Australia’s real estate market is not only a playground for the affluent but also a haven for celebrities seeking privacy, luxury, and breathtaking views.
From the sun-drenched beaches of Byron Bay to the bustling streets of Sydney, these high-profile individuals have invested in some of the country’s most extravagant properties.
In this exclusive roundup, we delve into the opulent homes of Australia’s most celebrated personalities, exploring the lavish amenities and stunning locales that define their residences.
JAMES PACKER
Leading the list is James Packer’s two-level pad in the Sydney Crown Resorts.
At the time of sale, the property smashed the Sydney apartment record of $26m, set in 2016 with the sale of Sydney’s Opera Residences penthouse.
Now said to be worth $100m, the luxury ‘Sky Home’ boasts stunning views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Packer renovated the apartment, installing an elevator and removing stairs, with other features including Scandinavian bleached birch wood, ripple textured bronze glass and silver-veined stone slabs from Greece.
When he purchased the home, Packer planned that his ex-wife Erica would decorate.
The couple previously shared a home in Sydney’s east, La Mer, which they sold for $70m in 2015.
The former media mogul splurged $60m on a two-level pad in the Sydney Crown Resorts.
The view looking down.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH
Chris Hemsworth’s Byron Bay mansion epitomises luxury with its state-of-the-art facilities and panoramic ocean views.
Hemsworth and wife-actor Elsa Pataky is nicknamed “Fortress Hemsworth” by locals and comes with an estimated worth of around $50 million.
The couple purchased the 4.2 ha estate in 2014 and spent years building the home, which features six bedrooms, a media room, a gym, a spa, and a massive 50-meter infinity pool.
The home is known for its privacy and seclusion, offering fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean.
Spaniard Pataky, who has largely called Australia home for over a decade, has shared a series of snaps of the home on social media, including a state-of-the-art kitchen with mum cooking with the kids.
The heart of the home which features plenty of white, beige and grey tones with wooden accents and includes a large dining space that extends seamlessly onto the outdoor terrace.
The pool areas looks to be one of the family’s favourite areas of the home and Pataky has posted a pic of herself there too.
Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky.
Chris Hemsworth’s sprawling Byron Bay mansion.
Elsa Pataky shared this picture of the couple’s pool with a view on Instagram.
RUSSELL CROWE
He presided over the Roman army in Gladiator but in real life, Russell Crowe has built a property empire so vast it could make him one of NSW’s biggest private land owners.
Real estate documents reveal that since snapping up his first batch of land in the picturesque North Coast hamlet of Nana Glen back in 1999, Crowe has purchased at least a further nine surrounding lots that span hundreds of hectares across the region.
While a precise value for just his original Nana Glen property isn’t readily available, some reports suggesting estate could be worth over $40 million.
The estate is a large, rural property and features a chapel where Crowe married Danielle Spencer in 2003. It has also been used for other events, including memorial services.
The property suffered significant damage during the 2019 NSW bushfires, but Crowe has been actively involved in the restoration and recovery.
Russell Crowe showed rapper, RZA around Nana Glen. Picture: Russell Crowe’s Twitter
An aerial view of Nana Glen following the bushfires.
A view of the private chapel.
NICOLE KIDMAN AND KEITH URBAN
Over the past decade Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have spent over $25 million on property. The power couple, who are worth an estimated $282 million, have been married since 2006 and in that time have acquired an extensive property portfolio.
Despite being based in the United States country music capital Nashville, the couple now claim half a dozen apartments in Harbourside Milsons Point, NSW, taking her tally in the one building to more than $27.5 million.
Meanwhile, the couple’s country Bunya Hill estate – located an hour and a half from Sydney in the Southern Highlands’ sleepy hollow of Sutton Forest – cost the pair $6.5 million in 2008.
In addition to plenty of bovines (and alpacas), the property has a 1878 Georgian mansion on site with traditional wide sandstone verandas, pressed metal ceilings, a grand carved cedar staircase and 10 original marble fireplaces.
There is also a stand alone guest cottage on site.
Shortly after acquiring the sprawling estate, Kidman and Urban put in an 18m swimming pool, new gym, full sized tennis court and 250m grass mounds around the perimeter to block out the pesky paparazzi.
With views of green rolling hills, manicured lawns and gardens it’s not hard to see why the grand mansion made the NSW top homes of 2023 list.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban host NYE drinks at their Sydney Harbourside apartment in 2021, with guests including Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton. Credit: Media Mode
The couple’s Bunya Hill estate in NSW.
