Dame Marie Bashir selling her long-held Palm Beach weekender for $10m

Former NSW governor Dame Marie Bashir is calling time on her long-held Palm Beach weekender that she shared with her late husband Sir Nicholas Shehadie, listing it with a $10 million price guide.

It is the first time the understated six-bedroom, three-bathroom family home has hit the market in almost three decades since the esteemed couple purchased it for $1.026 million in 1998.

Set on 1265 square metres, the level landholding has panoramic views of Barrenjoey headland, Palm Beach, out to Pittwater and beyond.

The sale will mark the end of a seven-decade connection to the much loved peninsula for the family.

Dame Marie will be further consolidating her property holdings after she offloaded her Mosman home for $7 million in 2020 to medico couple Martin Ng, a cardiologist and director at the Sydney Heart Team, and his partner, Kathy Wu, a clinical geneticist and a founding director of MyGenome Australia.

The Mosman sale ended more than half a century of ownership by Dame Marie and Sir Nicholas after they purchased it for $57,000 from yachtie Gordon Reynolds.

Dame Marie, the second-longest serving governor of NSW, chose not to live in the 1836-built Government House, but remained at her “unofficial government house” for most of her 13 years in the job.

The former Mosman local carried the formal title and had a decorated career as not only the 37th governor of NSW from 2001 to 2014 but also as the 17th chancellor of the University of Sydney at the same time. Her husband had an esteemed career in his own right as a former Wallabies captain, lord mayor of Sydney and chairman of SBS, to name just a few of his achievements before he died in 2018.

Dame Marie downsized to the historic Astor building overlooking the Gothic Revival-style mansion Government House after selling her Mosman abode.

Her Palm Beach home is selling through BJ Edwards of LJ Hooker Palm Beach, who declined to comment, through an expressions of interest campaign that ends 5 November.

Downsizing property portfolio

Nearby, the Palm Beach weekender of late businessman Sam Gazal and his wife Sue has also hit the market. It has a buyer’s guide of $28 million.

After the recent death of Sam, who was perhaps best known for his role in regional Queensland television network Sunshine Broadcasting, the seven-bedroom, four-bathroom waterfront has become surplus to the family’s needs as they look to consolidate their property portfolio.

Sunshine held commercial TV licences across Queensland and was sold to Kerry Stokes′ Seven Network, helping Stokes expand his national broadcasting footprint.

The Gazals purchased the Snapperman Beach block for $825,000 in 1987 and created a Caribbean-inspired open-plan beach house designed by architect Douglas Gordon.

Whoever takes the keys to the property will be in good company, given Rich Lister ex-garbo Ian Malouf owns two properties nearby, including his $40 million purchase, Anakela, which reset the suburb record. Malouf purchased the holiday home from Uncle Toby’s founder Doug Shears, who had bought it for $15 million in 2007.

The Gazals’ property is selling through Jason Pantzer of PPD Real Estate. He declined to comment.

Publican farewells Palm Beach

It’s a busy time in the locale as a flurry of listings hit the market this spring. Publican Brendon Barry, former owner of Barrenjoey House, and his wife Jennifer are selling their waterfront property for an asking price of $8 million.

Set on the coveted Barrenjoey Road, the five-bedroom, three-bathroom home has panoramic views across Pittwater.

The Barrys purchased the 467-square-metre parcel of land for $2.3 million under their company Latian Pty Ltd, of which they are directors. It is now a rental, fetching $3200 a week since January this year.

Their home is selling through Peter Robinson of LJ Hooker of Palm Beach, who declined to comment.

Media power couple sell

In the city’s inner west, Spotify Australia boss Mikaela Lancaster and her husband Mark Britt, former chief executive of iflix, have sold their Croydon home for $5.1 million, a whisker above the $5 million guide when it was listed a little over a month ago.

Built in circa 1910, Kaleena has been beautifully updated, while retaining its original craftsmanship and ornate features.

Set on 1286 square metres, the five-bedroom, two-bathroom home has multiple outdoor entertaining zones, a pool and poolside terrace, a gym, a studio and a basketball court.

It sold through Chris Nunn of BresicWhitney, who declined to comment.

The media power couple, who met in the Daily Mail Australia chapter of their careers, bought the grand inner-west Federation bungalow for $4.75 million in 2021.