Paper trail points to coal boss as buyer of a Balgowlah Heights record-setter

Coal industry supremo Malcolm MacLennan and his partner Kim Turner’s names have appeared on the paper trail for a record-setting sale of a trophy home at Forty Baskets Beach in Balgowlah Heights.

This follows an expressions-of-interest campaign that ended in April.

Bound by a confidentiality agreement, agent Michael Clarke of Clarke & Humel Manly declined to confirm the identities of the buyers or the final dollar amount, although settlement in a few months is expected to reveal a figure not too far off the $10 million asking price.

Clarke was more forthcoming about the campaign for the home, which has views over North Harbour as well as a pool and synthetic lawn with a six-hole putting green. 

“We had people who flew in from as far afield as Singapore and Hong Kong to view the property,” Clarke says.

“It was hard fought with multiple interested buyers and we were delighted to achieve a suburb record.”

Agent Michael Clarke says interested parties came from as far as Singapore and Hong Kong to view the property. 
Photo: Supplied

The property claimed the suburb’s top spot in 2013 when Macquarie Bank senior executive Michael Cook and wife Barbara bought it from Manly businessman Ian Miller for $8 million.

It slid down the rankings the next year when Caltex boss Julian Segal shelled out $8.5 million for a home a few doors away.

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MacLennan, a former director of Wambo Coal and Oceanic Coal, paid $6.5 million in 2006 for a property at Stokes Point on Pittwater, two doors from the Oatley winemaking family’s estate, Finisterre.