Palm Beach shack For Sale

'Kaluha'

Every summer a flock of paparazzi set out for ritzy Palm Beach at the very furthest end of Sydney's northern peninsular where local and international celebrities spend their lazy days in the handful of mansions available in the area.

Now the most famous house that usually hosts an international star over summer is up for sale-Kalua, the magnificent property owned by businessman Ian Joye can be yours for an asking price of over $25M.

The 1920s Caribbean style beach house is actually three separate houses on about 5,500sqm in the cul-de-sac at the prestigious southern end of the beachfront, nestled among the lush vegetation of historic Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour with filtered views direct across to the beach, bordered by tall Pines.

Only HRH Prince Charles' friend Bob Rose has a better property being right at the end with commanding views over the beach.

Kalua was once owned by the Horden department store family (they all had Palm Beach houses in the 1930s-the Graces, the Lloyd Jones while the Myers opted for Sorrento in Victoria ). Gazing over the azure waters of the Pacific it's secluded amid magnificent sprawling grounds and really hearkens back to a more stylish era when Eastern Suburbs' families would motor down for the week end and jostle over who could host the smartest  garden party.

These days Palm Beach is a bit of a film colony with Oscar winning director Peter Weir, actors Bryan Brown and Racheal Ward and Sam Neil all living in the area while the North Palm Beach Surf Club is used as a set for Home &Away.

Those who have rented Kaluha for $40,000 a week include Mick Jagger, John Cleese, Bono, Nicole Kidman,Tom Cruise, Rupert Murdoch, Paul McCartney and Billy Connolly.

If you are short on cash the vendor is offering 60% finance which means you could look forward to a monthly mortgage of about $120,000.

Kelly & Belly Secretly Wed

Kelly & Belly

He looks after the finances of a host of celebrities like Russell Crowe and Elle McPherson and some of Australia's top business people. She is the gorgeous host of the travel show Getaway

Anthony Bell and Kelly Landry wed in secret in Queenstown , New Zealand 2 weeks ago.

On Friday evening they threw a bash at the exclusive Rose Bay water-side restaurant Catalina for 200 pals, amongst them actress Holly Brisley, TV host Larry Emdur , boxer Danny Green and society maven Marie Sutton.

Known as Kelly & Belly to friends, Anthony Bell's firm Bell Partners  regularly tops the list of the Business Review Weekly (BRW) magazine's most productive performing companies.

 He also owns the enormous gin palace Ghost which is often used for celebrity harbour cruises including by Bono last year and Prince Frederick & Princess Mary of Denmark.

Bono, A Love Match and Son of Christian the Lion

They've been spotted around town arm in arm several times now and it's official- they are an item.

Glen Marie Frost and John Rendall of Christian the Lion fame. Glen-Marie is one of the most powerful PRs in the country and a political fixer.

 Rendall recently found fame when old footage of he and his partner Anthony Ace Bourke being greeted by a lion in Africa received 50M hits on youtube after someone put schmaltzy music to it. Before that he was-as the Londoner's Diary on the UK Evening Standard newspaper called him, "an Australian socialite" living in London.

Both have been married twice before. Glen Marie to 2 high flying businessmen .Rendall was once married to top London PR Liz Brewer. Aussie viewers will have seen her in the local Ladette's To Lady where she introduces the rough and ready local gels to the cream of London society- a retired Major, a used car dealer, some young Hooray Henrys from a minor public school and Lady Colin Campbell, an aristocrat with a startling deep voice.



At Nic Cerrone's- Kerrie Ann Kennerley and John Rendall .



Our new lovers were at the diamonds launch at top jeweller Nic Cerrone's lavish boutique in Martin Place last Thursday. And again today at the Black & White Committee's charity lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel where Rendall treated the guests to a (thankfully) short slide show on Christian.



