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Top Federation Homes

New South Wales

Federation Homes of Fame

Ordered by Value & Heritage

NSW
Fairwater, Double Bay NSW
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Fairwater, Double Bay NSW

THE most expensive home in this country’s history has just been snapped up by Aussie millionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (September 2018).

The Atlassian co-founder broke the record after buying Lady Mary Fairfax’s Point Piper mansion, Fairwater.

And while the exact amount has not been disclosed, according to media reports, Mr Cannon-Brookes bagged the property for a "bargain-basement price of close to $100 million”.

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Fairwater, the residence of Mr. Fairfax,
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The Hermitage estate, Vaucluse NSW

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The Hermitage estate, Vaucluse NSW

The Hemmes family has lived in The Hermitage, an expansive waterfront estate at Vaucluse, for 45 years. Justin, 46, still occupies his own private wing.

However,the family is not moving any time soon, according to Justin Hemmes' father.

John Hemmes told The Sunday Telegraph one international and one local buyer had made offers for the property in recent weeks, but Justin had knocked them back because they fell short of the mark.

Contrary to rumours that the proceeds were needed to pay off debt in his son's hotel business, John Hemmes said the home was not for sale.

"They're talking $60 million now,'' he said.

"But it's not on the market; it's not for sale. We love it here.''

Statement of Significance: 

A romantic and exceptional example of a Victorian Gothic mansion, which despite numerous alterations retains much of its early charm thanks to the skill of architect Emil Sodersten.

Its location above Hermit Bay is particularly attractive and it must rank as one of Sydney's most important harbourside villas of the late Victorian era.

Built sometime between 1870-78 by Edward Mason Hunt on one of the first subdivisions of the W C Wentworth Land Grant. 

 

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Addenbrooke, Bellevue Hill NSW

Addenbrooke, Bellevue Hill NSW

Federation Queen Anne style: "A very choice position on the crown of the hill, with delightful views over the harbour"

  • Property Observer previously suggested it came with $33 million hopes by the downsizing vendors, Denis and Charlotte O'Neil.

  • Addenbrooke last traded at its 1988 auction for $5.375 million having been the home of the late Sir Lionel Coppleson, the former hire purchase Custom Credit co-founding chairman, for close to five decades. He and his surgeon brother, Sir Victor, who was an author of a 1933 book on Australian shark attacks, had grown up in Wee Waa on the Namoi River in northern NSW. Sir Lionel was knighted in 1969.

  • An earlier auction was in 1930 when it was noted Addenbrooke adjoined the homes of Sir William Vicars and surgeon Sir Charles Clubbe.

 

Read more: Addenbrooke, Bellevue Hill​ - www.federationhome.com

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60 Wunulla Road Point Piper NSW

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60 Wunulla Road Point Piper NSW

(formerly Ni-No-Nan)

Another waterfront trophy home sale, the sixth in 2014 to sell for $30 million or more.
"The Federation Arts and Crafts style mansion of liquor baron John Piven-Large sold on Friday, bringing Point Piper's sales tally to some $200 million worth of prime real estate sales within five months.
The five-bedroom residence with a tidal beach was first up for sale early last year with hopes of $40 million."​

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  • Including a 30m private tidal beach, this majestic home enjoys a rare position remarkably close to the water, includes a separate apartment and enjoys panoramic harbour district views including the Harbour Bridge.

  • 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.

Leura, Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill NSW

The four-bedroom residence with with a one-bedroom self-contained apartment sits on a tidal beach.

It had initial hopes of $40 million when Property Observer reported its November 2012 off-market offering. There has since been a string of estate agents who failed to secure the ambitious price guidance revisions.

The restored mansion last traded as a duplex in 1991, when Piven-Large paid $2.2 million for one  and $1.3 million for the other.

It was listed following Piven-Large's $15 million purchase of the Pomeroy, Potts Point penthouse of billionaire property developer Bob Ell.

Piven-Large sold his stake in Cellarmasters to Foster's Brewing Group in 1997 in a deal worth around $160 million.

Read more:

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Leura, Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill NSW 

Nov 25, 2016 ... Chinese businessman and keen yachtie Wilson Lee and his wife Baoyu Wu have emerged as the buyers of the Bellevue Hill trophy home Leura.

One of Sydney's grandest estates, the Bellevue Hill trophy residence Leura sold on Monday afternoon 10-Nov-2015 for more than $30 million, setting a suburb record in the process.​

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  • The sale by businessman Ken Allen and his wife, Christine, to an Australian buyer came the day before it was scheduled to go to auction, and for in excess of its original $30 million guide.

