The Sell: Emma Watkins sells East Ryde home for move to Southern Highlands
Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins has sold the home she bought after her split from ex-husband and Purple Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie, for a rumoured move to the Southern Highlands.
The Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins has sold her cute East Ryde home pre-auction, with plans to be closer to her parents.
Watkins, who grew up in the northwest north shore area, gave the three-bedroom, 1960s house a facelift during her two-year ownership, stylishly updating the interiors, including the kitchen and bathroom.
The Pittwater Rd house had a guide of $1.6 million, but there’s been no sale price disclosure.
The house had cost $1.3 million when it took 176 days to sell in 2019, following Watkins’ split from her former partner, Purple Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie.
Watkins and Gillespie had owned a Wollstonecraft apartment, which they sold for $2.05 million, with Gillespie making the move to Naremburn.
Watkins’ East Ryde home, on an elevated 1,328sqm block, came with a sprawling rear yard with a deck overlooking lush foliage.
It was marketed as suitable for duplex development or with the option to rebuild.
The median house price in East Ryde sits at $1,970,000, according to realestate.com.au, with no current house listings for sale. But East Ryde has just seen its busiest annual sales period for the past decade, with 30 sales.
The 1950s Watkins family Ryde home had been on Willow Cres, and was sold in 2018 for $1.6 million after 33 years of ownership.
Emma’s parents Rick and Kathryn had paid $95,000 in 1985.
Nothing announced yet, but Watkins, who turns 32 next month, seems set to relocate with her fiance Oliver Brian, who is also part of The Wiggles team as a musician.
They seem set to move to the NSW Southern Highlands. Her parents moved to Kangaloon in 2017, where they bought an 1880s stone church from the Uniting Church for $820,000.
The original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, famously met fellow Wiggles Anthony Field and Murray Cook while studying early childhood education at Macquarie University. They were later joined by Jeff Fatt in the early 1990s.
The Wiggles have achieved international sales of 30 million DVDs, 16 million albums, and books, as well as accumulating more than one billion music streams and two billion views on YouTube.
HASLERS SELL AT KIRRIBILLI
Manly Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler and wife Christine have quietly sold their luxury apartment in Kirribilli for $3.38 million.
The Haslers had bought the apartment 12 months ago for $3.1 million, so the investment was not as profitable as their earlier venture.
The recently sold two-bedroom apartment sits in the Holbrook Ave block of 10, The Walder, which dates back to around 1918.
Its prior vendor had the space redesigned by Connor & Solomon Architects. One of the bedrooms is a master suite, complete with a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite.
The Federation-style apartment has views across the harbour.
Hasler had owned in Kirribilli previously, a five-bedroom Victorian terrace on Carabella St, which was bought for $5.01 million in 2014 and flipped 18 months later after a major renovation for $6.2 million.
Belle Property agent Mark Jackson secured the latest Kirribilli sale, but had nothing to advise on Hasler’s intentions.
It was in May when Jackson reportedly had Moana, the Haslers’ beachfront home at Collaroy, listed as an off-market $8 million offering. It ranked as the third priciest offering in the beachside enclave.
Moana, built in the 1890s for the stockbroking Minnett family, has had a major renovation since it traded in 2014 for $2.82 million. But there’s been no sign of any sale.
Hasler played more than 300 first grade games for Penrith and Manly. His first coaching gig was at Manly, where he won the 2008 and 2011 premierships.
Hasler returned to the Sea Eagles in 2019 after a five-year stint at the Bulldogs.
BULLISH BIDDING FOR SLATER HOME
Cricket commentator Michael Slater and his partner Melanie Livesey sold their Randwick home at online Saturday auction where they secured a bullish $5.65 million.
With an Auction Now computer glitch there was an anxious 20-minute delayed start for the three bidders.
Auctioneer Briannan Davis advised there had been a pre-auction offer of $5.1 million, which is where the opening auction bid came in.
The mid-1990s modernist property was announced on the market at $5.45 million, and it wasknocked down 10 bids later.
There had been initial $4.7 million guidance given by Goodyer Real Estate agent Pauline Goodyer for the four-bedroom, single-level home.
There were 1000 views in its first 24 hours on realestate.com.au, with Goodyer conducting one-on-one inspections with would-be buyers during the lockdown.
