Gallerists list eclectic $15.5 million Byron Bay hinterland estate

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Gallery owners Sean Bassett and Victoria Polasek have put their eclectic Possum Creek mansion in the Northern Rivers region of NSW on the market with a guide of $15.5 million.

Bassett and Polasek run Sculptura, a gallery focusing on metal and stainless steel art sourced from Australia and abroad. They sell and buy art pieces, represent artists and have worked with clients including Westfield, Ferrari, BMW and The Langham Hotels and Resorts.

Gallery owners Sean Bassett and Victoria Polasek have put their eclectic Possum Creek mansion on the market.

The pair purchased the 22-acre estate in the Byron Bay hinterland for $1.9 million in 2011 when there was only a four-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage built by a shipwright. There are hardwood floors, al fresco spaces and a stone and cast-iron firepit.

They have since added a striking five-bedroom, five-bathroom residence and breezeway with glass walls and sandstone, a home theatre and a wine cellar. Unique sculptures, including a giant skull in the garden, adorn the property.

Interiors feature onyx marble, hand-carved teak, silk carpets, imported wallpaper, bronze door hardware, antique fittings, resin lighting and Venini Murano chandeliers.

There are walking trails, veggie gardens, a dam, a magnesium pool and a built-in pizza oven.

A striking five-bedroom, five-bathroom residence and breezeway with glass walls and sandstone forms just one part of the estate.

Amir Mian of Amir Prestige Byron Bay said the property has been the couple’s abode where Bassett, who has a rock band, often invites musicians over. They are selling as they travel frequently.

Bellevue Hill downsizers

The former director of luxury car dealership Trivett, Greg Duncan, and his wife, Glenda, have put their Bellevue Hill mansion on the market with a guide of $36.5 million.

Greg and Glenda Duncan are downsizing from Bellevue Hill.

The Duncans are downsizing, having paid $29.5 million in June for a penthouse in Point Piper that was owned by Sue Ingham, widow of the late chicken and thoroughbred racing billionaire Jack Ingham. A caveat showing the Duncans’ purchase was lodged on title.

Sue bought the four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment for $12,245,000 in December 2010 and was the first buyer in the block of six. The unit features gun barrel views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

The Duncans are downsizing, having paid $29.5 million in June for a penthouse in Point Piper, owned by Sue Ingham.

The property was sold by Luke Hogan and Frazer Watson of McGrath Double Bay.

Hogan is also handling the listing for the Duncans’ Bellevue Hill abode alongside Ashley Bierman and Reuben Dunn of Ray White Double Bay.

The Duncans purchased the four-bedroom, four-bathroom property for $1.55 million in 1996, and a renovation of the original residence by Ercole Palazzetti was completed in 2013 by Alec Tzannes.

Renovations include an expanded catering zone with two kitchens and two barbecue areas. There are heated marble floors, Calacatta and stainless steel benchtops, and marble-tiled bathrooms.

Trivett, one of Australia’s largest prestige automotive groups, was acquired by vehicle importer and UK dealer group Inchcape for $116 million, the same year the renovation was completed.

Hogan told this masthead that opportunities to purchase properties of this calibre are increasingly rare.

“The property delivers exceptional space, views and prestige positioning, all within one of Bellevue Hill’s most tightly held pockets. It’s a standout residence that speaks to the best of eastern suburbs living,” he said.

Bellevue Hill has the highest median house price in the nation, now at an eye-watering $10 million on Domain data. That figure has more than tripled since March 2015.

Ex Macquarie Bank boss cashes in

Mark Johnson, the former deputy chairman of Macquarie Bank and a former chairman of AGL Energy, has sold his Bellevue Hill home to pastoralists Robert and Camilla Cropper, settlement documents show.

Mark Johnson, the former deputy chairman of Macquarie Bank, has sold his Bellevue Hill home for $19.25 million.

The Croppers, who are auctioning their four-bedroom Paddington terrace in December and have price expectations of $10.5 million through The Agency co-founder Ben Collier, paid $19.25 million in cash in August for the modern four-bedroom, six-bathroom abode.

Johnson bought the abode for $3.95 million in 2014. Designed by architects PopovBass, the property features curved walls, glass and timber detail, a sleek white kitchen, two offices, a gym, wine cellar, terrace and gardens.

The property was sold by 1st City’s Brad Caldwell-Eyles and Zac Albert.

Lower north shore mansion sells

Banking couple Joanne Spillane and Mark Wilson have sold their Greenwich house for circa $14 million after listing it with a guide of $13 million, local sources have revealed.

Sam Lloyd of McGrath Lane Cove declined to comment on the sale price or buyer’s identity but did say they received an abundance of interest from all over Sydney. The exact figure and purchaser will be revealed at settlement.

Spillane is the executive director and global head of private markets at Macquarie Capital, and Wilson was previously a partner at Archer Capital and a managing director at Goldman Sachs in Sydney, now at Alceon Private Equity.

They snapped up the three-storey property for $6.1 million in 2007 when they moved from Darling Point with their three young children and are now downsizing.