New Page: Federation Point Piper NSW
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Federation Heritage of Point Piper NSW
Lucy Macken wrote in October 11, 2014:
"If anyone needed reminding where Australia’s most expensive suburb is they need only look at five sales this year.
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Every sale above $30 million in 2014 has been in Point Piper, with most of the action centred on just one street.
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Wolseley Road, which has been ranked as one of the world’s most expensive streets, has claimed four of the five top sales in 2014, totalling $135 million, with buyers drawn in by those iconic, gun-barrel harbour views."
For News.com Stephen Nicholls reported in April 21, 2022:
Point Piper is renowned as Australia’s most expensive postcode.
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It boasts Australia’s two highest house sales for tech guru Mike Canon-Brookes’ $100m Fairwater bought in September 2018 and the $95m Edgewater which traded in late 2020.
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The $73m home – Elaine – of Cannon-Brookes’ Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar is also in Point Piper. (He doesn't live there, bought Uig Lodge, Point Piper instead)
The suburb is where former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calls home in a palatial compound worth around $60m that earned him the nickname ‘Mr Harbourside Mansion’ during his time in office.
INDEX
Fairwater - Ardenbraught - Danmark - Elstree - Kilmory - Notrella -
former Ni-No-Nan - - 2 Buckhurst Avenue - Uig Lodge - Wolseley - Carmona, Buckhurst Avenue -- Herewai, 55 Wunulla Road - 29A Wunulla Road boatshed - Elaine
Previous page: Federation Mansions Victoria Next page: Unley's Federation Heritage
'Fairwater'
'Fairwater', 560 New South Head Rd, Point Piper NSW
also listed as 560 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW
Fairwater was constructed in 1882 with additions made in c.1901 and 1910, with a former stable (c.1900s) and garage (1930), situated on a large suburban allotment fronting Port Jackson with garden landscaping.
Designed by radical architect John Horbury Hunt:
Fairwater is a "powerful yet restrained composition in brick and timber, large, complex, yet manages to successfully modulate its scale so that it appears disarmingly domestic."
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Fairwater's style is "Medieval (i.e. Tudor Revival) and Queen Anne" and is inspired by Picturesque intent with Tudor inspiration.
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Fairwater's buildings and grounds are amongst the last of the great suburban estates remaining intact.
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Fairwater's grounds provide an important scenic addition to the shoreline of Seven Shillings Beach* (on the border of Point Piper and Double Bay, Woollahra).
*Nestled between Double Bay and Point Piper, Seven Shillings Beach is just a thin strip of sand -
The Fairwater estate is historically important, having been connected with the Whites of Cranbrook, Lady Mary Fairfax, of the Fairfax family since 1901, and now the Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie.
Read more:
"Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie have bought Australia’s most expensive house, Fairwater at Double Bay, ending more than a century of Fairfax family ownership."
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Federationhome.com: Fairwater, New South Head Road, Point Piper - includes full heritage listing
Below: Maps of Double Bay and Port Piper, Fairwater at Blackburn Cove
in Blue section LHS -'2'
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Ardenbraught, 23 Wentworth Street Point Piper NSW
formerly Woollahra Point
Ardenbraught was built in 1903 for prominent barrister Cecil Stephen KC, his wife Alice and their nine children, and converted in 2002 by property developer Roger Brock’s Northbourne Estate.
Ardenbraught was built of locally quarried stone, faceted by Pyrmont 'Yellowstone', and later converted into apartments.
Sir Ben Fuller, the celebrated theatrical entrepreneur lived there for some time.
The most recent owner was Ms Lynn Rainbow - the actress best known for her role as Sonia, the chemist in the Number 96 television series - who sold it to Mr Brock.
The typical wide, protective, roofline of an Arts and Crafts residence is easily recognisable, above.
Story by Jonaathan Chancellor. Sydney Morning Herald; 14 Nov 1998
POINT Piper's (third) grand Scottish Baronial sandstone mansion, Ardenbraught, has been converted into eight apartments.
Ardenbraught was built in 1903 for barrister Cecil Stephen KC, his wife Alice and family of nine children. Cecil Stephen was the son of Chief Justice and Lieutenant-Governor of NSW Alfred Stephen. Alice was the daughter of liquor merchant and brewer Frederick Tooth.
The three-storey Wentworth Street mansion, built of sandstone quarried from an adjacent site, was named after the birthplace of Stephen's paternal great-grandfather in Scotland.
It was designed by architect, John Manson of Manson & Pickering with a blend of Scottish Baronial style, with its walls of sandstone, and the Arts and Crafts style of the day.
Ardenbraught, occupied by the Red Cross during World War I as a convalescent home for returning servicemen, was sold by the Stephen family in 1920, a decade after the death of Cecil Stephen.
It was divided into three apartments.
In 1925 Ardenbraught was bought by the theatrical impresario Sir Benjamin Fuller and his wife, Lady Fuller. The Fullers resided in the ground-floor apartment, where they were renowned for hosting musical recitals.
In 1998 Sydney developer Mr Roger Brock unveiled the masterplan for a $20 million redevelopment of Point Piper's historic Ardenbraught House.
Mr Brock, through his development company Northbourne Estates, transformed the turn-of-the-century building into six luxury apartments.
