Former ABC chairman Justin Milne puts Rozelle house up for auction

Former ABC chairman Justin Milne and his wife Anna Cicognani have put their long-held home in Sydney’s inner west on the market as they look to spend more time in the Southern Highlands.

The couple’s Rozelle home — Erinagh — of close to two decades, will go under the hammer later this month with price expectations of $5 million.

Such a result would smash the suburb’s $4.1 million house price record and comes after another property on the Balmain peninsula set a new inner-west price record – with a waterfront Birchgrove house selling for $14.25 million.

The property, an amalgamation of a late 1800s farmhouse and a period cottage, has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and five parking spaces.

It hits the market almost 10 months after Mr Milne resigned as ABC chairman, in the fallout from the sacking of former managing director Michelle Guthrie.

His resignation came after revelations he told Ms Guthrie to sack high-profile presenter Emma Alberici and other allegations of interference in editorial operations.

“The owners have been living on the peninsula for the past 20 years and with their children now at university, they are embarking on their next adventure,” said selling agent Danny Cobden of Cobden & Hayson, of the couple, who wish to increasingly split their time between Sydney and the Southern Highlands.

Mr Milne and Ms Cicognani amalgamated the two properties in a major renovation about a decade ago, integrating the two homes to create a fantastic estate-like property in the inner west, Mr Cobden said.

The large block, of almost 750 square metres, was a rarity on the Balmain peninsula, he added. The property’s size, combined with its plentiful parking and thoughtful design offering up two separate wings, was likely to make it appealing to upgrading families.

The two-storey house has an open-plan kitchen and dining room, formal living room, a study room and a games room. It also features a wraparound balcony and has a workshop space off the garage.

It will go to auction through Mr Cobden and Samantha Elvy on July 27.