Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond set to break Australian property record with $200m+ Sydney mansion sale

Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond has listed his mega-mansion in Sydney’s exclusive Point Piper for sale with a price tag tipped to exceed $200 million, set to smash Australian real estate records.

Dubbed as one of Australia’s most coveted homes, Wingadal was designed by architect Alec Tzannes and took eight years to construct from when Mr Symond bought the block in 1999. The property has never been sold before.

Mr Symond described Wingadal as a home that had balanced private family life with high-philanthropic hosting. He said he was selling the home to spend more time abroad.

“Wingadal has been a special home for my family over the past two decades, and now I’m looking forward to spending more time travelling overseas,” Mr Symond said.

“While being an exceptional family home, we have also enjoyed hosting many important events for charities and other worthwhile causes.”

The property is listed with Ken Jacobs of Forbes Global Properties, with Pillinger’s Brad Pillinger as co-agent.

If the sale meets the lofty price guide, it would easily surpass the current national house price record set by Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar — who recently stepped down as co-CEO from the Australian software giant — when he purchased Point Piper’s Uig Lodge for $130m in late 2022 with his wife, investment banker Kim Jackson.

Mr Pillinger said there was nothing else like Wingadal on the market in Australia.

“The result showcases the foresight, passion, vision and meticulous attention to detail of both My Symond and Mr Tzannes, and as there is no comparable property in Australia,” he said.

“We expect Wingadal will be the first sale to surpass the $200 million barrier in this country.”

Mr Symond, who recently separated from his wife Amber McDonald, has previously listed the property on the market in 2016 but was withdrawn in 2017 after receiving offers of more than $100m.

The four-level, six-bedroom home sits on a 2676sqm block — equivalent to four typical residential blocks — with a 98-metre waterfront along Wolseley Road.

Mr Jacobs said Wingadal was the “the most exciting listing” he had worked on in four decades in the industry. Mr Jacobs in 2018 broke the then-national record when he sold the nearby Point Piper Fairwater estate to Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes for $100m.

“The estate is Australia’s most iconic residence and ranks amongst the best in the world, combining both privacy and space, exuding elegance and comfort, while featuring gun barrel views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge,” Mr Jacobs said.

Wingadal comes with internal entertaining areas with capacity for 500 people; undercover parking for 20 cars; one pool; a 22-seat theatre; a custom-designed wine cellar with capacity for 2500 bottles; and two commercial kitchens.

Mr Symond founded Aussie Home Loans in 1992 and became well-known for promising that “at Aussie, we’ll save you”.

He started Aussie with a $10,000 loan from his brother and the rent-free lease of an office owned by an insurance company he had known from his law days.

Mr Symond introduced home visits and other 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week services, and soon delivered 3 per cent cheaper home loans to mum-and-dad suburbia, prompting other non-bank operations to follow suit.

He was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2002 for his services to the mortgage industry.