Sunshine State Draws Lovers Of Luxury

And more major properties are hitting the market as the Whitsundays destination proves popular with interstate buyers who are capitalising on big house price rises in southern capital cities and the strong economy, giving them the means to swoop on ultra-luxe Queensland property.

In one of the biggest deals, the sprawling Mediterranean-inspired resort, Mandalay House, which backs onto the national park at Airlie Beach, was bought by a Sydney-based businessman for more than $14 million.

The buyer is a private company associated with Tony Tartak, the patriarch of the family behind stockmarket darling Bingo Industries.

Mr Tartak acquired a four-truck skip bin company, that became the cornerstone of Bingo, in 2005 for less than $1m. The Tartak family collected about $420m in cash from the float last year.

The home, which was crowned 2015’s most beautiful home on the market by Mansion Global, was marketed at $25m in 2013 before its asking price was reduced to $19m.

Set on a 4200sq m block with a northwesterly aspect, the property features a helipad and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

The estate, which spans almost 2700sq m and features its own marina, was owned by developer Neil Murray, formerly of Sunseeker and Princess yachts fame, and wife Denise.

The sale was handled by Carol Carter, of Queensland Sotheby’s International, and Mark Beale, of Ray White Whitsunday. Both declined to comment.

The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom house took 3½ years to build and construction used artisans and materials from around the world, drawing inspiration from homes in Nice and Monte Carlo.

Designed by architect Andrew Simpson, from Total Project Group, who specialises in Mediterranean-style resort architecture, Mandalay sports rich interiors, reminiscent of the ­baroque period with most of the antiquities originating from Italy.

The horizon swimming pool has a wet edge that runs off continuously into the Coral Sea and it is designed to feel as though it is part of the home.

But it is certainly not the only luxury mansion selling in the area.

In a separate deal, Melbourne businessman Paul Preat is close to selling the neighbouring Mandalay Coral Gardens, replete with its own helipad.

A private company associated with Joe Camilleri, the managing director of Central Cleaning Supplies, lodged a caveat on the title last month.

That deal is rumoured to be being done at more than $12m — a handy uplift for Mr Preat who shelled out $8m for the property in 2011 from Whitsundays developer Bill Sharpe and his wife, Kirsty.

It won the Australian Master Builders Association house of the year award for 2007-08.

It took four years for the Sharpes to complete building on the 4749sq m estate, to designs by ­architect Peter Connelly. The four-bedroom main building has two levels with sliding glass walls, plus huge outdoor terraces and a marina berth. It comes with a 40m infinity edge pool that wraps around three sides of the house.

And there are other properties also on the block.

Buyers are already crawling over the nearby Sunset View House, which commands an elevated position on 3.8ha in the ­exclusive gated Chesapeake ­Estate.

The eight-bedroom, five bathroom home, designed by local architect Chris Beckingham, has an asking price of $4.8m and is being marketed by Ray White’s Adam Webster and Stephanie Bacon.

For those after an income producing asset, the waterfront home of Janet and Ralph Hogan is the one to look at.

Botanica, a wedding venue, boasts 2.2ha of extraordinary gardens and sits right on the water’s edge, with a classic perfect, north-easterly aspect.

Source: The Australian.