Kanebridge Property of the Week: Marcus Blackmore’s transformed Bayview waterfront hits the market
Blackmores vitamin mogul Marcus Blackmore and Caroline Furlong have listed their transformed Bayview waterfront, three years after buying the century-old Pittwater cottage known as The Shack.
3 min
There is very little left of the century-old Pittwater shack Marcus Blackmore and Caroline Furlong bought for $5.7 million just over three years ago.
The vitamin industry heavyweight and his wife have returned 1808 Pittwater Road, Bayview to the market, but what buyers will find today is considerably different from the modest waterfront cottage that Blackmore and Furlong bought in August 2023.
The couple bought the tightly held property, long known locally as The Shack, after it had remained with the same family since the 1930s.
The timing of the purchase was particularly notable. It came immediately after Japanese brewing giant Kirin’s $1.9 billion takeover of Blackmores was announced, a deal which resulted in an $11.6 million dividend for Blackmore as a major shareholder of the company founded by his father, Maurice Blackmore.
It ended almost a century of ownership by the family of local teacher Neville Moodie.
The original three-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage sat almost on the water, with lawns running to Pittwater and a timber boathouse at the shoreline. Its appeal was less about the house itself and more about a rare north-facing position overlooking Scotland Island and a location where waterfront holdings are seldom offered for sale.
Three years on, Blackmore and Furlong have completely reimagined the site. 
Walter Barda Design was commissioned to design a new split-level residence, delivered by Touchstone Construction Group, that takes full advantage of the relatively compact waterfront parcel and its prized northern orientation.
The resulting home is unmistakably contemporary, with curved architectural forms, natural limestone and timber flooring, extensive glazing and reinforced concrete construction wrapped in external timber cladding.
The main living level opens directly to a north-facing terrace and waterfront lawn, while the kitchen centres around a substantial island bench with Miele appliances and a butler’s pantry.
The main bedroom has been designed almost as a private suite within the home, with two walk-in wardrobes, two ensuites and its own balcony. Two further bedrooms each have an ensuite, while the waterfront boathouse has been designed as a multipurpose space with its own bathroom, giving it the flexibility to operate as additional accommodation.
Perhaps the most impressive addition sits above it all.
The top floor combines a home office with an outdoor kitchen and rooftop entertaining terrace, complete with a spa and elevated views across Pittwater towards Scotland Island.
An internal lift connects the home’s levels, while underfloor heating, home automation, solar, ducted air conditioning, an EV charger and an internal-access double garage bring the original Pittwater weekender firmly into the 21st century.
A private slipway preserves perhaps the most important feature for a long-time Pittwater resident and accomplished sailor such as Blackmore: direct access to the water.
The project represents the latest chapter in a long-running love affair with Pittwater property for Blackmore.
He spent 25 years on Prince Alfred Parade in Newport after buying the deep waterfront property for $1.31 million in 1995. Blackmore and Furlong extensively renovated the Rowan Stewart-designed home over their ownership before selling it in 2020 for $8.125 million.
By then, they had already secured their next Pittwater address.
In 2016, the couple paid $9.25 million for Sandgate, a Queenslander-style waterfront residence further along Pittwater Road in Bayview, bought from USForex co-founder Matthew Gilmour.
The 1,500 sqm holding subsequently underwent a substantial rebuild, with development documents at the time putting the cost of the new home, swimming pool and jetty at around $3.37 million. It became their principal Bayview residence after the Newport sale.
Property of the Week
Property: 1808 Pittwater Road, Bayview, NSW
Owners: Marcus Blackmore and Caroline Furlong
Agent: Phillip Sheh, Black Diamondz
Price: Contact agent
Purchased: $5.7 million, August 2023
Architect: Walter Barda Design
Builder: Touchstone Construction Group
On the owner’s deck, a 20-metre swimming pool incorporates Feadship’s patented ContraWave technology and extends indoors as a suspended, glass-bottomed infinity pool.
