Mike Cannon-Brookes paid $17m for Double Bay house day after he bought $100m Fairwater estate

The morning after tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes agreed to pay about $100 million for the Point Piper estate Fairwater, he and his wife Annie splurged on another house, this time for a comparatively measly $17 million in Double Bay.

The 1923-built residence Verona, owned by investment banker David Feetham, was likely intended to be a family home for Cannon-Brookes and his brood, having exchanged last month before the Fairfax family’s more expensive option was even listed.

It is the third house in Double Bay to be bought by the co-founder of software giant Atlassian in the past two years, taking his local total to more than $33 million.

But even at 1200 square metres, the heritage Verona residence designed by architect Leslie Wilkinson is well shy of the 1.12 hectare Fairwater estate that is set to be the couple’s forever home.

Victorian mansion Fairwater, designed by architect John Horbury Hunt, is expected to be Australia’s first nine-digit residential property sale when it settles, smashing the $71 million record set by the Elaine estate next door when it was bought by Cannon-Brookes’ mate Scott Farquhar last year.

Fairwater was not expected to be offered to the market even after Lady Mary Fairfax died last year, aged 95, after a report of 20 years ago said she planned to bequeath it to the people of NSW.

But that all changed earlier this month when the executors listed it with Ken Jacobs, of Christie’s International. Despite bullish expectations of $100 million, it sold in little more than two weeks. 

The Cannon-Brookes family are well-known aficionados of Double Bay real estate given their well-known preference to live walking distance from the village, the ferry wharf and local schools.

Verona was an off-market sale and multiple sources say it sold for about $17 million through Ben Collier, of The Agency. Collier declined to comment and settlement will confirm the exact figure.

The Double Bay property has been home to Gresham Advisory deputy chairman David Feetham and his wife Caroline, who are downsizing locally. The property last traded in 2001 when sold for $5,325,000 by recruitment industry boss Phil Kerry and his wife, former Fox Sports presenter Ann-Maree. 

It is Cannon-Brookes’ second Wilkinson-designed property. In late 2016 he purchased the 1936-built house, SeaDragon for $7.05 million, in a company name.

Following their move to that house, Cannon-Brookes off-loaded his Federation mansion in Centennial Park for $16.5 million, and purchased a semi close to Double Bay beach for $9.1 million from London-based philanthropist and fund manager Peter Hall earlier this year.

Verona was previously owned by the late Kiwi tycoon Sir Pat Goodman after he bought it for $3.9 million in 1987 and sold for a loss in 1991 for $2.28 million.