The Wildes Meadow historic property Brookville was recently snapped up by Karen and Warwick White, the former Coca-Cola boss who now runs a coffee capsule maker.
The Burradoo trophy home, Burradoo House sold for $5.38 million to Rose Deo who then sold Rosehill Farm in Kangaloon to billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Leonie Simart, the wife of former banker Jean-Marie Simart, founder of Vintec Australia, recently paid $3.65 million for Wandana at Burradoo.
Hotelier Justin Malouf, who co-owns the refurbished watering hole Royal Oak Hotel in Double Bay, and his wife Sasha bought at Glenquarry, paying $3.75 million for Sittingborne.
The longtime childcare operator Marty Downs has seized the burgeoning demand for upmarket food and alcohol outlets with several strategic investments totalling close to $16 million in the past three years.
Last month he added the historic 1922 Bundanoon Hotel with the 60-room Tudor-style hotel on two hectares now set for a serious makeover.
Downs works with hotelier Peter Dean in their joint Southern Highlands Pub Group venture. They have H&E Architects plans to expand the Royal Hotel Bowral after Downs outlaid $2.25 million.
Downs, who owns Trungley Stud, gets around in his Bentley.
The architects Chris Grinham and Glenn Cunnington and Dean, whose has family has links to the Eastern suburbs drinking hole, The Lord Dudley, have been tasked with turning underperforming pub grub hotels in thriving outlets where the aim is having customers see the space as an extension of their cosy yet vast living rooms.
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
