Remember the TV ad run during the Australian Open tennis, where a couple buying a house ask tennis legend Pat Rafter how the size of their prospective home compares to a tennis court?

Well, someone in the Mornington area near Melbourne is about to find out for real with an old, much-used clay court on the market with an asking price more than Australia’s median house price.

The court at 3 Caldwell Street, Mornington, Victoria, is on sale with a price range of  $1.35 million to $1.485 million almost $200,000 more than Australia’s median house price of $1.28 million.

According to Cara Jenkin’s article in Domain, the 676-square-metre vacant block –  a rarity in the area – has been owned by the same family for decades and the current owner has been hosting a group of tennis players there every week for years.

But a two-story townhouse would serve up water views, so it’s game set and match for the old court. This is just one of the quirky stories from this week’s Left Field Communications feed.

Free stories

Domain

‘Never seen before’: The hidden attic stunning homeowners
A sealed wall has given way, revealing an unexpected secret. When the new owners of a 1920s house in the US moved in, there was an enormous part of the property they had never seen before. Suki Reid

‘Terrifying’: The centuries-old secret found in an abandoned outhouse
A relic from the 1880’s is turning heads after a “creepy” signature was found buried in its pages. Suki Reid

The builder who bought a cave in a handshake pub deal
Toby Baxter dropped into a pub for a quiet beer. He left with a potential deal for two cottages, five hectares of land and a cave. It was 2023 when the builder struck up a conversation with the owner of the Hurunui Hotel in North Canterbury, on New Zealand’s South Island. Kate Kachor

Tiffany loved this mysterious tree house as a child; when it came up for sale when she was an adult, she bought it
It is many a child’s dream to live high up among the trees, particularly in a special dodecagon-shaped house. Cara Jenkin

The Knightsbridge townhouse loved by London’s elite
The best kind of history is rarely confined to plaques and footnotes. Sometimes, it lives behind a facade, in the rooms where conversations once flowed, music played late into the night, and legends came and went. Jil Hogan

China’s ‘Tina Turner’ hopes to fetch $15. 5m for Point Piper pad
Tian Zhen, China’s queen of soft rock who cites the late Tina Turner as her musical inspiration, has listed her Point Piper apartment with a price guide of $15. 5 million. Kristy Johnson

Billionaire’s mansion price cut so hefty it could buy 90 Aussie homes
A US oceanfront mansion that has struggled to find a buyer for over a year has been dealt a fresh blow. Suki Reid

Why you should think twice before posting that airport selfie
Australians are being warned that while posting about holiday plans on social media might rack up likes, it may also put their home insurance at risk. Suki Reid

The surprising feature that Melburnians are searching for in a home
Yvonne Yuan walked her dog past a Victorian terrace house in Armadale for 10 years, striking up a friendship with the owner. He suggested she should buy it – “the cheapest one in the street”. Wes Mountain

Leading the charge: What are the options for electric vehicle owners?
Australians have warmed to the promise of a future populated by clean, green electric vehicles – but for many, the logistics of charging them at home remain a sticking point. Dan Stapleton

Rare Hall village auction: Luxury Canadian-chalet estate with private soccer pitch
Just when you thought you’d seen it all, along comes a home with its own private soccer pitch. While that’s sure to kick goals with fans of Grand Designs, the pitch is merely the opening whistle for the sophisticated game being played at this luxurious residence. Ray Sparvell

ABC Online
Australia has been waiting more than 40 years for a high-speed train
The then head of the CSIRO floated the idea of high-speed rail for Australia in the 1980s. A series of state and federal governments have since investigated, then shelved, the idea. Bruce MacKenzie

Marshall Islands launches first universal basic income scheme to stop outward migration
Iohaan Anjolok remembers when a bowl of ramen and a bottle of water together cost just $US1. 50 in the Marshall Islands. “Now the boiled egg alone is a dollar apiece,” he said. Kyle Evans

