Sales aplenty on the Gold Coast - Nicole Perrin and even McIvor achieve post-auction success: Title Tattle

Hopewood House (pictured below), the rural retreat of Fairfax Radio executive chairman Michael Anderson and his wife, Susie, has been listed with revised $6.5 million price expectations. The captivating Dutch colonial mansion set in almost five hectares of gardens remains listed through Drew Lindsay Real Estate in conjunction with Bill Carpenter of W. McI. Carpenter, who’ve secured the prime advertising spot in the latest Highlife for the fresh marketing campaign. They’d initially been seeking $9 million in 2010, so Title Tattle expects the many who viewed the place will now return given the more realistic price hopes.

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The Andersons have extensively restored the vast house after paying $4.25 million in 2007 after it had been also ambitiously listed with $7 million plus hopes in 2005. There were extensive restorations of the gardens including the rose garden, rose walk, sunken fernery and the aviary garden. The kitchen and Mediterranean gardens have been re-established, making it one of the Southern Highlands’ most beautiful gardens.

Hopewood was built in 1884 by Ben Osborne and his wife, Lucy (nee Throsby). About 28 years later, it became the country estate of retailer Lebbeus Hordern, son of Samuel and grandson of company founder Anthony. Hordern's executors sold it for £18,000 in 1930 to bread industry pioneer Samuel Sibley, who sold it in 1944 for £37,266. For three decades the house was an orphanage. By 1997 it was in a sad state when it was bought for $1.25 million by the Anstee family.

The latest Highlife marketing advertisement confirms the couple’s desire to move to France for a while with Anderson no doubt travelling back regularly for his corporate commitments while his wife pursues her passion for French antique trading. Readers might recognise the house, which features in a cross country motor vehicle commercial where rather than spend a night camping in a tent the couple actually sleep over at Hopewood.

Kate Aujard from Pulse Pharmacies has listed her imposing Hawthorn residence (pictured above) with tennis court within its 2,800-square-metre grounds. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom English-style house set on Scotch Hill house last traded at $9.1 million in 2007 from head hunter David Dick and wife Sandra, so it will be a good test of Melbourne’s prestige market. Tim Picken and Scott Patterson at Kay and Burton have the responsibility, with offers due by March 6.

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The Cronin Island, Gold Coast property owned by Nicole Perrin, wife of former Billabong surfwear entrepreneur Matthew Perrin, has been sold post-auction. It was passed in at $5.9 million at its recent Ray White auction, at well below its onetime $15 million valuation. It’s the three-level Southern Cross Drive house, the subject of a court battle between Perrin and the Commonwealth Bank, which unsuccessfully sought to seize it in a bid to recover a $13.5 million debt owed by Matthew after he filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The contemporary mansion with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms straddles a double block. There’s also a 10-car garage. Listing agent Michael Willems of Ray White Surfers Paradise, confirmed the sale but declined to provide details.

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There’s also word from the Gold Coast of another sale on Cronin Island. It’s unconfirmed but seems the abode of the Equititrust founder Mark McIvor (pictured above) has found a buyer five months after being passed in at $4.9 million at Ray White auction. The mobile-phone industry entrepreneur Ron Bakir attended the auction, but no word yet on its buyer. The Gold Coast Bulletin speculates it has sold to parties well known to the McIvor family, but marketing agent Michael Kollosche, of Ray White Broadbeach, declined to comment. Its certainly come down from the website.

