Latest news with #ToorakMansion
News.com.au
04-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Toorak: $30m+ health-boosting mansion sold to overseas-based buyer
Wealthy Hong Kong and Melbourne-based power couple Anita Wong and Wilson Lai have sold their award-winning Toorak mansion for more than $30m. It's the biggest St Georges Rd sale since a significant fire at a prominent mansion on the street last month. Ms Wong and Mr Lai's four-level house was advertised with a $36m-$39m asking range but the sales price is undisclosed. Mr Lai has previously served as wireless tech company Hollyland Group Holdings' president, while Ms Wong is an investment banking executive. Features of the impressive abode at 12 St Georges Rd include a wellness centre with a gym and sauna, pool, lift-up driveway into the six-car basement garage, nightclub-style area with a bar, 500-bottle wine cellar and gardens by famous landscape designer Paul Bangay. The six-bedroom property was the first Australian residential home to have a Healthy Living system installed from the US-based wellness real estate and technology firm Delos. It incorporates a water filtration and mechanical HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) air filtration installation system. Construction company Easton won the Master Builders Victoria residential Master Builder of the Year award in 2021 for their work on the mansion, designed by SJB architects' Andrew Parr. Marshall White's Marcus Chiminello and Sotheby's International Melbourne's Rob Curtain had the listing. Mr Curtain said the owners had designed the house to showcase their art collection. They were also heavily influenced by Feng Shui principles to boost resident's feelings of health and balance. 'Even the date and time of the campaign launch was influenced by Feng Shui and the date they will hand over the keys to the new owner too, even the final price,' Mr Curtain said. He declined to comment on the sold figure but confirmed the buyer was an overseas-based purchaser with business interests in Australia. Mr Curtain said the mansion attracted strong interest from interstate and overseas, with one buyer flying in from Sydney to inspect it. He added that the recent St Georges Rd fire had no impact on the sales campaign. Mr Chiminello said that all parties were thrilled with the outcome of the sale.
News.com.au
07-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
New owner for rundown Toorak mansion with a wild history
A dilapidated Toorak mansion with a colourful history has fetched more than $5m. Named Cloyne, the circa-1926 Georgian Revival house at 611 Toorak Rd was scheduled to go under the hammer on Saturday. But due to a high level of interest from buyers, a boardroom auction for the property was held on Thursday. Jellis Craig Stonnington director Nathan Waterson declined to comment on the sold price but industry insiders indicated the five-bedroom home changed hands for a figure above the $4.75m-$5.225m asking range. The abode featuring a ballroom and a pool flanked by lion statues was previously owned by Louis Nelken, who was reportedly a butler to King George VI. In 1935, newspapers covered a reception that Mr Nelken and his wife Lesley held for guests to meet the then-political candidate for the seat of Fawkner, Harold Holt. Mr Holt later became the Australian Prime Minister and disappeared while swimming near Portsea in 1967. The Nelken's parties often made the gossip columns including a 1948 Melbourne Cup eve soiree they hosted for 300 people. Two years later, thieves broke into Cloyne and stole £5500 worth of jewellery, drank a bottle of Mr Nelken's beer and smoked his cigarettes. In the 1960s, Melbourne playboy and pilot Don Busch owned Cloyne before it was sold to hotelier William Drever. The mansion, which is protected under a heritage overlay, was designed by influential Australian architect Harold Desbrowe-Annear. Its interior has been subject to partial renovations across past years and requires significant work to restore its former glory. Three bidders contested the auction for Cloyne including one Canberra-based buyer, although the house was bought by a Melbourne family. 'I would say that all parties were there due to the architectural heritage of the home, the Harold Desbrowe-Annear design was a drawcard for a lot of people,' Mr Waterson said. According to PropTrack, Victoria recorded a preliminary 68.4 per cent clearance rate from 250 early auction results this week. About 1058 homes are expected to go under the hammer across the state next week.