Ardenbraught's law link was continued with the marriage of Sir Benjamin Fuller's daughter, Joan Fuller, to barrister Alfred Rainbow in 1932.
Alfred Rainbow later became a judge and rugby administrator.
Their daughter, Lynn, occupied the middle-floor apartment. Judge Rainbow died in 1963, with Joan dying more recently.
Lynn Rainbow continued the Fuller family theatrical tradition as an actress, best recalled for her role as Sonia, the chemist in the Number 96 TV series.
Right: Sir Benjamin John Fuller and Lady Fuller at Ardenbraught, Point Piper, New South Wales, 27 February 1931
Ardenbraught-3.jpeg)
POINT PIPER RESIDENCES & BUILDING COMMANDEERED
BY THE MILITARY IN SYDNEY DURING WW2
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"Ardenbraught" 23 Wentworth Street, Point Piper - Used by RAAF, possibly associated with Eastern Area Headquarters
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Craig-y-moor, 69 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, - Officers Mess
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"Kilmory" Wentworth Dtreet, Point Piper (Edgecliff) - Eastern Area Headquarters
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"Redleaf", 536 New South Head Rd, Double Bay, Sydney - Accommodation for WAAAFs working at RAAF No. 2 Training Group, Headquarters, Point Piper
Architect Mr Greg Anderson, working in consultation with heritage architects Tropman and Tropman, redesigned the residence to create five huge three-bedroom apartments over three levels, each enjoying northerly views across Sydney Harbour.
The sixth apartment features a conservatory opening to walled landscaped gardens and a pool.
Two units take up the grand formal entertaining rooms of the original house, with 4.1 metre ceilings and bay windows.
The development offers views from the city skyline to Rose Bay.
Additions include a home automation system, European appliances, marble bathrooms, wool carpets, polished timber floors and terracotta-tiled terraces. There are modern security systems and lift access from an underground carpark.
The property is one of eight residences within the historic building. Optimised to present sun-drenched open-plan living, the apartment is defined by bright and airy interiors.
Boasting polished parquetry flooring, high ceilings and elegant period details, the apartment exudes timeless sophistication.
Spilling out onto the residence’s two north-facing balconies, the open-plan living, dining and adjoining lounge enjoys an abundance of natural light as well as gun-barrel views out to Sydney harbour.
Finished with marble and equipped with integrated appliances, the sleek kitchen offers subtle separation from the living and dining zones.
Read more:
Woollahra House (demolished)
Point Piper was slow to develop compared with neighbouring Darling Point. To any Sydneysider at the time of Federation, there would be no question that Darling Point was the most desirable of the city’s suburbs, in large part because Point Piper hardly existed.
From 1818 - 56, 190 acres of what is now known as Point Piper sat within John Piper’s estate, anchored by 'Henrietta Villa’, one of the colony’s finest. Piper’s wealth escaped him and his villa and adjoining land were sold to the Cooper family in the mid 1850s.
The patriarch of the Cooper family decided to demolish the now several-decade old neo-classical Henrietta Villa in favour of an elaborate Victorian Italianate design that was considerably cutting edge for the time.
Right: 'Woollahra House’ got off to several false starts but was eventually completed in 1883.
Read more:
WOLSELEY ROAD in Point Piper, is one of the top 10 strips of real estate in the world.
Wolseley Rd, Point Piper can now add another accolade to its prestigious reputation after being listed as the sixth most expensive in the world. Mansions here sold for an average $59,239 per square metre, in 2015.
Alex May wrote for the SMH on April 6, 2008:
"Businessman Ben Tilley, who runs the finance broker Hunt Pacific Finance, has every reason to consider Wolseley Road Sydney’s best street."
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“Mr Tilley, close boyhood friend of James Packer, has more reason to smile than most. Since 2001 he has bought three homes in the coveted row, selling two for a total profit of $20million – or about $8200 a day.
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“His run of good fortune began in 2001 when he bought No.69, Vaynol, for $8million. Four years later he sold it for $12million.
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“On the same day he paid $16.15million for Craig-y-mor, at No.73 Wolseley Road – buying it from the now deceased stockbroker Rene Rivkin.
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Last month he sold it for $32.4 million, setting a new Sydney record. He reaped a tax-free $16.25million in less than four years of ownership.
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“The same day he sold Craig-y-Mor, he bought (‘Elstree’) No. 138 Wolseley Road for $22million through Christie’s Great Estates agent Brad Pillinger.
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“Whatever way you look at it, Tilley came out of that deal with change in his pocket,” prestige valuer Simon Feilich of Dyson Austen said. “It is unusual for these high-end properties to be bought and sold on the same day, but that’s what Tilley seems to do.”
'Elstree', 138-140 Wolseley Rd Point Piper
At left: Elstree, 138 Wolseley Rd Point Piper , sold for $18.5m in 2007, $22m in 2008
Below Elstree at left: Channel Seven's lawyer Bruce McWilliam paid $16.5 million for the modern Point Piper house below Elstree, and in 2013 he sold this 'Bang & Olufsen' house in Point Piper for $33.5 million.
Elstree was constructed for Andrew Essex Scott in c.1908 and has social significance for its association with Scott family throughout most of the twentieth century.
The building has aesthetic significance for its contribution to the character of the immediate area and for the largely intact nature of the fabric and detailing.
