Melbourne’s 5 Most Expensive Properties [2023]

336 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, VIC: $52 Million

In 2018, art dealer Rod Menzies has sold his Malvern mansion for a house price record of $52.5 million.

The historic property at 336 Glenferrie Road — which was first Australia’s government house, Stonnington — was originally built in 1890 by Cobb & Co coaches partner John Wagner who occupied it until his death in 1901.

Spread over 1.2 hectares, sources who have been in the mansions allege it offers an abundance of bedrooms, living areas and wet zones with intricate detail in all its fittings.

47 Lansell Road Toorak, VIC: $40-44 Million

The sale price for 47 Lansell Road, which is understood to be at the pointy end of its 40-44-million threshold has set not only Toorak’s price record, but is also the most expensive home sold at auction in Australia.

The home was treated to an overhaul at the hands of architects Carr Design, and luxury interior design practice Helen Green Design studio. Elsewhere the 3300sqm plot was treated to the work of Paul Bangay and his renowned gardens.

The 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom, 6-car home was the most expensive listing in Melbourne this year and boasted a swathe of luxury fittings and mod-cons including three kitchens (one regular, chef, commercial – of course), with Miele appliances, commercial grade fridges and stone benches.

The list goes on with the home offering, indoor-outdoor spaces with teppanyaki grill, luxurious cinema room, an outdoor leisure centre with pool, gym, tennis court, massage room and more.

21 Coppin Grove, Hawthorn, VIC: $40.5 million

Former Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour sold his Hawthorn mansion in July. The price making it the second-highest ever paid for a residential property in Melbourne at the time of sale.

The standout home, known as Invergowrie was listed in 2018 – with Marshall White’s Marcus Chiminello.

Set on a massive 1.1-hectare block, the home offers five bedrooms and a three-bedroom brick guest house, a bluestone two-bedroom cottage and a hall that double as a gym.

The main homestead is two-storey and is defined by its distinctive colonial-goth architecture. It’s here that the property offers 15 separate rooms and is surrounded by sweeping lawns and gardens, dotted with mature trees.

18 St Georges Road, Toorak, VIC: $40 millon

The sale of ‘Mowbray’ on St Georges road saw the dual frontage home occupy one of the finest spots in Toorak within walking distance of Toorak village shops, cafes, restaurants and Melbourne’s top private schools. Perched on 5414sqm of land the six-bedroom family residence with formal lounge, formal dining, staff quarters, outdoor entertaining area, pool and tennis court.

39 Irving Road, Toorak, VIC: $31-$34 million

The historic manor on Toorak’s Irving Road, better known as Chiverton, sold for more than $30 million.

The 6-bedroom, 5-bedroom, 6-car parking home was sold by Kay & Burton South Yarra selling agent Michael Gibson.

The coveted mansion sits on approximately 2170sqm of land with a further 980sqm attached for the tennis court. While the listing was split, the property was sold as a bundle.

With the tennis court, the home arrives with an outdoor swimming pool, Mediterranean façade, timber-lined ceilings.

Chiverton has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two powder rooms, magnificent formal rooms, library, informal living, open plan kitchen, separate one-bedroom apartment, poolside summer house and four-car garage. Every room looks out to the extensive garden and lawns.

60 Hopetoun Road, Toorak, VIC: $30-$33 million

The superstar listing from famed concert promoter Michael Coppel sold for somewhere in the low-30-millions, although listing agent Marcus Chiminello of Marshall Whit wasn’t at liberty to divulge the specifics.

The 3066-square metre home is located in the most enviable locale in Melbourne, the 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom, 9-car garage residence and is replete with manicured gardens, stunning pool area and tennis court.

Inside, a soaring lobby and staircase impart grandeur and opulence, welcoming one into a home that is as flexible as it is luxurious.

The kitchen is privy to a large butler’s pantry with laundry and adjoining cool room – ideal for private chefs or large catered events.

The entertainment room is serviced by its own bathroom with all common spaces leading seamlessly to the lush, tropical outdoor entertaining and dining area, aforementioned swimming pool, cabana and tennis court.

Further, the home offers a bounty of bedrooms including a palatial main bedroom suite that features a substantial dressing room, ensuite, private gym and rooftop sun terrace.