After 20 years as the only town listed on the NSW State Heritage Registry, Braidwood is at a turning point
Many drivers pull into the main street of Braidwood for a “pie and a piss” without realising they are walking in the footsteps of bushrangers, movie stars, artists and migrants. James Tugwell

Realestate. com. au

Landlord’s rigid rules in $2400-a-month apartment include limist on visits
The landlord of a $2400-a-month apartment has sparked debate online after a list of rules issued to tenants was posted to social media. David Campbell

Why homeowners are deliberately torching their lawns for the perfect turf
For many lawn obsessives, the perfect turf isn’t just mowed – it’s torched. Across parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states, diehard Bermuda grass fans deliberately set fire to their lawns once a year in a carefully controlled burn designed to strip back winter thatch and supercharge spring growth. Lydia Kellner

Real time and cost of moving house in Australia revealed
New research from Airtasker has found that Aussies can expect to spend around 720 hours, or 30 days, of their life moving house. Kaylee Cranley

Surprising way Johnny Depp helped Eric Dane during ALS battle
Johnny Depp quietly stepped up for a friend in need before his devastating death. The Pirates of the Caribbean star opened the doors of one of his Los Angeles homes to ailing pal Eric Dane — with a pay-what-you-can arrangement following the Grey’s Anatomy star’s diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Belinda Palmada

St Kilda: $12. 5m home with Shane Warne-inspired feature
A luxury St Kilda apartment featuring a games room inspired by cricket legend Shane Warne is for sale with a $12. 5m price tag. Alesha Capone – Melbourne

How elite public school zones are driving a property price boom for parents
The line that matters most to many parents isn’t on a report card – it’s the one on a map. As the average cost of 13 years in the private system for a child starting school in 2026 hits$369,594 nationally, families are switching strategy: buy into a highperforming public school catchment and pay more for the address, not the fees. Lydia Kellner

Jamie Durie gives exclusive video tour of $29m eco-home
Celebrity landscaper Jamie Durie has given an exclusive tour of his palatial northern beaches estate up for sale, described as “Australia’s healthiest home”, revealing he keeps “dinosaur food”, once had singer Billie Eillish asking to stay and how $30m is a “very good price”. Kaylee Cranley – Sydney

Cockatoo mansion: Couple solve mystery of hidden past
The mysterious origins of a formerly-abandoned mansion in Melbourne’s southeast have been uncovered by its new owners who even flew interstate for their detective work. Alesha Capone – Melbourne

Kyle Sandilands ‘Sydney Castle’ for sale
The King is parting with his castle. Kyle Sandilands has put his weekender mansion on Sydney’s outskirts up for sale. James MacSmith – Sydney

Celebrated florist Cherrie Miriklis selling $3. 6m Melbourne house
One of Australia’s most famous florists, Cherrie Miriklis, is selling her creative Kew house with $3. 3m-$3. 6m price hopes. Alesha Capone – Melbourne

Family of cricketer Ian Redpath selling beloved home of 50 years
The long-time home of late Australian cricketer Ian Redpath has hit the market in Waurn Ponds. Nicole Mayne – Geelong

Selling Houses star Andrew Winter tackles fixer-upper to prove budget renos work
Real estate guru Andrew Winter and landscaper Dennis Scott have bought a fixer-upper on the outskirts of Brisbane in a bid to prove renovating on a budget is possible. Elizabeth Tilley – Brisbane

AFL stars, expats and locals battle for our finest homes
The top end of Tasmania’s property market is awash with options for buyers with cash ready to splash. They could choose a modern marvel right by the water in Sandy Bay. Jarrad Bevan – Tasmania

View. com. au
Inside the $5. 9 million mansion radio king Kyle Sandilands is set to sell
Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands is set to part ways with his sprawling mansion on Sydney’s north-western outskirts. Jade Lazarevic

Pro surfer Tyler Wright quickly sells South Coast beach shack
World champion professional surfer Tyler Wright has sold her home in a sought-after South Coast spot. Brendan Crabb

