As we predicted..

And thus it came to pass ! More on our tale about the rumblings in the northern paradise of Byron Bay, one of Australia's most beautiful, unique areas which has become incredibly popular over the decades.

Chris Hemsworth's Mega Mansion

Byron Bay was a sleepy whaling town in the early part of the 20th century. It's also Australia's most Easterly point. Even today one can see whales heading North (fleeing from Japanese whaling ships?)and groups of gamboling dolphins are regularly spotted from the beach.

But has Byron (as the locals call it) become a victim of it's own success?. Just days ago we reported that many locals are getting fed up with the thousands of tourists who flock into town on weekends and depart, leaving a mess for locals to clear up and pay for.

About a 15 minute drive inland from Byron is the town of Mullumbimby, another quaint village that has also been popular with newcomers. It's where Whispers has stayed with friends over the years. We even meet & BBQed with the Super Star Action Heroes Chris & Liam Hemsowrth when they were mere lads-their parents lived there for a time. Now both Hemsworth brothers have departed Hollywood and Chris Hemsworth has built a ginormous shopping centere style mansion in the area. Other Hollywood stars are flocking there including Zac Efron who with Matt Damon, are looking for suitable houses to buy. As for Mullumbimby, the quiet town now has traffic jams on weekends with nary a parking spot to be found.

Now a local has gone public with an article in the Sydney Morning Herald as they plan to sell up and move back to the city. At the current rate of skyrocketing house prices in Byron, this shouldn't be much of a problem.

Read the article here: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/paradise-lost-why-i-m-leaving-byron-bay-just-when-netflix-is-moving-in-20210411-p57i73.html

Over Here & Over Priced

It's a perfect example of how Australian property prices, especially in Sydney are sky-rocketing. With just an average suburban house, inner city terrace or a Redfern apartment now costing up to $1M, Iona , the gorgeous residence of Academy Award winning film duo Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin has gone on the market for a whopping $16M US with the pair moving permanently to New York.
Whispers has been to the property twice, once before Baz bought Iona and it was fairly run down and once for a garden party given by the pair. We managed to peek inside and the decor is truly wonderful and an example of Catherine's exquisite taste.

But consider what their movie contemporaries pay in Hollywood or New York. Julia Roberts put her sensational NY penthouse on the market for $4.5M while fitness guru Russell Simmons picked up a stunning LA house for $5.8M. Meanwhile writer and actor Larry David purchased a huge mansion with 7 bedrooms & 9 bathrooms in the snooty Pacific Palisades with stunning water views for $15M (Iona may be in Darlinghurst but it has absolutely no views at all) and comedienne Rosie O'Donnell has listed her New Jersey mega mansion for sale at just $7M while mega star George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin paid an affordable $16M for a 300 year old Grade II listed Georgian mansion in a five-acre islet in the River Thames west of central London.