Pink mohawks to palm trees: Darryn Lyons $6 million estate listing

From pink mohawks and paparazzi fame to palm-fringed beaches and penthouse views, former Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons is officially closing the door on his Australian property chapter.

The flamboyant media personality is selling not one but two headline-grabbing homes, a tropical beachfront retreat in Far North Queensland and his famously pink Sydney apartment, as he prepares to relocate overseas for work and travel.

The combined sale is tipped to fetch more than $6 million, marking a dramatic lifestyle reset for the man once dubbed Mr Paparazzi.

First to hit the market is Lyons' four-bedroom beachfront home at Newell Beach, near Port Douglas, listed with a price guide of $2.5 million-plus.

Tucked between rainforest and ocean, the striking property offers the kind of privacy and drama you'd expect from one of Australia's most colourful public figures, including bold architectural lines and oversized gorilla sculptures dotted throughout the home.

"You don't own a place like this unless it keeps giving something back," Lyons said.

"This hasn't just been ownership, it's been a love affair."

Lyons says the home was an instant connection when he first laid eyes on it, describing the experience as "spiritual" and unlike anything else he'd owned.

"It's a luxurious observation deck for the natural world," he said.

"You don't live beside nature here ... you live inside it."

But with his life now largely based overseas, the former mayor admits the decision to sell hasn't been easy.

"I do sometimes wonder why I'm selling," he said. "But this home deserves someone who can really live in it."

Lyons had listed the tropical estate on Airbnb as a holiday rental, stating in an Instagram post.

"This place has given me years of magic... ocean at your doorstep, total privacy, tropical breezes, sunrise colours you'll never forget. And now it's ready for you to enjoy while I'm running around the world. If you're chasing luxury, space, calm, privacy and serious FNQ paradise, this is it. Come stay. Come breathe. Come enjoy what I've loved for so long."

If the tropical escape represents Lyons' private side, his Sydney apartment is pure Darryn Lyons showbiz.

The two-bedroom residence sits on the 15th floor of the Harry Seidler-designed Horizon Building in Darlinghurst, one of the city's most iconic addresses, and was purchased off-the-plan back in 1998.

Since then, the apartment has been transformed into a bold, art-filled showpiece, complete with Lyons' unmistakable pink aesthetic and sweeping north-east views across the CBD, Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf.

Together, the two listings signal a clean break from Australia for the former paparazzo-turned-politician, swapping council chambers and cocktail parties for a life lived largely offshore.

And while the pink mohawk may be long gone, Lyons' property portfolio proves he's still very much in the business of making a statement.