  • Built in the 1890s for Tom Knox, managing director of the Dalgety stock and station agency, in the Federation Queen Anne style and set on a vast 4260 square metres, the mansion includes eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a ballroom, tennis court and a swimming pool.

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Babworth House, Mount Adelaide Rd, Darling Point NSW

Statement of Significance: 

Babworth House is one of the largest, finest and most intact examples of an early twentieth century grand house in Australia.

It is of national significance both historically and aesthetically.

Babworth House is an excellent and rare example of the Federation Arts and Crafts style in grand domestic architecture in Australia.

The quality and uniqueness of the exterior and interior detailing, incorporating both Art Nouveau and neoclassical motifs and forms is of a standard and scale rarely seen in domestic architecture.

The workmanship and detailing of the external cement render work is of national significance technically.

  • Probably the grandest Art Nouveau house in Sydney, built for Anthony Hordern.

  • It is sited on the highest point of Darling Point and is a reminder of the lifestyle of Sydney society in the time it was built, 1905.

  • Now divided into apartments; sold for $25.6 million in 2000.​

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Babworth House

Built to the designs of Morrow and de Peutron in the Art Nouveau style:

  • The exterior of the house is executed in cast cement, with very fine relief patterns.

  • An elaborate porte cochere and verandahs front the house, which is topped off with a slate roof, whose large gables have a bungalow connotation.

  • The interiors have a wealth of Art Nouveau and eighteenth century ornament, including a significant staircase. 

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Caerleon, Ginahgulla Rd, Bellevue Hill

Caerleon boasts red brick walls with stone dressing, terracotta shingles, balconies, bay windows, verandahs, lead light windows and elaborate chimneys.

All joinery including timber work of ground floor verandah are painted, evidence that many fittings and materials were imported from England.

A majority of the interior was influenced by Robert Adam's work and was of eighteenth century French taste.

Elaborate chimney pieces, door cases, wainscots, friezes and ceilings, leaded lights and stained glass.

  • The Ginahgulla Road house, set on a 3300 square metre block with lawn tennis court and pool, was built in 1885 for Charles B. Fairfax, the grandson of Herald founder John Fairfax.

  • Caerleon, which was designed in London by Maurice Adams, is the earliest example of Queen Anne in Sydney. Much of the building products were imported, including metal casement windows and terracotta tiles.

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Caerleon, Ginahgulla Rd, Bellevue Hill

CAERLEON, an 1885 Queen Anne Revival-style Bellevue Hill residence, has withstood the test of time, fetching about $22 million, a record price for a Sydney non-waterfront house.

It was bought by Simon Wright, foreign exchange executive director at Macquarie Bank, and his wife, Melinda. Its bullish sale on Wednesday was made by TV production entrepreneur Harry Michaels and his wife, Effie, through Christie's Great Estates.

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Caerleon (/kərˈliːən/Welsh: Caerllion) is a historic house in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate as well as having a New South Wales heritage listing. It was named after Caerleon, a small town in Wales.

History and description

Caerleon is a two-storey Queen Anne home built in 1885.

Original plans for the house were drawn up by Sydney architect Harry Kent, but they were reworked extensively by Maurice Adams in London, England.

Controversy followed when Kent found that his name was left out altogether when the plans were exhibited in London.

Kent nevertheless supervised the construction of the house, which was designed for another member of the Fairfax family, Charles B.Fairfax.

The house represents a rich example of Queen Anne elements: red brick walls with stone dressing, terracota shinglesbalconiesbay windowsverandahsleadlight windows and elaborate chimneys.

It is said to have been the first Queen Anne home in Australia and set the tone for the Federation Queen Anne homes that were to become so popular. 

It was sold for $22 million in January, 2008.

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Vailele, 2-4 The Point Rd, Woolwich

Vailele, Woolwich's $23 million home, was home to the Salter family, who bought the 3220sq m property with private jetty and pontoon, for $3 million in 1993.

Vailele, one of Sydney's most tightly held riverfront homes, has been sold by the Salter family.

The historic sandstone home in Woolwich, which has only had five owners since its 1892 construction, secured around $23 million.

It last traded for $3 million, when it was 1993's top sale on the North Shore water's edge, and before that in 1979 when bought by abattoir owner Trevor Wadland for $375,000.

It is long remembered as the location of scenes from the Network Ten mini-series, Return to Eden, the 1983 television drama starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne and Wendy Hughes.