Built by mining magnate Sir George Brookman, the historic landmark Gilberton residence Carawatha (pictured above) is been marketed as “arguably South Australia's finest private residence.” Presumably the state governor and bishop have better, but transient piles. The iconic 1880 mansion is 16 rooms set at the end of a sweeping driveway on a 2,990-square-metre block on one of the Adelaide’s finest boulevards, Edwin Terrace. The late Victorian residence was constructed of sandstone with quoins and rendered surrounds to windows and doors. The symmetrical front façade consists of arched paired windows to both floors and incorporates a recessed entrance topped by an upper storey balcony. Cast iron adorns the verandas and balconies on the other facades. After 11 year ownership, its being sold by chartered accountant Andrew Gunn and his wife, Susan, who have $5.5 million-plus hopes for the six-bedroom, five-bathroom Edwin property through Richard Hayward of Bernard H Booth has the?listing. It has an amazing 11 ornate fireplaces – eight marble and three timber. The original billiard room connects by a glass walkway to the alfresco garden eatery. The rear garden comes with what was reportedly Adelaide's first residential in-ground pool. Offers close February 23.

Sir George Brookman, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, migrated with his parents  in 1852. He was a successful share broker politician. After gold finds in Western Australia, Brookman pegged claims at Hannan's Find, north-east of Coolgardie, in 1893. When the Coolgardie Gold Mining and Prospecting Co. was voluntarily liquidated in 1898, its capitalisation represented £9,275,750.

Chesterton International executive director Michael Stokes and interior designer Maryanne Collins have listed their Balmoral residence, Cambria (pictured above), for March 17 auction. The Federation home has been architecturally transformed behind its facade. Set on a level 740-square-metre north-facing Balmoral Avenue block, the house comes with heated pool and poolside entertainment facilities. The master bedroom suite comes with large ensuite, balcony and harbour views. The lower level has wine cellar and storeroom. It’s been listed by Kirsty Freyer and Michael Coombs at McGrath Mosman, who expect $8.5 million.

Andrew Potter, who owns one of the pricey Sienna, Point Piper apartments, has emerged as the mystery buyer of Bob and Margaret Rose’s Point Piper villa (pictured above). It sold on extended settlement terms late last year through Christies International agent Ken Jacobs and LJHooker agent Bill Malouf for around $15 million. Title Tattle last happened across Potter when he was Australian managing director of Robert Jones Investments in the mid-1990s. 

Architect Jason Gibney of Tobias Partners has listed his noteworthy Bronte apartment (pictured above). The three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, which he designed and renovated, has been the home for his young family over the last five years. It’s been featured in architectural magazines including Monument, Urbis, and House and Garden's Top 50 Rooms. McGrath agent Chris Volpatti is handling the February 25 auction listing. More than $850,000 is expected. The 99-square-metre contemporary apartment with minimalistic tones and is set on the top floor of an Art Deco block of four apartments on Bushby Parade. The dual-level apartment – through attic space – has been intuitively crafted to maximise natural light and space, plus views, Volpatti says.

The horse race-loving Malaysian businessman Dato Tan Chin Nam has expanded his NSW Southern Highlands holdings (pictured above). It’s a 40-hectare Moss Vale property which was bought from the Balog family for $3.4 million. It adds to Inverness, the Burradoo equine property that Dato Tan Chin Nam bought from Jack and Sue Woolridge. It's now known as Think Big Stud. Dato Tan Chin Nam had Bart Cummings trained Think Big to win the Melbourne Cup in 1974 and 1975, and then Saintly in 1996.

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The home of arts guru and merchant banker Simon Mordant (pictured above) could rival the MCA for the next few weeks. Filled with contemporary art, the redundant hillside Darling Point penthouse is up for sale. No price estimate has been given, but market observers suggest $6.5 million plus, which could possibly even rival the price of the art works. Simon and Catriona Mordant have been living in the two-storey penthouse since paying $5.25 million in 2002. It has about 245 square metres of space plus some 90 square metres of terraces. Its listing agents are Bill Malouf and Emma Prgomelja at LJHooker Double Bay.

The entertainment industry entrepreneur David Atkins and his dancer wife, Sheree, finally sold their Bayview property (pictured above) late last year. The Hollywood Hills-style Lentara Road estate cost $1.5 million in 2000 just after the Sydney Olympics. Atkins was responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies. The Atkinses had it listed through Ryan Petrie of LJ Hooker Mona Vale with $2.5 million-plus expectations based on three sales in the neighbourhood. They secured $2.5 million. The Atkinses wanted something smaller than the 4,047-square-metre property, which comes with tennis court and pool. They spent $2.51 million at Curl Curl on a three-bedroom property initially listed at $2.9 million.

