Cathy Freeman and her husband James Murch, who are separated, are planning a change of tactics for their Brighton mansion listing. Picture: Franziska Krug/Getty Images.
A raft of celebrity homeowners including Olympians, a sports mogul and prominent retail family have pulled back on hopes of selling Melbourne real estate in winter.
Olympic gold medal winner Cathy Freeman and her husband James Murch, who are separated, are among the famous faces resting their multimillion-dollar properties ahead of spring or who have decided to list off-market.
Freeman won a silver medal in the 400m sprint at the 1996 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2000 games.
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Mr Murch spent eight years as an AFL recruiter and now runs Estrella Sports Management.
The couple put their Brighton mansion on the market earlier this year with a $6m-$6.6m range.
The three-storey house features an outdoor pool, barbecue and pizza oven, while the interior has a basement with space to park six cars, a home theatre and wine cellar.
Jellis Craig’s Michael Hingston and Buxton’s Chris Hassall have the listing.
Mr Hingston said the property was being rested with plans to re-list it in the coming months, potentially with a different price guide and sales method, such as an auction.
He said most of the buyer queries had come from families with teenage children including Sydney-based purchasers.
Cathy Freeman with her gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Cathy Freeman and her husband James Murch’s Brighton home features a gas- and solar-heated pool.
The kitchen is fitted with Miele appliances and a marble-topped island bench.
Another Olympian, Kitty Chiller who competed in the modern pentathlon at the 2000 Olympics, listed a Brighton apartment with a $2.5m-$2.7m range in April.
However, online advertisement for her three-bedroom pad has since been taken down.
Chiller served as the Australian deputy chef de mission at the London 2012 Olympic Games and chef de mission at the Rio 2016 games.
In Melbourne’s inner north, developer and sports boss Ross Pelligra put a Moonee Ponds mansion priced at $13m-$14m up for sale in January.
The house showcases ceilings which replicate those at the Sistine Chapel, a gold Calacatta Marble foyer floor and a fountain imported from Scotland.
Kitty Chiller fractured her knee cap in training the day before the Sydney Olympics’ opening ceremony, but went on to compete in the modern pentathlon. Picture: Damian Shaw.
Ms Chiller listed her Brighton ground floor apartment, one of eight residences in a boutique building, for sale in April.
Pelligra Group chair Ross Pelligra with Adelaide Lightning’s Brooke Basham. His company previously owned the team. which is now held by a private ownership group. Picture: Mark Brake.
Mr Pelligra is chairman of prolific developer Pelligra Group which owns several sports teams including soccer club Perth Glory.
WhiteFox’s Paddy Tilli, who is overseeing the marketing campaign alongside colleague Dylan Francis, said the abode was still on the market but the online sales listing had been taken down for now.
However, the property is now for rent at $7500 a week through Ascot Investment Management’s Andy Lusi.
Ross Pelligra’s Moonee Ponds house has a glass-roofed wellness retreat complete with a pool, bathroom, sauna and spa.
There’s also handpainted ceilings like those in the Sistine Chapel.
The Bardas family put a Portsea mansion on the market at the start of 2026.
Also in January, the rich-lister Bardas dynasty looked to offload a Mornington Peninsula mansion for just below $20m.
The family’s late patriarch David Bardas became the head of a fashion empire encompassing both the Sportscraft and Sportsgirl in the 1950s, following his father’s death.
His adult children, who do not own the clothing companies which were sold decades ago, put their parents’ Portsea mansion on the market.
RT Edgar’s Ilze Moran said the house remained for sale but was now listed off-market due to the colder months.
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