Justin Hemmes secures Pittwater retreat from Laurence Eastwood

The Pittwater home of Laurence Eastwood, one of Australia's most distinguished production designers, and wife Deborah has been sold.

There's unconfirmed whispers on the fast offshore Pittwater property rumour mill that the buyer may be Justin Hemmes, the hotelier who will be spending plenty of time up that way given his recently opened The Newport by Merivale venture. He will no doubt fly in with his new sea plane.

The Eastwood couple bought the block of land overlooking Morning Bay at Lovett Bay for $510,000 in 1996.

Built in 2006, around the time he returned to his architectural work, the three bedroom Bona Crescent home won him a number of design awards. The house, a post-and-beam design with a vast floating roof and huge stainless steel box gutters that feed rainwater into a 50,000-litre tank, took five months to construct.

The house was designed to take full advantage of both its water and bush views, with wide decks at the front and rear of the living area. He once noted most people build for the water view only but their house was also open at the back to look at the bush.

Belle Property Avalon agent Phil Bell was looking for $3 million.

He had studied architecture in London before taking up theatre design and production.

In 1970, he emigrated to Australia where he joined John Bell, Ken Horler and Richard Wherrett in the formation of the Nimrod Theatre Company at the now Stables Theatre where he designed and production managed many productions including The Removalists.

Laurence worked on Newsfront, Crocodile Dundee II, A Town Like Alice and Phar Lap.

This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.