Mr Melbourne’s Toorak mansion sells after being listed for $60 million

The late Ron Walker’s family home in Toorak has sold after being listed with a price guide of $55 million to $60 million.

A sale at that level places the grand mansion, on prestigious Albany Road, in Melbourne’s record books as the third-highest residential deal.

Kay & Burton executive director Gowan Stubbings confirmed the sale and said there were multiple offers, but declined to comment on the buyer or final price. He would not be drawn on local market speculation that the price was just above the top end of the guide.

He highlighted the sought-after location, large land size of 3300 square metres, and the quality finishings.

“The address on Albany Road: it holds Melbourne’s best real estate,” said Stubbings, whose colleagues on the deal were Gerald Delany and Jamie Mi.

“The market in the top end has been extraordinary. The enquiry that was generated from this campaign, both local and offshore, was overwhelming.”

Last year Melbourne’s house price record was smashed when crypto king Ed Craven spent $80,000,088 on a derelict house on St Georges Road, Toorak with a view to rebuilding on the block.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Grant Rule paid just short of $75 million for a mansion, also on St Georges Road. The previous Melbourne record was $52.5 million for Malvern’s Stonington mansion.

The Walker family’s block sits in a sought-after pocket, close to wealthy neighbours such as the Fox, Gandel and Lew families, and was last listed for sale in 1981. Albany Road and St Georges Road are considered the most exclusive streets in Melbourne’s most expensive suburb.

The grand residence, known as Huntingfield, was designed by Bates Smart and built in 1998.

It has five bedrooms – each with en suite – a home office, self-contained one-bedroom quarters, tennis court, outdoor swimming pool, indoor swimming pool, wine cellar, eight-car basement garage, gym, sauna, fountain and waterfall.

Known as “Mr Melbourne”, Ron Walker died in 2018 after a varied career as lord mayor of Melbourne, chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, national treasurer of the Liberal Party, co-founder of the company that developed Crown Casino in Melbourne, chairman of Fairfax Media and Melbourne’s 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman.

Toorak’s median house price is $4.9 million on Domain data, but ultra-prestige deals can be struck at $20 million and more – and not only in postcode 3142.

Avon Court in Hawthorn sold for $41 million earlier this year, snapped up by a new neighbour after previously being listed in 2018 and 2021.

Two other Toorak mega-mansions have been listed in recent weeks. Carinya in Clendon Road, owned by Arvin Lourdenadin, son of Malaysian entrepreneur Sir Ninian Mogan Lourdenadin, is asking $42 million to $46 million.

SOLD - $40,000,000

61 Clendon Road, Toorak VIC 3142

6

6

6

View property

The Spanish Mission style home is set on 4715 square metres and was designed in about 1925, and is listed through Kay & Burton in conjunction with Marshall White.

Also on Albany Road, the estate of the late billionaire businessman David Hains has a price guide of $39 million to $42.5 million, through Marshall White.