QUIRKY: Lifestyles of the rich and infamous

The residents of high-end, high security apartments have a lot in common. They are rich, enjoy the relative privacy of a penthouse or sub-penthouse, love the private lifts to their homes, adore the 24-hour security and concierge services, and like the built-in safety of being hundreds of metres up in the air.

But there’s one aspect of security that won’t appeal to one niche sector of this high-rise, high-end demographic – car rego plate recognition cameras.

That’s because while most of the people who can afford that level of luxury are honest, hard-working business successes – a small number of them are crims who love the security that comes with the luxury, but don’t want anyone to know who’s coming and going.

And it must make for interesting strata committee meetings. Here are this week’s stories from the lighter side of apartment living.

From private lifts to full-time security staff, luxury penthouses are security compounds in the sky
Privacy is a must-have in luxury developments, where high-profile buyers demand high-profile security. Today’s multimillion-dollar apartments come with innovative features such as exclusive lift access, private entrances and number plate recognition systems. Kate Jones

Tiny 16sqm Potts Point studio sells for $315k
The late Bill Abbott’s tiny Potts Point studio, bought for $27k in 1979, has been snapped up by a first-home buyer for a bargain price. Stephen Nicholls – Sydney

Why an apartment is named after a song by 1980s punk rock band The Clash
Why is an apartment in Melbourne’s renowned Republic Tower named after a song by 1980s punk rock band The Clash? Stephen Crafti

It has sat vacant for 1176 days. Now there’s finally interest in Perth’s COVID quarantine camp
Federal police are exploring plans to transform a long-idle WA COVID quarantine village into a major training compound. The $400 million Bullsbrook centre was to help with the nation’s pandemic efforts, but by the time it was complete in September 2022, the state had opened its borders and the building was barely used.

‘Ridiculous’: Neighbours at war over pickleball ban in affluent US seaside town
A feud is raging in a wealthy United States town after the council banned people from playing pickleball. Carmel-by-the-Sea is a coastal city in California popular with retirees, where the median house will set you back $US2.3 million ($3.5 million).

Man buys 32 properties while earning $400k in Dubai
A man who built a multimillion-dollar property empire after moving to Dubai to chase a tax-free wage has revealed the dark side of his six-figure salary and Instagram lifestyle abroad.

Inside Lleyton and Bec Hewitt’s lush musical houses life
Newly inducted tennis hall of famer Lleyton Hewitt has paid tribute to his wife Bec for holding their young family unit together as they ‘travelled the world’ in a life of musical houses.

Secret’s out: Jeff Bezos spends $133m on ‘stopgap’
Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has spent years building his dream compound inside the exclusive Florida enclave of Indian Creek Island — but while he waits for that enormous estate to be completed, he’s making a heavy investment in overhauling his temporary home just a few feet away.

$80m: Chemist Warehouse’s Jack Gance buys Toorak mega-site
Melbourne has notched one of its most expensive residential property sales of all time with a more than $80m sale in Toorak to Jack Gance, one of the founders of Chemist Warehouse.

Westfield heiress Rina Ryba and husband Nathan buy $15m home
Billionaire Westfield heiress Rina Ryba and her husband Nathan Ryba have snapped up a $15.3m Vaucluse mansion just a day after welcoming a bouncing baby boy.

AFL players’ hospitality group takes over Spotswood Hotel
A hospitality group which counts several past and present Western Bulldogs as investors has bought the historic Spotswood Hotel.

Iconic cottage from long-running Aussie TV show set for auction
A commercial cottage used to film some of the most emotional scenes of one of Australia’s most popular television shows, A Country Practice, is heading to auction.

Why the demolition of old buildings is a painful loss for Gold Coast
As the wrecking ball looms over Marina Mirage, the Gold Coast faces fresh questions about how it values the buildings that shaped its identity and its history.

Huge Cemetery Scheme Could Redefine Sydney’s Western Fringe
A plan for one of Australia’s largest new cemeteries in more than 80 years would add 250,000 burial plots across 205ha of rural Western Sydney.

Zac Efron teams up with Joost Bakker to design his Australian dream home
Hollywood star Zac Efron has teamed up with environmental activist and designer Joost Bakker to design his sustainable Australian home.

A look inside the new beachfront mansion of surfing legend Mick Fanning
Fans of surfing champion Mick Fanning have been given a sneak peek into his new beachside mansion.

Monster weed infestation sparks outrage in $7m neighbourhood
Residents of a wealthy London street claim they are struggling to sell their houses as one of their neighbours refuses to address his derelict property.