138 Wolseley Road is actually two amalgamated allotments (138-140) and is occupied by a dwelling dating from 1912 – a Heritage item known as “Elstree”.
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Elstree is a fine and largely intact example of the Federation Arts and Crafts style of a single storey rendered masonry cottage.
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The house features a high pitched hipped roof with slate tiles, galvanised iron ridge cappings, and exposed timber eaves. Gutters are painted galvanised iron.
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There is a gable extension to the west. Gable end has timber panel.
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A high boundary wall and double garage hides most of the house from the street.
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A heavy timber gate has the name ‘Elstree‘ painted onto it.
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External Materials: Pebble dash rendered masonry walls. Roofs have slate tiles, galvanised iron ridge cappings, and exposed timber eaves.
Elstree was sold three times in four years!
Nov 14, 2007
1. ELSTREE, the hillside 1912 Point Piper residence, has been sold for about $18.5 million to the Channel Seven director Bruce McWilliam, who owns the neighbouring contemporary house on the harbour (which Elton John called the 'Bang+Olufsen' houses, and even thought about buying it).
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The sale of the 910-square-metre non-waterfront property, which last changed hands in the 1960s, is the year’s fourth-highest. It also ranks as Sydney’s fourth-highest ever non-waterfront house sale.
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The acquisition, which adds to Mr McWilliam’s 1414-square-metre ultra-modern glass house, continues the trend of harbourside compounds.
2. Mr McWilliam paid $18.5million for 138 Wolseley Road in November last year (2007), before selling it to Mr Tilley for a $3.5 million capital gain and 100 square metres less land (which Mr McWilliam is said to have kept to build a garage).
3. May 2011, ELSTREE sold again:
Settlement took place on the $18 million sale of a property in Wolseley Road, Point Piper. The circa 1912 residence was sold by Tiffany Tilley, the wife of the businessman Ben Tilley, to the equities fund manager Warwick Johnson.
Bruce McWilliam and Point Piper
Lucy Macken wrote for Domain in February 13, 2015:
"TV heavyweight and trophy home collector Bruce McWilliam is at it again in his Point Piper stamping ground, listing his home for about $18.5 million."
"Best known for his $33.5 million sale in 2013 of the waterfront mansion known as the Bang & Olufsen house to Chinese businessman Qiu Yafu, he also sold the 1920s mansion Elstree set behind it in 2008 for $22 million to Ben and Tiffany Tilley.
The Network Seven director and his wife, Nicky, also paid $10.65 million in 2013 for Ron Medich’s waterfront property which featured in the Michael McGurk murder mystery.
More recently, the couple are rumoured to have bought an Edwardian waterfront mansion down the hill from their current residence, owned by liquor baron John Piven-Large. They are believed to have paid almost $30 million late last year, however, McWilliam won’t flatter such talk."
Bruce McWilliam has been Seven’s Network’s Commercial Director since 2003, but he is more well known as the former Prime Minister’s first business partner in the firm they set up in 1986, Turnbull McWilliam.
‘Danmark’ 16-18 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, NSW
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Above left: ‘Danmark’ 16-18 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, NSW, Street entrance
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Below left: 'Danmark' from the harbour, top centre, in white
Built ca.1907 as a waterfront Edwardian mansion, Danmark was converted in the 1930’s to accommodate 14 spectacular apartments, retaining its private access to Seven Shillings Beach and the gardens above.
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The site forms part of the original grant to John Piper in 1820. The property passed to William Charles Cooper in 1898, briefly to Catherine Kitt in 1902, and to John Paul in 1903. The house was constructed for John Paul in c.1907 and named Danmark after his homeland.
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A well conceived blend of classic character and modern innovation, with 4m pressed metal ceilings, and art nouveau fireplaces, stainless steel kitchen, deco bathrooms, and living and dining rooms open to a side courtyard.
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Rendered masonry house on a steeply sloping site away from the road towards the harbour. Street frontage is two storeys.
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Steeply pitched gable hipped roof, with glazed terra cotta tiles and ridge cappings and colorbond drainage system. Timber fascias and eaves.
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Three storey gable extension to the south has timber lined eaves supported by decorative timber brackets above rendered string course.
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Gable end above main entrance has timber and rendered masonry infill construction.
More history of the original Danmark owner:
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At left: The rare heritage-listed Chinese-style timber boatshed was built in the 1930s and was originally part of the mansion, ‘Danmark’.
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Danmark was owned by the prolific horse owner and breeder W.J. “Knockout” Smith, but he preferred to spend his time in the boatshed, apparently because he couldn’t stand his wife.
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Smith was also famous for being the founder of the glassmaking giant Australian Consolidated Industries (ACI).
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W.J. 'Knockout' Smith, was the glass industry tycoon who was also a ruler of Australian breeding sixty years ago.
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"One morning, a couple of weeks ago, two men were standing looking down from Point Piper at the harbour. One of them broke out suddenly: "Good God! There's a man swimming in the open water there, and a shark only a couple of hundred yards out. How can we warn him?"
Said the other coolly, after a quick look: "Calm yourself, son. That bloke's Knockout Smith. If you want to Warn anybody, warn the shark."
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Kilmory ... from disrepair to designs for the discerning.
