Former Canberra Raiders player Sia Soliola to sell Canberra home to head to new pastures in Newcastle

Former Canberra Raiders star Sia Soliola and his wife, Gemmah, are selling their Canberra home to head to new pastures in Newcastle in a bid to be closer to family.

The couple’s four-bedroom property at 9 Keewong Street in Crace is now on the market, but it is not being sold without hesitation, Soliola said.

“We never had any plans to leave … we’ve been in Canberra for nine years now, and we’ve loved everything about it,” he said.

“We wanted to stay in Canberra, wait for the kids to go to school and then think about relocating, but a few spanners have been thrown into the works, so we’ve decided to sell up and move to Newcastle to be closer to family.”

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Soliola said preparing his house to come to market has been bittersweet.

“I had three of our four kids while living in this house. So many memories have been made here … while we were patching and painting all the walls. It was quite emotional because it was almost like we were erasing a big part of our lives,” he said.

“It’s definitely an emotional sale for us.”

You’re greeted by a wide hallway and high ceilings when you enter the home. The bedrooms are located towards the front of the house, including the main bedroom with a built-in wardrobe and en suite.

Further down the hall is the formal family room, with the open-plan living, dining and kitchen adjacent. From there, family and friends could easily spill out to the deck that overlooks the low-maintenance yard.

Soliola said he’ll miss the property and suburb he’s called home for almost a decade.

Allhomes data revealed the property was purchased in 2015 for $655,000.

“We rented not far from this house and just loved the place and the area, so it became our mission to buy in the suburb and we were fortunate enough to buy 9 Keewong Street,” he said.

“The neighbours are great … and there are also plenty of parks, walkways and an overall vibrant community.”

Jonny Warren of Jonny Warren Properties is spearheading the sale, asking for offers above $950,000.

“Majority of the properties being sold at the moment are selling with a price on it … buyers also prefer that,” he said.

“And in Crace, a four-bedroom property is around the $1.4 million to $1.5 million mark so this home presents as a great entry-level home for four bedrooms.

“In less than 24 hours since the property was listed, it received 10 inquiries, so there are buyers who are happy with that price point. We’ve had a lot of interest so far and, of course, I’m sure we’ll have a few sticky beaks through the open homes as well.”

Soliola retired from professional rugby in 2021 after 17 seasons, including more than seven seasons with the Canberra Raiders. Soliola is currently the wellbeing and education manager at the club.