By Stephen Brook and Samantha Hutchinson
Sam Gance, the multimillionaire owner of the Chemist Warehouse discount pharmacy chain, is the mysterious local businessman who dropped about $43 million on a Toorak trophy home this week, according to property sources.
Gance, who is the partner of Real Housewives of Melbourne star Janet Roach, is said to have bought the five-bedroom mansion at 47 Lansell Road in a private auction against one other bidder on Monday. Unlike his high-profile partner Roach, who is appearing in a new season of the reality TV franchise, Gance is loath to appear before the cameras.
The property occupies 3330 square metres near the Yarra River end of Lansell Road.Credit:
The sale makes the property the most expensive home sold at auction in Australia.
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom, six-car grand entertainer is set on 3330 square metres of gardens by leading designer Paul Bangay at the Yarra River end of Lansell Road, on the crest of a hill. Features include a cinema room, outdoor leisure centre and entertainment rooms, including one with an adjacent kitchen with wood-fired pizza oven, built-in chicken rotisserie and teppanyaki grill. An adjoining service wing contains a laundry, powder room, mud room and housekeeper’s room.
Businessman Mark Healey, who founded British renewable energy infrastructure provider Blue Energy, and his Melburnian wife Kelly – who is listed as the vendor – had wanted $37 million for the Toorak mansion, which they bought off-market in 2015 for about $20 million and spent about $15 million upgrading with Britain’s Helen Green Design Studio and Carr Design architects.
International designers collaborated on the renovation of 47 Lansell Road in Toorak.Credit: Image Factory
Kay & Burton agent Michael Gibson and Marshall White agent Marcus Chiminello shared the sales honours. Kay & Burton’s Andrew Sahhar declined to say if Gance was the buyer.
The property is in the same road as a trophy home that chef Shannon Bennett bought in 2018 with his wife, one-time Neighbours star Madeleine West, for $16 million. The mansion had a caveat placed on it in last month, indicating a potential sale. The couple, who are separated, declined the comment.
The property has set a national auction record.Credit:
The Toorak record price is short of the $52.5 million art dealer Rod Menzies secured in 2018 for Stonnington mansion in Malvern. But it beats the $40.5 million former Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour secured in July for his landmark Hawthorn mansion Invergowrie, sold to Angela Tomisich, founder of analytics company Trajan Group and her husband Stephen.
The Healeys look to be heading south after last year dropping $16 million on a record sale at Red Hill South, buying a five-bedroom homestead.
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