Squatting on the highest knoll in Point Piper is an enormous house the size of 12 large three-bedroom homes. It has about 50 rooms, panoramic views over Sydney Harbour, a sweeping circular driveway and is set in gardens the size of 10 quarter-acre blocks. Kilmory is a mansion in anyone's language.
Despite its location and size, or maybe because of it, Kilmory lay empty until recently, slowly falling into disrepair. Former owner Rodney Adler had the house on the market for two or three years before eventually it selling to a developer earlier this year.
Now, after months of consultation between Woollahra Council, the developer, the State Heritage Office, architects and countless other interested parties, the property will be converted into 11 luxury homes - seven apartments within the actual house and four new residences in the grounds.
'Kilmory' Estate, 6 Wentworth Street, Point Piper
Kilmory is located on the northeastern bend of Wentworth Street on the highest part of Point Piper. Because of this elevated position the building and its landscaped grounds can be seen from areas in Vaucluse, Rose Bay and Darling Point.
Kilmory is the largest site on the Point Piper peninsula and the last of that suburb’s grand estates. The property has exceptional local heritage significance and is listed as a heritage item in Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 1995 (LEP).
“Kilmory” was built in 1912 for Sir Alexander MacCormick, who was a surgeon and a member of the Sydney University Medical School. “Kilmory” was commandeered by the military during WW2 from Sir Alexander MacCormick to establish Eastern Area Headquarters on 15 May 1942.
After the war, it became Riverview College and then became a Franciscan Retreat.
“A grand though simple house, it uses the harled walls, slate roofs and robust stone chimneys characteristic of architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) such as the houses Hill House, Helensburgh, Scotland, and the house built for C.F.A. Voysey (1857-1941).
It was known as the Ave Maria Centre, and was the Provincial House of the Roman Catholic Order of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
Seven apartments:
Now it has been converted into just seven highly-individualised apartments within the creatively reinvented “Kilmory” security mansion (c.1913), made for entertaining with scenic Bay and Harbour views.
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The house occupies a prominent and highly visible position on the site. From parts of Wentworth Street, it presents a striking and dominating form against an uninterrupted skyline. This elevated position also provides the house and the upper landscaped areas with expansive views of Sydney Harbour and the northern foreshore.
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The house is an Arts and Crafts style building designed in 1913 by John William Manson of the architectural firm Manson and Pickering for Dr Alexander MacCormick (later Sir Alexander), an eminent member of Sydney’s medical profession. Construction of the house was undertaken by the leading building firm of Stuart Bros. Co. over the period 1913 to 1914.
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The house and its landscape setting, including sandstone walling, driveway, entry posts and gates, elevated terraces, gardens and prominent trees are highly significant and contributory elements in the Wentworth Street streetscape.
Read much more: the Post - Point Piper's Most elevated address: Kilmory
Some Heritage History:
The earliest reference to the property is in the 1902-3 ratebooks as vacant land owned by Sir Alexander MacCormick, surgeon.
Designed by architects Manson & Pickering, the former Kilmory was built c.1904. MacCormick reportedly owned the house until World War II, however there is no documentary evidence of this fact. He is listed in the Sands at 'Kilmory' from 1923, the first year in which the property is referenced.
From a Lands Titles search, ownership appears to have transfered to Craignish Ltd in 1933, and then to joint tenants Colin J. McVillot, Noel Burke-Gaffney and Micheal McDonald Scott in 1946.
During the War the house was reportedly occupied by the Department of Defence, however there is no documentay evidence of this fact.
Subsequently the house was used for educational purposes, briefly by the Jesuit Order from 1951, and then by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary from 1952 to the present day.
Heritage Protection: Chapter G2 Kilmory, 6 Wentworth Street, Point Piper
‘Notrella’, 142 Wolseley Road Point Piper
Sold for $13.8Million, Oct 2006
Naomi White July 12, 2014
THEY’RE stunning shots of a fledgling Sydney taken from an exclusive vantage point.
Spanning two world wars, the photographs show life as it once was on one of the most expensive streets in town: Wolseley Rd, Point Piper.
Taken between 1917 and the late 1940s by Eric Gibsone, the owner of the stately house Notrella, the pictures capture moments with his wife Alice around its grounds and scenes of a much quieter harbour.
Sandra Smith was given the album by her late mother-in-law, Henrietta Catherine “Nettie” Chamberlain, who worked as a live-in maid at the home for almost a decade in the 1930s.
Mrs Smith said the album of almost 130 photographs are “as old as can be”.
“By god, that harbour has changed and across South Head is very different,” Mrs Smith said.
“The photos are all very well taken;
I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr Gibsone was an amateur photographer.”
Mrs Chamberlain, who had grown up in the tiny ACT town of Colbargo, arrived for her first job as an 18-year-old and was embraced like the Gibsone’s own child, Mrs Smith said.
Below: Maid Nettie Chamberlain outside the house on Woolsley Rd, Point Piper, Sydney. Picture: News Corp Australia
A fine and largely intact example of the Federation Queen Anne style. The property forms part of the original grant to John Piper in 1820.
The building named 'Notrella' at 142 Wolseley Road Point Piper has aesthetic significance as a fine and largely intact example of the Federation Queen Anne style.
The two storey red brick building on its prominent location also has aesthetic significance for the strong contribution it makes to the character of the immediate area.
The building has social significance for its association with the parliamentarian, the Hon. Bruce Smith, M. P. and for its long association with the Gibsone family from the early 20th. century until 1977.
