Historic mansions, luxury farmhouses, cave homes and underwater rooms delivered multi-million dollar sales in 2023
Steep interest rate rises may have put a dampener on Australia’s property market, but 2023 still delivered the big and rather unusual sales.
There were 82,183 properties scheduled for auction between January 1 and November 30, with 428,472 changing hands around the nation.
A handful of them dropped jaws, given the property’s sheer value or unreal features. A house resembling a mushroom, a $24 million apartment and a $60 million house were among the standout deals of the year.
Record-breaking sales were proof the luxury end of the market was unperturbed by cost of living pressures.
“Cost of living doesn’t affect property of this nature in any shape or form, in fact the upper end of the market has performed this year and is continuing to perform particularly well,” says Gerald Delany, chairman at Kay & Burton.
“There’s more of a shortage than supply required.”
Delany and his team sold the Toorak home of late Melbourne mover-and-shaker Ron Walker for more than $60 million in June. The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion came with a tennis court, pool and manicured gardens.
As for apartments, a yet-to-be-constructed penthouse in Burleigh Heads set a record in Queensland. The plush three-level address was sold for $24 million, smashing the 2022 record for another penthouse in the same building by $4 million.
Boasting a pool and views over the ocean, it was the biggest apartment sale of Amir Mian’s 23-year career.
“There’s a big market for boutique stuff,” he says. “And this was one of only two in the whole building.
“Burleigh does demand a high price, so if you want it, you have to pay for it.”
The burgeoning top-end market at Byron Bay also reached new heights thanks to a battle between three buyers that saw a luxury farmhouse on 48 hectares sell for $37 million. It blew the previous record of $26 million – set just six months earlier – out of the water.
The hinterland home was hotly contested for its winning combination of sanctuary and sustainability. Indulgences included an infrared sauna, gym, horse stables and pool, while environmental measures incorporated extensive rainwater tanks, solar panels and five regenerated koala habitats.
“The whole ethos around the property with its sustainability and I think people find that more interested in that these days and are attracted to that,” said agent Kim Jones.
But it wasn’t just the millionaires who made 2023 an interesting year in real estate. Quirky and rare properties that hit the market fetched outstanding results or, at the very least, plenty of curious people.
Luke Nolan-Harris of McGrath showed 30 groups through the first opening of Hollander House in Newport, Sydney. Looking like something more akin to a sci-fi film set, the house is made of hand-moulded cement over curved steel frames.
“It’s very unusual, in the best kind of way,” Nolan-Harris says.
“Everybody knows the home – it’s locally known as the Mushroom House or the Cave House.”
Designed by Australian architect David Hollander between 1969 and 1971, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sold for $2.582 million at auction in November.
A subterranean media room that appears to be underwater also caught the attention of inquisitive buyers in Clayfield, on the outskirts of Brisbane.
A viewing window of the property’s pool bathes the room in a bluish-green light, much like an aquarium. The dreamy space was just one among many draw cards at the property, which featured a grass tennis court, five bedrooms and four bathrooms as part of a mid-century resort-style design by Arkhefield.
“It’s on a larger land size, at well over 2000 square metres, has a north-south facing championship court, which is sought-out by tennis enthusiasts, but over and above it was the style of the home that made the property stand out,” says Drew Davies of Place Estate Agents Ascot.
Oenophiles and motoring enthusiasts alike were drawn to a Griffith property in the ACT boasting a 2000-bottle wine cellar and eight-car garage. The vast cellar and garage are housed in the basement, which also contains a dedicated cinema room and gym.
The house is still on the market and is expected to sell for more than $6 million, says Michael Lyristakis of Berkely Residential.
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