Vailele, 2 The Point Rd, Woolwich
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Steeped in history, the three storey home once hosted Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson as its guest, who lived out some of his later days in the garden cottage while based at Samoa.

The Salters completely restored the 1892 sandstone residence.

The late Phil Salter, co-founder of Salmat, and his wife Christine restored the 1892 sandstone residence and two-bedroom guesthouse. They also added a modern extension, separate gym, heated pool and 10 car garage.

The billiards room is equipped with a bar.

Mr Jacobs said “multiple buyers” had expressed interest in the property, which has a connection to author Robert Louis Stevenson, and was named after an estate near his own residence in Samoa.

The Salter family's Federation residence, known as Vailele, is set on 3220 square metres and is a true waterfront with a private jetty.

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Vailele (pronounced ‘Vall-a-lay’) is named for a plantation in Samoa bordering Robert Louis Stevenson’s home there

  • Vailele, the Salter family’s Federation residence, is set on 3220 square metres, and has a waterfront with a private jetty.

  • The three-storey sandstone house, whose name derives from the Samoan term for running water, has only had five owners.

  • Vailele is best known for starring in the 1983 mini-series Return to Eden, when it was owned by meat trader Trevor Wadland.

  • It set a then record high for the exclusive Woolwich peninsula when it last traded in 1993 for $3 million, when bought by the late co-founder of Salmat, Phil Salter and his wife Christine.

  • The family home has eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a study and an elegant music room.

  • One floor is devoted to a home theatre with integrated seating installed by the current owners, the Salters family.​​​​

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Vailele’s north-facing waterfront site includes a heated swimming pool and spa, separate two-bedroom guest cottage, heritage palms, children’s cubby house and a private jetty.

  • The historic six-bedroom residence has formal and informal living rooms, a music room, cedar-panelled billiard room, study, home theatre, wine room and wet bar, and a 10-car garage with lift access.

  • Steeped in history, the home once hosted Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent some of his latter days in the garden cottage. Two of the garden’s heritage palm trees were gifts from him.

  • Under its slate roof there are original fireplaces, ornate ceiling roses and stained glass windows, along with intricate turned timber posts on the marble-tiled verandas still intact after a two-year restoration.​

Read more:

Leesthorpe

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Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW

Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
Wine cellar at Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
Luigi Roselli-designed addition to the rear of Wine cellar at Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
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Luigi Roselli-designed addition to the rear of Wine cellar at Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
Swimming pool at Luigi Roselli-designed addition to the rear of Wine cellar at Leesthorpe,  20 Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW

Leesthorpe has been owned by Katrina and David Williams since 1999, and came to market earlier in 2019 with a price guide of $16 million.

About ten years ago the Williams’ embarked on a major renovation of the 1754sqm property:

  • They enlisted award-winning architect Luigi Rosselli to create a three-level, contemporary addition to the rear of the striking Queen Anne Federation residence.

  • They have created a stunning contemporary transformation to the rear of the property over three levels,

It was billed as “one of the most significant historic family estates to enter the Mosman market for many years”.

  • The buyers agreed, a week-and-a-half out from the closing date for the expressions of interest campaign.

  • Defined by the beauty and elegance of its Queen Anne Federation heritage 

  • Combines traditional grandeur with an open plan design for modern day living.

  • Complete with magnificent views of Sydney including the city skyline and Harbour Bridge to North Sydney

Description 

A Large two-storey face brick Federation Queen Anne/Arts & Crafts residence. The house features a 2-storey L-shaped verandah and an unusual entry. The entry portico is formed with substantial timber elements in a deep bracketted entablature supported on timber columns. Over the entrance is a bracketted, facetted oriel with its own small roof sitting just below the half-timbered gable. Rough-cast chimneys rise out of the slate roof. The house is set close to the street (relative to other large Federation houses in Mosman) and has more recent modifications at the rear.

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Curraweena, 6 Buena Vista Avenue Mosman NSW

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Curraweena, 6 Buena Vista Avenue Mosman NSW

  • Sold for $13.2 million 2009

  • Builder/Maker: Smith & Cabban

  • Physical description:    Federation Queen Anne.

 

Fusing early 20th century grandeur with 21st century ease and informality this magnificent Smith and Cabban mansion C1906 is a true Mosman Merchant Mansion.

A prized Clifton Gardens estate of around 2250sqm that stretches from street to street with two 26m frontages, tennis court, swimming pool, sandstone entertaining terraces, level manicured lawns and beautiful landscaped gardens.