The mature hedges and trees are contributory to the aesthetic significance of the building.
Constructed: 1904.
The two storey red face brick house is in the Federation Queen Anne style.
House site is on a rocky outcrop overlooking the bay, bounded to the north by Wolseley Crescent.
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Roof is a series of gables, with terra cotta tiles and ridge cappings, timber fascias, exposed timber rafters and painted timber lining to eaves. Gable ends have timber shingles, or brick and pebble dash rendered masonry infill construction. Single rendered masonry chimneys with red face brick tops and galvanised iron vents.
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Generally timber double hung windows, with segmental arched heads and sills in a darker brick. Windows have timber jalousies. A single storey verandah to the front (south) has similar tiles, gable over doorway has timber fascia and shingles to end. There is a wide string course of darker brick at first floor level.
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A single storey portico to the western side has balcony above, brick and rough cut stone string courses, and arched sides. Arches are of darker brick. A pair of multi-paned timber doors lead to balcony above. Doors have arched head and fan light above. Original gable to the north has similar brick and pebble dash rendered masonry infill construction.
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A double garage and new driveway were constructed in 1980 for M. Gallaher.
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Alterations undertaken in 1983 included, a two storey extension to the northern and eastern sides consisting of new breakfast room, family room, garden store, ensuites, entertainment area and external patio.
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Other alterations have included the enclosing of a first floor balcony to the northern side overlooking Wolseley Crescent.
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Period: Unknown, built for Walter Allerton.
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A meticulous two-year architectural renovation has restored this magnificent waterfront residence to its original Edwardian glory.
Including a 30m private tidal beach, the majestic home enjoys a rare position remarkably close to the water.
It includes a separate apartment and enjoys panoramic harbour district views including the Harbour Bridge.
The restored mansion last traded as a duplex in 1991, when John Piven-Large paid $2.2 million for one and $1.3 million for the other.
David Thomas, and John Piven-Large set up Cellarmasters in 1982. Piven-Large was one of the founders of the Liquorland chain, which had been sold to Coles Myer in 1981.
2013: The Edwardian waterfront home of John Piven-Large has hit the market, offering five bedrooms, a tidal beach and a swimming pool with price expectations of more than $40 million. The home was first called Ni-No-Nan after its 1912 construction, a name that has thankfully been lost in time. Historically, the home is significant as one of only a small handful of the original constructions on the peninsula.
$30 million: 60 Wunulla Road Point Piper NSW
Point Piper has clocked up yet another waterfront trophy home sale, the sixth this year to sell for $30 million or more.
The Edwardian-era mansion of liquor baron John Piven-Large sold on Friday, bringing the suburb’s sales tally to some $200 million worth of prime real estate sales within five months.
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The six-bedroom residence with a tidal beach was first up for sale early last year with hopes of $40 million.
After being listed with a few agents, the campaign was handed to Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger in August, with a more realistic guide of $30 million-plus.
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Mr Pillinger refused to comment on the sale, but a source confirmed the sale for about $30 million.
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An offer of $28 million is rumoured to have been made in late July but was rejected.
The mansion last traded as a duplex in 1991, when Mr Piven-Large paid $2.2 million for one property and $1.3 million for the other.
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Redesigned into one residence since then, it was listed following Mr Piven-Large’s $15 million purchase of the the Pomeroy, Potts Point penthouse of billionaire property developer Bob Ell.
Mr Piven-Large is known to have made much of his fortune when he sold a 45.7 per cent stake in Cellarmasters to Foster’s Brewing Group in 1997 in a deal worth $160 million.
The Piven-Large house, which dates back to the early 1900s, was given a grand makeover by respected architect Espie Dods in the 1990s to restore it to its original Edwardian glory.
It now features custom-fitted timber cabinetry in the library and office, elegant furnishings with chintz covered chairs strategically placed in front of ornate fireplaces, floral themed bedrooms - all with ensuites and harbour views - and casual and formal entertaining areas.
The jewel in the crown is the 13m heated salt-water swimming pool, positioned right at water's edge with the Harbour Bridge as a backdrop.
2 Buckhurst Avenue Point Piper NSW
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In the early days, the fine houses of Gladswood, Redleaf, and Buckhurst, set in their wide gardens, were the only homes along the waterfront from Double Bay to Point Piper.
1859:
The character of the neighborhood may be arrived at by simply taking the adjacent properties at Point Piper —
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first, The Palace, in course of erection by the Speaker, Sir Daniel Cooper, on Point Piper (Woollahra House);
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second, Buckhurst. the seat of Frederick Tooth, Esq. ;
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third, The Gem,
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fourth, the marine villa site of John Fairfax. Esq.; (Elaine)
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fifth. Mr. Justice Cheeke (Wamboin)
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sixth, the unequalled 'Point,' the pro perty of S. D. Jordan, esq., M.L.A.
On the opposite side of the road the whole of the land is in the possession of Robert Tooth, Esq., (M.L.A), who has in course of erection one of the most splendid private edifices of the colony.
2 Buckhurst Ave, Point Piper is a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom House with 2 parking spaces and was built in 1920-1922. The property was last sold in Feb 2015, for $6,100,000, and is designed in Federation Arts and Craft style.