Channel 7’s Mark Ferguson sells NSW livestock estate for $8.5m
Long-time Channel 7 newsreader Mark Ferguson and his wife Jayne, the media industry veteran, have sold Hazeldean, their Limerick livestock estate in the NSW Southern Tablelands.

Donvale mansion with Paul Bangay garden seeks record price
A grand Donvale estate featuring a sprawling garden which cost at least $2m to create is poised for a record sale.

Inside Smorgon family’s $13m retreat with gallery-view bath
A member of one of Australia’s wealthiest families is selling the sculptural masterpiece he’s used as a holiday getaway with a hefty $12.8m-$13.8m asking price.

Hi-5 OG star Charli’s secret ‘James Bond’ suburban lifestyle
Hi-5 star Charli Robinson is quietly living the ultimate suburban high life with her richlist racing car driver partner Liam Talbot in a home described as the “James Bond house”.

150-year-old mysterious castle ruins offered for sale in the Blue Mountains
One hundred and fifty years after it was founded by the who’s who of Sydney, a unique Blue Mountains property may still serve as a country retreat for those who love the great outdoors.

Donvale mansion with Paul Bangay garden seeks record price
A grand Donvale estate featuring a sprawling garden which cost at least $2m to create is poised for a record sale.

Newly released Parramatta Eels star Zac Lomax snaps up Illawarra property
Newly released Parramatta Eels player Zac Lomax has also been making moves in the property world. The former St George Illawarra Dragons star has reportedly snapped up another home in the Illawarra.

Shark Tank entrepreneur lists Hunter Valley wine country estate for $5.5m
A luxury estate owned by an entrepreneur who featured on the TV show Shark Tank Australia has hit the market in Hunter Valley wine country.

How Jonathon turned an old garage into a dream man cave — and a home
Every time Jonathon Riley had the urge to hunker down in his garage to tinker with one of his beloved motorbikes, he’d have to wheel the others into the back lane to give himself room. And then, whenever a car wanted to inch past, he’d have to go out and wheel them back inside again.

Is this the cheapest holiday house in Australia? Bundalong holiday villa on the market for $57,500
A holiday villa in the Bundalong Holiday Resort, which has two swimming pools and a basketball court, is on the market for $57,500.

Major Australian city lost 100,000 people in one year
Rampant housing costs have been hollowing out Sydney as families flee to cheaper cities — with only high overseas migration intake preventing the Harbour City from shrinking, a new study shows.

How one Australian woman swapped Sydney’s rent crisis for a tax-free Dubai lifestyle
An Aussie woman has revealed what it’s like living in Dubai and why her new lifestyle has made her never want to move back to Sydney. As Australians leave our major cities in search of a more affordable lifestyle, it’s estimated that there are around 20,000 Australians living in the UAE across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to Atlas Wealth Group.

Delta Goodrem impresses at Australia’s most recognised home
Aussie pop darling Delta Goodrem hit the high notes in a $13m Queensland mansion over the weekend. The singer-songwriter and TV personality performed a private show at Dune, a spectacular designer home in Burleigh Heads which is up for grabs in Dream Home Art Union’s latest prize home lottery.

Damage from property developer Chad Hodge’s illegal Little Collins St rooftop pool balloons to more than $220k
A boutique Melbourne property developer’s leaky, illegal rooftop pool at his Little Collins St penthouse led to years of flooding, repairs and courtroom drama.

Former Knights player Mark Hughes lists renovated family home in Merewether
The Merewether home of former Newcastle Knights player Mark Hughes has hit the market.

Eastern suburbs council votes to trade native trees for ocean views
A Sydney council will cut down trees and shrubs — including native banksias and acacias — to “restore” ocean views in one of the city’s wealthiest suburbs.

Historic mansion where Dorothea Mackellar was born for sale in Point Piper
The childhood home of iconic Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar is for sale in one of Sydney’s most expensive suburbs.

Founder of Sydney’s iconic BridgeClimb selling his holiday home for about $9m
Paul Cave, the founder of Sydney’s BridgeClimb and the former chairman of jewellery retailer Lovisa, is set to climb a different ladder — the property ladder — with the listing of his Central Coast home.

It costs $650 a week to sleep in this narrow wooden bunk
A single room with a bed in the kitchen is asking big bucks in an ultra-wealthy pocket of London.

House hunter discovers creepy hidden basement during cabin inspection
A house hunter in the US has recalled their unease at discovering a hidden extra room during home opening. It was last weekend when the prospective buyer, who didn’t identify themselves, ventured to an old cabin in the mountains in North County, San Diego, for a showing.

