A simple household act many Aussies consider totally fine is costing them and their state thousands of dollars and hours every year to repair.

Flushing wet wipes down the toilet continues to plague state water departments, with hundreds of tonnes of the product being removed from systems every year.

Flushed wipes can easily block household drainage systems and cost Aussie homeowners more than $1000 in plumbing bills.

But it’s the wipes that make it off the property and into the state systems that cause even bigger problems.

Known as ‘fatbergs’, huge clumps of wipes that have melded together are extracted from state systems every year.

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The biggest cluster of wet wipes removed from a system was recorded in 2024 when a 42-tonne ‘fatberg’ was discovered in Victoria.

It weighed two tonnes more than the average petrol tanker and took workers nine hours to dislodge and remove from the sewer.

Another, discovered in 2016 in NSW’s Hunter Region, involved a one-tonne ball of wipes was removed from local sewer pipes.

Almost 75 per cent of the one-tonne cluster was removed with specialised equipment from a station at Eleebana while the remaining 25 per cent was removed by hand using buckets.

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“Wet wipes are responsible for around 80 per cent of all sewer blockages in Hunter Water’s system,” Hunter Water Corporation spokesman Nick Kaiser said at the time.

“These can cost thousands of dollars to repair and if they occur in people’s private plumbing that cost is worn by the customer.”

Following the Eleebana incident the Water Services Association of Australia estimated flushed wipes were costing water departments nationwide $25 million per year.

Sydney Water claims it removes more than 500 tonnes of wet wipes from its 24,000km of pipes, 680 pumping stations and 29 wastewater treatment and recycling plants every year.

At the heart of the issue is false advertising where wipe manufacturers claim the synthetic wipes are flushable.

This leads Aussie to think it’s fine to flush them down the toilet without realising they actually don’t dissolve like toilet paper and can take many years to break down.

Once in the sewerage systems, wipes combine with fats and other substances to form the massive ‘fatberg’ clumps decimating systems.

In Victoria, Yarra Valley Water said it spends nearly $1 million each year to clear about 1200 blockages caused by wipes.

Yarra Valley Water said it retrieves almost 14 tonnes of wet wipes and rags from sewer system in any given week.

Meanwhile, South Australia marked 2024 as its worst year on record for wet wipe issues – more than 1600 blockages were recorded in Adelaide in a single year.

In Queensland, Urban Utilities remove about 120 tonnes of wet wipes each year, costing the state about $1 million.

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Rents have fallen or frozen in more than a third of Sydney’s suburbs over the past year in breakthrough signs of the rental crisis easing.

Latest rental data from PropTrack has showed median rental prices have dropped or stayed stagnant across over 250 Sydney locales. Falls in average rents were as high as $350 a week in some areas.

It’s a notable change from the period between 2022 and 2024, when rampant hikes in rent were the norm across nearly every suburb – driven by post-Covid international boarders reopening, soaring migration, tight rental vacancies and high interest rates.

The recent shift will be welcome news for renters considering almost half of NSW tenants polled in a recent Residential Audience Pulse survey by realestate.com.au said they’re experiencing financial difficulty due to high rents.

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Suburbs with some of the biggest rental decreases over the past year included Woollahra, Bondi Junction, Forest Lodge, Kensington, Beaconsfield, Peakhurst and Matraville, with rents in these areas falling $100-$350 a week.

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There was multitude of other suburbs where the fall in rents was about $50 a week, which would save tenants about $2600 a year. Much of that decline occurred over the last three months, coinciding with moves by the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates.

PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said it was a positive change for Sydney tenants who faced the highest levels of rent across the country.

“It’s really good news for renters,” she said. “The level we saw rent rises, particularly over 2023 as really extremely high and for a lot of renters it was that fear every time that negotiation time came around we were seeing some big jumps.”

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“The fact that we have seen the rate of growth slowed to what’s hopefully a more sustainable level it’s given more people to plan ahead.”

Many of the suburbs that were falling were areas with a lot of apartment stock or the higher end of the market, she added.

Rate drops had seen an increase in investor activity in NSW, which of 19 per cent over the 12 months to March, could be contributing to the drops.

“Although increased investor activity isn’t great news for first home buyers, it can be a good thing in that it increases the supply of rental properties coming up for rent and can slow the rate of growth and provide a bit more supply and choice out there for renters.”