CATE BLANCHETT
It may come as no surprise to fans of Cate Blanchett’s fierce red carpet fashion that her real estate portfolio is just as stylish.
As much was revealed following the sale of her Hunters Hill Mansion in 2017, a heritage-listed property that combines classic architecture with modern amenities.
The Sydney estate – built in 1877 – sold for just below $20m and included a self-contained apartment separate from the main house, a riverfront tennis court and a designer swimming pool.
Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton purchased the 3642sq m estate for $10 million in 2015 from banker Jim Dominguez.
They then spent millions upgrading the home through a three-year extension project.
The 2015 exchange happened after the estate had been on the market for just three weeks and smashed Hunters Hill’s then price record of just under $13 million.
Cate Blanchett attends the closing ceremony red carpet at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Stephane Cardinale
The Hunters Hill home.
The stunning pool area with views across the city.
KYLIE MINOGUE
Kylie Minogue has made several property purchases and sales in Australia – but her most recent is a luxury home in Melbourne’s east, which she purchased for $8 million in February 2022.
The home is just a short drive from the city and includes an alfresco dining area with outdoor kitchen and fireplace.
It also has an eight-car garage, wine cellar, vegetable garden and three bathrooms.
The property was last sold in 2003 for $1.5 million and will ensure Minogue is close to her parents in Canterbury and her sister Dannii, who lives in Hawthorn East.
Minogue has built an impressive property portfolio across Australia and the UK.
In February 2021, she sold the Melbourne home she’s owned for more than 30 years in an eye-watering seven-figure deal.
Her Armadale cottage, southeast of the CBD, was purchased for $1.7 million.
It’s a home she acquired in 1990 when she was 22 for just $185,000 after finishing up on Neighbours and launching her singing career.
Kylie Minogue celebrates her 57th birthday and the fifth anniversary of her wine brand at private members club in London. Picture: Instagram
Kylie Minogue’s Melbourne home is an entertainer’s dream.
ZAC EFRON
The ‘High School Musical’ star has fallen in love with Australia after snapping up an acreage here and even filming an entire season of his travel documentary “Down To Earth” about the country.
The 37-year old purchased a 128ha property in the Glenferrie area of the Tweed Valley — an hour’s drive from Byron Bay and about 30 minutes from the Gold Coast — for $2m in December 2020.
Efron’s application for “the most sustainable home in the world” on the block was approved by Tweed Shire in November.
The proposal for the zero-waste, off-grid home at Tomewin comes with a $2.685m cost to build, overseen by Melbourne-based environmental activist Joost Bakke.
The application, lodged in August last year, refers to the dwelling as Future cave — a six-bedroom, two-storey house in a series of pods made of Hemp board panels, designed by architect Frank Burridge.
Zac Efron is building his own Aussie dream in the Glenferrie area of the Tweed Valley. Source: Instagram.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE
The Harry Potter star purchased a Toorak apartment in the mid-2000s when he was in Australia filming.
Property records reveal it was bought new in 2004 for $1.9 million by Radcliffe’s mother Marcia Gresham, and then transferred into her son’s name just before his 18th birthday in 2007.
The actor listed the home for sale in 2015, when it had price expectations of about $2.5 million.
Despite receiving three offers, he decided not to sell because he was expecting to spend more time in Australia for work.
In 2021, the actor transferred the property into the name of a corporate entity directed by his parents Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe.
The family has since sold the residence for a price in the low $2 million range.
The north-facing home offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two car spaces, a large open-plan living area, a balcony and views of the Yarra River.
Even Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe knows Australia’s property market is magical.
TERESA PALMER AND MARK WEBBER
Hollywood power couple Teresa Palmer and Mark Webber have most recently been linked to an Adelaide Hills “sanctuary” which had been owned by the Palmers for well over 30 years.
Situated on 4ha of land, the three-bedroom home features an infinity edge pool and spa, a playground, “enchanting” pockets of native bushland, a dam and code-gated entry with high secure fencing.
The home itself is modern, with large windows framing sweeping views and open spaces that flow seamlessly to the outdoors.An enormous living space offers plenty of room to entertain, while a central kitchen and dining area connect to a study and two bedrooms.
The sprawling estate at Scott Creek, located just 20 minutes from Adelaide, sold earlier this year for $1.7m, with the sale prompted by the couple’s interstate move to Byron Bay for Webber to work on a television series.
