Crumbling Toorak mansion linked to royal family hits market

The once-grand Cloyne estate in Toorak, designed in 1926 by Harold Desbrowe-Annear, has hit the market in a crumbling state, offering one of Melbourne’s most significant restoration opportunities of 2025.

A once-grand mansion linked to the British royal family has hit the market in a state of disrepair, with a $4.75m-$5.225m price guide.

Known as Cloyne, the 1926 Georgian Revival residence sits behind a semicircular driveway and lion-flanked pool on a 1025sq m block at 611 Toorak Rd.

The home’s spiral staircase, gallery-style landing, timber-panelled study and original colonnades remain intact, though extensive cosmetic works are needed after years of vacancy and halted renovation plans.

The decaying property has heritage protections preventing demolition.

Jellis Craig Stonnington’s Michael Armstrong said the home protected by a council heritage overlay held “enormous potential” for a buyer prepared to restore a piece of Melbourne’s architectural and social history.

“Structurally, the home is sound,” Mr Armstrong said.

“Cosmetically, however, it presents a rare opportunity for a full-scale renovation, from the ground up. Many of the preparatory works are already in place.

“This is a start-to-finish transformation, and opportunities of this calibre are increasingly hard to come by in today’s market.”

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The original colonnaded pool at Cloyne reflected 1920s grandeur, designed to impress guests with its symmetry, scale and Romanesque detail.

Now drained and crumbling, the lion-flanked pool stands as a symbol of the mansion’s faded glamour, awaiting a full-scale revival.

Cloyne was one of Desbrowe-Annear’s few original commissions in Toorak.

The influential architect is best known for his early 1900s Chadwick Houses in Eaglemont and is considered a pioneer of Australian modernism.

Mr Armstrong said the Toorak mansion holds significant architectural weight.

“His work is highly sought after, and this property in particular resonates with buyers who have an appreciation for his distinctive style,” he said.

The home even has a distinguished lineage.

The sweeping spiral staircase was once the centrepiece of the home, rising from a grand entrance hallway beneath a detailed coffered ceiling.

Time and neglect have taken their toll, but the curved staircase and original balustrade remain intact, offering a focal point for restoration.

Cloyne’s timber-panelled library once served as an opulent study, complete with fireplace, leadlight windows and intricate joinery.

Today, the library retains much of its original character, including ornate ceiling plasterwork.

The original owner Louis Nelken, was reportedly one of King George VI’s butlers who married into the Melbourne elite Baillieu family.

In the 1960s Melbourne playboy Don Busch renovated it in the 1960s before selling to Toorak businessman William Drever.

Since then the home has been held by prominent local and international business elite.

The Jellis Craig prestige agent said buyers would be securing a slice of Melbourne’s social and architectural history and while Toorak’s prestige market typically cools during winter, Armstrong said Cloyne had already attracted “three or four” interested parties from Sydney and offshore, as well as multiple architectural firms.

“There’s a clear appetite among buyers who want to honour the past while reimagining the future,” Mr Armstrong said.

“With a north-facing rear and expansive garden, there’s massive scope to create something truly extraordinary at the back.”

Cloyne’s interiors once showcased classical Georgian Revival detailing, including decorative cornices, hardwood floors and formal entertaining zones that reflected its elite heritage.

Years of vacancy have left much of the interior stripped back, with boarded floors, exposed plaster and stalled renovations revealing just how far the mansion has fallen, and how much potential remains.

One of several marble bathrooms inside the mansion, originally styled with checkerboard flooring, pedestal basins and vintage fittings.

Mid-renovation and incomplete, the bathroom now reveals exposed plumbing and plaster, one of several spaces requiring extensive cosmetic work.

Toorak’s median house price is currently $4.8m, according to PropTrack, and high-end sales have continued to perform through the colder months.

“Very few buyers have focused on preserving and enhancing these timeless homes,” Mr Armstrong said.

“This property stands out — it embodies classical elegance and architectural integrity, and it deserves to be restored with care and skill.”

The five-bedroom home will go under the hammer at 12pm, June 7.

The Georgian Revival facade of Cloyne, with its portico, semicircular drive and formal landscaping, was a Toorak showpiece in the 20th century.

Peeling render, weathered columns and overgrown gardens now shroud the home’s former elegance, though its proportions still impress.

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