This trend could continue later in the year as more first home buyers transition from renting with first homebuyer schemes coming into affect and more potential rate drops come into fruition.

Regional NSW was not seeing the same levels of relief as Greater Sydney.

“I think because of that affordability piece, we do see a high portion of people leave greater Sydney and move to regional NSW.”

Louis Christopher, Managing Director of SQM Research noted that the rental market remains tight in many areas.

“Landlords appeared to have reduced their rental expectations somewhat and the overall rate of rental growth has slowed since 2024 … yet the rental crisis does remain with us.”

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Mel Gibson has begun rebuilding his longtime Malibu mansion after it burned to the ground in the California wildfires earlier this year.

The 69-year-old Hollywood legend purchased the hilltop home in 2008 for $US11.5 million.

The “Lethal Weapon” star has made two attempts to offload it in the years since, most recently in 2019 for $US14.5 million ($A22 million).

However, after delisting the property in July of that same year, Gibson seemed content to hold on to the five-bedroom residence, only for disaster to strike in January when the home was decimated by the Palisades fire, according to Cal Fire.

At the time, Gibson hit out at California Governor Gavin Newsom over the handling of the wildfires.

“In 2019, I think Newsom said, you know, ‘I’m going to take care of the forest and maintain the forest’ and do all that kind of stuff. He didn’t do anything,” Gibson said during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

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The filmmaker also revealed to NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that he was not home when the fires broke out.

The Oscar-winner explained that he arrived back at his dwelling to find that it had burned to the ground.

“When I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I have never seen a place so perfectly burnt,” he shared.

“There was [sic] a dozen places or so that were just non-existent. I mean, nothing but a chimney and a few roof tiles, and you dare not walk around for the nails and the whole deal.

“The vehicles were gone, everything. My place looked like Dresden.”

Photos obtained by Realtor reveal that Gibson has begun rebuilding the mansion that he has called home for more than 15 years.

Images show that the rubble has been cleared away to make space for what appears to be a new foundation.

Meanwhile, the landscaping around the dwelling seems to have been revived.

The photos suggest that Gibson is planning to build a structure that is similar to the property that once stood on the 5.5-acre plot.

It boasted soaring wood-beamed ceilings, wood floors, and stone archways.

When the home was last put on the market in 2019, listing agent Sandro Dazzan described the property as having “the warmth of an old-world estate,” while also boasting a “light and airy beachy vibe.”

The original estate offered 6,578 square feet of living space, including a five-bedroom, five-bathroom main house, a pool house that was being used as a gym, and a detached guesthouse above a three-car garage.

Gibson — who has an estimated net worth of $US425 million ($A654 million) — noted shortly after the wildfires that the most important and meaningful things he lost in the fire were irreplaceable.

“It’s emotional. You know, I lived there for about 14, 15 years, so it was home to me, and I had a lot of personal things there that, you know, I can’t get back,” he told NewsNation.

“All kinds of stuff. Everything from photographs to files to, you know, just personal things that I had from over the years, and clothing, and you know, cool stuff.”

The “Braveheart” star did manage to see some humour in the situation, telling Vargas that he was trying to view the incident as an opportunity to look to the future — and move on from the aspects of the home that weren’t so enjoyable.

“I went home and I said to myself, ‘Well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore,’” he said.

Gibson also expressed his gratitude that his loved ones were safe and had not been harmed in the wildfires, which claimed the lives of 30 people.

“The good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way. That’s all I can care about, really,” he added.

The actor was one of dozens of celebrities who lost their homes to the January wildfires, with stars such as Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag all confirming that their properties had been destroyed.

Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor and was republished with permission.

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Former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has struck gold with the sale of a property she bought in 2005, seeing its value skyrocket by more than $1.5m.

Ms Palaszczuk who resigned as Queensland premier in December 2023 sold her clifftop Seventeen Mile Rocks home in the future Olympic host city less than a month after it hit the market – securing a 684 per cent hike in value in two decades.

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Her Seventeen Mile Rocks house has sold for $1,780,000.

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She’d bought the property for $260,000 in 2005 building a house there in 2006 which has now sold for $1.78m – which was $10,000 above the highest valuation estimate.

Homes there can fetch in the region of $826 to $1100 a week, according to property records.

