Island Icon With Architectural Pedigree
Award-winning and almost invisible by design, Azuris offers a rare chance to own a waterfront foothold on tightly held Hamilton Island.
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Plenty of visitors check in for a short stay in the Whitsundays, but only a select few can stake a claim to their own piece of paradise.
Hamilton Island, home to around 200 permanent residents, is one of the only places in the Whitsundays chain where homebuyers can enter the property market.
Azuris, on the western side of the popular holiday isle, is a head-turning designer home with enviable views and an award-winning story.
The striking three-bedroom waterfront residence was completed in 2011, and a year later, architect Renato D’Ettorre was awarded a Queensland Building of the Year gong from the Australian Institute of Architects.
Now set to go under the hammer on May 10, as part of an uber auction event with Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty, Azuris will be among 12 other luxury beach houses up for grabs, including eight more on the tightly held island.
Because the Hamilton Island house is selling via auction, Queensland law forbids the agency from publishing a price guide; however, a previous attempt to list the home via private treaty sheds some light on expectations.
Last year, 5 Plum Pudding Close came to market with a guide price of $12 million.
Current selling agent Carol Carter, who is marketing the home with Sotheby’s colleague Wayne Singleton, said the overseas-based owner now travels down under less often, so has decided to offload the property.
Known locally as the “invisible house”, Azuris blends architectural pedigree with an unparalleled setting.
Positioned on a section of the island where the land falls steeply towards the water, the elevated concrete, stone and glass residence – that features a crowning layer of grass on the roof – is seemingly hidden from view.
When inside, grand disappearing glass sliding doors frame the coveted water views, while clean, contemporary lines and natural stone surfaces enhance the 21st-century beach house appeal.
On the main level, the kitchen features integrated Boffi appliances, and the open plan living space opens out to dining terraces, an outdoor kitchen, a pool cabana, and a dramatic infinity pool that merges with the Coral Sea beyond.
As an added bonus, a central tanning deck seemingly floats within the pool, positioned to take in the million-dollar views.
The main bedroom suite on the same floor has a dressing room and a large ensuite, and opens onto both the pool deck and a private lawn courtyard.
One level lower and there are two more bedrooms with en-suites and terraces, plus a second entertainment space.
Down at street level, there is a private buggy port, as no private cars are permitted on the island. Azuris also has access to a nature strip that directly connects to the water’s edge.
Hamilton Island properties are sold under a leasehold title.
The head lease of Hamilton Island is a perpetual lease from the Crown (Queensland Government), and individual properties are sold via subleases with a 99-year lease term and a further 99-year option.
The first expiry for all property subleases is 31 March 2078. Hamilton Island properties are also approved for purchase by international buyers under FIRB guidelines.
The largest inhabited island of the Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island has its own public airport with direct flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Azuris at 5 Plum Pudding Close, Hamilton Island is set to go to auction on May 10 at 3pm with Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty.
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A landmark Watsons Bay residence formerly owned by businessman Mark Bouris has returned to the market, bringing one of the harbourside village’s most distinctive homes back into play.
The five-bedroom property at 23 Robertson Place occupies 654 square metres opposite Robertson Park, within footsteps of Watsons Bay Beach, the ferry wharf and the celebrated restaurants lining the foreshore.
Its position places the home at the centre of one of Sydney’s most recognisable harbour villages, yet its substantial proportions, private outdoor areas and garaging give it a degree of separation rarely found so close to the waterfront.
The residence was previously owned by Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans and chairman of Yellow Brick Road. Property records show it last changed hands in November 2013 for $7 million, having sold for $890,000 in 1995.
That 2013 transaction was handled by prestige agent Bill Malouf through Highland Double Bay. Bouris was the vendor when the home last sold.
Architect Malcolm Sholl designed the contemporary residence around a fluid connection between its interiors and outdoor entertaining areas. Extensive glazing draws natural light into the principal rooms, while district views take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Travertine flooring extends through the principal living areas and out towards the terraces, reinforcing the relationship between the home and its coastal setting.
At the centre of the residence is a marble kitchen equipped with Gaggenau gas appliances and an integrated Miele coffee machine. It connects to expansive open-plan living and dining areas designed for both family life and large-scale entertaining.
Five double bedrooms are accompanied by three bathrooms and a guest powder room. Informal living spaces include a home cinema.
Outside, there’s a 23-metre lap pool and an alfresco entertainer’s terrace. Internal access from the garage and accommodation for four cars are especially valuable in the tightly held village location.
The address also carries an unusual fragment of local architectural history. Woollahra planning material identifies portions of an early Victorian cottage dating from about 1839 within the contemporary three-storey residence, placing the property within the wider Watsons Bay heritage conservation area.
The home made headlines for another reason in January 2025, when a Ferrari left the road and struck the property. Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospital following the incident.
The Agency’s Ben Collier has a $20 million guide.
Watsons Bay remains one of Sydney’s smallest and most tightly held prestige markets. There have only been two house sales in the suburb so far in 2026. The suburb record was set late last year when yachtie Linda Goddard paid $35.5 million for a Pacific Street waterfront.
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