From sports royalty and media stars to retail billionaires, 2025 was the year Melbourne’s biggest names quietly made money and shattered property records.
As much of Melbourne’s mainstream market slowed, celebrities and high-profile vendors took decisive action.
The decisive sale of the year took place in Toorak.
Paul Little, former chairman of Toll Holdings and powerbroker of the Essendon Football Club, together with University of Melbourne Chancellor Jane Hansen, sold the historic Coonac estate on Clendon Rd in an off-market deal tipped between $130 million and $150 million.
The sale broke Melbourne’s previous residential record.
It immediately became one of the most expensive housing transactions in Australian history.
The deal set the tone for a year in which Toorak reasserted its dominance at the height of Melbourne’s prestige market.
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Coonac on Clendon Rd, Toorak, headlined Melbourne’s celebrity property market in 2025 with a record off-market deal of $130 million to $150 million. Image: Instagram
Essendon power broker Paul Little and University of Melbourne chancellor Jane Hansen sold Toorak’s Coonac estate in 2025.
Following the merger between Chemist Warehouse and Sigma Healthcare, co-founder Jack Gance and his wife Evelyn have acquired a massive Lansell Rd holding company.
Industry estimates put the transaction at between $80 million and $95 million, underscoring the growing role of corporate liquidity in shaping the city’s top echelon.
Prominent Melbourne buyer advocate Cate Bakos said the year showed a clear divide between prestigious buyers and the broader market.
“When people talk about buyers at this level who don’t have to worry about interest rates or stamp duty, they really mean those who can absorb these costs without any material impact,” Bakos said.
PIPA chairman and buyer advocate Cate Bakos says Melbourne’s prestige market is a different world, with high-end buyers able to absorb costs that others cannot.
Radio and TV personality Chrissie Swan was among the high-profile salespeople shaping Melbourne’s 2025 celebrity churn.
“That does create a different market to a certain extent, but it is not uniform.”
Ms Bakos said ambition continued to play a powerful role even at the top.
“You still have buyers pursuing prestige where affordability and value absolutely matter,” she said,
“The greater certainty around interest rates encouraged buyers to make longer-term decisions rather than wait on the sidelines.”
Chrissie Swan sold her Hawthorn East home after a very personal renovation as buyers prioritized quality and character in 2025. Photo: Sam Tabone
Chrissie Swan has sold her colorful home in Hawthorn East. Photo: Christian Gilles.
The buyer’s advocate said the shift towards generational assets was becoming increasingly apparent.
“When people buy an exceptional family home, they often think in terms of decades and not years,” says Bakos.
“That applies to both downsizers looking for a forever home and upgraders building a long-term foundation.”
Former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou entered Melbourne’s prestige market in 2025 with the listing of his Marcus Martin-designed Toorak home.
Andrew Demetriou’s Marcus Martin-designed home in Toorak hit the market with a guide value of $14.5 million to $16.5 million.
AFL executives also played a prominent role in the year’s celebrity turnover.
Former league chief Andrew Demetriou listed his Marcus Martin-designed Toorak home with a price guide of $14.5 million to $16.5 million, while outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan sold his Prahran residence for around $8 million after revising previous price expectations, reflecting the more disciplined tone of the prestige market.
Ms Bakos said these results reinforced that buyers were willing to pay for quality, but not without supervision.
“There is recovery at the top end, but buyers remain very selective,” she says.
“This was not an exuberant market.”
Whitefox Northside director Dylan Francis says Melbourne’s $10 million-plus buyers increasingly want reassurance they are ready to move, rather than build.
The Simonds family estate at 43 Grant St, Malvern East, sold for about $12 million in one of Melbourne’s biggest deals of 2025.
Whitefox Northside managing director Dylan Francis said the prestige segment’s resilience was driven by a growing rejection of the cost and uncertainty of construction.
“Families are sizing up and realizing that buying an exceptional, move-in ready home is often just as good, if not better, than buying land and buildings,” Francis said.
“Construction costs, long construction times and the cost of renting while waiting had fundamentally changed buyer behavior, especially in the $10 million-plus price range.
“Buyers want certainty, they want to pick up the keys and move in straight away.”
That behavior was clearly visible in the sales of players and media.
Carlton forward Jack Silvagni joined Melbourne’s celebrity sales list in 2025 with a pre-move sale at Mont Albert North.
Carlton striker Jack Silvagni sold his renovated Mont Albert North home for $1.99 million ahead of his move to St Kilda, while Essendon defender Jayden Laverde sold his Ascot Vale property following post-auction negotiations.
Media figures were also active: radio and television personality Chrissie Swan sold her Hawthorn East home after a very personal renovation, highlighting the enduring appeal of characterful, well-executed homes, even as buyers scrutinized the price more closely.
Jayden Laverde, who previously played for Essendon, now plays for the GWS Giants. Photo: Phil Hillyard
Jayden Laverde sold his property in Ascot Vale.
Further east, Canterbury joined the prestige conversation with the sale of Alchemy House on Monomeath Ave for more than $30 million, setting a new benchmark for the suburbs and cementing the expansion of high-end demand beyond the traditional golden triangle.
Lifestyle-driven celebrity sales have also shaped the Mornington Peninsula.
Bec Judd was one of the celebrity salespeople driving lifestyle-led property moves across Victoria in 2025. Photo: David Caird
Bec and Chris Judd sold their Arthurs Seat retreat for $2.78 million as the celebrity market on the Mornington Peninsula remained in focus.
Bec and Chris Judd sold their Arthurs Seat retreat for $2.78 million, while the family of Formula 1 star Oscar Piastri made another luxury Victorian purchase.
Interest also continued in the late Shane Warne’s Portsea estate, reflecting the continued appeal of seaside addresses.
Mr Francis said off-market sales will be one of the defining features of the high-end market of 2025, largely driven by privacy and flexibility around settlement terms.
Some of Melbourne’s most talked-about sales of 2025
Coonac, Clendon Rd, Toorak // Paul Little and Jane Hansen // $130 million – $150 million
Lansell Rd estate, Toorak // Jack Gance & Evelyn Gance // $80 million – $95 million
Grant St Estate, Malvern East // Rhett Simonds & Samantha Simonds // ~$12 million
Marcus Martin designed the house, Toorak // Andrew Demetriou // $14.5 million – $16.5 million
Prahran mansion // Gillon McLachlan // ~$8 million
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