The couple bought it for $3.8 million just as the pandemic disrupted the Sydney real estate market early last year. Set on 600sqm, the cul-de-sac home has a resort-style heated pool and cabana. There is a possibility of a second floor, which would have city views.
Slater and Livesey are apparently keen to undertake a coastal building project.
The property replaced Slater’s long-time Newport home.
The right-handed batsman played in 74 Test matches and 42 One Day Internationals for Australia.
HAYNE OFFLOADS RENTAL PROPERTY
Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has offloaded one of his investment apartments.
Hayne, who is currently appealing his sexual assault conviction, bought two apartments off the plan in Parramatta in 2013, when he was still with the Parramatta Eels.
The two-bedroom, dual-key apartments cost $600,000 and $605,000 respectively.
Laing + Simmons Parramatta agents Ray Fayad and Peter Younan were seeking $670,000 for the dearer of the Koi Apartments, which was secured at its asking price after 21 days on market.
Hayne amassed an impressive $5 million-plus property portfolio as he rose through the ranks of the NRL, but now only has the other Parramatta apartment, which has also been listed for sale, and a cottage at Umina Beach on the Central Coast occupied by his mother.
In May, Hayne was found guilty of sexual assault and was jailed for five years and nine months, and a non-parole period of three years and eight months. His appeal will be heard in November.
RENTAL BACK ON MARKET
Former model Nikki Phillips and her husband, jeweller Dane Rumble, are trying again to sell their former home.
The New Zealand-born couple, who have been living in Cronulla for the past two years, have decided it’s the right time to cash in their Enmore property.
The inner west property was bought in 2015 for $1.05 million.
They had it up for sale briefly for $1.4 million just before last Christmas, but the marketing was pulled.
Ray White’s Ercan Ersan has the listing again, with the same guidance, securing 1500 views within its first five days online at realestate.com.au.
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom Enmore home was bought shortly after the couple tied the knot in Bali.
The Simmons St home, on 95sqm with its own courtyard, became a $1050 a week rental upon their move south. It has polished hardwood floors and freshly painted white walls, plus an entertainer’s courtyard.
It sits within the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts catchment.
There are just two houses for sale in Enmore, which realestate.com.au calculates has seen a compound growth rate of 7.5 per cent for houses in the past five years to a $1,742,500 median.
Rumble and Phillips moved to a Cronulla designer duplex two years ago, shortly before they welcomed their second son, Luca Fox. They also have a three-year-old son Jet.
The up-market $1400-a-week four bedroom Cronulla rental comes with rear garden and pool.
Rumble, who was formerly a musician, is now a luxury watch designer and runs Creux Automatiq.
PHELPS DOWNSIZING AT POTTS POINT
Respected health practitioner Dr Kerryn Phelps and her wife, Jackie Stricker, have sold their four-bedroom Potts Point apartment.
It was an off-market sale through Debbie Donnelly at Phillips Pantzer Donnelley.
The couple, who had paid $3.4 million in 2011, will be downsizing locally with the prospect of spending more time at Bundeena.
Their beach retreat cost $3.25 million in 2019, with the couple returning to ownership in the fringe Sutherland Shire suburb.
There’s wishful community speculation Phelps could be tempted to contest the Hughes electorate, and go up against the controversial Craig Kelly at the forthcoming federal election. She’s told friends she won’t rule it out.
Phelps, of course, briefly snatched Wentworth from the Liberal Party in 2018 after Malcolm Turnbull’s retirement.
HISTORIC PROPERTY SOLD
Cluny, the Armidale district property that dates back to when the inland city was proclaimed, sold at online auction just before the snap lockdown.
The 46ha property fetched $2,875,000 after the opening $2.4 million bid. The next bid was $2.45 million, which the auctioneer Damien Cooley suitably rejected.
Its fashion importer vendor Michelle Bookallil bought Cluny 12 years ago for $2.85 million, from graziers Marian and Michael Rose.
The 1890s homestead is set within 1.2ha of established gardens, surrounded by 10 cattle paddocks. There are stables once used by Cobb & Co to rest the horses.
Sotheby’s International Realty agent David Medina had given a guide of $3 million.
Originally published as The Sell: Emma Watkins sells East Ryde home for move to Southern Highlands
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