Hollywood star’s $16m Aussie hide-out for sale

The secret Aussie hideaway of Hollywood starlet Rachel McAdams, who has been filming her latest horror movie Down Under, has just been put up for sale and it’s a cracker.

A uniquely mid-century home, which has just played host to a Hollywood heavyweight, has come to market in Woollahra with price expectations of $16m.

Built in 1959, the private Palm Springs-style residence was recently revived by renowned architect Iain Halliday of BKH and offers an alternative lifestyle to its more modern eastern suburbs contemporaries.

It’s likely this point of design difference that attracted movie star Rachel McAdams to stay at the secluded five-bedroom house at 61A Wallaroy Rd while in Sydney filming Send Help, a Sam Raimi-directed horror film also starring Dylan O’Brien.

McAdams, who sources said paid $14,500 per week, has also starred in Mean Girls, About Time, The Vow, Wedding Crashers, Doctor Strange and Disobedience.

Vendors Natasha Stanley and Kingsley Smith know how to play host as owners of well-known Sydney pub The London Hotel and restaurant China Diner in Bondi Beach.

The high-profile pair purchased the Modernist house in 2018 for $6.55m in an off-market deal and have now engaged Alex Lyons of Raine & Horne Double Bay/Bondi Beach and Maclay Longhurst of Sotheby’s International Realty Sydney to call for expressions of interest before the May 2 closing date.

“The way it’s finished is incredible,” Lyons says.

“Then there’s the privacy down a long driveway, and that’s evidently why Rachel and other celebrities have chosen to stay at the home.

“It’s just so cool, and located right in the middle of Woollahra.”

The rare period property on a large 930sq m block retains many of its original design elements, with a host of 21st century inclusions.

Behind its signature red front door, the two-storey home has a grand open-plan living and dining area crowned by a double-height ceiling.

This everyday entertainment zone flows out to both a balcony and a private patio.

he main floor also houses a sleek rose terrazzo and Carrara marble kitchen illuminated by a skylight with an island bench, Wolf appliances, two Miele dishwashers, plus a butler’s pantry.

Three bedrooms on the same level each have built-in wardrobes and ensuites.

Downstairs a guest bedroom has its own ensuite, while an adjoining multipurpose media room or rumpus feeds out to the pool terrace and the 13m heated pool surrounded by established tropical gardens.

Rachel McAdams has been hanging out in Sydney. Picture: Bustle/Youtube

Hollywood hide-out in Woollahra. Picture: realestate.com.au

Packed with modern features, the VIP home also has heated floors in all the bathrooms, a powder room, herringbone timber floors, ducted airconditioning, several storage spaces, a back-to-base alarm, a video intercom, a Control4 smart home system, driveway sensors and secure off-street parking for four cars.