A Grand Residence Reinterpreted for 21st Century Family Requirements, the grand circa 1922 origins are seamlessly combined with deluxe modern essentials and bonus harbour cameos.
Features:
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master retreat with sitting area, sunny balcony, walk in wardrobe and oversize en-suite.
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An impressive choice of relaxing and entertaining areas include splendid entrance foyer, family/TV room, separate study or games room,
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sunroom, formal dining room,
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open plan informal living/dining with family kitchen (walk in pantry/wine cellar, marble island, stainless steel benchtop, 2 Miele dishwashers, 6-burner gas stove/double oven, extensive storage),
Last Listing description (January 2015)
A Magnificent Harbourside Manor, Exclusive Beachside Cul-de-sac
Period grandeur and contemporary finesse are showcased in perfect harmony in this beautiful harbourside manor. With direct access to idyllic Seven Shillings Beach, and surrounded by landscaped ground, it’s positioned in a tightly held cul-de-sac on the exclusive Point Piper peninsula – home to Sydney’s finest properties.
Built c1920 and graced with a wealth of refined period features, it has undergone a meticulous architect-designed reinvention.
Introduced by a grand reception foyer, the entire ground floor is devoted to living and entertaining and features a banquet-sized formal dining room, formal lounge, sitting room and a billiards room with cocktail bar.
Perfect for entertaining, all principal rooms open via French doors to a deep entertaining verandah with electric vergola.
Landscaped gardens, a sandstone terrace and mosaic tiled plunge pool with spa jets feature outdoor lighting transforming it into a magical oasis by night. At the heart of the home, a state-of-the-art Calcutta marble island kitchen with butler’s pantry features an adjoining family room.
Upstairs accommodation features five principal bedrooms with built-ins including a master retreat with sitting room, dressing area, terrace and luxurious Carrara marble en suite and a large home theatre or media room.
Additional features marble bathrooms, powder room, roof terrace, ducted air, full security system and a double auto garage.
Uig Lodge, 29 Wentworth Street, Point Piper
Larry Schlesinger reported in AFR Dec 28, 2022:
“They definitely did not overpay for Uig Lodge,” said Michael Pallier, principal of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty, who handled six of the 14 biggest sales this year.
“I think its worth that price all day long. It’s a fantastic property that sits on a hill with its own private driveway and gatehouse. It’s a billionaire’s trophy home if ever there was one,” he told The Australian Financial Review.
UIG LODGE - 29 Wentworth Street, Point Piper. An imposing mansion built c. 1900 on a portion of the 1899 Subdivision of Woollahra Point Estate.
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The first occupant was Lachlan Beaton, a founding member of the Royal Sydney Golf Club and Commissioner to the Sydney Harbour Trust.
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From 1913 to 1917, it was occupied by the Hon. George F. Earp, prominent merchant, Director of the Benevolent Society and member of the NSW Legislative Assembly.
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It was owned and occupied by the Rutherford Family (of Cobb and Co.) from 1917 till 1960, then by Sydney publishing identity Ezra Norton till 1976.
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From 1976 till 1997 it was the home of Aldur Koljo, Consul-General of Estonia in Sydney.
Set at the top of Point Piper on a 3300 square metre double block, Uig Lodge is the grand Scottish baronial mansion built by inaugural commissioner on the Sydney Harbour Trust and founding member of the Royal Sydney Golf Club, Lachlan Beaton, after he bought the site for £3925 in 1901.
The house is another Arts and Crafts style building (with the large protective roofline) like the Kilmory estate, in the Scottish Baronial Style.
Previously owned by publisher Ezra Norton and politician George Frederick Earp, CBE, it last made headlines in 1996 when it went to auction on behalf of the late white and electrical goods businessman Aldur Kaljo. It was passed in for $10.13 million but later sold to rag traders Stephen and Carol Moss.
An extensive renovation has made it one of the most sought-after non-waterfront trophy homes in Sydney. Buyers have approached the Moss family over the years with no luck.
Below: Gallery of Uig Lodge images uploaded to Wikipedia by contributor Sardaka in 2017
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Lucy Macken wrote a month ago:
Uig Lodge has long been regarded as among Sydney's best residences since it was built in the style of a Scottish baronial castle at the turn of last century by Lachlan Beaton, inaugural commissioner on the 1901 Sydney Harbour Trust and founding member of the Royal Sydney Golf Club.
In 1916, it sold for £5650 to medico Alexander Rutherford and his wife Marcia, of the Cobb & Co coach family, and from 1961 to 1976 it was owned by newspaper baron Ezra Norton, owner of the now defunct Truth and The Daily Mirror newspapers.
Norton sold it in 1976 for $500,000 to the late Consul-General of Estonia and steel pipe manufacturing tycoon Aldur Kaljo, whose lavish parties became the stuff of legend until he died suddenly in 1994.
The Mosses commissioned a renovation of the heritage-listed residence by architects Stephen Gergely and New York-based Alan Wanzeburg that took three years to complete and included the gatekeepers' cottage.
2023: The sale of Uig Lodge, just days before Christmas, takes this year's trophy home tally to almost $1 billion worth of high-end residential sales in the top 20 sales alone.
The purchase will incur a stamp duty of more than $9 million.
This four-bedroom house in Point Piper was sold for $130 million to Scott Farquhar and his wife, who were renting 'Barford' in Bellevue Hill.