The median house price of Seventeen Mile Rocks is $1.075m after 69.3 per cent in the past five years alone.

The ex-premier now has one property remaining publicly listed in her name in Queensland, a one-bedroom unit in Main Beach on the Gold Coast bought in June 2019 for $705,000.

Tom Tate and Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Magic Millions race day. Picture by Luke Marsden.

Ms Palaszczuk took over the seat of Inala from her father Henry Palaszczuk after he retired in 2006. He was a minister in Queensland’s Beattie government,

Saeed Moghaddam of Brisbane Real Estate Chapel Hill sold the Seventeen Mile Rocks property as an “insider’s secret”.

“You’ll spot the lorikeets before you hear them, they love the tropical gardens out front,” his listing said. “And if you’re up early enough, you might even catch the mist rising over the ridge as you walk the trail to Riverside Park.”

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Australia’s real estate market is not only a playground for the affluent but also a haven for celebrities seeking privacy, luxury, and breathtaking views.

From the sun-drenched beaches of Byron Bay to the bustling streets of Sydney, these high-profile individuals have invested in some of the country’s most extravagant properties.

In this exclusive roundup, we delve into the opulent homes of Australia’s most celebrated personalities, exploring the lavish amenities and stunning locales that define their residences.

JAMES PACKER

Leading the list is James Packer’s two-level pad in the Sydney Crown Resorts.

At the time of sale, the property smashed the Sydney apartment record of $26m, set in 2016 with the sale of Sydney’s Opera Residences penthouse.

Now said to be worth $100m, the luxury ‘Sky Home’ boasts stunning views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Packer renovated the apartment, installing an elevator and removing stairs, with other features including Scandinavian bleached birch wood, ripple textured bronze glass and silver-veined stone slabs from Greece.

When he purchased the home, Packer planned that his ex-wife Erica would decorate.

The couple previously shared a home in Sydney’s east, La Mer, which they sold for $70m in 2015.

Read more here.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

Chris Hemsworth’s Byron Bay mansion epitomises luxury with its state-of-the-art facilities and panoramic ocean views.

Hemsworth and wife-actor Elsa Pataky is nicknamed “Fortress Hemsworth” by locals and comes with an estimated worth of around $50 million.

The couple purchased the 4.2 ha estate in 2014 and spent years building the home, which features six bedrooms, a media room, a gym, a spa, and a massive 50-meter infinity pool.

The home is known for its privacy and seclusion, offering fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean.

Spaniard Pataky, who has largely called Australia home for over a decade, has shared a series of snaps of the home on social media, including a state-of-the-art kitchen with mum cooking with the kids.

The heart of the home which features plenty of white, beige and grey tones with wooden accents and includes a large dining space that extends seamlessly onto the outdoor terrace.

The pool areas looks to be one of the family’s favourite areas of the home and Pataky has posted a pic of herself there too.

Read more here

RUSSELL CROWE

He presided over the Roman army in Gladiator but in real life, Russell Crowe has built a property empire so vast it could make him one of NSW’s biggest private land owners.

Real estate documents reveal that since snapping up his first batch of land in the picturesque North Coast hamlet of Nana Glen back in 1999, Crowe has purchased at least a further nine surrounding lots that span hundreds of hectares across the region.

While a precise value for just his original Nana Glen property isn’t readily available, some reports suggesting estate could be worth over $40 million.

The estate is a large, rural property and features a chapel where Crowe married Danielle Spencer in 2003. It has also been used for other events, including memorial services.

The property suffered significant damage during the 2019 NSW bushfires, but Crowe has been actively involved in the restoration and recovery.

NICOLE KIDMAN AND KEITH URBAN

Over the past decade Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have spent over $25 million on property. The power couple, who are worth an estimated $282 million, have been married since 2006 and in that time have acquired an extensive property portfolio.

Despite being based in the United States country music capital Nashville, the couple now claim half a dozen apartments in Harbourside Milsons Point, NSW, taking her tally in the one building to more than $27.5 million.

Meanwhile, the couple’s country Bunya Hill estate – located an hour and a half from Sydney in the Southern Highlands’ sleepy hollow of Sutton Forest – cost the pair $6.5 million in 2008.