Howzat! Cricketer Michael Clarke scores $20 million Vaucluse mansion
Former Test cricket captain Michael Clarke has bought again in Sydney’s ritzy Vaucluse, purchasing a six-bedroom mansion with tennis court and pool for about $20 million, local sources have revealed.

Ocean views, marble baths and concierge everything at St Moritz apartment
A long time ago, very near here, you could glide atop a thin metal blade, scoring ridges into the vast, frozen slab beneath you. The St Moritz ice rink was, for a time, almost as famous a St Kilda icon as that wide, toothy grin just around the corner.

How much the houses from The Block cost now
Two of the homes from reality renovation TV show The Block are still for sale almost two weeks after the auction, and buyers now have more clarity about their price hopes.

Thinking of selling up and moving to Bali? These are the downsides
Australians are leaving the country in droves in search of cheaper property in places like Bali, but there are some darker sides that expats are starting to expose.

Oasis cash split leaves Gallagher brothers Noel, Liam worlds apart
Fresh off their blockbuster tour to Australia, rock legends Oasis are set to touchdown in South America for the final leg of a 2025 world tour, but behind the screaming fans and music remains a stark money difference between singer Liam Gallagher and guitarist brother Noel.

Yahoo Serious producer Warwick Ross pays $18.4m in Woollahra
Award-winning film producer Warwick Ross who sold a Bellevue Hill mansion for close to $50m earlier in the year has bought his next glamorous home with movie-star good looks.
Stephen Nicholls – Sydney

NRL fans could live at their team’s home ground
If you have ever been told you spend too much time at your footy team’s home ground, there is now a possibility for you to actually live there. Sports fans could experience their favourite teams playing in their own backyard, should a new bill be passed that would allow for residential developments at sporting precincts in NSW.

Olympic swimmer Mack Horton lists South Melbourne apartment
Olympic gold-medal swimmer Mack Horton and wife Ella have put their South Melbourne apartment on the market with $900,000-$990,000 price hopes.

Jockey power couple Jamie and Ben Melham list Mt Eliza treehouse
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jamie Melham and her horse racing husband Ben are preparing to sell a Mornington Peninsula renovation they’ve been tackling between rides.

$15m+: Iconic Melbourne nightclub Revolver Upstairs goes to auction
The home of iconic Melbourne nightclub Revolver Upstairs where celebrities including actor Hugh Jackman and rapper Snoop Dogg have partied is in negotiations for a $15m-plus sale.
Alesha Capone – Melbourne

Simonds boss Rhett Simonds lists luxury Malvern East resort home
A Malvern East home built by Simonds Group executive chairman Rhett Simonds and his wife, Samantha, has hit the market.

AFL legend Simon Madden’s historic Essendon house fetches $2.75m
Bombers legend Simon Madden and wife Mary are set to farewell their Essendon house of four decades after it fetched $2.75m at auction on Saturday.

Adrian Portelli gives away $15m worth of Block houses at Phillip Island
A year after shelling out more than $15 million on The Block properties at Phillip Island, Adrian Portelli has finally offloaded the houses to five elated winners in a chaotic live lottery.

‘PTSD from bin day’: Why one family swapped the house in the suburbs for unit life
Brisbane couple Anthony and Maree Sorensen have not looked back once since selling their five-bedroom house in the suburbs four years ago. Their teenage daughter, Lucinda, was in secondary school, their son, Sebastian, had just finished primary school, and Mr Sorensen was sick of trying to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’.

Tsunami-safe home hits market
In what may be a first for the NQ real estate market, a rural property has been listed for sale with its tsunami-safe location the main selling point.

Inside Dreamworld’s Plans to Turn a Theme Park into a City
Big Brother may be making a comeback at Dreamworld, but the Gold Coast theme park has far bigger ambitions than reality TV nostalgia. Ardent Leisure, the ASX-listed parent company of Dreamworld, is advancing major plans for a 55.3ha mixed-use “mini-city” that would transform the land surrounding the Coomera theme park into a multi-precinct hub of homes, hotels and entertainment.

‘My sanctuary’: Entertainment legend lists South Coast oceanfront haven
A woman who helped change the face of Australian entertainment and launched thousands of young careers is saying goodbye to her beloved Culburra Beach retreat.

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These are just the quirkier and celebrity-related stories from this week. You can get links to all the latest property stories – houses as well as apartments – for free by registering on the LeftField website.