A RARE GEM: COVETED HARBOURSIDE HOME FOR SALE IN LAVENDER BAY
His stallion once won the Melbourne Cup, now this late legendary horse owner’s thoroughbred harbourside home is on the market.
2 min
A perfectly-positioned harbourside residence, formerly the home of a late Melbourne Cup-winning horse owner, has come to market with $14 million price expectations for its February 22 auction.
Sitting in one of Sydney’s most coveted enclaves on Waiwera St in Lavender Bay, the duplex with never-to-be-built-out gunbarrell views of both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House was home to championship thoroughbred owner Michael Fergus Doyle. The Irish-born entrepreneur was part owner of Protectionist, the 2014 Melbourne Cup winner.
Bought by Doyle in April 2020, in an off-market deal totalling $11 million according to CoreLogic data, the two-storey Lavender Bay property is being sold by the racing legend’s family through Atlas Sydney & East Coast. Doyle, a prominent character in Sydney’s Irish community for more than 50 years after arriving down under in the 1960s with a 10 pound boat ticket, sadly passed away in November 2023 at the age of 77.
Doyle built his fortune by building a construction company from the ground up that eventually employed more than 300 people and had a contract with Sydney Water worth A$100 million a year. By 2009, Doyle sold the business to a company owned by the Singapore Government and breeding horses through Doyles Breeding & Racing became his next passion.
The contemporary four-bedroom three-bathroom property features 304sq m of internal living space with additional outdoor entertaining areas on both levels.
Beyond the impressive grand entrance foyer with a personalised floor medallion, the layout opens up to reveal a large everyday living level with a formal lounge room and casual sitting space featuring walls of windows to frame the Harbour City’s top icons. Thanks to a central skylight tower, this main living zone is also flooded with natural light.
A spacious chef-grade kitchen anchored by a long island bench is equipped with Gaggenau appliances, gas burners, dual ovens, and a grill plate. The adjoining dining area spills out onto a terrace with an integrated bar table plus a Luna Park and bridge backdrop. The entry level also houses a home office or guest bedroom with a Juliette balcony and integrated desks opposite a full bathroom.
In the main bedroom suite upstairs there is a deep full-width balcony with more landmark views, a vast walk-in wardrobe, plus a spa ensuite complete with twin vanities, heated floors and warming towel racks. Two more bedrooms on the upper level each have access via French doors to a shared street-facing terrace and built-ins with a common family-friendly bathroom.
Added extras include automatic awnings and privacy screens to the outdoor areas, marble floor tiles, and a double lock up garage with storage.
The designer duplex is located close to harbourside dining venues, foreshore parks such as Bob Gordon Reserve and Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Gardens, Kirribilli Markets and North Sydney’s bustling CBD.
Property 2 at 9-11 Waiwera St is on the market with Adrian Bridges and Daniel Chester of Atlas Sydney & East Coast with a price guide of $14 million. It is set to go under the hammer on February 22.
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A Central Coast trophy home with a habit of breaking records, Agave, returns to market.
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Agave has a history of making headlines.
The luxury Wagstaffe weekender earned the prestigious HIA Australian House of the Year award in 2018 and then went on to reset the Central Coast price record two times over.
The Dennis Rabinowitz-designed waterfront residence was sold by the owner architect in mid 2020 for $9.5 million – at the height of the pandemic rush to the regions.
It then changed hands again only two years later for $16.2 million when it was snapped up by fallen Forum Finance founder Bill Papas.
Since then, Agave has operated as a high-end short-term rental appearing on Nine’s top 10 most expensive Airbnbs in Australia list; reportedly earning its owner more than $10,000 a night.
After briefly sitting on the market in 2024, the head-turning seven-bedroom two-storey property is now listed with a new agent and a fresh competitive price tag.
Mat Steinwede of McGrath Terrigal has put a $12 to $14 million guide on the glamorous beach house at a time when the Central Coast is tipped to recapture some of its post-Covid malaise.
Overall, Central Coast house values are approaching their 2022 pandemic-era high, according to Cotality data, with the median up 45.1 per cent over five years to reach a median price of $1.063 million as of November.
Sitting on a spacious 2188sq m block in the exclusive San Toy estate, Agave at 6 Bulkara St is in the sleepy hamlet of Wagstaffe 19kms south of Terrigal.
It has direct waterfront access to Brisbane Water and its north-facing aspect captures the best of the Central Coast’s coveted climate.
Created with a focus on free-flowing lanai-inspired indoor/outdoor living, the home features multiple terraces, a saltwater pool with imported Moroccan tiles, a private beach, a jetty, a boathouse cabana and a deep-water mooring suitable for a “super yacht”.
In total, the expansive layout includes 556sq m of internal living and 289sq m of alfresco space.
The sophisticated interiors include bespoke finishes crafted from natural materials, a contemporary kitchen with marble bench tops, as well as a fully-equipped butler’s pantry, wine cellar, and five ensuite bathrooms.
There is also an executive study and a palatial main bedroom suite located in its own ground floor wing complete with a walk-in wardrobe, and a five star hotel-inspired ensuite with bidet.
A second level houses six more bedrooms including a bunk room, ideal for multiple family getaways. All up, Agave can sleep as many as 14 guests at a time.
Manicured grounds are framed by established tropical gardens, and with secure entry gates plus an advanced security system, the residence is an idyllic private compound.
Additional features include total climate control, three separate living rooms, a double lock up garage and
The property is a short walk to Wagstaffe Wharf with direct ferry access to Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Agave is also close to Lobster Beach and Bouddi National Park.
Agave at 6 Bulkara St, Wagstaffe is listed with Mat Steinwede of McGrath Terrigal with a $12 to $14 million price guide.
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