Historic Mandalay estate in Gordon vies for upper north shore house price record

In recent years when there’s been a challenge to the upper north shore house price record it has been invariably a Warrawee, Killara or Wahroonga estate behind it, but maybe that’s because the historic Gordon property Mandalay hasn’t been offered to buyers – until now.

The grand Federation Queen Anne-style residence, which has long been home to Jane Selig and Geoff Selig, executive chairman of marketing firm Ive Group and former NSW Liberal Party president, has now been listed with price expectations of about $14.5 million.

Originally built in 1901 and designed by architect George Matcham Pitt for merchant John Ferguson and his wife Theresa, it was known as Tasserton until sold in 1920 to grazier Robert Holloway and his wife Enid, who renamed it Carleton.

The 3700-square-metre estate has been known as Mandalay since 1960 when bought by Alexander Rigby, a partner in construction firm Kell & Rigby, and remained so when sold in 1967 to Baron John Boyd and his wife Baroness Jeanette Boyd, who sold it a decade ago for a suburb high of $5 million to the Seligs.

The historic home has scored an overhaul since then, doubling the original size of the already substantial residence and including Hare+Klein Interiors and a Peter Fudge-designed garden.

The floor plan includes the sort of features you would assume with a record-setting house. Think formal and informal living rooms, cellar and tasting room, media room, six-car garage, swimming pool and spa, tennis court and billiard room.

Christie’s Darren Curtis has listed it with Glenn Curran, recently returned to the McGrath Estate Agents stable.

The district record currently stands at $13 million, set last year when tech entrepreneur Dominic O’Hanlon and his wife Karen sold their Wahroonga home, topping the $11.8 million set by the Killara mansion Ballernoo sold in 2016 by Demlakian Consulting Engineers chief and keen poker player Ken Demlakian and his wife Josie.

Catalyst for change in Woollahra

Industrie Clothing co-founder Susie Kelly looks like she’s planning to downsize from her Vaucluse beachfront home having bought the contemporary Woollahra home of Catalyst private equity group boss Trent Peterson and his wife Lisa.

Independent sources say Kelly was forced to cough up about $8.7 million, putting it well above the $8 million guide set by The Agency’s Ben Collier.

In hindsight, Kelly’s purchase makes sense given the shared predilection that Kutti Beach locals have long shown for Holdsworth Street as a downsize destination.

Take Lynne Cattell, who was the previous owner of the Petersons’ terrace after she sold her beachfront home for $17.75 million in 2011 to retailer Brett Blundy, and neighbour Julianne Roarty who sold up to buy on Holdsworth Street for $6.225 million from banker Ed Jewell-Tait and his wife Jo.

Meanwhile, Kelly’s partner, St Hilliers boss Tim Casey, has also been busy locally, buying the Paddington home of the late architecture great Ken Woolley for $3.9 million.

Williamson hits the Emerald City

Still in Woollahra, give a big welcome to Sydney to Skipp Williamson, who founded the hugely successful Partners in Performance management consultancy in 1998 and has since grown it to a staff of 600 worldwide.

Williamson, who hails from Toorak, has bought the Victorian terrace of Clayton Utz partner Scott Grahame after two weeks on the market through The Agency’s Ben Collier.

Records show the $6 million purchase price set a high for Moncur Street, with the property having been substantially renovated since it last traded for $2.7 million in 2012 when sold by Regina Church, wife of commercial lawyer Peter Church.

Trading down on Vaucluse mansion

Tech entrepreneur Roby Sharon-Zipser and his wife Jordana have done mighty well from the online tradie platform Hipages he co-founded in a proverbial garage in 2004, but less so on the Vaucluse mansion Jordana bought a year ago for $8 million from hotelier Andrew Lazarus and his wife Denise.

Records show Jordana has taken a bath on the property’s recent resale, pocketing $6.85 million for the Olola Avenue residence that was a trade-up for the couple from their former North Bondi home which they sold in 2016 for $2.85 million.

The smarts behind the well-timed purchase are Robyn and Michael Emmett, the latter of whom was recently appointed to head up Australasia’s largest equity-based insurance broker AUB Group.

Closing the book on Palm Beach

The Palm Beach home of the late writer, provocateur and Labor Party stalwart Bob Ellis and his widow Anne Brooksbank has sold, 42 years after the couple bought it for $57,000.

The sale price remains undisclosed by Stone Mona Vale’s Ben McNamara and Sasha de Bilde, but local sources put it at close to $3.5 million.

A cottage stood on the property when it was purchased in 1977, however this burnt down in 1993 and was rebuilt as a two-storey home the following year, when Ellis went up against former federal Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop as an independent in the local federal seat of Mackellar.

Brooksbank’s decision to sell the six-bedroom house and downsize closer to the city comes three years after Ellis died of neuro-endrocrine cancer, aged 73.

Keeping it in the neighbourhood

Mathew Kuppe, who co-founded 360T, the foreign exchange subsidiary of German exchange Deutsche Borse, and his wife Lauren have bought the house directly behind their own Bronte home for $5.425 million through Phillips Pantzer Donnelley’s Alexander Phillips and David Tyrrell.

The couple first bought in Bronte in 2015 when based in Singapore, paying $5.6 million for the home of fellow foreign exchange trader Trevor Rosmarin that was to be renovated ahead of their return.

A three-level, Luigi Rosselli-designed residence was then commissioned at a cost of $2.5 million, and approved the following year. No sign yet what the couple plan to do with their newly acquired neighbouring property.

Moving on from Mosman

Waratahs’ doctor Sharron Flahive and Mark Dawson, a pioneer in the development of artificial intelligence, have put their Mosman home up for grabs with hopes of $10 million.

Flahive and Dawson bought their Federation property for $4 million from former NAB executive Antoine Casgrain and mortgage broker Maria Zappia, and have since followed up with a renovation and extension to create a Hamptons-style residence.

Listing agent Jonathan De Brennan of De Brennan property is yet to give buyers his price guide.