Sales aplenty on the Gold Coast - Nicole Perrin and even McIvor achieve post-auction success: Title Tattle

Hopewood House (pictured below), the rural retreat of Fairfax Radio executive chairman Michael Anderson and his wife, Susie, has been listed with revised $6.5 million price expectations. The captivating Dutch colonial mansion set in almost five hectares of gardens remains listed through Drew Lindsay Real Estate in conjunction with Bill Carpenter of W. McI. Carpenter, who’ve secured the prime advertising spot in the latest Highlife for the fresh marketing campaign. They’d initially been seeking $9 million in 2010, so Title Tattle expects the many who viewed the place will now return given the more realistic price hopes.

The Andersons have extensively restored the vast house after paying $4.25 million in 2007 after it had been also ambitiously listed with $7 million plus hopes in 2005. There were extensive restorations of the gardens including the rose garden, rose walk, sunken fernery and the aviary garden. The kitchen and Mediterranean gardens have been re-established, making it one of the Southern Highlands’ most beautiful gardens.

Hopewood was built in 1884 by Ben Osborne and his wife, Lucy (nee Throsby). About 28 years later, it became the country estate of retailer Lebbeus Hordern, son of Samuel and grandson of company founder Anthony. Hordern's executors sold it for £18,000 in 1930 to bread industry pioneer Samuel Sibley, who sold it in 1944 for £37,266. For three decades the house was an orphanage. By 1997 it was in a sad state when it was bought for $1.25 million by the Anstee family.

The latest Highlife marketing advertisement confirms the couple’s desire to move to France for a while with Anderson no doubt travelling back regularly for his corporate commitments while his wife pursues her passion for French antique trading. Readers might recognise the house, which features in a cross country motor vehicle commercial where rather than spend a night camping in a tent the couple actually sleep over at Hopewood.

Kate Aujard from Pulse Pharmacies has listed her imposing Hawthorn residence (pictured above) with tennis court within its 2,800-square-metre grounds. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom English-style house set on Scotch Hill house last traded at $9.1 million in 2007 from head hunter David Dick and wife Sandra, so it will be a good test of Melbourne’s prestige market. Tim Picken and Scott Patterson at Kay and Burton have the responsibility, with offers due by March 6.

The Cronin Island, Gold Coast property owned by Nicole Perrin, wife of former Billabong surfwear entrepreneur Matthew Perrin, has been sold post-auction. It was passed in at $5.9 million at its recent Ray White auction, at well below its onetime $15 million valuation. It’s the three-level Southern Cross Drive house, the subject of a court battle between Perrin and the Commonwealth Bank, which unsuccessfully sought to seize it in a bid to recover a $13.5 million debt owed by Matthew after he filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The contemporary mansion with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms straddles a double block. There’s also a 10-car garage. Listing agent Michael Willems of Ray White Surfers Paradise, confirmed the sale but declined to provide details.

There’s also word from the Gold Coast of another sale on Cronin Island. It’s unconfirmed but seems the abode of the Equititrust founder Mark McIvor (pictured above) has found a buyer five months after being passed in at $4.9 million at Ray White auction. The mobile-phone industry entrepreneur Ron Bakir attended the auction, but no word yet on its buyer. The Gold Coast Bulletin speculates it has sold to parties well known to the McIvor family, but marketing agent Michael Kollosche, of Ray White Broadbeach, declined to comment. Its certainly come down from the website.

Built by mining magnate Sir George Brookman, the historic landmark Gilberton residence Carawatha (pictured above) is been marketed as “arguably South Australia's finest private residence.” Presumably the state governor and bishop have better, but transient piles. The iconic 1880 mansion is 16 rooms set at the end of a sweeping driveway on a 2,990-square-metre block on one of the Adelaide’s finest boulevards, Edwin Terrace. The late Victorian residence was constructed of sandstone with quoins and rendered surrounds to windows and doors. The symmetrical front façade consists of arched paired windows to both floors and incorporates a recessed entrance topped by an upper storey balcony. Cast iron adorns the verandas and balconies on the other facades. After 11 year ownership, its being sold by chartered accountant Andrew Gunn and his wife, Susan, who have $5.5 million-plus hopes for the six-bedroom, five-bathroom Edwin property through Richard Hayward of Bernard H Booth has the listing. It has an amazing 11 ornate fireplaces – eight marble and three timber. The original billiard room connects by a glass walkway to the alfresco garden eatery. The rear garden comes with what was reportedly Adelaide's first residential in-ground pool. Offers close February 23.

Sir George Brookman, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, migrated with his parents  in 1852. He was a successful share broker politician. After gold finds in Western Australia, Brookman pegged claims at Hannan's Find, north-east of Coolgardie, in 1893. When the Coolgardie Gold Mining and Prospecting Co. was voluntarily liquidated in 1898, its capitalisation represented £9,275,750.