The late Rene Rivkin's log cabin on the Hawkesbury River sells: Title Tattle
Rene Rivkin’s former Wiseman’s Ferry log cabin on the Hawkesbury River has been sold.
It’s been bought for $1.45 million by Bob and Wendy Lapointe, who own the picturesque Muskoka Farm property on the Hawkesbury down the road from Wiseman's Ferry. Bob Lapointe, who has owned in the district since 1969, is the man who altered the eating habits of Australians forever, introducing fast food into Australia, initially with Kentucky Fried Chicken, then Pizza Hut and later Sizzler. He was a Canadian student when he met "The Colonel" Harlan Sanders while working out his 1962 holidays in a restaurant chain in western Canada.
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High-profile stockbroker Rene Rivkin, who died in 2005, bought the 3.8-hectare land in 1997 for $330,000. The massive handcrafted custom-designed cabin was completed in late 1998 using 350 cypress trees found at an Inverell mill.
Bruce Litchfield, an interior decorator, secured help from Dr Tracey Wakefield to oversee the design of the project. It's a three-bedrooom home with extensive verandas and a competition-style billiard room.
It was proudly built by Appalachian Log Homes, whose website has photos taken by Eric Sierins of Max Dupain and Associates Pty Ltd. The riverfront facilities were big enough to moor Rivkin's 33-metre cruising yacht, Dajoshadita.
It’s been owned and sold by family members who’ve made little use of the property for several years.
Set in a secluded riverside location on the edge of national park, the property was Rivkin’s occasional getaway from the hustle and bustle of his hectic city life.
It’s about an hour’s drive to Hornsby via the F3.
There’s a nearby 16-hectare holding with road and river frontage listed at $430,000.
Wisemans Ferry Realty has 1252-square-metre hillside vacant blocks with water views listed at $80,000 plus.
