Media Executive Hamish McLennan Lists Darling Point Mansion
The grand harbourside residence combines sweeping Sydney Heads views, resort-style entertaining and refined designer finishes with a reported $36 million price guide.
2 min
Media executive Hamish McLennan and his wife Lucinda have just listed their elegant Sydney harbourside mansion, with a price guide of $36 million.
Their luxurious four-bedroom family home in Darling Point is being offered through an expressions-of-interest campaign with the Ray White Double Bay duo Elliott Placks and Ashley Bierman.
McLennan, who is chairman of ARN and REA Group, incoming chairman of DroneShield, and a director at Light & Wonder, and his wife, Lucinda, are reportedly planning to downsize from the 771 sq m block.
Last traded in 2023 for $29.25 million, the McLennans purchased 19a Eastbourne Rd from Olympic gold medal-winning recruitment executive Mark Kerry and interior designer Lynda Kerry.
The Kerrys had engaged architect Andrew Barnyak to completely transform the Californian Mission-style property after buying it for $11 million in 2020.
In March this year, a neighbouring home at number 15 sold for $21 million. That 1920s five-bedroom residence had undergone a thorough renovation by owners Tasmin Johnson and bespoke tailor Patrick Johnson.
Apartment developer, Eduard Litver, sold his six-bedroom residence at 29 Eastbourne Rd in 2022 for $24 million. According to Cotality records, the street price record was set in 2017 when number 21 sold for $31.8m.
Positioned on the harbour side of Eastbourne Rd, the three-storey home at number 19a offers panoramic northerly views of the water from Manly to Sydney Heads. It has 687sq m of internal living space, including a dramatic central double-height void at the heart of the footprint.
The spacious ground floor features several large formal and informal living areas. Past the stately arched entrance way, the central void opens up above the dining and kitchen area, creating a mezzanine gallery level crowned by a grand illuminating skylight.
In the commercial-grade gas and marble kitchen, there is a vast eat-at island bench, a hidden butler’s pantry and high-end appliances.
The spacious lounge zone features a Jetmaster fireplace, a sunroom nook, a separate media room with another fireplace, and French doors opening to a long terrace overlooking the harbour.
At the same level, a guest bedroom has built-ins and an ensuite bath.
Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, including a large main suite with extensive walk-through wardrobes, a hotel-style ensuite featuring a freestanding tub with a view, and a terrace that spans the full width of the home.
On the lower level, a spacious family retreat opens onto another terrace. This area includes an informal rumpus room with a fireplace, a sandstone wine tasting room and cellar, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
Resort-style alfresco features include a heated swimming pool and spa, complemented by a barbecue cabana with its own cosy fireplace.
The Darling Point home has a long list of added extras with a lift to all three levels, a big family-friendly laundry, luxury detailing such as high coffered ceilings, timber floors, premium wallpaper, and natural limestone finishes, plus a lock-up garage.
Eastbourne Rd is close to Double Bay shops, the Double Bay Sailing Club, wharf, Steyne Park, Double Bay Public School, and transport.
On the market via an expressions of interest campaign with Ray White Double Bay, 19a Eastbourne Rd, Darling Point is expected to sell around $36 million.
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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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