Byron Bay house price record: Celebrity beachfront for sale with $45m guide

A huge slice of beachfront land has hit the market in Byron Bay with a $45m price guide, which is set to obliterate records.

The 2000 sqm block with 40m of beach frontage at 1-3 Don St, Belongil Beach is currently the site of the Bluewater holiday accommodation, but listing agent Kim Jones expects the buyer will build their dream home there.

“It’s everyone’s favourite place to book and there’s really nothing quite like it — 2000 sqm of north-facing absolute beachfront and the longest width of beachfront property in Byron Bay,” said Jones, who recently broke the Byron Bay record with a $37m hinterland sale.

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The Belongil Beach property, owned by interests associated with Patrick George and John James, long-term property investors based in Brisbane, has some famous neighbours.

Right next door, Harvey Norman heir Glen Norman paid $10m in 2017 for the beachfront retreat of his former father-in-law, the late John “Strop” Cornell from the iconic Paul Hogan Show of the 1970s.

Further along the beachfront is celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and property executive Shane Smollen, who’s building a massive house. Bar tzar Justin Hemmes paid $17.5m for his beachfront shack nearby in February.

But this latest listing, with spectacular ocean views to Julian Rocks and Cape Byron Lighthouse, is an extremely attractive commercial operation with the six cottages — ‘Bondi’; ‘Bronte’, ‘Tamarama’; ‘Lifesaver’; ‘Laila’s and ‘Belles’ — all booked out well in advance.

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Some of the names are a hint as to where many of the visitors come from and it’s no surprise that there’s expected to be strong interest in the rare property from Sydney’s east.

But Jones says there’ll also be buyers coming from Sydney’s north shore; Brisbane and overseas.

‘It will be an international campaign and I think there’ll be interest from everywhere,” Jones said.

“Where else can you get north-facing beachfront up the coast?

“There’s not another one like this — look at Hedges Ave on the Gold Coast; I’d buy this over that any day of the week.

“There you’re paying $25,000 per sqm so that’s why I’m pricing this at that level: $44m to $50m.

“And at Wategos, Watermark has just sold for $30m — that works out at $45,000 per sqm and that has a road in front of it, Marine Pde!”

The six beachfront cottages at Bluewater have a floor area of 1,264m2, with 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms in total.

Each artfully curated cottage has been designed with the use of natural timbers; plantation shutters and weather-proof screens, an ode to the laid-back “barefoot luxury” of the Belongil locale.

Minimalist landscaped gardens feature natural stone, outdoor showers and circular paving.

It’s a four-minute drive to the heart of Byron Bay and the popular Belongil Beach Italian Food or Treehouse restaurants are just metres from the front door.

Bluewater could also be easily converted to a luxury corporate retreat or yoga and art workshop space.

Yet the owners also anticipate it could just as easily become a private beachfront sanctuary with plenty of space for the extended family.

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