In addition to plenty of bovines (and alpacas), the property has a 1878 Georgian mansion on site with traditional wide sandstone verandas, pressed metal ceilings, a grand carved cedar staircase and 10 original marble fireplaces.

There is also a stand alone guest cottage on site.

Shortly after acquiring the sprawling estate, Kidman and Urban put in an 18m swimming pool, new gym, full sized tennis court and 250m grass mounds around the perimeter to block out the pesky paparazzi.

With views of green rolling hills, manicured lawns and gardens it’s not hard to see why the grand mansion made the NSW top homes of 2023 list.

Read more here

CATE BLANCHETT

It may come as no surprise to fans of Cate Blanchett’s fierce red carpet fashion that her real estate portfolio is just as stylish.

As much was revealed following the sale of her Hunters Hill Mansion in 2017, a heritage-listed property that combines classic architecture with modern amenities.

The Sydney estate – built in 1877 – sold for just below $20m and included a self-contained apartment separate from the main house, a riverfront tennis court and a designer swimming pool.

Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton purchased the 3642sq m estate for $10 million in 2015 from banker Jim Dominguez.

They then spent millions upgrading the home through a three-year extension project.

The 2015 exchange happened after the estate had been on the market for just three weeks and smashed Hunters Hill’s then price record of just under $13 million.

Read more here.

KYLIE MINOGUE

Kylie Minogue has made several property purchases and sales in Australia – but her most recent is a luxury home in Melbourne’s east, which she purchased for $8 million in February 2022.

The home is just a short drive from the city and includes an alfresco dining area with outdoor kitchen and fireplace.

It also has an eight-car garage, wine cellar, vegetable garden and three bathrooms.

The property was last sold in 2003 for $1.5 million and will ensure Minogue is close to her parents in Canterbury and her sister Dannii, who lives in Hawthorn East.

Minogue has built an impressive property portfolio across Australia and the UK.

In February 2021, she sold the Melbourne home she’s owned for more than 30 years in an eye-watering seven-figure deal.

Her Armadale cottage, southeast of the CBD, was purchased for $1.7 million.

It’s a home she acquired in 1990 when she was 22 for just $185,000 after finishing up on Neighbours and launching her singing career.

ZAC EFRON

The ‘High School Musical’ star has fallen in love with Australia after snapping up an acreage here and even filming an entire season of his travel documentary “Down To Earth” about the country.

The 37-year old purchased a 128ha property in the Glenferrie area of the Tweed Valley — an hour’s drive from Byron Bay and about 30 minutes from the Gold Coast — for $2m in December 2020.

Efron’s application for “the most sustainable home in the world” on the block was approved by Tweed Shire in November.

The proposal for the zero-waste, off-grid home at Tomewin comes with a $2.685m cost to build, overseen by Melbourne-based environmental activist Joost Bakke.

The application, lodged in August last year, refers to the dwelling as Future cave — a six-bedroom, two-storey house in a series of pods made of Hemp board panels, designed by architect Frank Burridge.

Read more here.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE

The Harry Potter star purchased a Toorak apartment in the mid-2000s when he was in Australia filming.

Property records reveal it was bought new in 2004 for $1.9 million by Radcliffe’s mother Marcia Gresham, and then transferred into her son’s name just before his 18th birthday in 2007.

The actor listed the home for sale in 2015, when it had price expectations of about $2.5 million.

Despite receiving three offers, he decided not to sell because he was expecting to spend more time in Australia for work.

In 2021, the actor transferred the property into the name of a corporate entity directed by his parents Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe.

The family has since sold the residence for a price in the low $2 million range.

The north-facing home offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two car spaces, a large open-plan living area, a balcony and views of the Yarra River.

TERESA PALMER AND MARK WEBBER

Hollywood power couple Teresa Palmer and Mark Webber have most recently been linked to an Adelaide Hills “sanctuary” which had been owned by the Palmers for well over 30 years.

Situated on 4ha of land, the three-bedroom home features an infinity edge pool and spa, a playground, “enchanting” pockets of native bushland, a dam and code-gated entry with high secure fencing.

The home itself is modern, with large windows framing sweeping views and open spaces that flow seamlessly to the outdoors.An enormous living space offers plenty of room to entertain, while a central kitchen and dining area connect to a study and two bedrooms.

