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David Griffith, a yachtsman and intellectual property law veteran, and his wife, Penny, have put their Elizabeth Bay secondary home on the market with a price guide of $21 million to $23 million.
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse apartment is in the same complex where Cate Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, bought a two-bedroom, one-bathroom pad for $1.92 million in 2013. Records show the unit was purchased under a company name where Upton, an Australian playwright, is listed as a director.
As previously reported by this masthead, sources close to the sale at the time said the purchase was an investment for their children.
Griffith bought the spread for $10.5 million in 2020, settling the following year, from Jeffrey Weeden, the chair of the National Art School, and his partner, Gareth Bowler. Griffith has since made cosmetic enhancements to the property.
Griffith said he had intended to live in the penthouse with his family but changed his mind. Their primary residence is in Hunters Hill.
“As someone who grew up on Sydney Harbour, I was captivated by the way the water moves and changes throughout the day – it’s almost cinematic. There is an extraordinary sense of peace and privacy,” he said.
“The decision to sell has taken me a very long time. Our family has been in Hunters Hill for over 80 years and in the end I accepted that I could not bring myself to leave. My wife and daughters were right, though it doesn’t make it any easier to let go.”
Griffith said they considered retaining it but believed it deserved to be lived in by someone who loved the harbour and would care for it as a home.
The dual-level abode features expansive glass to capture the stunning views. There is a saltwater harbour pool for residents and a private jetty.
Griffith has refinished the floors and staircase, repainted and restored key elements including marble detail.
Monika Tu of Black Diamondz Property Concierge holds the listing alongside Kitty McNiven. Tu said the apartment was ideal for expats returning to Sydney, families seeking a prestigious harbourside home or empty-nesters wanting to downsize.
Griffith was a former Spruson & Ferguson chair and a past president of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia. In 2019, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant services to intellectual property law and professional standards.
Agents are accepting expressions of interest.
Upper North Shore estate for sale
William Sears, a spinal surgeon, and his wife, Philippa, have listed their Warrawee estate with a price guide of $12 million as they downsize, local sources say.
The six-bedroom, three-bathroom property was built around 1892, with one lot purchased for $1.15 million in 2003, under Mrs Sears’ name, and another for $1.6 million in 2017.
There is a circular driveway, panelled ceilings, a cloak and powder room, and a timber-clad kitchen. There is a pool and cabana, and an expansive lawn.
Mr Sears is a practising surgeon, a co-founder of Wyvern Private Hospital and a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He holds 14 US patents as a named inventor for spinal surgical implants.
An auction has been scheduled for August. David Walker and Belinda Edwards of Ray White Upper North Shore declined to comment on any aspect of the listing.
Sales settled
Hamish Hutton, a construction project manager, and his wife Nell, an executive at Westpac, have settled on the $23 million Cremorne mansion previously owned by former Today co-host Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons, a former Wallaby-turned-author who writes for this masthead.
Transfer documents this week confirmed the Huttons as the buyers of the five-bedroom residence after this masthead revealed the sale in November. Despite Ms Hutton being an employee at Westpac, the couple have taken out a mortgage with the Commonwealth Bank.
The property was passed in at $24.5 million at a private auction in September and a sold sticker later revealed a sale by private treaty on October 28 with the price withheld.
Wilkinson and FitzSimons bought the home for $2.95 million in 1998. They have downsized to a $15 million four-bedroom penthouse in Mosman.
Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger and Monika Tu of Black Diamondz Property Concierge sold the Cremorne abode and declined to comment on any aspect of the sale.
The Huttons this week officially sold their Wollstonecraft home, with transfer documents revealing James Jabbour, an eye specialist, and Veronica Preda, an endocrinologist, paid $9.65 million.
The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house was built for the late Joseph Clifton Love, a manufacturer who helped establish the Uncle Tobys brand in Sydney through his company Clifford Love & Co. The Huttons bought the property for $9.2 million in 2020.
Pillinger, Tu and Blake Morris of Black Diamondz Property Concierge sold the house and declined to comment on any aspect of the sale.
