the Central Coast location, set at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River.
PropTrack notes just four house sales in the past year, ranging from $880,000 for a 367sq m block with just an original sleepout to $3.65m for a contemporary four-bedroom waterfront property.
TRYING TO GET RENTAL RETURN
Departing Sydney Rooster Joey Manu has listed his Botany apartment for rent as he makes the move to Japanese rugby club Toyota Verblitz.
He sought $1250 a week for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit through R&W’s Bronte Nicholls.
The 160sq m Wilson St space has wall-to-wall glass doors opening to an alfresco terrace.
Manu, who joined the Roosters in 2016, purchased it for $1.15 million in 2019.
BUYERS REFUSE TO TAKE PLUNGE
The repricing of swimming legend Ian Thorpe’s Woollahra townhouse failed to yield a buyer, with the property pulled from its midweek auction.
The initial $3.5 million Ray White guidance for the three-level townhouse was dropped to $3 million in midweek.
Thorpe, who placed a $3.95 million vendor bid at its auction in September last year, bought it for $2.75 million. He owns around the corner, paying $2.79 million in July last year.
FAREWELL WAVE AT THE BEACH
Kerrie Brown, the set decorator and interior designer, and her partner Christopher Oliver sold “Wolaroi”, their Bondi Beach art deco apartment, last weekend for $2.65 million.
Pauline Goodyer of Goodyer Real Estate secured $350,000 above reserve.
The top-floor 127sq m three-bedroom, one-bathroom Lamrock Ave apartment with ocean glimpses cost $210,000 back in 1991.
Got a property news tip? Email jonathan.chancellor@news.com.au
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