Sydney’s playground of the rich and famous has a huge new estate that is turning the super wealthy super jealous.

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The Roche family, of Nutrimetics fame, have bought their neighbours Palm Beach weekender to create one of the suburb’s largest estates – a 3079 sqm parcel of land right on Pittwater.

The family, led by billionaire businesswoman Imelda and her sons Dominic and Damian, paid $16m for a weatherboard holiday home on 1005 sqm of land in March.

This follows their $21m purchase in 2020 for Palm Haven, the award-winning Phillip Cox house next door — itself on a double block.

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The Roches paid $21m for Palm Haven, Palm Beach, in 2020.

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They’ve now snapped up the place next door to create a 3079 sqm compound.

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Imelda Roche and her grandson, Will, in 2019.

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The Roches, who have now moved into property investment, have effectively paid $37m for the fourth largest estate in Palm Beach and the only one with a tennis court.

The Barrenjoey Rd cottage on level land stretching down to a beach on Pittwater, had been held by a Melbourne family for more than 50 years and came to market mid-January.

Noel Nicholson, of Ray White Prestige, brokered the deal but when contacted couldn’t comment or reveal anything about the price or the buyers.

Residents living nearby are chatting though, the five-bedroom weatherboard cottage has been a holiday let for years and is at the southern end of Sandy Beach.

This is a secluded and private part of Palm Beach where some other wealthy highfliers have their weekenders.

The new home added to the estate.

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The interiors of the $16m weekender.

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It had been owned by a Melbourne family for 50 years.

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Palm Beach

Billionaire co-founder of software company Atlassian Mike Cannon-Brookes has property nearby as does property developer John Boyd and his wife Marly.

Dial-a-dump founder Ian Malouf bought a couple of properties in neighbouring Iluka Rd, although one is currently for sale.

The Packer family also have a long-held property there.

The late Bill Roche and his wife Imelda invested in the American cosmetics company Nutrimetics in the mid-1960s and built an empire across 16 countries.

In 1995 Imelda Roche was awarded the Order of Australia for her contribution to business, women’s affairs and to the community.

The couple sold their business in 1997 to Sara Lee Corporation and moved into property investment both in the Hunter Valley and on the mid North Coast. Their two sons then took over the Roche Group.

Other wealthy highfliers have weekenders nearby.

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Last year the Group sold a pub and 22 holiday units in Harrington on the mid north coast for about $16m.

Imelda Roche is reported to be worth $1.57 billion according to the 2023 Financial Review Rich List.

The record for a single block in Palm Beach is $27.5m set in June 2022 when rich lister Richard White bought in Pacific Rd.

However late in 2022 Ian Malouf bought two adjoining blocks in Iluka Rd, Palm Beach for $40m which could be considered the suburb record.

According to PropTrack the median house price in Palm Beach is $3.65m down 12.8 per cent over 12 months and based on 34 house sales.