Lady Sonia McMahon's Palm Beach retreat sells

Jonathan ChancellorNovember 14, 2012

The Palm Beach retreat of the late Lady (Sonia) McMahon has been sold for $2 million at its executors' auction. There were three registered bidders.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom Ralston Road Palm Beach weekender had been in the Burton-Taylor family since bought for $29,575 in 1968.

The unrenovated brick-and-timber 1950s house was designed by architect John Suttor. The LJ Hooker estate agent David Edwards was suggesting a $2.25 million plus price estimate pre-auction for the 1,350-square-metre property, which Lady McMahon had made available for her hairdresser's usage.

Lady McMahon, widow of the former prime minister Sir William McMahon, was 77 when she died in April 2010. The estate is being sold off by their children, the Hollywood actor Julian McMahon and his two sisters.

The sibblings have sold two Bellevue Hill properties since May last year.

The latest sale lifts the sales tally from $15.25 million to $17.25 million – equating to about $5.8 million for each child, albeit less costs, which include sizeable land tax charges.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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