Bungendore
Photo: Redzebra Photography.
A landmark property at Bungendore, a charming heritage village near Lake George in the NSW southern tablelands (35 kilometres east of Canberra), has been listed for sale at more than $1.2 million through Ray White Braidwood agent Ellie Merriman.
Owned by the retired engineer Bill Kelly and his wife, Philippa, the Molonglo Street property has an interesting history, having been used as a bank, by a bicycle-maker (the first bicycle made in Australia was assembled there) and as a bakery. But it is most famous for being chosen as a key location for the movie Ned Kelly starring Rolling Stone Mick Jagger.
Two front rooms of the building (which now are used as bedrooms) were used for part of the Euroa Bank scenes in the Tony Richardson-directed film shot in 1968. With a most appealing facade featuring wide wraparound verandahs, the circa 1870s four-bedroom residence has a flexible floor plan.
The Kellys have lived here since 1969 when they fell in love with the old stone house. Soon after buying the property, they set to work renovating the house and restoring its cedar doors, windows and fireplaces. Also on the 4047 sq m grounds are stables and another cottage, both converted to guest accommodation.
A new sanctum
The actor Allison Cratchley and her entrepreneur husband Paul Williams have upgraded to a $6.2 million house in Vaucluse sold through Michael Pallier of Raine Horne Double Bay. The Hopetoun Avenue property last traded for $6.6 million in May 2007 when it was bought by Janine Krok of the South African casino family.
The architect Michael Suttor designed the house, which was built during the mid-1990s for Frank Colusso and his wife, Judy Ann, who now live in Tuscany, Italy. In November, Williams and Cratchley sold their Bellevue Hill home for $4.4 million soon after its expressions of interest marketing campaign closed through Pallier.
In 2005, the couple bought the Balfour Road property for $4.35 million from the Leibowitz family (of Tarocash clothing fame) who built the four-bedroom house during the late 1990s. Cratchley starred in Sanctum, a film produced by James Cameron and released last year.
She also played Dr Zoe Gallagher in the television series All Saints and the role of Constable Emma Woods in Water Rats.
Smart move
At Avalon on the northern beaches, the asking price of a house owned by the fashion designer Genevieve Smart, a director of the Ginger Smart label, and her partner, Aidan Sarsfield, a producer of animated films with the Animal Logic studio, has been reduced to offers of more than $820,000 through Nina Sokolov, an LJ Hooker Avalon agent.
The Lewis Road property failed to sell after it was marketed for December auction. At that time Sokolov hoped it would sell for more than $850,000.
Last traded for $590,000 in December 2003, the artistically refurbished three-bedroom cottage (with black Japan floors and interesting interior design) has featured in Vogue and Marie Claire magazines. Ginger Smart has stores in Avalon, Paddington and Westfield City.
Cultured pearls
Celebrity spotting has been a popular pastime for holidaymakers at Pearl Beach for the past month. Seen on the sand was the TV actor Georgie Parker, who took up residence for two weeks at a house on Pearl Parade.
Parker’s holiday rental property is a short stroll from an Emerald Avenue weekender owned by her mother, Rosemary Campbell, also seen on the beach. Other familiar faces spotted at the quaint central coast village were TV producer and presenter Andrew Denton and his wife, Jennifer Byrne, presenter of ABC TV’s First Tuesday Book Club, and their teenage son, Connor, who stayed at a beachfront residence on Coral Crescent for about three weeks.
Fans of Pearl Beach for two decades, Denton and Byrne have owned two weekenders there – most recently a Coral Crescent beachfront house, which they sold for $3.8 million in October 2007. Pearl Beach holiday lettings were strong this season with rental prices ranging from $1500 a week for a basic shack and up to $7500 a week for the best oceanfront houses.