SURGEON GIVES 160-YEAR-OLD PADDINGTON QUEENSLANDER A $5.8M FACELIFT
A 160-year-old Paddington Queenslander has been spectacularly reimagined and is now poised to test Brisbane’s house price ceiling.
3 min
After a popular Brisbane plastic surgeon scored an NBL star’s period Paddington home in 2022, he performed a major facelift on the 160-year old Queenslander.
Now that the mansion has had its makeover, the luxury five-bedroom property is back on the market with a March 14 auction date.
The quintessential Queenslander at 49 Reading St was to be a fixer-upper project for Brisbane Bullets player, Aron Baynes and his wife, Rachel.
The couple had bought the 1634 sq m property – also known as The Governess – in 2021 for $4.5 million, with plans to undertake the renovation themselves.
Award-winning builders Graya were engaged to restore the estate to its former glory, but the game changed for the Baynes, who sold it in 2022. Canadian-born Dr Justin Perron spent $5.8 million for the landmark residence, which came complete with a DA for Graya to give it their Midas touch.
That sale was negotiated with Josh Brown and Matt Lancashire of Ray White New Farm, who are again trusted with the marketing campaign. Because it is being sold under the hammer in Queensland, state legislation prohibits agents from providing a public price guide.
Currently, the house price record for Paddington is $11.8 million, set early last year for a fully renovated pre-war five-bedroom house on Garfield Dr The Governess is expected to smash through that price barrier.
“Given its size, its heritage and the extraordinary inclusions with a five-car garage, internal lift and impeccable renovation, I do believe it represents really good value. There’s just nothing like it in Brisbane,” Brown says.
The property, which spans four blocks on the corner of Fernberg Rd and Reading St, dates back to the 1860s and is known locally as the older “sibling” of Government House, given that it was designed by the same architect, Benjamin Backhouse and sits just across the road from the grander heritage estate.
Now with its new look, The Governess is considered one of Paddington’s most significantly transformed homes; one that oozes with the charm of yesteryear, but the sophistication of today.
Blending old and new, the reimagined residence balances past and present over three spacious levels, separated by a statement spiral staircase.
Several period elements have been retained, including the iconic balustrades and wide wraparound verandas, while there is also a long list of modern conveniences, from a state-of-the-art kitchen to full home automation.
Inspired by nature, the interiors reflect the neighbourhood’s surrounding colour palette, with rich green marble accents and warm walnut-toned cabinetry. High 3.1m ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass have also been used to frame the city and treetop views.
The gatehouse and veranda arches mirror the curves of the entrance hall, which, in turn, connects the original footprint to the contemporary addition and open plan family area.
In the gourmet kitchen, there are Miele appliances, a vast 4.5m island workbench beneath a skylight, and a large, hidden butler’s pantry. This space flows out to the alfresco dining space, barbecue terrace, pool and fenced lawn.
The main living level also houses three bedrooms, a study, a powder room and a family-friendly laundry.
Up via a private internal lift, the accommodation level is home to a palatial primary suite with a sitting area, dressing room and a luxury ensuite with a fireplace. Besides the main bedroom, a smaller bedroom with an ensuite could make an ideal nursery.
On the lower ground floor, there is even more space for entertaining on a grand scale, including a wine cellar, wet bar, tasting room, and gym.
The Governess has a long story to tell, with a range of added extras, including home automation via Electronic Living, a five-car garage, mudroom, communications room, panic room, air conditioning, and security.
It is about 550m to Paddington precinct, 900m to Rosalie Village shopping and 3.5km to Brisbane’s CBD.
The Governess at 49 Reading St, Paddington will go to auction on March 14 at The Calile Hotel from 9 am with Josh Brown and Matt Lancashire of Ray White New Farm.
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After half a century in the same hands, The Palladium blends Art Deco heritage, cinematic history and beachfront living in one extraordinary offering.
3 min
In Sydney’s Northern Beaches, there are plenty of homes with a multimillion-dollar view and an enviable position close to the sand.
This unique listing has all that, but it has also earned its page in the local history books.
After 50 years in the same hands, The Palladium in Palm Beach—once a famed dance hall, then a restaurant, a private residence, and an artists’ studio—is now back on the market with a price hopes of $13.5 million through BJ Edwards and David Edwards of LJ Hooker Palm Beach.
Positioned in a rare corner spot where Ocean Rd meets Palm Beach Rd, The Palladium has been front and centre observing the famous sandy stretch for almost a century.
Built in the early 1930s, the Art Deco building was originally conceived as a vibrant community dance hall; the “it” place to be for young folk during Sydney’s thriving interwar period.
Often the dances were held to raise money for the Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club, and newspaper reports of the time told of rowdy parties lasting until the early hours, bootleg liquor arrests, and where shorts and sandals—or even pyjamas—were scandalously worn by “both sexes”.
Over the decades, The Palladium has worn many hats.
By 1943, the original owner, Joseph Henry Graham, had defaulted on his loan, and a mortgagee sale reportedly sold the building for £1550, which translates to about $137,000 today. It later became a dining space and a general store run by the Milton family. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the property was also home to the Blue Pacific Restaurant.
The current owners acquired the keys in 1976 when it began its next chapter as a creative hub. One of today’s vendors, filmmaker David Elfick, who has been a filmmaker and producer on such films as Newsfront and Rabbit-Proof Fence, has told stories of a free-spirited creative hub that has been used for film sets, to store numerous movie props, as editing rooms, to hold countless parties and has even hosted visiting members of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
From its famed beachside soirees to its grassroots film club nights, the venue has become woven into the cultural fabric of Palm Beach.
Today, that rich history has been reimagined into a coastal home that honours its past while embracing contemporary beachside living.
Built in a unique architectural style known as streamline moderne, the aeroplane hangar-like building reflects the era’s fascination with air travel, mass transport, and modernity. The facade is defined by a sweeping curved roofline and subtle nautical cues.
The main residence features a vast central living space framed by a number of bedrooms and sunrooms, as well as a front dining room and kitchen. In total, there are four to five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a powder room adjoining an upstairs loft space.
Big, broad windows draw in loads of natural light and provide iconic views, plus the sounds of the beach just across the road.
Many of the original elements remain, most fittingly the polished floors of the former dance hall. In the additional building at the back of the block, there is a separate, self-contained studio with its own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and laundry. From its elevated deck, the outlook stretches across the full sweep of Palm Beach.
Outside, the expansive 1151sq m land parcel also features established gardens with veggie patches and standalone decks for quiet contemplation.
Sitting just across the road from the beach, the property is also within walking distance of local cafes and the surf club. Palm Beach Rock Pool is at one end of the beach, with the Palm Beach Golf Club and the water airport at the other end of the peninsula.
The Palladium and Palm Beach Studio at 16 Ocean Rd, Palm Beach are listed with BJ Edwards and David Edwards of LJ Hooker Palm Beach via a private treaty campaign with a price guide of $13.5 million.
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