Lucy Macken reported in December 24, 2022 -
KEY POINTS
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Uig Lodge sold for $30 million more than the previous national house price record.
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Scott Farquhar and Kim Jackson have walked away from negotiations to buy Barford.
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The Farquhar-Jackson family are expected to move into it in the first half of next year.
The fact that the buyer is tech billionaire Scott Farquhar and his wife, investment banker Kim Jackson, makes more sense of the deal, as does the fact the house is historically known as the Scottish baronial mansion, Uig Lodge.
The sale has smashed all house price records across the country, and the Scottish baronial mansion has reset Australia’s house price record at $130 million.
The landmark residence was sold privately by rag traders Steven and Carol Moss, ending their more than a quarter of a century ownership since they purchased it in late 1996 for what was then a non-waterfront record of $9.2 million.
Farquhar, the co-chief executive and co-founder of the Nasdaq-listed software giant Atlassian, already owns one of Australia’s most expensive houses, Elaine, also in Point Piper, purchased five years ago for $71 million.
In 2020, Farquhar had lodged plans for a major rebuild of the rundown Elaine mansion, but withdrew the DA soon after and has instead been renting the Bellevue Hill estate Barford.
Farquhar, 43, was until recently understood to be in negotiations to buy Barford from businessman Ian Joye, but that deal fell over amid $130 million expectations, and Farquhar and Jackson instead turned their spending power to Point Piper.
Scott Farquhar and Kim Jackson, of Skip Capital, now own more than $200 million worth of record-setting real estate in Point Piper.
“We’re excited to have found a family home ready to move into,” said a spokeswoman for the couple on Friday. It is expected to settle to the couple in the first half of next year.
Uig Lodge is on a much smaller 3300-square-metre parcel compared with Elaine’s almost 7000 square metres, but commands arguably the best views of Sydney Harbour thanks to its position on the highest point of Point Piper.
It tops the previous national house price record of $100 million set in 2018 by Farquhar’s Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes for another Fairfax family property in Point Piper, the 1.1 hectare estate Fairwater.
In Scotland's Isle of Lewis:
Uig Lodge (below) is named for a resort in one of the most spectacular positions in Scotland, overlooking the magnificent Uig Bay on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. It is a traditional Hebridean fishing lodge with 9 bedrooms, working smokehouse, golf course, salmon and trout fishing
'Wolseley ' 66 Wolseley Road Point Piper NSW
The building, constructed sometime after 1915, is significant as a large, prominent, two storey residential building in the Federation Arts and Crafts style.
The building has retained its original scale and form on the exterior even though it has had a number of additions and has been modified for use as flats.
It is a painted brick building located on a sloping site.
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The northern wall has red face brick with a hip, with two gables to the front.
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Terra cotta tiles and ridge cappings, timber fascias to gable ends, and timber lining to eaves.
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Gable end has timber fascia, and timber and pebble dash rendered masonry construction.
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There is a two storey verandah to the front (east), ground level has been enclosed with modern glazing and painted plasterboard.
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Timber posts, balustrade, floor boards and lining to first floor. A timber stair to the northern end leads up to first floor level.
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Michael Suttor designed apartment 2b which is an elegant apartment with views
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Spacious entertainer’s terrace and shared lawn area.
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Apartment 3 has 3 bedrooms 2 with built-ins, a huge master with ensuite and views; 2nd bathroom; Spacious lounge and separate dining opening to deck; Granite/Gaggenau kitchen; Internal laundry; Polished timber floors; High ceilings; R/c air con and lock-up garage.
Carmona, Buckhurst Avenue Point Piper
Above: The Cardinal had a harbour view from his residence at Point Piper
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Formerly the home of Mrs. Louis Rich, was known as 'Ashik,' Buckhurst Avenue, Point Riper, where the architect was Mr. Tupper, the building a mansion in Federation Bungalow style.
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Then the home of Mrs Freehill, 'Carmona' is mentioned as at Wolseley Road Point Piper, formerly of 'Carmona', Burwood, where her late solicitor husband was the Spanish consul.
- Mrs. Freehill's name is coupled with many generous actions on behalf of Catholic movements.
- His Eminence Cardinal Cerretti, Papal Legate at the Sydney Eucharistic Congress in September 1928 has cabled that he has accepted the invitation of Mrs. F. B. Freehill, of Point Piper, to make her beautiful home his headquarters for himself and suite whilst in Sydney.
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The wealthy widow, who was much travelled and cultured, was then awarded a Papal title, as 'Countess' Freehill.
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Finally the home of socialite Mrs. Mercy Gould, (left) who, in 1948 converted her large mansion into flats.
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Mrs Gould, mother of three children, learned how to cart bricks, climb ladders, use a hammer, and paint and paper walls.
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Wearing old dungarees, she has helped to convert her 22-room mansion, "Carmona," in Buckhurst Avenue, Point Piper, into three flats, and proposes to make more flats out of her servants' old quarters.
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Her husband is Mr. Harry Gould, who arrived from America in 1941. He is now a rich squatter, owner of the property, "Lilberne," at Murrurundi.