The sprawling estate at Scott Creek, located just 20 minutes from Adelaide, sold earlier this year for $1.7m, with the sale prompted by the couple’s interstate move to Byron Bay for Webber to work on a television series.

Webber has acted in films like Snow Day, The Laramie Project and Scott Pilgrim. vs. the World, while Palmer has starred in movies like Hacksaw Ridge, Lights Out and The Fall Guy.

“Every so often, a place becomes more than just a home” Palmer said on Instagram.

“It becomes a keeper of stories, a witness to generations of laughter, love and life.

“That’s what this sanctuary in Scott Creek, Adelaide Hills has been for us, a place where memories are not just made, but woven into the fabric of the land itself.”

Read more here.

DAVID BOWIE

The late music superstar had a long love affair with the Harbour City and cemented it with the purchase of a luxury unit in exclusive Elizabeth Bay in Sydney’s east.

Bowie regularly visited the harbourside pad over the years to bask in its glorious harbour views from almost every room, the multiple balconies and sunny resort-style living.

The home, walking distance to the old Kings Cross, was sold in 2023 for $8.8m.

“This home exemplifies a cosmopolitan Sydney lifestyle at its finest,” the listing for the home read.

“Admire harbour views from every room. Immaculate, expansive interiors open to the broad, wraparound, glass sheathed balcony to bask in this exquisite panorama.

ELTON JOHN

The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer seems to want to buy a home in Australia but just hasn’t found the right one yet.

Elton John was linked to a luxury $50m pad on Sydney’s Lower North Shore early last year.

The condo style home at Kurraba Residences on Kurraba Point boasts some of the most jawdropping views of Sydney Harbour and The Bridge.

However the Rocket Man’s publicist later shot down speculation about the big purchase.

John was also linked with the purchase of a $100m+ Sydney Harbour home he named “Bang and Olufsen House”, because he thought it looked like a speaker set.

Set on a super private lot, Bang and Olufson house sits at the end of Wolseley Crescent, a quiet cul-de-sac off Wolseley Rd on Sydney’s Point Piper – the most expensive real estate in the country.

It is highly recognisable by its iconic tinted floor-to-ceiling windows and flat roof.

The three-storey home was built over a three-year period in the 1980s.

Elton John was so enamoured by the home he was interested in buying it.

The singer/songwriter walked through the home and apparently even launched an $11m offer for the property before withdrawing it, after deciding he didn’t want to own real estate in Sydney.

FLEA

Red Hot Chili Peppers star Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary is a big fan of the laid back surfing lifestyle on the NSW South Coast.

The guitarist was born in Australia and lived here during his childhood before moving to California as a teenager.

Flea owned a five-bed, two storey home at Moruya, that included a home studio the RHCP used to record some of their most famous music. Flea and Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis were often spotted in the line up catching waves during the Australian summer.

Flea owned the multimillion-dollar home for three decades, before selling it in 2023 for $2.475m.

“Flea has written a lot of music at the property and has had band members, jamming in what was the music room downstairs,” local agent James Hamilton from LJ Hooker Moruya, who held the listing, said.

It has a contemporary Californian design that sprawls out towards the ocean with amazing views and really compliments the natural environment.”

The custom-designed home opened to a magnificent entry with a bespoke spiral copper and steel staircase connecting two double-storey wings.

It also featured an open fireplace with stone detailing and a master retreat with a luxe ensuite with a mosaic-tiled plunge bath.

It also came with a multipurpose sports court.

ANDY LEE

TV and radio host Andy Lee, one half of Hamish and Andy, caused a stir when he dropped a whopping $8.5 million on a derelict Hawthorn mansion.

Strangely, his offer was well above the asking price range of $7 million to $7.7 million, so clearly he has big plans.

The Italianate manor, built circa 1876, sits in a prime location on almost 2000 square metres of riverfront land. It had sat empty for almost three decades.

The home had no kitchen, no bathroom, no power, and no plumbing but four years on, renovations are well underway and set to become an extravagant modern home for the comedian.

LLEYTON AND BEC HEWITT

Tennis star and commentator Lleyton Hewitt and his TV-star wife Bec sold their Toorak mansion in November 2021 for between $15 million and $16 million.

The luxury five-bedroom, seven-bathroom residence comprised European design, a home theatre, wine cellar and indoor gym as well as a gourmet kitchen and butler’s pantry.

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