Mike Cannon-Brookes inspects Clyde Cottage, Woollahra
Perhaps the billioniare entreprenuer Mike Cannon-Brookes, the co-founder of Atlassian, and his fashion-design industry wife, Annie aren't content at Centennial Park.
They were spotted inspecting the Queen Street, Woollahra listing, Clyde Cottage yesterday.
It was meant to be a Cinderella listing with the agent Clint Ballard expectant of a quick sale.
But it was February, when with ambitious $13.5 million hopes, Clyde Cottage came onto the market.
The restored one-time Woollahra childhood home of Dame Joan Sutherland even had a queue at its open for inspections which extended onto Queen Street.
But it seems the interest came mostly from opera and architectural buffs.
By co-incidence the Atlassian tech billionaire Capri was spotted back then walking through the village, but showed no purchasing interest.
Cannon-Brookes and wife, Annie spent $12 million last year in Centennial Park after selling in Paddington.
For a time the Cannon-Brookes called Paddington their home at the former 1907 Myers warehouse emporium on Hargrave Street that had been converted into a four-storey, but eight level mansion by Duncan and Lyn Hardie.
The adventurous adaption of the prior House of Desks outlet involved a $4 million plus 2005 conversion approval that then ranked among the dearest of Sydney's non-waterfront private residential projects.
Set on a 300 sqm block, it was sold at $10.5 million in late 2015 by the Cannon-Brookes.
Clyde Cottage, which has had a makeover by studiointernationale and May+Swan Architects, has been listed by the patient vendor, Singapore billioniare Ronald Ooi, who was educated in Sydney.
It last sold for $4 million in a dilapidated state.
The restoration and extension of Clyde Cottage retained the original residence at the front, and added two interconnected pavilions behind it that include the ultra-contemporary main living areas.
The house became Sutherland's home after her father died suddenly on her sixth birthday in the early 1930's and sold by the family sold in 1951.
Several years before her death Sutherland noted: "Unfortunately, from the time my family gave up the house, the deterioration set in.”
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