 Carmela & Nic Cerrone



John has just returned from Kenya where he hosted a safari. He says on the last day he and the group were trekking in the George Adamson Wildlife Reserve when they found an abandoned lion cub on the spot where Christan lived out his last days.
John's having the lion cub DNA tested to see if it is related to Christian!.

                                         

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Singer Bono flicked a switch last night to bathe the Sydney Opera House in red lights for the launch of World AIDs Day. Accompanying him were NSW premier Kristina Keneally and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Bono quipped that he felt like the "third member of Charlie's Angels".



Julia Gillard, Kristina Keneally, Bono



He leads the charge over the next 2 months that will see an influx Down Under of celebrities . Oprah Winfrey arrives on the 10th of December for at least 2 weeks accompanied by John Travolta. Nicole Kidman and hubby fly in to appear on Oprah's show with Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Hugh Jackman.

Golfer Greg Norman is in town to play golf and threw a bash last night at the Astral Bar at Star City while in Melbourne Jay Z & Beyonce went ten-pin bowling.



George Michael arrives soon for summer. Actor John Malkovich arrives at the end of December to appear at the Sydney Festival and expatriate True Blood star Ryan Kwanten flew in yesterday to attend the GQ Man of The Year Awards.



discreet aristocratic entrance

      Slipping quietly into her former home town for a visit is the Countess of Dartmouth, the former Fiona Handbury who divorced the owner of media magazine empire, Matt Hanbury in 2001.Hanbury also happens to be Rupert Murdoch's nephew which has earned him the nickname-The Man From Uncle.

     When Sir Keith Murdoch died in 1952 he left one newspaper, the Adelaide Advertiser to his son Rupert who has since parlayed it into the News Corp world-wide media empire.

     Leaving a handful of small moderately successful magazines to daughter Helen, her son Matt turned them into a nation wide publishing success Murdoch Magazines which he sold in 2004 to Perth billionaire Kerry Stokes for $77M.

      Fiona, a former model who has appeared on Vogue covers around the world was once Sydney's party queen, holding court at the Handbury's magnificent Point Piper pile, Altona. The Handbury parties were the most sought after invites with Matt

(pictured right), a frustrated rock'n'roller taking to the stage with his own rock band and electric guitar.

        Altona is one of the most desired harbourside properties. Fiona once confided to tSS at one of their poolside shindigs that the Handbury and Murdoch clans aren't terribly close and only ever meet at the most formal family functions like birthday get-togethers for the Murdoch matriach Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.

       As part of her divorce settlement, Fiona received Altona which she promptly sold for nearly $29M. It currently rents out to visiting celebs like Bono and actor Hugh Jackman. Jackman  has expressed a desire to purchase the house.

      Cashed up, Fiona fled the Sydney scene for rural England.

Enter William Legge, the 10th Earl of Dartmouth.and an MP of the European parliament. Friends were surprised when Legge took Hanbury for his bride, convinced he was destined for confirmed bachelorhood. Now Fiona is a regular at London society parties and across the pond in New York and the Hamptons.

There's a rumour around town that the Countess's visit may involve discussions of a financial kind. Handbury still owns a highly successful publishing company Murdoch Books which goes from strength to strength operating, from a set of magnificent offices on a huge wharf on the harbour.

   

As revealed exclusively by tSS a year ago actor Eric Bana has become the public face of Father Chris Riley's Youth Of The Streets charity which gives homeless kids  a head start with the skills needed to survive after a rough childhood. YOTS as it is called is one of Matt Handbury's favourite causes and he has purchased a country farm for the charity and is it's most feverent financial supporter. Matt currently lives in the National Trust listed Bronte House on a 50 year lease on condition he opens the superb gardens which have magnificent sweeping lawns down to Bronte beach once a year to the public.
                           As for the Countess, she divides her time between a Belgravia house and a New York apartment while the Earl attends to affairs in Brussels.

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Distant cousins ?

Belgian cartoon character Tin Tin

                                                                                            

                                                                                                              Aussie PM Kevin Rudd