Point Piper waterfront ‘Akuna’ with rare ‘pagoda’ boathouse sells for a MASSIVE sum

PHOTO: Point Piper’s waterfront mansion “Akuna’, with its unique ‘Pagoda’ boathouse.

The Point Piper waterfront ‘Akuna’, owned by the Big Band maestro Warren Daly and his author and fitness guru wife, Karen, has sold for $45m, after five years on and off the market.

Sydney Sotheby’s International managing director Michael Pallier had first listed the five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion at 20 Wolseley Rd with $48m price expectations in April, 2017.

The $45m sale by Pallier — on Tuesday to a local buyer — is nearly six times the $7.75m purchase price the couple paid in 1997 for what had been the home of the late grocer John David.

The three-level mansion is on a 758 sqm waterfront block.

Both Akuna, and its boatshed, had incredible iconic views.

It follows the $60m+ sale of a Darling Point waterfront, owned by Lisa Allen, the ex-wife of yachtie Matt Allen, to medical entrepreneur Dr Glenn Haifer, just three weeks ago.

Point Piper boatshed sold for close to $40m is Sydney’s top sale so far this year

That had been on the market for four years and the guide last June had been $80m.

The guide for Akuna, designed by Richard Christian and Walter Bardo and detailed by Michael Love and Thomas Hamel, was most recently $50m.

The lavish residence with pool is on a 758 sqm block fronting Seven Shillings Beach.

Among its many attractions are the uninterrupted point-blank views across the harbour to the Bridge and Opera House along with an iconic heritage ‘pagoda’ boathouse.

Karen and Warren Daly at Randwick races.

Akuna has grand interiors.

The rare Chinese-style timber boatshed was built in the 1930s and was originally part of a neighbouring mansion, ‘Danmark’.

Danmark was owned by the prolific horse owner and breeder W.G “Knockout” Smith, but he preferred to spend his time in the boatshed, apparently because he couldn’t stand his wife.

Smith was also famous for being the founder of the glassmaking giant Australian Consolidated Industries (ACI).

Danmark is now an apartment building, and when Akuna was first listed in 2017 it was on offer with a three-bedroom unit in the block. But it sold in June of that year for $4.5m to medico David Macourt.