Bronte Stunner With Ocean Views and $24m Price Tag
An award-winning Sydney beach house comes to market with $24 million price expectations.
2 min
Architect Richard Cole and builder Jeff Towler joined forces to create a Bronte beach house that would turn heads. The brief was successfully met with Panorama House on Yanko Ave, taking home the 2019 NSW HIA-CSR House of the Year gong and the Waverley Design Award.
Local anaesthetist Dr Erin Cook bought the existing house on the 841sq m site in 2010, paying $5.85 million for essentially just the land.
Fast-forward almost 15 years, and the eastern suburbs medico has listed his contemporary four-bedroom residence with Sotheby’s International Realty Sydney agents James Ball and Alexander Phillips from PPD Real Estate. It’s going to auction on May 3, and it’s expected to sell near its guide price of $24 million.
If the amount is achieved, Panorama House could become one of Bronte’s most expensive properties, but it will still fall short of the current $29.25 million Bronte record set at 3 Tipper Ave in 2023.
While the modern design and luxury finishes are plenty to talk about, the property has earned its name thanks to the panoramic ocean and beach views over the escarpment.
Cole created a house using a sophisticated palette of natural materials, including timber, stone, brick, zinc, and concrete.
The home has been designed to open up to the elements or close down to the environment to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce the use of artificial air conditioners. As an added bonus, solar panels feed into a 10kW solar battery to supply electricity to the house.
Sitting high on a private north-facing battle-axe block on the sandstone escarpment above Bronte Beach, Panorama House has been built to thrive in its coastal environment.
Its cobblestone driveway and sculptural curved facade make a dramatic first impression, and inside, the grand double-height void enhances the uninterrupted water outlook.
The three-storey home features a central living zone on the ground floor, which houses a lounge room with built-in seating, a two-way sandstone Escea fireplace, and a choice of dining spaces inside and out, including a cocktail bar with Vintec fridges.
The sleek kitchen has a Calacatta Oro island and a butler’s pantry.
Big, bold glass doors reveal a heated saltwater pool and spa almost hovering above the ocean, an all-weather entertainer’s pavilion, a fire pit, and an expansive lawn offering plenty of room for children and pets to explore.
In addition to the two bedrooms and shared bathroom on the main level, two more bedrooms can be found on the first floor and feature an even more elevated outlook. The primary bedroom has a palatial ensuite with a tub framed by ocean views, a walk or wardrobes, and a neighbouring home office that could easily moonlight as an enviable dressing room.
This upper level also houses a second living room, a sitting area with fireplace and balcony access, and another bedroom with an ensuite and balcony.
Bonus inclusions at the Bronte Beach house include a lower ground-floor gym or potential home cinema, a cloakroom, powder room, laundry with side access, an outdoor shower, a David Trubridge Navicula pendant light in the entryway, solid Blackbutt floorboards, hydronic heating, Haiku fans, and a double garage with an EV charger.
Panorama House is listed with Sotheby’s International Realty Sydney’s James Ball and Alexander Phillips of PPD Real Estate, who have scheduled an on-site auction for May 3.
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3 min
At the northern tip of Point Piper, hidden from the street and positioned directly on Sydney Harbour, “Radford” combines cinematic views, rare waterfront access and a fascinating connection to one of Australia’s most storied estates.
The five-bedroom residence occupies land once belonging to Paradis Sur Mer, the celebrated three-block waterfront estate that made Australian property history in 1982. The original mansion became the country’s first home reported to have sold for more than $5 million—and may also have inspired one of its fastest and most profitable resales.
Property developer and yachtsman Bernard Lewis purchased the estate at auction for $5.25 million, only to sell it within hours to English betting magnate and thoroughbred breeder Robert Sangster. Lewis reportedly made a $500,000 profit in the process.
Sangster renamed the property Toison D’Or—French for “Golden Fleece” and the name of one of his racehorses—and established it as a Sydney base with his then-wife, Susan. The estate subsequently changed hands and identities again, becoming Paradis Sur Mer, or “Paradise on the Sea”, during Susan’s marriage to financier Sir Frank Renouf.
After another headline-making sale near the peak of Sydney’s late-1980s property boom, the original mansion was eventually demolished and the waterfront holding subdivided. “Radford” now stands on one of those prized parcels, carrying a thread of that extraordinary history into the present day.
Harbour views take centre stage
Designed by award-winning architect Victor Berk and constructed in the early 1990s, the three-level modernist residence has been planned around its exceptional position.
Panoramic views stretch from the Sydney Harbour Bridge across Shark Island and Rose Bay to Manly. A prized northerly aspect fills the home with natural light, while bedrooms and living spaces open to decks, balconies and terraces overlooking the water.
The main living areas flow to a broad alfresco entertaining terrace, sunny swimming pool and level harbourfront lawn. Beyond the garden, a private jetty completes the quintessential Sydney waterfront lifestyle.
Inside, generous proportions make the home equally suited to private family life and large-scale entertaining. The formal dining area can accommodate up to 14 guests, while a Gaggenau-appointed kitchen incorporates an island, walk-in pantry and casual breakfast area opening to the poolside deck.
A fireplace anchors the principal living space, complemented by high ceilings, travertine floors and expansive glazing that keeps the harbour present throughout the home.
A private sanctuary on every level
The main bedroom is accompanied by two walk-in wardrobes, a sitting area and an ensuite featuring a spa bath, separate shower and twin basins. Three further bedrooms each have an ensuite, while a gym with its own kitchenette, built-in storage and bathroom can serve as a fifth bedroom or private guest retreat.
Additional spaces include a fitted home office, an upper-level family area, sauna, two powder rooms and a substantial laundry. A lift connects all three levels, and the central staircase sits beneath an atrium-style glass roof fitted with an electric retractable blind.
Ducted and zoned air-conditioning, extensive storage and a security alarm add everyday practicality. Internal access leads to an oversized secure double garage, with additional driveway parking.
Set in an elite cul-de-sac on one of Australia’s most prestigious waterfront streets, “Radford” is close to Lady Martins Beach, Prince Edward Yacht Club, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Rose Bay’s marinas and leading schools. Double Bay’s restaurants, boutiques and village amenities are only minutes away.
It is an exceptional harbourfront residence in its own right—but its connection to the record-breaking Paradis Sur Mer estate gives it a place within the wider story of Sydney real estate.
Property details
Address: Wolseley Road, Point Piper, NSW
Bedrooms: Five, including a flexible gym or guest suite
Bathrooms: Five, plus two powder rooms
Parking: Oversized double garage and additional driveway space
Key features: Northerly aspect, panoramic harbour views, private jetty, swimming pool, level waterfront lawn, lift, sauna, home office and Gaggenau kitchen
Architect: Victor Berk
Agents: Michael Pallier, Sydney Sotheby’s & Brad Pillinger, Pillinger
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