It may seem wrong to stargaze when so many people are doing it tough, but for some of us, peering into the lives of the rich and famous is soothing in a perverse kind of way. Thanks to social media, we know so much more now about their lives and we understand that many of the palatial properties that accompany wealth and success often come with a cost.

“Home is not a place…it’s a feeling”

But "Home is not a place...it's a feeling," and though no one needs to live next door to Malcolm Turnbull in Point Piper or have twelve bathrooms to make them happy, who wouldn't splash out on an infinity pool, tennis court, or 18ct gold tapware if money wasn't an issue? Of course, "home" means something different to everyone because it is not really tangible. For some of us, home encapsulates the comfort of sleeping in our own bed, for others, it is the pitter-patter of our pets’ feet, and for others, it is the memories created in each room. 

A sense of belonging is crucial to our happiness

Research has shown that a sense of belonging and social connection is crucial to our health and happiness, and though, clearly, we’re not advocating a pity party for celebrities, travelling constantly must take its toll and make it harder for them to put down permanent roots or feel a sense of belonging. 

Many of our successful Aussie actors, for example, spend most of their time in the US but keep their hand in the Australian property market, for investment reasons or as emotional boltholes for their trips back home. Hugh Jackman lives between New York and Bondi, Kylie Minogue hops between London and Melbourne, and Nicole Kidman and her hubby Keith Urban, commute between their US properties in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, and their farmhouse in the Southern Highlands.

Although money doesn't maketh a home, it helps.

If you’ve got the cash to splash, why not?

Here at Listing Loop, we love looking at homes of the rich and famous because so many celebrities buy and sell off-market for reasons of privacy and speed. But even we were surprised to discover in our research for our recent post about Australian celebrities and the interior design trends they are following the whopping $72,000,000 James Packer paid for his Barangaroo apartment. The mind-mindblowing sum is a drop in the ocean for billionaire investors like him, yet he’s far from the only celebrity for whom the Aussie property market has made a large dent in their bank balance. Below are some others who own or have owned some of the most expensive homes in Australia:

1. CEO of the Merivale Group, Justin Hemmes, is the owner of “The Hermitage”, a harbour-front, gothic-style mansion in Vaucluse that is said to be worth around $100,000,000. His parents bought the property and raised him there so it holds a special place in Justin’s heart and the love and attention to detail he put into recent renovations prove he plans to stay there.
2. Marrying a property developer proved a good move for model Jennifer Hawkins who loves flipping property on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with hubby Jake Wall. It’s no secret that the locals aren’t big fans of Jen’s projects, so it remains to be seen how her latest project in Whale Beach will go down. But if the property turns a similar profit to their last sale in Newport - which sold in August 2020 for $24.5 million – the couple will be laughing all the way to the bank.
3. Just an hour outside Melbourne, the seaside enclave of the Mornington Peninsula is a big draw for celebrities and sports personalities alike, and singer and songwriter Toni Watson (Tones and I) has obviously fallen in love with the area. Her investment in two Mount Eliza properties worth around $13,000,000 provides her with the perfect escape from work. The area offers calm beaches, stunning wineries, and golf courses, the gorgeous town of Sorrento is the perfect spot for celebrities to unwind and roam around incognito.
4. The Byron Bay pad owned by Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky is reputed to be worth $30,000,000 now they have completed their extensive renovations. The power couple works a lot from home, so it goes without saying that the cost of their state-of-the-art gym and massage room will be offset by their fitness empire, but the acreage of the property provides the perfect space for their young kids to grow up in and learn about Australia’s diverse wildlife.
5. The sale of “Neighbours” star Madeleine West and her ex-partner, chef Shannon Bennett's stunning 5-bed Toorak home for more than $23,000,000 must have raised some local eyebrows. But with six children to raise, clearly, they needed the space!
6. After the sale of their Toorak home for around $16,000,000 in 2021, tennis player Lleyton Hewitt and his actress wife Bec bought a Palm Springs-inspired home on the Gold Coast. The Sunshine State provides a welcome reprieve for young families and the style of the property is exactly what you’d expect from the glamourous couple. However, their permanent residence remains in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and they still own a home in the Bahamas.
7. Everyone knows about the stunning renovation of Hamish Blake and Zoe Foster-Blake's sumptuous Sydney home, but fewer know about the new home of his professional sidekick, comedian and tv presenter Andy Lee and his partner, Rebecca Harding. The dilapidated mansion in Hawthorn in Melbourne, for which they paid over $7,000,000, requires extensive renovations - plans include a pool and a golf simulator - so it may be some time before the couple can call it their permanent residency. Let’s just hope that once they complete the project, they have more time to dedicate to regular updates about their super-cute puppy, Henri.

Whatever your home is worth, it is your "castle"

You can't put a price on happiness and whatever your home is worth, it is your "castle". Whether you own a 2-bed unit in Parramatta or an 8-bed mansion in Point Piper, the critical element of your home is that is is a safe, comfortable space in which you can be yourself. It should offer a certain level of functionality to meet your family's lifestyle requirements, but it is not about the size of the space or the quality of the finish, it is about the feeling your home cultivates; the same warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you walk around a property for the first time and instinctively know it is the one.

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