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Read more: A Historic House in Point Piper
Herewai, 55 Wunulla Road, Point Piper (demolished)
"Herewai (Federation style) was pulled down and another house built on the site: a concrete jungle". They had four children – twins Toni and Adeliev (1919), Yvonne (c1921) (the ‘Hurley girlies’) and Frank (1923). The Hurleys lived there for years, until perhaps into 11 or 12 years from early chidhood.
A plaque has been placed outside 55 Wunulla Road, Point Piper, the address of Frank's former home 'Herewai'.
James Francis Hurley was better known as Frank Hurley.
"Frank" Hurley OBE was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars.
During the 1920s, the Hurley family lived in the spectacularly sited house Herewai, perched on the rock at the harbours edge on Wunulla Road, Point Piper.
29A Wunulla Road boatshed listed by O'Neil family
The "Point Piper Estate" can be discovered from May 1853, as the property probably formed part of the group that was offered in The Sydney Morning Herald on 5 November 1856:
"Choice building sites with water frontages to Rose and Double Bays, frontages to the South Head Roads, and situations easy of access;
having magnificent views, embracing the ocean, the Harbour and Botany, with the City and Blue Mountains as a background.
Roads are now being formed and bridges built over the whole of this delightful estate, and it is impossible to imagine more beautiful situation for villa residences than exist thereon, their distances from the city averaging from one to four miles.
Leases will be granted for terms up to 99 years."
....A caveat placed on the title after the sale - which occurred just three weeks after it was listed - which confirmed that a mystery buyer purchased the home through McCullough Robertson legal firm.
The 2,000sqm property has access to one of the largest private marina berths on Sydney Harbour.
There is accommodation on the top level of the boat shed, and Woollahra Council recently approved for it to be turned into a home.
A source told the publication Murdoch's new reported acquisition is the worst kept local secret.
'Everyone at Point Piper Yacht Club is talking about it,' the source reportedly revealed.
18 April 2021: Sydney's property boom has reached ridiculous levels with a boatshed lacking a house selling for a record $37million.
A Point Piper block with a “Vintage Federation Arts and Crafts” boat shed and no house is shaping up to become the most expensive property to sell in Sydney this year.
In a sign of just how bizarre the Sydney property market has become, 29A Wunulla Road is being offered to buyers with a $37m-$40m price guide via an expressions of interest campaign.
Currently the most expensive home to sell in Sydney this year is the $33m sale of Seven Network commercial director Bruce McWilliam’s Point Piper mansion.
The mystery new owner of a $37million boatshed in Sydney's exclusive Point Piper is rumoured to be none other than media mogul Lachlan Murdoch.
The Fox Corp chief executive, his wife Sarah and their three children moved to Sydney in March, joining a host of high profile individuals who opted to ride out the coronavirus pandemic in relatively unaffected Australia.
He is expected to return home to Los Angeles in September.
During his brief sojourn, Sydney Morning Herald reports he snapped up a prime piece of real estate in the ritzy eastern suburbs.
The two-storey boatshed is a stone's throw from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's home and was once the private playground of the wealthy O'Neil family.
It was sold on to Paul Scharrer, Scotts Honda Motors former owner and a local property investor, in 2017 before it sold again last month for the eyewatering price of $37million.
The Wunulla Road property on Sydney Harbour is certainly Australia's most expensive boatshed.
The Point Piper boatshed that has long been a family playground for the wealthy O’Neil family has been polished up and returned to the trophy market with a $33 million asking price.
Set on almost 2000 square metres, the boatie paradise with four marina berths on deep waterfront was initially listed three years ago, but withdrawn from the market a year ago to allow for repairs to the boatshed.
Held in a company name headed by brothers Colin and Rodney O’Neil, it last traded for 9000 pounds in 1958 when sold by Polish-born World War II survivors Dr Ignacy Listwan and his wife Elvira, OBE.
A third title was added in 1973 for $21,500 when it was bought from the then Maritime Services Board, giving the O’Neils ownership up to the waterfront.
Read more:
ELAINE, DOUBLE BAY
– Purchased in 2017 for $71m
The Point Piper mansion “Elaine” on New South Head Road, Point Piper, Sydney.
Previously owned by the Fairfax family for over a century, the dilapidated mansion was purchased by Farquhar and his wife Kim Jackson.
The billionaire initially had plans to undertake a $37m renovation of the mansion, however plans were shelved in 2020.
Elaine resides on an almost 7,000 sqm land parcel, with the previous owners turning down offers from developers to subdivide the site.
Read more:
Australia's most expensive house, Fairwater, has sold, ending the Fairfax family’s hold on the exclusive stretch of " Point Piper " beachfront of more than a century. It took a little ...
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* Blog* A Historic House in Point Piper
The twin story of a Historic House in Point Piper: | The former ' Ashik ' (pre-WW1), at Buckhurst Avenue, Point ...
Other sites:
Point Piper is home to many prominent Australians including:
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Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister and Member for Wentworth
Since 1994, the Turnbulls have lived in a prime site, a waterfront residence bought for $5.4 million.
In 1999, they secured the neighbouring property as an investment for $7.1 million. More recently they reduced its land size by carving off about 600 sq m of waterfront garden and annexing that portion to the property where they live.
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The Tilleys moved from Elstree around the corner to a Wunulla Road house bought for about $13.5 million from Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull.
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Frank Lowy – The Westfield Group founder and boss, extended their Point Piper mansion in the early 1990s after they bought their son Stephen Lowy’s house next door.