Bridgerton in the mountains: regional estate inspired by hit series location is up for grabs
An elegant estate with grand gardens inspired by a location on the hit series Bridgerton has come onto the market. Jen Melocco

Inside the $2m Caulfield North home where Molly Meldrum and rock royalty have their hats made
When Leanne Ayache and her husband, Tibor Gyapjas bought their double-fronted 1920s home on Lucan Street, Caulifield North in 2011, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for the auction crowd. Emily Rayner

Pay-walled
The Australian Financial Review
How ChatGPT and social media are dumbing down property investing
AI and social media influencers are making property searches faster and more personal – but they miss the messy, objective data needed for a sound investment. Jarrod McCabe

Labor’s $93b high-speed rail hobby horse has no price tag
Taxpayers deserve frankness about whether they may ultimately be forced to pay for an economically unsound project for decades to come. The AFR View

‘I cold-called Ivanka’: How Queensland developer struck Trump deal
As he tells it, David Young was a brash young pub operator in 2007 who had big ambitions and was on the hunt for a partner to land a signature land development in Queensland. Donald Trump came to mind. Brittney Levinson

How AI and robotics are changing your hotel stay
Travellers and hotel patrons may have some time to wait before they are greeted by friendly robots at reception, but artificial intelligence and robotics are nevertheless making rapid inroads into the world of hospitality, from booking systems integrated into ChatGPT to reporting food waste in restaurant kitchens. Sarah Petty

Australia risks losing share of $850b AI windfall to slow approvals
Faster data centre approvals, tax breaks and visa concessions are urgently needed for Australia to compete in the race for a slice of $850 billion in artificial intelligence investment, a Liberal-aligned think tank argues. The Menzies Research Centre says the Albanese government’s national AI strategy, released in December, is “slow and reactive” and offers “little direction for industry or investors”. Tess Bennett

Inside NSW, Victoria’s race for data centres
Senior ministers in Victoria and NSW – including Premier Chris Minns – have held dozens of meetings in the past year with data centre companies as competition intensifies between the two most populous states for the biggest share of the multibillion-dollar building boom they are driving. Paul Karp, Sumeyya Ilanbey and Ronald Mizen

It’s golf v the rest in tussle for prime lower north shore land
For hockey player Sophia Saucedo, the use of Cammeray Park on Sydney’s lower north shore would make a world of difference getting to and from games and training. “We live in Seaforth and we train at Pennant Hills then we have matches at Sydney Olympic Park,” Sophia’s mum Linda says, before her daughter adds Ryde and Moorebank, the latter of which is 27 kilometres south-west of the CBD. Paul Karp

Pay-Walled

Australian Financial Review

One of Australia’s priciest homes prepares for $38. 5 million upgrade
Melbourne healthcare mogul Dennis Bastas and his wife Gina, the buyers of what could be Australia’s most expensive house, are planning a $38. 5 million renovation even before settling on the Toorak mansion they bought from billionaire Paul Little and wife Jane Hansen. Sarah Petty

The new generation of wealthy philanthropists
Monika Tu is best known for selling luxury homes in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs. But the founder of Black Diamondz Property Concierge says the real estate game has always been the glamorous means to a loftier end. “Real estate is just a vehicle to get to know the people and understand the people, but my ultimate goal is philanthropy,” Tu tells AFR Weekend. Bonnie Campbell

Kennards Hire scion eyes north shore record with $30m listing
Former Kennards Hire CEO Angus Kennard and his wife Angela have listed their luxury Cremorne home for about $30 million, in an early test of lower north shore Sydney’s trophy market following a run of record-setting deals in the closing months of 2025. Bonnie Campbell

The Australian
Did we do community spirit better back then – or have we just forgotten how to find it?
It’s the glue that holds communities together, that builds social cohesion, that makes a place homely, safe, even cheery. I’m talking about community spirit. Bernard Salt

