This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
YOUNG tech entrepreneur Benjamin Bray, managing director of gaming and innovation company Nakatomi, is reported to be the buyer of Spanish-style luxury retreat The Range, that at $37 million has set a new record for the Byron Shire.
According to News Corp, Bray is the new owner of the 48-hectare luxury property that was sold last month by the heir to the Oroton fashion brand, Tom Lane, and his wife Emma.
The Lanes paid $3.8 million for the Coopers Shot property in 2017, and turned it into a luxury escape with a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home that features a sunken lounge with stone fireplace, surrounded by wraparound seating, together with multiple accommodation buildings, a 15-metre infinity pool, gym and sauna, which commanded a $67,000-a-week price tag and reportedly attracted the likes of Nicole Kidman and Liam Hemsworth.
There’s also a private koala precinct and a macadamia grove with 5,000 trees.
Kim Jones of Ranges Estates managed the sale.
The sale tops the $26 million paid for 16 hectares in the Byron by Clare Mulham, part of the billionaire Roche cosmetics family.
Twenty-seven-year-old, New Zealand-born Bray currently lives in Bondi Beach. Nakatomi is based in Paddington.
According to Domain, Byron Bay house prices eased in 2022 by nearly 10% to $1.49 million. But median values had surged by 75.3% over five years, as the once hippy enclave minted its transformation into a playground for Hollywood A-listers and a multitude of millionaires, sports stars and social media influencers. That growth was given an extra charge by the sea-change phenomenon seen during COVID lockdowns.