The impressive totally renovated two storey home with separate studio offers space and elegance on a grand scale plus iconic views of Sydney Harbour from both levels.

It’s a complete family lifestyle, all with in walking distance to Clifton Gardens Beach, the ferry and everything special that Mosman offers.

Polished floors, archways and 14 ft decorated ceilings enhance the airy spaciousness of the huge double reception rooms which open to the covered semi-circular verandah that overlooks the tennis court.

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The vast library with bay window takes in the harbour views, plus the guest bedroom on this level has its own ensuite bathroom.

A sensational designer kitchen that interacts with a large casual family living and dining area.

French doors take you out to covered verandah that leads on to the absolutely private level lawns, the wide terrace that surround the gas heated pool with swim jets and spa. The separate studio sits discreetly under the oversized double garage.

 

Take the grand cedar staircase to the upper level where the huge master suite opens to a balcony take enjoys the full panorama of the harbour views.

A large dressing room and full ensuite bathroom in the traditional style are attached. Three further double bedrooms and a bathroom complete the accommodation on this level.

This impeccable residence was totally updated and renovated with exquisite attention to detail over the past six years and features R/C air conditioning on the upper level, gas central heating on the main level, media cabling and security.

It is totally unique in the Mosman market and one of the finest family estates that Sydney can offer.

Description:

A brick residence, a storey and a half high and symmetrically designed.

It is basically rectangular in plan shape and set well back from the street, with a tennis court in front.

Its design consists of a prominent medium-pitched gable with the ridge parallel to the street, and a central gabled bay projecting forwards and having a semicircular and tuscan-columned verandah at ground floor level with an open balcony above.

There are flanking windows with bracketed hoods.

The roof is fairly steeply pitched and covered in terracotta tiles.

Read more: 

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Crossways, 50  Martin Road, Centennial Park NSW

"Historic Crossways at Centennial Park has finally been sold for $12.75 million, after being on and off the market for several years."

"The six-bedroom, five bathroom home on 1814sqm ranks as one of the finest examples of the Federation Arts & Crafts style in Australia." 

The Crossways is aesthetically significant as one of the finest examples of the Federation Arts & Crafts style in Australia, and one of the finest works of architect B.J. Waterhouse of Waterhouse & Lake; the house is also historically significant as the residence of Dr Craig Gordon, physician and surgeon.

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Crossways, 50  Martin Road, Centennial Park NSW
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"The buyer has been pinpointed as art collector Naomi Triguboff Travers, by the local paper, The Wentworth Courier." 

"Centennial Park’s price record was set at $12 million in 2015 when the tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie bought Braelin, on a 2200-square-metre Lang Road block."

The 1814sqm holding on Martin Road was offered by the Zavattaros family who bought it in 2006 for $10 million.

"It was designed by architect B.J. Waterhouse of Waterhouse & Lake.

The Federation Arts and Crafts residence was built in 1908 for surgeon Dr Gordon Craig."

Now set in Paul Bangay gardens, the property was renovated extensively in the 1990s by architect Espie Dods for then owners, former McGuigan Wines director James Smiley and his wife, Jane."

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Bonnington, Bellevue Hill

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Bonnington, 8 Victoria Road Bellevue Hill 

 

Bonnington is the historic Tudor-style manor built in 1934 on a subdivision off the neighbouring Rona estate and designed by architect F. Glynn Gilling.

  • The long-time Bellevue Hill home of the late businessman and property developer Neville Christie sold on Wednesday afternoon for about $22 million.

  • The result is the highest house sale in the suburb since the neighbouring Leura mansion set a suburb record at $30.8 million in late 2015 when it sold to businessman and yachtie Wilson Lee and his wife Baoyu Wu.

  • Bonnington was owned by the Christie family for the past 56 years after it was sold for £36,500 by merchant James Brown Milne.

  • Michael and James Dunn, of Richardson & Wrench Double Bay, had a guide of $20 million on the property when it was listed in 2018.

 

Sydney trophy home and art collector John Schaeffer has taken property flipping to a new level listing the historic Bonnington six months after he took possession of it.​

  • Sydney art collector John Schaeffer returned to Bellevue Hill as the mystery buyer of the Tudor-style Bonnington, the $20 million plus home of the late businessman Neville Christie.

  • October 2018 - Fund manager Ari Droga and his architect wife, Lisa, successfully made the $20.4 million purchase of John Schaeffer’s trophy home, Bonnington.

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