Gough Whitlam’s Home Sells Prior To Auction
The former Australian Prime Minister’s Cabramatta home set to be preserved.
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Intent on preserving a part of Australian political history, former NSW Labor Premier Barrie Unsworth has led a team to purchase the Sydney home of late Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
Sold for $1.15 million (prior to auction), the achieved price was $400,000 above a guide of $720,000 – $750,000.
Resting at 32 Albert Street in the south-western suburb of Cabramatta, the property was purchased by the Whitlam Heritage Home Fund – a public company established by Mr Unsworth, Gough’s son Nick Whitlam, NSW Labor president Mark Lennon and Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey.
The Fund is focused on the restoration of the property to its original state and its preservation as a historic site, one which will eventually open to the public.
“The main thing is we have acquired it for posterity,” said Mr Unsworth in a recent interview.
Whitlam lived in the four-bedroom house for 22 years, from 1956 to 1978. The property played a central role in various political moments, including Whitlam’s historic 1972 federal election win for Labor, which came after 23 years of Liberal leadership.
Whitlam served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is selling his Northern California estate, which was listed Monday for $24.5 million.
Located in Atherton, an extremely affluent town northwest of Palo Alto and about 30 miles south of San Francisco, the 3.36-acre property is made up of three parcels that Schmidt acquired over the years, according to public records and Compass, who has the listing.
Schmidt, 69, and his wife, businesswoman Wendy Schmidt, purchased the main home in 1990 for $2 million, according to public records accessed via PropertyShark. They remodelled the 1969 home in 2007, and at that time, bought a neighbouring parcel of land, allowing an expansion of the main house and the addition of a guest house, according to Compass, who holds the listing. A third parcel was later acquired, on which the Schmidts added an English garden house and landscaped grounds overlooking the Eastern Hills.
“Finding three contiguous parcels in Atherton is rare. Even rarer are those with views of the Eastern hills,” said listing agent Katharine Carroll of the reSolve Group at Compass. “The location of this residence is ultra private, at the back of a cul-de-sac with the main house built into a hillside that provides privacy and very good security.”
Across the estate, there are five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and six half bathrooms.
The 5,265-square-foot main house also offers a number of private outdoor spaces on its upper level, including a large terrace off the primary suite, another large terrace off a secondary bedroom, plus a third smaller terrace and two balconies.
Behind the main house is a patio with a pool and spa. For even more outdoor space, there’s an entertaining pavilion, an open lawn and an outdoor fireplace area near the guest quarters.
The grounds themselves are also a standout feature, with an array of mature plants and specimen trees. The upper portion of the property’s landscaping is designed around an Amdega-designed conservatory, which was imported from the U.K. Around the greenhouse, there is a garden of raised beds and fruit trees, Carroll said.
“From the moment you step onto the grounds, it feels as if you’ve been transported to a private botanical sanctuary,” she said.
Schmidt served as Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011, and then became the company’s executive chairman until 2015. He could not be reached for comment.
This article first appeared on Mansion Global
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
