From royalty and media stars to multimillionaires, 2025 was the year Melbourne’s biggest names quietly cashed in and smashed property records.
As a large part of Melbourne’s mega market falls, celebrities and high-profile retailers have moved in earnest.
The defining sale of the year came in Toorak.
Former Toll Holdings chairman and Essendon Football Club powerbroker Paul Little, along with University of Melbourne chancellor Jane Hansen, have sold the historic Coonac property on Clendon Rd in a market deal estimated at between $130m and $150m.
The sale broke Melbourne’s previous residential record.
It quickly became one of the most expensive domestic jobs in Australian history.
The deal set the tone for a year in which Toorak reasserted its dominance at the top of Melbourne’s prestigious market.
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Coonac on Clendon Rd, Toorak, hit the headlines in Melbourne’s 2025 celebrity property market with a record not-for-sale deal estimated at $130m-$150m. Photo: Instagram
Essendon powerbroker Paul Little and University of Melbourne chancellor Jane Hansen have sold Toorak’s Coonac property in 2025.
Following the Chemist Warehouse/Sigma Healthcare merger, founder Jack Gance and his wife Evelyn acquired a large Lansell Rd.
Industry estimates put the job at between $80m and $95m, underscoring the growing role of venture capital in shaping the city’s top end.
Melbourne-based consumer advocate Cate Bakos said the year had highlighted a clear divide between established consumers and the wider market.
“When people talk about consumers at this level, they don’t have to worry about interest rates or stamp duty, they are actually referring to those who can absorb those costs without material disruption,” said Ms. Bakos.
PIPA Chair and consumer advocate Cate Bakos says Melbourne’s luxury market is a different world, where high-end buyers can absorb the costs that others can’t.
Radio and TV presenter Chrissie Swan was among the high-profile sellers creating Melbourne’s celebrity property churn of 2025.
“That creates a different market to some extent, but it’s not the same.”
Ms. Bakos said that desire continues to play a strong role even at the highest level.
“You still have consumers who are pushing for excellence where affordability and value are very important,” he said,
“Increased confidence in interest rates has encouraged consumers to commit to long-term decisions rather than wait on the sidelines.”
Chrissie Swan has sold her Hawthorn East home after a personal renovation, as buyers prioritize quality and character in 2025. Photo: Sam Tabone
Chrissie Swan has sold her colorful Hawthorn East home. Photo: Christian Gilles.
The consumer advocate said that the displacement of manufactured goods is becoming more and more prominent.
“When people buy a special family home, they tend to think in decades, not years,” says Ms. Bakos.
“That applies to both downsizers looking for a permanent home and developers establishing a long-term foundation.”
Former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou has entered Melbourne’s prestigious 2025 market with the listing of his Marcus Martin-designed Toorak home.
Andrew Demetriou’s Marcus Martin home in Toorak has hit the market with a guide of $14.5m to $16.5m.
AFL bosses are back in the limelight in the celebrity of the year competition.
Former club chief Andrew Demetriou has listed his Marcus Martin-built Toorak home with a price guide of $14.5m to $16.5m, while outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has sold his Phran residence for around $8 after slashing previous price expectations, reflecting the positive tone of the luxury market.
Ms. Bakos said those results emphasize that consumers are ready to pay for quality, but not without scrutiny.
“There was a recovery in the end, but consumers are still very selective,” he said.
“This has not been a happy market.”
Whitefox Northside director Dylan Francis says Melbourne’s $10m-plus buyers are increasingly looking for certainty about how to go about building.
The Simonds family estate at 43 Grant St, Malvern East, has sold for almost $12m in one of Melbourne’s biggest deals of 2025.
Director of Whitefox Northside, Dylan Francis, said the strength of the prestige category was due to the increase in cost rejection and structural uncertainty.
“Families are doing the math and realizing that buying a special, move-in-ready home is often just as much, if not more, than buying land and building,” Mr Francis said.
“Construction costs, long construction times and waiting rental costs have dramatically changed buyer behavior, especially in the $10m-plus bracket.
“Consumers want certainty, they want to collect the keys and go straight.”
That behavior was reflected in all the marketing of the players and the media.
Carlton forward Jack Silvagni has joined Melbourne’s 2025 celebrity auction list with a pre-move sale at Mont Albert North.
Carlton forward Jack Silvagni sold his refurbished Mont Albert North home for $1.99m before moving to St Kilda, while Essendon defender Jayden Laverde sold his Ascot Vale property following post-auction negotiations.
The media figures were also at work, with radio and television presenter Chrissie Swan selling her Hawthorn East home following a personal renovation, highlighting the enduring appeal of characterful, well-built homes as buyers scrutinize prices closely.
Jayden Laverde who used to play for Essendon now plays for the GWS Giants Photo: Phil Hillyard
Jayden Laverde has sold his Ascot Vale property.
To the east, Canterbury joined the buzz with the sale of Alchemy House on Monomeath Ave for more than $30m, setting a new benchmark for the suburb and underpinning the expansion of high-end demand beyond the traditional golden triangle.
Celebrity lifestyle sales have also brought the Mornington Peninsula to a standstill.
Bec Judd was among the celebrity marketers driving a lifestyle-led tour across Victoria in 2025. Photo: David Caird
Bec and Chris Judd sold their Arthurs Seat property for $2.78m as the Mornington Peninsula’s celebrity market remained in focus.
Bec and Chris Judd have sold their Arthurs Seat property for $2.78m, while the family of Formula One star Oscar Piastri added another high-end Victorian purchase.
Interest also continued to surround Shane Warne’s late Portsea estate, showing the continued draw of coastal addresses.
Mr Francis said over-the-counter sales are one of the defining features of the 2025 premium market, driven largely by privacy and flexibility in terms of payment.
Another of Melbourne’s most high profile sales of 2025
Coonac, Clendon Rd, Toorak // Paul Little & Jane Hansen // $130m-$150m
Lansell Rd estate, Toorak // Jack Gance and Evelyn Gance // $80m-$95m
Grant St estate, Malvern East // Rhett Simonds and Samantha Simonds // ~$12m
Marcus Martin designed home, Toorak // Andrew Demetriou // $14.5m-$16.5m
Phraran family residence // Gillon McLachlan // ~$8m
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