The Sydney Morning Herald
The radical alternative to Sydney’s $150m civic square plan
Woolworths and six other buildings opposite Sydney’s Town Hall would be saved from demolition with a public plaza carved from existing structures as part of a radical “what if” proposal to stir debate around Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s $150 million new public square. Julie Power and Megan Gorrey

‘Lives at risk’: former emergency service leaders blast government over development ‘lunacy’ in Sydney’s west
Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins has blasted the state government’s record on natural disaster protections, saying the decision to develop in the flood-prone Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is “lunacy” and putting housing approvals ahead of people’s lives. Max Maddison

Scientists mapped Sydney’s radiation. One busy suburb stands out
It wasn’t long after Dr Laura Manenti landed in Sydney that she realised her new home was rather radioactive. The Milan-born experimental particle physicist had been working in Abu Dhabi before she was recruited by the University of Sydney. Angus Dalton

A Sydney school, a paddock, and a $123 million question
A $123 million proposal to build a new school on a rural paddock in Sydney’s south-west has ignited a heated dispute between planners, residents and councillors, exposing deeper tensions over how growth is being managed on the city’s outer fringe. David Barwell

The Age
Billionaire plans $38. 5m renovation of $100m-plus Melbourne mansion
Pharmaceutical billionaire Dennis Bastas has proposed a $38. 5 million renovation of Melbourne’s most expensive house, which sold last year in a $100 million-plus deal. Elizabeth Redman

‘They’re gaslighting us’: More disability homes close as state funding ends
More than 80 group homes for disabled residents have been closed and carers have started industrial action as a state funding crisis in the sector worsens. The homes have been closed by the five private providers appointed to operate Victoria’s supported disability accommodation, which are struggling for survival after state government subsidies ended on December 31. Grant McArthur and Kieran Rooney

North East Link quietly scraps promised wildlife crossing, leaving kangaroos stranded
The North East Link project has quietly reneged on a promise to build a wildlife crossing under a busy road in Rosanna, outraging residents already distressed by the $26 billion toll road’s ecological impact. Patrick Hatch

The Herald Sun
Victoria’s $10. 2bn road built for a driverless future
The revolutionary smart technology in Melbourne’s new motorways has been designed to enable future driverless cars can detect and respond to hazards and traffic snarls. This is how it works. Matt Johnston and Grace Frost

Victorian homes to be 3D printed in just 24 hours within a decade
New homes will increasingly be built by robot arms with a 3D printer hooked up to a high-grade concrete supply as the humble tradie gets tech savvy. Nathan Mawby

The Adelaide Advertiser
Religious group plans 800-person hall and charity food farm in Adelaide’s north
Adelaide’s north faces an unusual development proposal merging ancient Indian religious practices with modern charitable food production on the same 2ha site. Darren Chaitman

The West Australian
Scorchers star Cooper Connolly buys million dollar beachside mansion in North Beach at just 22 years old
At just 22-years-old — an age when most are navigating share houses and rental inspections — Perth Scorchers young gun Cooper Connolly has secured a slice of Perth’s coastline. Caitlin Vinci

Parents invests in multi-generational house knowing their Gen Z kids won’t be able to afford to move out
Living under the same roof as your parents into adulthood has never been the goal for most, but it could hold the key for young people keen to live out their youth without the financial stress of keeping a roof over their head. Brooke Rolfe
West Australian
Seven Hills home of Lachie and Jules Neale sells for $3. 2m at auction in Brisbane
The luxury home of Jules Neale and her estranged husband, two-time Lions premiership star Lachie Neale, has sold for $3. 2 million at auction in Brisbane. PerthNow

House That! AFL star Tom Barrass’ multimillion-dollar Western Suburbs ‘resort-style’ house still up for grabs
The multimillion-dollar Peppermint Grove house being offloaded by Eagles premiership star turned Hawthorn premier defender Tom Barrass is still up for grabs. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom 1970s “resort-style” home hit the market last week, with groups touring the 1009sq m pad in multiple viewings while Barrass was in town for the Origin game between WA and Victoria at Optus Stadium. Brooke Rolfe