61-63 Grange Road, Toorak, VIC: Approx. $30 Million

Offering a touch of the English countryside in Melbourne’s Toorak comes this sprawling 4236sqm property on Grange Road. Purchased by tech wizard Guy King, the property was designed by Drew Cole Architects and features multiple formal and informal living rooms, four bedrooms, siz bathrooms, study, separate home office, gym cinema, cellar, six car basement garage, pool and more.

Inside it’s an entertainer’s delight with the kitchen featuring a huge marble island, AGA stove, integrated Subzero fridge/freezer, butler’s pantry, custom-made joinery and easy access to the formal dining room. Sliding doors connect the informal living to a shaded terrace for a myriad of indoor-outdoor entertaining options with steps down to the pool and garden.

16 Balwyn Road, Canterbury, VIC: Approx $29 million

Historic mansions, such as ‘Shrublands’ in Melbourne’s Canterbury, have undeniable old-world gravitas. And with such character come with a certain cost – this lavish home listed at what would’ve been a suburb record $42-$46 million.

However, the home was rumoured to take a $13 million hair cut, with some outlets reporting a price of $29 million.

Abercromby’s agent Jock Langley was tight-lipped about the final sale price.

The home features 9-bedroom, 9-bathroom and enough space for 10 cars among its 42-room spread.

Within the long-list of amenities includes a two-bedroom guest wing, basement cinema, billiards room, historic bluestone wine cellar, library, gym and newly-finished heated indoor pool and wellness centre.

Elsewhere Opulent gold-leaf finishes and crystal chandeliers give way to modern fixtures as highlighted in what’s an industrial-sized contemporary kitchen.

However, the home’s ‘piazza’ is the cherry on top, with the outdoor entertaining spaces fitted with heating via outdoor fireplaces.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of Australians earning high incomes who are renting their homes instead of owning them, and this may be another element contributing to higher market demand and continually rising rents, according to new research.

The portion of households with an annual income of $140,000 per year (in 2021 dollars), went from 8 percent of the private rental market in 1996 to 24 percent in 2021, according to research by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). The AHURI study highlights that longer-term declines in the rate of home ownership in Australia are likely the cause of this trend.

The biggest challenge this creates is the flow-on effect on lower-income households because they may face stronger competition for a limited supply of rental stock, and they also have less capacity to cope with rising rents that look likely to keep going up due to the entrenched undersupply.

The 2024 ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report notes that weekly rents have been rising strongly since the pandemic and are currently re-accelerating. “Nationally, annual rent growth has lifted from a recent low of 8.1 percent year-on-year in October 2023, to 8.6 percent year-on-year in March 2024,” according to the report. “The re-acceleration was particularly evident in house rents, where annual growth bottomed out at 6.8 percent in the year to September, and rose to 8.4 percent in the year to March 2024.”

Rents are also rising in markets that have experienced recent declines. “In Hobart, rent values saw a downturn of -6 percent between March and October 2023. Since bottoming out in October, rents have now moved 5 percent higher to the end of March, and are just 1 percent off the record highs in March 2023. The Canberra rental market was the only other capital city to see a decline in rents in recent years, where rent values fell -3.8 percent between June 2022 and September 2023. Since then, Canberra rents have risen 3.5 percent, and are 1 percent from the record high.”

The Productivity Commission’s review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement points out that high-income earners also have more capacity to relocate to cheaper markets when rents rise, which creates more competition for lower-income households competing for homes in those same areas.

ANZ CoreLogic notes that rents in lower-cost markets have risen the most in recent years, so much so that the portion of earnings that lower-income households have to dedicate to rent has reached a record high 54.3 percent. For middle-income households, it’s 32.2 percent and for high-income households, it’s just 22.9 percent. ‘Housing stress’ has long been defined as requiring more than 30 percent of income to put a roof over your head.

While some high-income households may aspire to own their own homes, rising property values have made that a difficult and long process given the years it takes to save a deposit. ANZ CoreLogic data shows it now takes a median 10.1 years in the capital cities and 9.9 years in regional areas to save a 20 percent deposit to buy a property.

It also takes 48.3 percent of income in the cities and 47.1 percent in the regions to cover mortgage repayments at today’s home loan interest rates, which is far greater than the portion of income required to service rents at a median 30.4 percent in cities and 33.3 percent in the regions.

Melbourne’s Most Expensive Properties [2024]

The Victorian capital’s top-grossing transactions.