Twenty kilometres north from Sydney’s CBD is a beachside pocket beloved by creative types, artists and musicians.
This year three houses linked to musical legends sold in the pocket, in two neighbouring suburbs. One was the hideaway of international stars ABBA, another was the childhood haunt of brother and sister band Angus and Julia Stone and the third was the home of AC/DC‘s former manager.
The Narrabeen house believed to have been the bolthole of pop super group ABBA when they toured Sydney in the 1970s sold in July for A$1.76 million.
Owner John Sergeant said he first became aware of the link when he moved into 15 Nioka Rd and started catching taxis to work.
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“All of the Manly cab drivers who picked me up reckon that, yes, this is definitely where ABBA stayed,” he said.
He said the number of taxi drivers who offered the same information led him to do some more digging and he found out that the four-bedroom house had once been owned by a company owned by late television king and media mogul Reg Grundy.
Grundy brought ABBA to Australia for two tours in the 1970s and also co-produced ABBA: The Movie in 1977.
Mr Sergeant also found some old studio tapes when he was replacing his airconditioning system.
Mr Sergeant said a tradesman who was doing some work on his bathroom wanted to keep the floor tiles so he could sell them on eBay as celebrity memorabilia.
“I can’t prove it but I’m inclined to believe the cab drivers,” he said. “Local taxi drivers know everything, don’t they?”
ABBA relaxed here while on tour.
The private property is well hidden from the road and would have made an ideal bunker for the pop stars to take time out from the fan hysteria that followed them everywhere during their tour.
The private home had a guide of A$1.6 million and sold through Domain Residential Newport for A$1.76 million.
Just up the road in Avalon Beach the home of AC/DC’s former manager Michael Browning sold for A$1.871 million in November. Mr Browning has helped some of the biggest names in the Australian music industry, not only managing AC/DC in the first six years of their career but signing INXS to their first record deal with Deluxe.
Mr Browning and his wife Elizabeth fell in love with their 1940s home in Palmgrove Rd 15 years ago and have enjoyed the vine-covered pergolas, secluded swimming pool and artist’s studio.
The home had the air of a European resort, thanks to its French provincial touches. It was private thanks to its 977sqm block plus it was an easy walk to the beach and Avalon village.
Still in Avalon Beach the childhood haunt of Angus and Julia Stone sold for A$2.44 million last month.
Number 13 Catalina Cres is classic Avalon Beach living, a roomy sandstone and weatherboard home on 1138sqm of land complete with treehouse studio. The house was home to piano teacher Jen Cincotta who loved music drifting through her sprawling home. But Ms Cincotta is also the former stepmother of singer -songwriters Angus and Julia Stone, so the house heard some of their early music and the large garden was used for video clips.
The famous siblings even stayed for a while in the self-contained garden treehouse.
Under Ms Cincotta’s ownership, this relaxed six-bedroomhome gained skylights, window box seats, a reconfiguration to include a flat and the garden treehouse.
“I love the warmth of the limed floorboards and the flow of the design,” she said. “Most of all, I love the gardens, with generous level lawn and established trees.”
This early Avalon house is an easy, level, five-minute walk to the beach. Shops, cafes and restaurants are also only minutes away.
There have been many lazy afternoons in the hammock, on the deck and singing around the fire and the beach is a leafy lane walk away, without crossing a road.
- news.com.au
