Heritage-Listed Cremorne in Hamilton Sells for Record-breaking $8-M

The heritage-listed Cremorne, one of Hamilton’s most iconic landmarks, has recently been sold for around $8 million, a record for the suburb, a solid indicator of the strength of Brisbane’s prestige market. 


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The owners of the iconic property, Galen and Lynda Gunn, have made $2 million from the sale of the property which they acquired for $5.975 million in 2017.

The mansion in 2007 (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Heritage Branch staff)

The Gunns are co-founders of aviation company HAWCS International, providers of aerial survey services to the powerline and utility sectors nationwide.

Ray White New Farm, who handled the sale of the property revealed a local buyer acquired the heritage house, after a process that saw 500 enquiries and four offers on the table.

About Cremorne

Side view of the distinctive, pavilion verandahs of Cremone, ca 1935 (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland, Negative number: 80450)

Cremorne boasts a spacious 2,435 sqm of land and is spread across two levels. It comprises five bedrooms, five bathrooms, generous outdoor entertaining spaces, and a delightful pool, providing ample room for relaxation and social gatherings.

Cremorne in 1935 and Cremorne today (Photo credit: Lost Brisbane/Facebook)

Located at 34 Mullens Street in Hamilton Hill, it was entered in the Queensland’s Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Designed by the architectural firm Eaton & Bates, Cremorne stands as a substantial, single-storeyed, high-set timber residence with a distinctive veranda and octagonal rotundas.

It was constructed around 1905-1906 for Brisbane publican James Denis O’Connor.

Denis O’Connor and his wife, 1890 (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland, Negative number: 80449)

The O’Connor family had a long-standing connection with the property, spanning three generations and close to 90 years. They maintained ownership until the late 1990s. 

In 1916, JD O’Connor transferred the title to his wife before his passing at Cremorne in 1919. After Mrs O’Connor’s demise in 1952, the property was inherited by their daughter, Lynette Mulcahy, who had married Thomas Edward Mulcahy in 1921. 

The Mulcahys had two children, a son, and a daughter. Eventually, the ownership of Cremorne passed to their daughter, who subdivided the land.

In 1998, she sold the house to former Bretts Wharf restaurant co-owner Genny Nielson on a reduced site consisting of two lots, along with an access easement from Quarry Street on the eastern side. Genny Nielson restored the home, gave it back its historic grandeur, and added an extension.


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The house was subsequently sold to Fonezone co-founder David McMahon who gave it a glamorous renovation, after which the house was purchased by the Gunns in 2017.


Published 12-July-2023