Racing prince sells Point Piper home for more than $50 million

Coolmore Australia bossTom Magnier unwittingly fired the starter’s gun on Sydney’s trophy home market this week when he sold his Point Piper home Notrella for more than $50 million.

The sale is no doubt hoped to break a spell of inertia that has descended on the ultra-prestige housing market in recent months as home owners sit tight on what is often their best,tax-free asset despite bullish interest from trophy home hunters.

Forbes Global Properties’ Ken Jacobs declined to reveal the exact sale figure,confirming only that the house had sold. It was listed in October for more than $50 million,and more recently for $53 million before the buyer was introduced by Georgina Goldsworthy,of One Buyers Agency.

A well-placed industry source said it was sold toBriana andBen Voltz,the Melbourne-based co-founder of e-commerce marketing technology company Rokt.

Magnier,the son of Irish businessmanJohn Magnier,whose global Coolmore horse breeding operation is regularly billed the largest in the world,purchased the property in 2006 for $13.8 million as a matrimonial home with his wifeSophie,and commissioned a redesign by Michael Bell Architects.

At the time,Magnier’s house purchase price was dwarfed by Coolmore’s then-global record purchase of a racehorse,The Green Monkey,for $US16 million. It seems not much has changed in terms of Point Piper values and horse prices. This week’s sale comes after Coolmore set another record when it recently signed off on the$60 million purchase of Golden Slipper-favourite Storm Boy.

Notrella was built in 1904 in the Queen Anne Federation style and was later home toThe Bulletin’s co-ownerJules Archibald,namesake of the prestigious art prize,until he died in 1919.

The non-waterfront house with water views is set on 958 square metres and includes a main,heritage house and self-contained apartment,separate guest quarters,garaging and a swimming pool.

It is the highest house sale this year. TheElizabeth Bay mansion Boomerang – revealed as sold by this masthead last month – transacted in the last weeks of 2023.

Point Piper’s ‘baby grand’

Acclaimed architectRob Mills and his wifeMikala James signed up to join the Point Piper set on Thursday when they bid $8.1 million for the home of businessmanFred Blake.

Six registered bidders were vying for the three-bedroom digs,taking the sale price above a $7.5 million reserve offered by Sotheby’s Michael Pallier on behalf of US-based Blake.

The Wentworth Place house was described as a “baby grand” by Pallier,perhaps in deference to the house at the end of the cul-de-sac Uig Lodge,for which techieScott Farquhar paid $130 million in late 2022.

Mills was coached on the home purchase by local high-end housing oracle and Seven directorBruce McWilliam,who happened to sell Mills his Woollahra property back in 2018.

Expect to see a rebuild of the Wentworth Place property by Mills,whose studio has projects taking shape across the eastern suburbs and Hunters Hill neighbourhoods,including a major rebuild currently underway in Bellevue Hill for Aussie Home Loans chief James Symond and his wifeAmelia.

House of Steel

The Bellevue Hill house of prominent neurosurgeonTimothy Steel and socialiteEmma Steel hit the market on Friday through D’Leanne Lewis,of Laing+Simmons Double Bay,and Jason Boon,of Richardson&Wrench.

Lewis’s appointment to the job should be no surprise given her recent $26.5 million sale of the house next door forKim Seder,wife of SquareKnot founderMike Seder.

The Steels’ marriage fell apart in late 2019 after an altercation at their five-bedroom residence at which Emma accused her then husband of punching and slapping her,allegations for which Steel was later found not guilty.

The Steels had married in 2008 after Emma divorced former champion jockeyShane Dye,and they purchased the Bellevue Hill house in 2010 for $6.53 million.

Meanwhile,the Seders house next door was purchased byGeorgina andDavid Mattick,the boss of the Taphouse Group and son of Salmat co-founderPeter Mattick.

The Matticks were coming from across the road where Lewis has already sold their house for close to $11 million,which is almost three times the $4.2 million they paid for it in 2015.

Return to market

The Woollahra home of Louise Manning,wife of former bitcoin mining boss James Manning,returns to the market with $8 million to $8.5 million guide - similar price hopes as it had three years ago.

Highland Property’s William Manning (no relation) has again been asked to sell the freestanding villa.

The Mannings had commissioned a redesign by James Garvan Architecture withTamsin Johnson interiors following their purchase in 2017 for $3.5 million.

Manning,former chief of digital infrastructure company Mawson Infrastructure Group,listed it in 2021 after the couple purchased a landmark 1960s house up the road for $16 million,but sold that house a year later for $15.5 million to high-profile property developerNabil Gazal jnr and his wifeTahlija.