Philanthropic couple re-list $40m beachside unit with $5m discount

October 25, 2026 — 5:00am

Former investment banker and philanthropist Peter Hunt and his wife Tania de Jong, a soprano and social entrepreneur, have relisted their Manly penthouse with a price guide of $35 million.

The five-bedroom, five-bathroom, whole-floor unit that’s directly opposite Manly Beach, was first listed in February this year with the same agency and a price guide of $40 million.

Hunt told this masthead they are selling because they are spending more time at their residence outside of Byron Bay.

“It’s not been an easy decision because I love Manly, and the unit is amazing and will never be replicated,” he said.

Should a sale achieve the $35 million guide or higher, it would break the Manly suburb record that was set in 2024 when Wes Maas and his wife Emma bought a mansion for $34 million. A former South Sydney Rabbitohs player, Wes went on to create the Dubbo-based ASX-listed construction materials, equipment and services company Maas Group.

Records show Hunt purchased the beachfront pad for $12.2 million in 2010. Hunt and de Jong also own a property in Melbourne.

The Manly apartment offers panoramic beach views from the entertainer’s terrace and a private jacuzzi.

There is a Caesarstone kitchen, timber floors, stone bathrooms and expansive glass. Communal areas in the complex include a pool and spa.

Hunt was an investment banker for nearly 35 years, co-founded investment banking advisory firm Caliburn Partnership and was the executive chairman of Greenhill Australia.

In 2018, he established Mind Medicine Australia with de Jong, a charity to help those suffering with mental illness through the clinical use of psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Anthony Calacoci of Belle Property Northern Beaches is selling the Manly penthouse.

Palatial Dural residence for sale

A Dural mansion called Le Palais set on two hectares with a total of 11 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms and garaging for more than 40 cars, is on the market with a price guide of $41 million to $45 million.

Property developer Sid Nassif of Northland Group, his wife Kawkab and his family, are understood to be downsizing.

Records show the site, which consisted of land and a half-demolished structure, was purchased for $1.75 million in 2013. The structure was demolished and the new mansion constructed.

Behind a private gated entrance lies a palatial home with four-metre-high doors, sculptural staircases, a glass-feature lift, chandelier centrepiece and internationally sourced marble.

Designed for entertaining, there are five commercial kitchens, an additional kitchenette and five hotel-standard bars. Other leisure zones include a pool terrace, swim-up bar, tennis court, cinema, gym, and basketball, golf and soccer facilities.

Ken Jacobs of Forbes Global Properties, who holds the listing alongside Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger, told this masthead you can’t compare a home of this calibre.

“We tend to understand property markets through comparison. Occasionally, a property comes along for which there is simply no meaningful comparison. Le Palais is one of those rare properties,” he said.

Pillinger added: “Le Palais not only is the standout estate of the region but is world-class by every metric used in assessing a landmark property. Unequalled quality of construction, sheer dimension of house, set on a five-acre block with every possible luxury finish.”

The house price record for The Hills District was reset in July this year when a six-bedroom, five-bathroom, provincial-style estate in Middle Dural sold for $16.5 million.

Vendor slashes asking price for Central Coast home

Tony Denny, the former owner of an automotive company, has slashed the asking price of his Central Coast home to meet the market and sell.

Denny first listed the four-bedroom, four-bathroom residence in Wagstaffe late last year with a different agency and a price guide of $8 million to $8.5 million. It’s now listed at $6.95 million.

“An 18 per cent price reduction on such a quality and unique property is quite dramatic, however one has to be realistic in these tough market conditions, otherwise you are wasting everyone’s time,” Denny told this masthead.

Interiors feature hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, a stone kitchen and a home office that could be made into a gym. French doors lead to a covered alfresco entertainment area and lawn, and there is a private pontoon jetty and renovated boathouse.

Multiple prestige listings have seen a reduction in asking price recently, with vendors prepared to meet the market.

El Jannah co-founders, Andre and Carole Estephan, have reduced the $11 million guide set in February for their Dural home to $8.95 million to $9.35 million, and the Newport mansion owned by Brook Adcock, the former Pandora Australia boss, has had its price guide reduced by $8 million, now on offer with a guide of $19 million.

Denny sold his dealership AAA Autos to Polish private equity firm Abris Capital Partners for $320 million in 2014. He turned to property development as the founder and chief executive of Central Real Capital, now focusing on real estate private credit.

Josh Canellis of Wiseberry Peninsula is selling the Wagstaffe home.

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