Former Real Housewife pays $17 million for grand Bellevue Hill home

The Real Housewives of Sydney alumna Nicole O’Neil, and her hedge fund manager husband, Adam O’Neil, have emerged as the buyers of a Bellevue Hill garden estate.

Settlement documents last week show the couple paid $17 million for the five-bedroom, three-bathroom, heritage-listed house previously owned by doctor Robert Talbot.

Nicole starred on all three seasons of the reality TV franchise and was crowned Miss Australia in 2002. Her latest venture is BonWellness, a brand of wearable wellness patches that are said to release vitamins and botanicals into your system, as well as supplements and fragrance.

The mansion, on about 1346 square metres, was built in 1925 and underwent a renovation in 1939 by architect and professor Leslie Wilkinson.

Bedrooms are on the upper level, and there is a terraced lower garden with harbour views from Rose Bay to Mosman and Manly.

Nicole told this masthead the couple were excited to move in.

“For now, we plan on new carpets and a fresh coat of paint. The energy of the home is magnificent,” she said.

Agents Di Wilkenfeld and Michael Pallier of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty sold the home. Simon Cohen of Cohen Handler is understood to have represented the O’Neils. All declined to comment when contacted by this masthead.

The O’Neil family sold their Vaucluse residence with pool for $23.35 million in July this year.

Nicole’s sister Nora Gazal is a marketing manager for Gazcorp, a property company that was founded in 1971 by the sisters’ late father, Nabil Gazal.

Nora and Michael Milling, the director of timber floor supplier Woodos, also sold their Vaucluse home at auction on May 21 for $11,875,000 to Christopher Weeks and his wife, Nina Hansen.

Weeks is a principal at DTW Capital Solutions, a debt advisory firm, and on the advisory board for Imperium Markets, a financial regulatory technology company

What downturn?

While Sydney property prices have gone backwards, a select pocket of the prestige market is marching to its own beat as some vendors this month ask for figures around the $100 million mark for their homes.

Stuart Rose of the prominent Rose property developer family and his wife, Irina, have listed their brand-new, five-level residence with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms in Rose Bay. It’s understood that only parties willing to pay north of $100 million are being given appointments to inspect the property.

Records show that Stuart, who runs the Rose property group with brother Bryan Rose and is the son of developer Margaret Rose and her late husband, Bob Rose, bought the existing dwelling on the site for $15.5 million in 2015 from The Easybeats’ lead guitarist, Harry Vanda, and his wife Robyn.

An extensive knockdown and rebuild estimated to have cost more than $20 million was approved by the council. The finished result is a grand abode with sculptural staircase, three kitchens, cinema, wine lounge, fitness centre and infinity edge pool and spa, allowing for uninterrupted views of the harbour and city skyline.

Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger and Michael Pallier of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty are accepting expressions of interest.

Earlier this month, rich lister and luxury car importer Neville Crichton and his stylist wife, Nadi Hasandedic, put their waterfront Point Piper mansion on the market with price hopes of $85 million to $90 million. The new owner will be neighbours with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Property tycoon and fellow rich lister Robert Magid and his wife, Ruth, also listed their Point Piper mansion with a price guide of $85 million.

Ken Jacobs and Martin Ross of Forbes Global Properties are selling Crichton’s Point Piper abode, while Pillinger and Pallier are selling the Magid family’s home.

Hoping for a sweet deal

Investing in the healthy fast food movement appears to be lucrative as Joshua Phillips, co-founder of the Cali Press brand, has put his renovated Tamarama home on the market with a price guide of $10 million.

Phillips is also a director of Polite Playground, a technology-focused brand activation agency. He is selling as he’s after a seachange in the Byron Bay region.

Records show Phillips bought the four-level, five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence for $7,425,000 in 2023.

Media personality Deborah Hutton previously lived next door, having sold her property for $4.2 million in 2015 after purchasing it for $3,375,000 in 2007.

Phillips renovated his house, including the kitchen and bathrooms, and transformed the ceiling to exude an industrial vibe.

There are oak and stone floors, a mirrored feature wall to reflect the ocean views, a cinema, courtyard with a pool, a sauna and ice bath.

Simon Exleton of Pillinger, who is selling the abode, describes it as a “seamless lifestyle home positioned on the best street in Tamarama”. An auction is scheduled for September.

Phillips opened the first Cali Press store in Sydney in 2014 with friends and co-founders Scott Glasson, Blair Armstrong and Nick Bardetta. Bardetta has since left the company and Phillip has come on as an investor.

There are now 19 locations across Sydney and a store in Melbourne will open in October.