Lowes boss lists $30m Whale Beach super-estate
Lodge Dauphin, a sprawling designer compound above Whale Beach, hits the market with expectations around $30 million, offering a private resort with ocean views.
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It’s only fitting that the CEO and co-owner of menswear giant, Lowes, has fabricated an extra-large family compound overlooking one of Australia’s most exclusive beaches.
Linda Penn and her dentist husband, David, have just listed their clifftop villa, Lodge Dauphin, at Whale Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Although no public price guide has been announced by the father-and-son agent duo, David Edwards and BJ of LJ Hooker Palm Beach, a source places expectations at “about” $30 million.
More than just a glamorous trophy home, Lodge Dauphin is a self-contained resort, complete with a private golf course, sauna, spa, and infinity pool.
The Penns bought the mansion in 2012 for $3.075 million, according to title records, but took three years to craft a show-stopping estate with the help of an expert team of award-winning designers.
Acclaimed architect Michael Suttor crafted the sandstone main residence, while designer Deanne Rooz curated its sophisticated interiors. Outdoors, landscapers Richard Unsworth and Paul Bangay created a waterside wonderland with terraced fairways on the 2150 sq. metre site.
A private playground with sweeping ocean views across Whale Beach up to the Central Coast, the expansive Whale Beach property cascades down the clifftop, surrounded by towering pine and gum trees as well as gardens bursting with native flora, manicured hedges, and immersive garden zones.
The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home was built from more than 1000 tonnes of stone, and features multiple living spaces over three primary levels. Rich natural materials are showcased throughout the property, with stone, solid oak, marble, brass, and European Oak antique basket-weave flooring all elevating the luxury interiors.
Beyond a central entry court, the everyday spaces include a palatial lounge and dining area with high cathedral ceilings, a central marble fireplace, and a vast balcony with enviable views.
This same level houses a state-of-the-art kitchen with an integrated Sub-Zero fridge and freezer, a Wolf oven, a gas stove, and a separate drinks fridge.
The upper level features a separate lounge area and four bedrooms, each with a private ensuite and built-ins. In the primary bedroom, there is an opulent open ensuite with a handmade freestanding bathtub, twin vanities, a powder room and a walk-in wardrobe.
Three of the four bedrooms also have personal balconies.
A self-contained guest bedroom with a kitchenette on the entry level is an ideal space for visitors or live-in staff.
Resort-style amenities on the lower floor include a large gym or games area with a wet bar, a sauna, a wine cellar, and a vast terrace spilling out to the heated infinity pool, “egg” spa, and poolside lounge room.
Taking resort-style living to another level, the landscaped grounds also feature more than 50 smart-zoned areas, 200 LED copper garden lights, and A4 Bent Grass greens on the personal golf course.
The high-tech compound has the latest smart home integration, including lighting, seven-zone air conditioning, Vintec air filtration, 30 security cameras, Sonos sound, and irrigation.
Additional features of the property include three water tanks, Wi-Fi throughout the grounds, an elevator to all levels, underfloor heating, three powder rooms, and a double-lockup garage with a turntable.
Lodge Dauphin at 143-145 Whale Beach Rd, Whale Beach is listed with LJ Hooker Palm Beach agents BJ and David Edwards.
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Office rents in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are climbing at their fastest pace since the pandemic as tenants compete for premium CBD space amid tightening supply.
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Australia’s major CBD office markets are recording some of their strongest rental growth since the pandemic, with businesses increasingly prioritising premium office space despite elevated geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Knight Frank’s Australian Office Indicators Q1 2026 report found net effective rents in Sydney and Melbourne CBDs rose at their fastest annual pace since COVID-19, increasing 10.2 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively over the 12 months to March.
Brisbane posted the strongest growth nationally, with net effective rents climbing 11.7 per cent over the same period.
The report points to a widening divide between prime CBD office towers and secondary office stock, as occupiers increasingly focus on quality, location and workplace amenity when making leasing decisions.
Knight Frank Senior Economist, Research & Consulting Alistair Read said demand remained heavily concentrated in premium assets within core CBD precincts, helping drive stronger rental growth in top-tier buildings.
“Occupier demand continues to be heavily concentrated in the most desirable CBD precincts and the highest-quality buildings, accelerating a sharp divergence between core and non-core markets,” Mr Read said.
According to the report, Sydney’s Core precinct and Melbourne’s Eastern Core significantly outperformed broader CBD markets over the past year.
“In Sydney’s Core precinct and Melbourne’s Eastern Core, net effective rents surged 14.3% and 16.1% over the past year, significantly outperforming the rest-of-CBD precincts,” Mr Read said.
The rental gap between prime and non-prime office locations has also continued to widen sharply.
“As a result, core CBD rents are now 54% higher than non-core locations in Sydney and 93% higher in Melbourne, highlighting the growing premium placed on amenity, accessibility and workplace quality,” he said.
Knight Frank said the strong rental growth across the major CBDs was being underpinned by a limited supply pipeline, with few new office developments expected to be delivered in the near term.
Mr Read said subdued construction activity was likely to support ongoing rental growth and tighter vacancy rates over the medium term, particularly for premium office towers.
“The combination of sustained demand and declining levels of new development will aid ongoing prime rental growth and lower vacancy rates over the medium term, particularly for best-in-class assets,” he said.
The report noted that current economic conditions were making new office developments increasingly difficult to justify financially.
“Economic rents remain well above expected market rents, making the construction of new office towers largely unviable, and concentrating tenant demand into existing buildings,” Mr Read said.
While suburban office markets generally remained subdued compared with CBDs, Melbourne’s Southbank precinct was identified as a relative outperformer, recording annual net effective rental growth of 2.7 per cent.
The report comes as broader Asia-Pacific office markets continue to stabilise following several years of disruption linked to hybrid work trends, inflation and rising interest rates.
Knight Frank’s separate Asia-Pacific Q1 2026 Office Highlights report found Sydney and Brisbane were among the strongest-performing office rental markets in the region, behind only Bengaluru and Tokyo for annual prime net face rental growth.
The Asia-Pacific report also found 18 of the 24 cities monitored across the region recorded stable or increasing rents in the first quarter of 2026, even as geopolitical uncertainty intensified following escalating conflict in the Middle East.
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