Friday 25th November

The Ultimate Melbourne Seclusion

One of the largest privately owned landholdings in Melbourne’s metropolitan area is for sale for $4 million.

The architecturally designed masterpiece includes every conceivable family luxury, and cleverly integrates all five feng-shui elements into the buildings structure and layout.

Built with entertaining in mind, the residence includes a vast collection of distinctive living areas, a banquet sized 12 person dining room, an alfresco lounge with an outdoor fire place, a floodlit tennis court, a 20 person Salvador Dali inspired hot tub, and three separate pools, including an indoor pool, a lagoon pool, and a dive pool.

“The current owner is a dotcom prodigy…worth a mint, but only spends a couple of days a year in this property,” says Agent Robin Waterbury.

The home, set on just under 300 acres, also includes three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a full size gymnasium, chefs kitchen with a dumb waiter, four-car auto garaging with internal access, workshop, home office, and a cellar.

For further information, find it on Millionplus.

Bedarra Island sells Charlton Hotel Group

The Bedarra Island Resort in Far North Queensland has been sold to the Charlton Hotel Group through CBRE Hotels agents Wayne Bunz and Paul Nyholt.

The family-owned hotel group will undertake repairs and refurbish the resort, which has been closed since February’s Cyclone Yasi.

Just three months after Bedarra was put on the market it’s been sold to the Queensland-based family company with links to former Australian Olympic gold medallist swimmer Andrew "Boy" Charlton. The price has not been disclosed.

Bedarra Island Resort occupies 44.96 hectares of land on the island and prior to the cyclone the resort offered secluded accommodation for just 32 guests in 16 luxury villas, which enjoyed a strong trading history in recent years.

The resort, which was named as Australasia’s Leading Boutique Resort at the World Travel Awards in 2007, is accessible via Mission Beach or direct helicopter flight from Cairns.

Refurbishment works will commence early in the new year, with reservation enquiries being taken from late 2012.

And it’s likely to have fewer villas and a shortened opening season.

Charlton Hotel Group general manager Sam Charlton says a sustainability analysis of Bedarra Island Resort would be undertaken in conjunction with the repairs to assess the population density the island could support, particularly in relation to waste, water and energy requirements.

“We recognise that Bedarra is a unique resort in a unique location,” says Charlton, who is considering swapping the diesel generators for solar power.

“The surrounding reef and rainforest ecosystems are of the utmost importance and we want to ensure these attributes which make the island attractive to today's guests are maintained and enhanced for future generations to enjoy.”

Charlton’s hotels include the Metropolitan Motor Inn, Toowong Villas and Mt Ommaney Hotel Apartments and the Kingsford Smith Motel, all in Brisbane.

Sam Charlton is the grandson of Olympic swimming legend Andrew "Boy" Charlton.

Bedarra Island is renowned for its unspoilt rainforests and palm-fringe beaches. It is the second largest in the “Family Group of Islands” that form part of the Great Barrier Reef.

Acting under instructions from the Swiss-based Pamoja Capital group owners, negotiations are continuing on the sale of the remaining asset in the Hideaway Resorts portfolio, the Dunk Island Resort.

Prior to Cyclone Yasi Dunk was an established and profitable family friendly resort offering accommodation across 160 rooms.

The significant undamaged infrastructure at Dunk Island Resort includes a sealed airstrip that caters for flights from Cairns International Airport, staff quarters, a nine-hole golf course (which could be extended to 18 holes), mains power, a freshwater dam and a sewerage treatment plant.

Both islands attracted significant investor interest when they were put on the market.

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Brooke Mueller sells to Simon Helberg

American actress and ex-wife to Charlie Sheen, Brooke Mueller has sold her Los Angeles home to Simon Helberg of the television series ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

The Spanish-style villa was built in 1927, and has been fully restored. It includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a double height entry foyer with a sweeping staircase, a traditional sunken living room with timber beamed ceiling and open fireplace, gourmet kitchen, landscaped courtyards, and a swimming pool.

The 34 year old beauty co-starred this year in the Paris Hilton reality show ‘The World According to Paris’, however is best known role was as Janet in the 1999 film ‘Witchouse’.

Mueller, who has twin sons Bob and Max with Sheen, listed the house for sale in 2009 for $3.7 million, but no sale price has been published.

Your Ticket to Rye

A resort-inspired home on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula is for sale this month, showcasing all the best of coastal living in a five-star environment.

The timber and limestone residence is set on 2.5 acres in Rye, only moments from stunning beaches, wineries, world-class golf courses, and the cosmopolitan seaside township of Sorrento.

The home includes a vast central living and dining zone, chefs kitchen, three fitted bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a luxuriously appointed master bedroom with private deck, ensuite, and dressing room.

“You no longer need to look in Portsea to find this level of perfection and luxury”, says agent Sally Johnstone.

Outside boasts a spectacular pool and spa area with a showpiece covered alfresco zone with an outdoor kitchen, open fireplace and outdoor television.

To the rear of the property is a huge six-bay storage shed providing ample provision for a car collection or boats. Further luxuries include a poolside gymnasium with kitchenette and bathroom, and a fully-fitted home office.

For further information find it on Millionplus.