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4 min
Toorak’s reputation has been built on grand estates, tightly held boulevards and some of Melbourne’s most valuable residential land. Yet one of its rarest attributes is largely hidden from the street: direct frontage to the Yarra River.
Although the river traces much of Toorak’s northern boundary, just over 20 homes in the blue-chip suburb are believed to border the water—and fewer still provide genuine river access. There is no definitive public register of Toorak homes with private jetties, but prestige agents have consistently described them as only a handful.
It is rare, then, for a property offering both river frontage and direct water access to become available in Melbourne’s so-called billionaire’s playground. The newly built Solara on Orrong Road presents precisely that opportunity.
Set on approximately 1,129sqm, the five-bedroom residence descends towards the river, culminating in a private, double-tiered jetty. Here, the Yarra is more than a distant outlook: it becomes part of daily life, offering a place to launch a boat, relax beside the water or travel towards the city from home.
That distinction is significant in Toorak. Many of the suburb’s finest properties offer scale, security and architectural pedigree, but very few combine all three with direct access to the river.
Architecture shaped by the site
Designed by Melbourne studio Alta and constructed by EASTON, Solara has been conceived as a series of interconnected levels descending towards the Yarra.
Rather than presenting as a single imposing volume, the house responds to its sloping site through stepped terraces, landscaped outdoor areas and large expanses of glazing. The architecture gradually reveals the water, drawing the eye through the interior and towards the river below.
The design has earned Solara a nomination in the 2026 Master Builders Excellence in Housing Awards.
Inside, a restrained material palette allows texture, proportion and natural light to carry the design. Stone, timber, glass and finely detailed joinery establish a sense of permanence without overwhelming the river setting.
The principal living area is arranged beneath a dramatic double-height ceiling, giving the room the scale expected of a major Toorak residence while maintaining a strong connection to the garden and water.
Full-height glazing opens the house to its outlook, while multiple living and entertaining spaces allow the property to transition between intimate family use and larger gatherings.
A private resort beside the Yarra
Solara’s principal living spaces open onto an expansive river-facing terrace containing a swimming pool and spa.
The outdoor area has been positioned to take advantage of both the northern light and the relative seclusion of the riverbank. Mature landscaping provides another layer of privacy, softening the architecture and creating the atmosphere of a private resort.
Below, the grounds continue towards the double-tiered jetty.
The residence also incorporates a dedicated wellness area and gym, reinforcing the sense that the home has been designed to provide a complete lifestyle within its boundaries.
Its accommodation includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms, with the principal suite occupying a private domain of its own. The house also provides garaging for four cars—an important consideration in a property of this scale.
Across the residence, the emphasis is less on overt decoration than on volume, outlook and craftsmanship. Sightlines have been carefully managed so that the river is encountered repeatedly, rather than being confined to a single formal room.
A different expression of Toorak prestige
Toorak’s luxury market is often associated with historic mansions and large European-inspired estates. Solara represents a more contemporary interpretation of the suburb: architecturally ambitious, highly private and organised around lifestyle rather than formality.
Its position also places it within a particularly scarce segment of the market.
Riverfront homes have previously appeared along addresses including St Georges Road and Edzell Avenue, although they tend to remain in the same ownership for long periods. Even among these properties, private jetties and convenient access to the water are not universal.
That scarcity separates Solara from other prestige homes that may offer river views without actually reaching the river.
For buyers operating at the upper end of Melbourne’s residential market, the value proposition is therefore not simply the size of the house or its list of amenities. It is the combination of new architecture, substantial land, resort facilities and an attribute that cannot readily be recreated: private access to the Yarra from Toorak.
Solara is being marketed with a guide of $16.8 million to $18.3 million through Jamie Mi of Kay & Burton.
Property snapshot
Address: 803 Orrong Road, Toorak, Victoria
Guide: $16.8 million–$18.3 million
Agent: Kay & Burton agent Jamie Mi
Land: Approximately 1,129sqm
Accommodation: Five bedrooms, six bathrooms and four-car accommodation
Design: Alta
Builder: EASTON
Key features: Private jetty, direct river access, gym, indoor spa and double-height living volume
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