Former rockstar premier Mark McGowan sells coastal Perth home for tidy profit

It took just shy of 100 days,but former WA Premier Mark McGowan and his wife Sarah have sold their two-storey Rockingham beach house for a tidy profit.

The high-profile premier purchased the home,40 kilometres south of Perth,for $527,500 in 2002.

Former Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has put his Rockingham home up for sale.

The couple knocked down the original home and built a four bedroom,two bathroom Webb&Brown-Neaves family home in 2003 which takes in sweeping 180 degree ocean and island views.

The price of the sale was not going to be disclosed however the new owner of the home confirmed on Monday she purchased the property for $1.635 million.

McGowan,a former Rockingham MP,was elevated to rock-star status over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic earning him the nickname State Daddy.

His personal approval rating hit 91 per cent at the height of the pandemic giving him the enviable title of the state’s most popular premier.

Mark McGowan kicking off the 2020 Perth Festival blockbuster Highway to Hell by ringing Hell’s Bell.

Mark McGowan kicking off the 2020 Perth Festival blockbuster Highway to Hell by ringing Hell’s Bell.Supplied

McGowan cited exhaustion as the reason for his shock resignation in May 2023 from the party he led for 11 years.

Since leaving politics McGowan has accepted roles at mining giants BHP and Mineral Resources and at the former federal treasurer Joe Hockey’s consultancy firm Bondi Partners,as well as receiving nearly almost $275,000 a year in a pension.

According to CoreLogic house prices in the beachside suburb of Rockingham have risen by 22 per cent over the past year and a staggering 62.1 per cent in five years to reach a median of $574,000.

The area is known for its pristine beaches,nearby Penguin Island and the dolphins and seals frequenting the area.

It is believed McGowan and his family have purchased a house in the Fremantle area.

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Sarah Brookes is a journalist with WAtoday,specialising in property and government and is the winner of four WA Media Awards.

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