The four-bedroom,three-bathroom estate at is owned by former Myer chairman Garry Hounsell and his wife,Julie,who are planning to downsize.
It’s no surprise the home has such a well-stocked cellar,given Hounsell’s work.
Not only is he the chairman of Helloworld Travel,he is also a non-executive director of Treasury Wine Estates,which owns Penfolds,Seppelt and Lindeman’s wines,among others.
Hounsell was chairman of Myer from 2017 to 2020,where he did a stint as executive chairman. He has also held roles at Spotless Group and Qantas.
Kay&Burton Stonnington selling agent Matt Davis wouldn’t be drawn on the vendors,but said the home had been built about 26 years ago and had been kept in perfect condition by them.
The four-bedroom Toorak home has a 5000-bottle wine cellar.Kay& Burton Stonnington
As well as the wine cellar,the three-level home has a four-car garage,a swimming pool and manicured gardens.
Davis said the sale was rare,given the property came with a substantial home – and 910 square metres of land – a large lot for Toorak.
“Because of its land-holding,these types of properties are very few and far between,especially in Toorak,” Davis said.
Overseas-based buyers and local families had been interested in looking through the residence,he said,given it was so close to schools including St Kevin’s and Scotch College.
The home has been listed as an expressions of interest sale,which closes on September 13.Kay& Burton Stonnington
“It really ticks all the boxes for a family house because of that,” Davis said. “I think it appeals to a wide audience.”
It’s the second time the Hounsells have listed the home. They originally tried to sell it in late 2021,then withdrew it from the market.
Back then it was listed for $8.4 million to $9.2 million.
The home has been listed as an expressions of interest sale,which closes on September 13.
The home is three levels and includes a basement garage and wine cellar.Kay& Burton Stonnington
Elsewhere in Toorak,tile magnate Frank Walker and his wife Rhonda’s home sold for about $23.5 million.
Forbes Global Properties principal agent Michael Gibson confirmed the sale of the home when contacted,but would not comment any further on the deal.
The Walkers had owned the property for 15 years,but found it had become superfluous to their needs,said one source with knowledge of the deal,but not authorised to comment publicly.
A caveat has been slapped on the title by interior designer Olivia Babarczy,whose husband is Jigsaw Investments chief investment officer Julian Babarczy.
Though Gibson would not comment on the sale,he did say the Toorak market had been strong,especially since international borders re-opened.
“We’re coming out of winter where you’re always short of supply,” Gibson said. “That looks like it will be the norm for the next month or two.”
The most expensive homes in Toorak can fetch sky-high prices. ‘Mr Melbourne’ sold for an undisclosed price in June after being listed with a guide of $55 million to $60 million.
But that was below the sale that smashed Melbourne’s house price record,when crypto king Ed Craven,Toorak with plans to rebuild.
Tech entrepreneur Grant Rule,paying just short of $75 million for a mansion,also on St Georges Road. The previous Melbourne record was $52.5 million for Malvern’s Stonington mansion that sold in 2018.