Birkenstock heir emerges as $83.5m cash buyer of Sydney’s top sale of 2025

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Billionaire Alex Birkenstock, heir of German cult sandal brand Birkenstock, and his wife Vanessa have emerged as the cash buyers of Sydney’s top trophy home sale of 2025, an $83.5 million waterfront estate in Rose Bay.

The couple purchased the five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion from Lawrence Myers, chief executive of James Packer’s family office Consolidated Press Holdings, and his wife Sylvia. There is no mention of a mortgage on the title, indicating a cash purchase.

Billionaire Alex Birkenstock, heir of German cult sandal brand Birkenstock, and his wife Vanessa have emerged as the cash buyers of Sydney’s top trophy home sale of 2025, an $83.5 million waterfront estate in Rose Bay.Credit:

Listing agents Steven Chen of The Agency and Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger declined to comment on any aspect of the sale or buyer’s identity when contacted by this masthead, but title records on Friday revealed Birkenstock as the buyer, and transfer documents on Saturday revealed the exact price to be $83.5 million.

The couple purchased the five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion from Lawrence Myers, chief executive of James Packer’s family office Consolidated Press Holdings, and his wife Sylvia.

Buyers’ agent Simon Cohen of Cohen Handler is thought to have represented the buyer, and also declined to comment.

Alex Birkenstock has a reported net wealth of $1.9 billion, according to Forbes.

The 1039-square-metre parcel of verdant land is almost unmatched. Designed by David Walker and Peter Janks, it has no immediate neighbours on either side and frames Sydney’s iconic sights picture-perfectly.

The home has been maintained meticulously, albeit not substantially updated since it was built in 2013.

Australian retail entrepreneur and billionaire Brett Blundy and his wife Vanessa sold it to the Myers, who moved over from Dover Heights for circa $50 million, local sources report, in a deal that remains under wraps between the two parties. Blundy purchased the designer residence for $33 million when it was newly built in 2013 from technology investor Neill Miller and his wife Katherine.

The Crown Residences penthouse sold for circa $80 million in June last year.

The Millers consolidated the property after buying the original block for $7.75 million, then the adjoining block for $3 million in 2005, when they commissioned the acclaimed architects to design the home.

It marked a standout 2025 in property for the Myers family, who are also widely tipped to have bought the Crown Residences penthouse for about $80 million.

The penthouse is reported to have sold through Chen and Luke Hayes of Colliers, who both declined to comment.

Lawyer bigwig lists home

Joseph Catanzariti, a former vice president of the Fair Work Commission and veteran legal adviser, has put his Rose Bay mansion on the market with a price guide of $16 million, local sources say.

The Fair Work Commission is an independent body that sets the national minimum wage and reviews it each year, makes awards, approves enterprise agreements and helps resolve workplace issues. As of July 2025, the national minimum wage is $24.95 per hour, or $948 per week for a 38-hour week.

Nic Krasnostein and Elliott Placks of Ray White Double Bay are accepting expressions of interest but declined to comment on any aspect of the listing or buyer’s identity.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom, two-storey house was purchased by Catanzariti for $3.1 million in 2004 from Fortunee Aghion, records show, and offers 180-degree views across the Sydney Harbour skyline.

There are multiple entertainment zones, including a poolside cabana and neutral interiors.

Catanzariti was a vice president of the Fair Work Commission from 2013 to 2024, according to his business website, and has more than 40 years of experience as an adviser to private companies and government departments.

He is the chair of the College of Law and in 2016 was made a member of the Order of Australia.

Epic Byron Bay retreat for sale

A showstopping property in Byron Bay has been offered to the market with a price guide of a cool $40 million, local sources have revealed.

The Byron Bay property offers spectacular views and comes with a price guide of $40 million.

The estate consists of two residences, offered as one, with a total of six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Both are four storeys and offer views over Wategos Beach and the Byron hinterland, and come with a glass-bottomed pool and rainforest courtyards.

Emergency room doctor George Bilios and entrepreneur Chris Bissiotis purchased a brick fixer-upper on the site for $3.35 million in 2018 from Donald Maughan and Robert Woolcott, and set out to create a healing property after they both suffered heart attacks, as previously reported by this masthead.

Emergency room doctor George Bilios and entrepreneur Chris Bissiotis purchased a brick fixer-upper on the site for $3.35 million in 2018, and set out to create a healing property after they both suffered heart attacks.

The friends enlisted architect Shaun Lockyer to design a property that would connect with the ocean and rainforest.

Interiors feature local timber and Italian stone and have lift access from the garage to the rooftop pool deck.

The property is a popular rental, available as one residence for a minimum of two nights from $8168 or a minimum of two nights from $5471 for one of the two residences.

Will Phillips and Denzil Lloyd of Sotheby’s International Realty Byron Bay are accepting expressions of interest but declined to comment on any aspect of the listing.

Should the speculated $40 million guide be achieved, it would break the record for a house in the Byron Bay region. A seven-bedroom, four-bathroom abode sold for $36 million in July 2025 to software entrepreneur Karen Cariss, records show. Cariss bought the property from Russell Staley, the former chairman of Benthic Geotech, and his wife Jennifer.