Former Packer bookmaker’s $50 million Crown penthouse for sale

Kerry Packer was known for his grand Sydney real estate, but he wasn’t the only one in his circle to be well-housed.

His bookmaker, Robert Blann, bought a whole-floor apartment in Sydney’s Crown Residences off the plan in 2018. He died aged 85 in June 2023, and his estate has listed the home for sale with a price guide of $50 million.

Blann was one of Australia’s leading bookmakers in the late ’70s and early ’80s, with high-profile clients including Packer, before retiring at age 46 to become an investor and financier.

Blann paid $41 million for his abode, with more than 525 square metres of internal floor space, equating to about $78,095 a square metre. He kept his purchase in the Packer family, as Kerry’s son James was once the majority owner of Crown Resorts and sold his interest to Blackstone in 2022.

The Packer family have been expanding their Bellevue Hill compound for generations, since the late Sir Frank’s original 1935 purchase for £7500.

Blann’s four-bedroom residence occupies all of level 78 and comes with five bathrooms, five living zones, an executive-style study and parking for four cars. There is a media lounge, piano lounge, 12-16 seat dining setting, a wine tasting zone and a built-in wine gallery.

Residents and guests can access the property from the grand lobby, while service staff can head straight to the butler’s kitchen.

Interiors by New York City’s Meyer Davis feature leather, wood and marble detail. The primary suite has two dressing rooms, a steam room and a balcony for the ultimate in luxury.

Each bedroom offers a unique vantage point, with views from Botany Bay to the Blue Mountains, but by far the creme de la creme is the postcard north-east outlook over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

World-class entertaining is available for residents, with access to a personal chef, optional room service with a curated wine list, priority seating at Crown restaurants, and resort facilities for residents including a tennis court, pool, spa and cabanas.

The Agency’s co-founder Steven Chen is accepting expressions of interest.

Designer Darling Point home for sale

In Sydney’s property market, having an eye for design can be very handy.

The reimagined 1920s mansion owned by bespoke tailor Patrick Johnson and his interior designer wife, Tamsin, is on offer.

There is no price guide on the Darling Point home, but agent Gavin Rubinstein of TRG, who holds the listing alongside Marion Badenoch, references comparable sales ranging from $22 million to $27 million.

For example, a four-bedroom home on Darling Point Road sold in February for $23 million, while another on Eastbourne Road sold in January for $29.25 million.

The couple snapped up the address for $10.05 million in 2020 and are moving to Watsons Bay, having paid an undisclosed sum for a five-bedroom fixer-upper that was listed north of $27 million.

It’s no surprise Tamsin renovated the five-bedroom, five-bathroom home given her success as an in-demand interior designer. Her accomplishments include Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay and a Dubai members’ club.

“Tamsin is exceptionally talented, known for her elegant and tasteful style, and that has clearly shown through the redesign of Kendall Lodge,” Rubinstein said.

“The house is basically rebuilt to the highest standard and offers it all, from the ideal layout to a quality charm and panoramic views across Double Bay and the harbour, a very rare combination.”

Interiors are eye-catching, with ornate ceilings, Calacatta Gioia marble, bespoke timber joinery, Italian tumbled marble flooring, 1930s French alabaster pendants and Murano glass sconces.

The chef’s kitchen makes a statement, with geometric island breakfast bar, custom cabinetry and croissant handles.

The couple added a pool to the landscaped gardens and a lower-level wellness zone with sauna and cold plunge pool.

Downsizer splashes on five-bedroom home

A downsizer will soon unpack boxes in a three-storey Woollahra residence that was also renovated by Tamsin Johnson, and owned by former Allianz boss George Sartorel and his wife, Kathy.

The five-bedroom home on about 547 square metres sold for about $18 million this month, local sources confirmed. The exact price and buyer’s identity will be revealed at settlement.

Alexander Phillips of PPD Real Estate, who sold the property alongside Gavin Lewis, declined to comment on the price but said it appealed mainly to downsizers.

Records show Sartorel, now a director of Insurance Australia Group and non-executive director of Prudential plc, bought the home for $15.05 million in 2023 from Goldman Sachs head of mergers and acquisitions Marissa Freund and her husband, Next Capital’s James Murphy.

The Sartorels enlisted Tamsin to revamp the home, having been avid fans of her work. While the pool was already there, the 1920s design was reimagined with marble and French oak detail, antique accents and vintage Murano glass lighting.

There is a grand entry foyer, a Calacatta marble kitchen and an upper level adult’s lounge and games room.