HG Nelson lists Central Coast house amid launch of a 'rush back to the city' campaign

When iconic sportscaster HG Nelson (aka Greig Pickhaver) hangs up his mic at the end of every great match he is often left so exhausted by the on-field antics that he then escapes to his bushland getaway at Wagstaffe on the Central Coast.

“It’s a tremendous retreat from the hurly burly of sport,” says HG, co-host with “Rampaging” Roy Slaven (aka John Doyle) of the iconic radio show This Sporting Life. “This place encourages people to walk through the front door, put on the kettle and get the Scrabble out, or a jigsaw puzzle.”

So it has been since 1997 when the 1866-square metre property was purchased for all of $175,000, and rebuilt to a design by architect Nick Hollo six years later.

But no more. As Sydneysiders have fled the capital city in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, HG is leading a one-man campaign to “rush back to the city”.

“I know your column has been ferocious about reporting the movement of people out of the CBD and the larger footprint, but I find Sydney has a lot to offer people and I’m going to be one of the first to rush back and resettle,” says HG.

“As I understand it they have a light rail there now, and they’re talking about another tunnel that goes across the harbour, and let’s not forget the new football stadium they’re building with more toilets for women and handrails. It’s going to be incredible.”

With a buyer’s guide of $1.8 million to $2 million, HG says “Dale Bassett, at McGrath, is the person handling the nuts and bolts of the event”.

HG’s selling plans come as Sydney real estate values soar in the face of the global pandemic and economic falls, making it what he says is arguably the greatest game in the business arena and ripe for the sort of commentary that make HG and Roy household names.

“No matter what happens, people will buy and sell property,” HG says. “It’s a competition: Two sides, one result. Sometimes in selling a house there’s 15 sides, one result.

“There are disappointments, but it comes down to so many skills: Have you got your technique right in raising your hand? Should it be more rigorous? Should you intimidate the auctioneer?”

HG acknowledges there’s a show in it for Nine (the owner of this masthead and majority owner of Domain) if they want to get serious about real estate coverage on television.

“I know there’s a lot of online work but … for too long it seems to be choked up in what I’d describe as the Kevin McCloud end of things,” he said in reference to the British designer who hosts Grand Designs. “Can I be unkind to say people with no sense getting involved in building properties that haven’t a hope of selling.”

Instead, he says, “we could call those auctions live and obviously with Roy being an expert on real estate and the psychology of real estate and psychology of buying, we could unpack for viewers at home the thinking of the various bidders, what they’re likely to bid to and whether they’ve got another go in them. It writes itself.”