The boss of Freemantle Media Ian Hogg has sold his Newport house (pictured above) on the Pittwater peninsula, having spent $5.7 million in Mosman. The house was commissioned only two years ago by the architectural firm Gordon and Valich. No price has yet emerged from its LJ Hooker Mona Vale agent Lachlan Elder. Hogg has bought in Mosman was previously the abode of the chairman of the Commonwealth Bank, David Turner, and his wife, Julia, who have upgraded Mosman abodes.

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Champion swimmer Geoff Huegill, and his wife, Sara, who have named their three-week-old daughter Mila, have only just moved into their new Sydney abode (pictured above). It’s a three-level, four-bedroom  Darlinghurst terrace on 133 square metres that cost $1.97 million. They own 60% percent of the terrace, which was bought in partnership with Geoff Huegill’s in-laws. Title Tattle seems to recall the couple were previously based in a teeny one-bedder with harbour views that was filled with her fashion books, when they appeared last February on the Channel 7 show Better Home and Gardens. The terrace sold late last year at an undisclosed price through McGrath agent Chris Chung after failing to sell at its May auction, when $2.05 million was being sought. It was sold by Sophia Massey-Green and James Hutton, who’d paid $930,000 pre-renovation in early 2009. In neighbouring Surry Hills another world record holder, Eamon Sullivan, spent $1,265,000 in 2009 for his renovated four-bedroom terrace.

Retired car dealer Ray Harris and his wife, Robyn, an interior designer, have relisted their whole-floor Villard, Potts Point, apartment (pictured above). It follows their purchase of the 1870 Elizabeth Bay mansion Ashton for $10.75 million. The three-bedroom Macleay Street apartment – with about 350 square metres, including indoor-outdoor balcony space – has been listed through Jason Boon and Geoff Cox from Richardson and Wrench Elizabeth Bay. It last traded in 2006 when bought for $7.38 million. Offers above $8 million were initially sought in nearly 2010, but they’ve had to amend them since the penthouse was sold recently to Lizanne Knights, the wife of the director of local private-equity group Ironbridge and Sydney Dance Company chairman Julian Knights for $6.17 million.  The Knightses’ whole-floor unit had previously traded for $7.4 million in 2008. It’s a five-bedroom, sixth-floor unit, with 280 square metres of internal space plus 50-square-metre terrace, and was a combination of two units. The Knightses sold their Rose Bay harbourfront home for $17.56 million in late 2010. It last traded in 2006 when bought for $7.38 million.

Title Tattle aims to sell readers first – as soon as if not before – so the news is that Melbourne property developer Stephen Donnelly has listed his $5 million-plus Toorak matrimonial abode (pictured above). Donnelly briefly hit the headlines late last year when he faced legal action from a Cayman Islands outfit seeking to seize his mansion along with a $250,000 luxury yacht. He’s contested their entitlement and still very much in residence and presumably still getting around on weekends in the 12-metre Riviera 4000. Ross Savva at Kay and Burton South Yarra has the Selborne Road listing.

And don’t say that Title Tattle told you, but the Potts Point apartment of the slain Sydney racing identity Les Samba remains listed for sale but its $2.75 million hopes are now reduced to $2.295 million. The Macleay Street unit cost $1.7 million when bought off the plan by Samba Group Pty Ltd in 2003 from the Winten development group. The Pomeroy apartment with extensive terracing but just the one rather sad potted plant settled in August 2004. Samba was shot dead as he tried to flee from a gunman police believe lured him to an ambush on a busy street in Melbourne's bayside suburb of Middle Park in February this year. Police have yet to lay any changes over the murder of the expert judge of yearlings and big spender at sales around the country for many years.