PROPERTY OF THE WEEK: VAUCLUSE CLIFFTOP SANCTUARY ABOVE THE PACIFIC

There are ocean views, and then there is this.

Positioned on a dramatic clifftop in Vaucluse, 8 Ray Street doesn’t just face the Pacific, it commands it. With nothing between the home and the horizon but open water, this is the kind of outlook that buyers spend decades searching for and rarely find.

The residence itself is the work of MHNDU, one of Sydney’s most respected architectural practices, with interiors conceived by Poco Designs.

Together, the collaboration has produced a home that is as thoughtfully resolved inside as it is spectacular in its setting.

Soaring ceilings and expansive glazing open every principal room to the ocean panorama, while a series of indoor-outdoor transitions dissolve the boundary between interior life and coastal landscape. Light arrives differently here depending on the season — sharp and glittering in summer, golden and low in the cooler months.

Across five bedrooms and six bathrooms, the home offers scale without sacrifice. The brief has clearly been to create a property that functions as a family residence without ever retreating into mere functionality. Two car spaces complete the picture.

Vaucluse has long been synonymous with Sydney’s most coveted residential addresses, and Ray Street occupies one of the suburb’s most elevated and protected positions. The clifftop location is permanent — no development will interrupt this outlook — a fact that buyers at this level understand immediately and price accordingly.

The suburb’s median for five-bedroom homes currently sits at $11.725 million, with 50 transactions recorded this year and an average of 43 days on market. At that level, the properties that generate the most sustained buyer interest are those with something genuinely unrepeatable about them. A never-to-be-built-out ocean position qualifies on every measure.

8 Ray Street is listed with Steven Chen of The Agency and David Malouf, Director – Double Bay at Highland Property, and goes to auction. Private inspections are available by appointment, with a scheduled open on Thursday 18 June at 5:30 pm.

Contact Steven Chen (The Agency) on 0412 959 959 or David Malouf (Highland) on 0411 073 882.

Media executive Hamish McLennan and his wife Lucinda have just listed their elegant Sydney harbourside mansion, with a price guide of $36 million.

Their luxurious four-bedroom family home in Darling Point is being offered through an expressions-of-interest campaign with the Ray White Double Bay duo Elliott Placks and Ashley Bierman.

McLennan, who is chairman of ARN and REA Group, incoming chairman of DroneShield, and a director at Light & Wonder, and his wife, Lucinda, are reportedly planning to downsize from the 771 sq m block.

Last traded in 2023 for $29.25 million, the McLennans purchased 19a Eastbourne Rd from Olympic gold medal-winning recruitment executive Mark Kerry and interior designer Lynda Kerry.

The Kerrys had engaged architect Andrew Barnyak to completely transform the Californian Mission-style property after buying it for $11 million in 2020.

In March this year, a neighbouring home at number 15 sold for $21 million. That 1920s five-bedroom residence had undergone a thorough renovation by owners Tasmin Johnson and bespoke tailor Patrick Johnson.

Apartment developer, Eduard Litver, sold his six-bedroom residence at 29 Eastbourne Rd in 2022 for $24 million. According to Cotality records, the street price record was set in 2017 when number 21 sold for $31.8m.

Positioned on the harbour side of Eastbourne Rd, the three-storey home at number 19a offers panoramic northerly views of the water from Manly to Sydney Heads. It has 687sq m of internal living space, including a dramatic central double-height void at the heart of the footprint.

The spacious ground floor features several large formal and informal living areas. Past the stately arched entrance way, the central void opens up above the dining and kitchen area, creating a mezzanine gallery level crowned by a grand illuminating skylight.

In the commercial-grade gas and marble kitchen, there is a vast eat-at island bench, a hidden butler’s pantry and high-end appliances.

The spacious lounge zone features a Jetmaster fireplace, a sunroom nook, a separate media room with another fireplace, and French doors opening to a long terrace overlooking the harbour.

At the same level, a guest bedroom has built-ins and an ensuite bath.

Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, including a large main suite with extensive walk-through wardrobes, a hotel-style ensuite featuring a freestanding tub with a view, and a terrace that spans the full width of the home.

On the lower level, a spacious family retreat opens onto another terrace. This area includes an informal rumpus room with a fireplace, a sandstone wine tasting room and cellar, a bedroom, and a bathroom.

Resort-style alfresco features include a heated swimming pool and spa, complemented by a barbecue cabana with its own cosy fireplace.

The Darling Point home has a long list of added extras with a lift to all three levels, a big family-friendly laundry, luxury detailing such as high coffered ceilings, timber floors, premium wallpaper, and natural limestone finishes, plus a lock-up garage.

Eastbourne Rd is close to Double Bay shops, the Double Bay Sailing Club, wharf, Steyne Park, Double Bay Public School, and transport.

On the market via an expressions of interest campaign with Ray White Double Bay, 19a Eastbourne Rd, Darling Point is expected to sell around $36 million.

PROPERTY OF THE WEEK: VAUCLUSE CLIFFTOP SANCTUARY ABOVE THE PACIFIC

A Vaucluse masterpiece by MHNDU with interiors by Poco Designs brings architectural ambition and breathtaking ocean outlook to the auction block.

The grand harbourside residence combines sweeping Sydney Heads views, resort-style entertaining and refined designer finishes with a reported $36 million price guide.