Howzat! Cricket stars Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc buy luxury $25m estate
The Northern Beaches' Forest District is well known for its grand mansions and luxury acreage.
However, despite its many equestrian estates it has never managed to secure a sale in the rarefied trophy home market of more than $20 million. Until now.
Star cricketers Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc have pulled off the high-end deal of the year, paying almost $25 million for a Terrey Hills estate known as Charlotte Park.
The sale price has smashed all Forest District suburb records.
It has topped not only Terrey Hills' $14.1 million a few months ago when GWS Giants deputy chairman Adrian Fonseca sold his spare equestrian estate, but also the almost $16 million sale earlier this year by Millennial Chinese wine distributor Yunlong Zhang for the Starship Enterprise house in Elanora Heights.
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Charlotte Park is a worthy record-setter. The 1.8 hectare estate features a recently built residence reminiscent of the homesteads of California's Napa Valley, which was a major construction and design job by luxury home design and construction firm Cadence & Co led by architect Michael Kilkeary.
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Beyond the house, its add-ons include everything from equestrian facilities, stables, a tennis court, swimming pool, cabana, pavilion, at least one fire pit, a fairly impressive chicken coop, a kitchen garden, and some of the suburb's best district views.
Cashing in on the property is Simone Mills, best known as the mum of Sydney Swans co-captain Callum Mills, and wife of Cadence's co-founder Darren Mills.
Charlotte Park was quietly on offer for $25 million by Sydney Country Living's Shayne Hutton, who declined to respond to queries.
Recent speculation cricket's golden couple hoped to buy it given their bid for more space and more privacy was confirmed this week care of a caveat on title.
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The sale price more than doubles a previous suburb high of $12 million when rugby league legend Brad Fittler and partner Marie Liarris sold acreage to Telstra's former chairman John Mullen.
But the purchase is a bitter-sweet one for Starc and Healy, given it means they have to sell their much-loved North Curl Curl home.
The designer digs, built by former Miss Universe Jen Hawkins and her husband, builder Jake Wall, goes under the hammer next weekend for $9 million.
It isn't just real estate funding the couple's new home. Starc, who already ranks among Cricket Australia's highest paid contractual players, revealed he plans to put himself forward for next year's Indian Premier League, billed as the richest cricket league in the world.
And Healy, who is tipped as a likely successor to replace recently retired captain Meg Lanning, is already contracted to play for India's UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League.
Australia's top cricketers have long shown a penchant for high-end real estate, even if all of it now sits in the shade of the Healy and Starc's Charlotte Park.
Former Test captain Michael Clarke owns $13 million digs in Vaucluse, Test captain Pat Cummins calls home a $9.3 million house in Bronte, and Steve Smith has his Bronte house up for sale with a revised guide of $6.5 million.
This article was originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald.