Preliminary plans have been lodged with the NSW Government to transform Elaine, the historic Point Piper mansion once owned by Atlassian Co-Founder and former CEO Scott Farquhar and his wife Kim Jackson, into an integrated seniors living and healthcare precinct.
The proposed project would combine independent living units (ILUs), a residential aged care facility (RAC), and ancillary health and wellbeing services – positioning it to eclipse Mark Moran Vaucluse, long regarded as Australia’s premier retirement living address. Point Piper is already the nation’s most expensive suburb.
Elaine, 6km east of Sydney’s CBD, was for decades the home of the Fairfax publishing family before being sold by Farquhar and Jackson for $130 million in October 2024. Urban and social planning firm Pacific Planning has now lodged a preliminary scoping report for the site. A healthcare and demographic assessment was prepared by Arrow Advisory to support the prospoal.
“The Elaine site has a complex planning history and is locally heritage-listed under the Woollahra LEP 2014. It presents an opportunity to deliver a high-quality outcome that respects the heritage context while addressing pressing social and housing needs,” Pacific Planning said. “The SSD pathway offers the appropriate framework to consolidate previous fragmented processes and progress the project through a coordinated assessment informed by a conservation management plan.”
The site is zoned R3 Medium Density Residential under the Woollahra LEP 2014, which allows seniors housing as a permissible use.
Balancing heritage and prestige
Pacific Planning Director Matthew Daniel told The Australian that no decision has been made on whether the mansion will be demolished or adapted.
“What is clear is that the project will need to respect the site’s overall heritage, which may include repurposing parts of it and making some elements more accessible to the community,” he said.
The integrated precinct will be co-designed by Alec Tzannes and Christian Hampson of Yerrabingin, blending contemporary design with heritage conservation.
“The intention is to set a new benchmark in aged care and retirement living for the eastern suburbs while carefully integrating the significant landscape and heritage features of the site and its surrounds,” Daniel said.