Centennial Park mansion of David and Skye Leckie passes in at auction for $10.5 million

The Centennial Park mansion of former Seven Media chief David Leckie and his wife Skye was passed in on a vendor bid of $10.5 million at auction on Saturday.

It finished off an unsuccessful day in the real estate market for power couple, who had earlier missed out on buying an apartment in Woollahra for one of their sons.

The agent, Ben Collier from McGrath, returned to the Centennial Park trophy home, Lactura, later in the day to keep negotiating with two registered parties.

The home officially hit the market in July with a guide of $11 million to $11.5 million, which is just shy of the suburb record set in 2015 when tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes splashed $12 million on the nearby mansion Braelin.

The Leckies bought Lactura in 1998 for $2.5 million from chocolatiers Rodney and Suzanne Francis, making them only the fourth family to own the Lang Road property. It was built in 1906 for Edith Meacle, wife of Paddington mayor Francis Meacle.

​The residence is well known among the who’s who of Sydney thanks to Ms Leckie’s legendary fund-raising and private parties.

Lactura features not only its many original heritage finishes behind the impressive ornate facade but a side entry, giving it a symmetrical floor plan with formal lounge and dining rooms, backed by spacious his and hers home offices.

The north-facing rear family room and kitchen was added by the Leckies to overlook a Will Dangar-designed garden and a swimming pool.

The property next door to them sold for $9.8 million a year ago to Commonwealth Bank wealth boss Annabel Spring and her husband, Macquarie Bank director Peter Stokes.

Mr Leckie told Domain at the time of listing the home that he plans to downsize to something on the harbour, as well as buy another rural property to go with his Mulberry Farm retreat in the Southern Highlands.

But it became apparent on Saturday that the couple are also looking at other properties.

A well-placed source has told Domain that they bid unsuccessfully for a one-bedroom apartment on Queen Street, Woollahra, for one of their sons.

A former colleague of Mr Leckie’s at Seven Media, Bruce McWilliam, bid on their behalf, the source said.

The 70 square metre unrenovated apartment, which came with rare lock-up garage, eventually sold to a retired couple from Maroubra for $1.51 million – $310,000 more than the reserve.

There were 13 registered bidders amongst a crowd of onlookers that included Hollywood actor Rachel Griffiths and property developer Theo Onisforou.

At $21,500 a square metre, the price was a record for an apartment in Woollahra, said Collier, who was also the agent for the apartment along with Dominique Ogilvie.

“To get 70sq m with a lock-up garage on the northern side of Queen Street is pretty hard to come by,” he said.