Webber has acted in films like Snow Day, The Laramie Project and Scott Pilgrim. vs. the World, while Palmer has starred in movies like Hacksaw Ridge, Lights Out and The Fall Guy.
“Every so often, a place becomes more than just a home” Palmer said on Instagram.
“It becomes a keeper of stories, a witness to generations of laughter, love and life.
“That’s what this sanctuary in Scott Creek, Adelaide Hills has been for us, a place where memories are not just made, but woven into the fabric of the land itself.”
Teresa Palmer and Mark Webber attend the 2024 AACTA Awards. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty
The couple sold their Hills hideaway for $1.7m.
DAVID BOWIE
The late music superstar had a long love affair with the Harbour City and cemented it with the purchase of a luxury unit in exclusive Elizabeth Bay in Sydney’s east.
Bowie regularly visited the harbourside pad over the years to bask in its glorious harbour views from almost every room, the multiple balconies and sunny resort-style living.
The home, walking distance to the old Kings Cross, was sold in 2023 for $8.8m.
“This home exemplifies a cosmopolitan Sydney lifestyle at its finest,” the listing for the home read.
“Admire harbour views from every room. Immaculate, expansive interiors open to the broad, wraparound, glass sheathed balcony to bask in this exquisite panorama.
ELTON JOHN
The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer seems to want to buy a home in Australia but just hasn’t found the right one yet.
Elton John was linked to a luxury $50m pad on Sydney’s Lower North Shore early last year.
The condo style home at Kurraba Residences on Kurraba Point boasts some of the most jawdropping views of Sydney Harbour and The Bridge.
However the Rocket Man’s publicist later shot down speculation about the big purchase.
John was also linked with the purchase of a $100m+ Sydney Harbour home he named “Bang and Olufsen House”, because he thought it looked like a speaker set.
Set on a super private lot, Bang and Olufson house sits at the end of Wolseley Crescent, a quiet cul-de-sac off Wolseley Rd on Sydney’s Point Piper – the most expensive real estate in the country.
It is highly recognisable by its iconic tinted floor-to-ceiling windows and flat roof.
The three-storey home was built over a three-year period in the 1980s.
Elton John was so enamoured by the home he was interested in buying it.
The singer/songwriter walked through the home and apparently even launched an $11m offer for the property before withdrawing it, after deciding he didn’t want to own real estate in Sydney.
Elton John performs his first Sydney Show at Allianz Stadium on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Picture: John Appleyard
FLEA
Red Hot Chili Peppers star Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary is a big fan of the laid back surfing lifestyle on the NSW South Coast.
The guitarist was born in Australia and lived here during his childhood before moving to California as a teenager.
Flea owned a five-bed, two storey home at Moruya, that included a home studio the RHCP used to record some of their most famous music. Flea and Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis were often spotted in the line up catching waves during the Australian summer.
Flea owned the multimillion-dollar home for three decades, before selling it in 2023 for $2.475m.
“Flea has written a lot of music at the property and has had band members, jamming in what was the music room downstairs,” local agent James Hamilton from LJ Hooker Moruya, who held the listing, said.
It has a contemporary Californian design that sprawls out towards the ocean with amazing views and really compliments the natural environment.”
The custom-designed home opened to a magnificent entry with a bespoke spiral copper and steel staircase connecting two double-storey wings.
It also featured an open fireplace with stone detailing and a master retreat with a luxe ensuite with a mosaic-tiled plunge bath.
It also came with a multipurpose sports court.
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary’s former home at Moruya on the far South Coast of NSW.
The home’s spiral staircase.
ANDY LEE
TV and radio host Andy Lee, one half of Hamish and Andy, caused a stir when he dropped a whopping $8.5 million on a derelict Hawthorn mansion.
Strangely, his offer was well above the asking price range of $7 million to $7.7 million, so clearly he has big plans.
The Italianate manor, built circa 1876, sits in a prime location on almost 2000 square metres of riverfront land. It had sat empty for almost three decades.
The home had no kitchen, no bathroom, no power, and no plumbing but four years on, renovations are well underway and set to become an extravagant modern home for the comedian.
LLEYTON AND BEC HEWITT
Tennis star and commentator Lleyton Hewitt and his TV-star wife Bec sold their Toorak mansion in November 2021 for between $15 million and $16 million.
The luxury five-bedroom, seven-bathroom residence comprised European design, a home theatre, wine cellar and indoor gym as well as a gourmet kitchen and butler’s pantry.
Lleyton Hewitt’s former Toorak mansion.
English (US) · 