Australia’s A-list stars are making waves not just on the big screen, but also in the local property market.
From sprawling rural sanctuaries to luxury harbourside penthouses, these award-winning actors like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman have invested heavily in homes across the country.
More recently, Golden Globe nominees Jacob Elordi, Sarah Snook, and Joel Edgerton are continuing the trend, securing their own slices of real estate Down Under.
Here is a look at the impressive property portfolios of some of Australia’s biggest actors.
Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe has earned several accolades for his screen work.
The New Zealand-born, Australia-raised star won an Oscar for his role as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator (2000).
The Hollywood heavyweight received two Golden Globes for A Beautiful Mind (2002) and the TV miniseries The Loudest Voice (2020).
The actor and film director has quite an Aussie real estate collection.
Russell Crowe won an Oscar for his role as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator (2000). Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Russell Crowe in a scene from the film Gladiator.
In 1996, Crowe purchased a rural property in Nana Glen on the NSW North Coast before he began shooting LA Confidential.
The Man of Steel star shared details about purchasing Australian bushland, which he transformed into his personal sanctuary.
“I always look back at my 30-year-old self who made the decision to take the little bit of money that I’d earned at that point, 31, 32 I was, and buy 100 acres in the bush, because somehow I knew I would need that place,” Crowe said on The Joe Rogan Experience.
“I could have bought an apartment in the city, but I didn’t. I bought 100 acres of basically blank bush, no fences.
“I look at that 32-year-old and go, ‘mate, well done’,” he said.
In 1996, Crowe purchased a rural property in Nana Glen on the NSW North Coast before he began shooting LA Confidential.
News Corp previously reported Crowe scooped up hectares of surrounding land since purchasing that first 100-acre block in Nana Glen.
In 2013 it was reported the Insider star bought a further nine surrounding lots around the original parcel of land, with the total holding spanning hundreds of hectares.
Crowe also owns a 1000 sqm Finger Wharf penthouse in Woolloomooloo, which he bought for $14.35m in 2003.
In November 2024 it was reported the Gladiator star was willing to sell the property for the right price.
That price was believed to be about $42m-$45m at the time.
He decided to sell the apartment to spend more time at his farm in Nana Glen and possibly retire from acting, according to media reports.
Crowe also bought a 1000 sqm Finger Wharf penthouse in Woolloomooloo for $14.35m in 2003.
In 2017, Crowe quietly offloaded his trophy Sydney mansion Te Puke to his former wife Danielle Spencer, six years after they bought it for $10 million.
The Master and Commander star transferred ownership solely to Spencer. She has lived at the seven-bedroom, four-bathroom Rose Bay home with the former couple’s sons, Charlie and Tennyson, since 2011.
Set on 1200 sqm overlooking the fairways of the Royal Sydney Golf Club Te Puke, pronounced “the-pook-eh’’, is Maori for “hill”.
Spencer set her heart on the Federation house after a four-year search for a family home aside from their waterfront apartment at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo. But the year following the purchase, the couple split.
In 2017, Crowe quietly offloaded his trophy Sydney mansion to his former wife Danielle Spencer, six years after they bought it for $10m.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in 2013’s Les Misérables.
Despite an extensive career primarily based in the US, the X-Men star still keeps a home in Australia.
He owns a stunning $12 million North Bondi penthouse a stone’s throw from the beach.
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Hugh Jackman won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in 2013’s Les Misérables.
The Greatest Showman actor and his then-wife Deborra-Lee Furness bought the home in 2015 for $5.925 million.
The luxury pad sits in a boutique block of just six units and offers the near-perfect summer beachside lifestyle.
The home which sits on over 210 sqm boasts panoramic views from the ocean to the sands; luxury finishes throughout; large open plan living and dining, great for entertaining; high ceilings; a cutting edge induction kitchen; and brushed oak wide gauge timber floors.
The palatial master bedroom features an ensuite, built-ins and Juliet balconies, while there are also minerva limestone bathrooms and ducted aircon throughout, direct lift access and double secure parking.
Hugh Jackman paid just under $6m for this home in 2015.
The luxury Bondi pad sits in a boutique block of just six units.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman has established herself as one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, earning awards across film and TV.
The Aussie star won an Oscar for her portrayal of writer Virginia Woolf in the 2002 film The Hours.
She has also won six Golden Globe Awards for her roles in To Die For (1995), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Hours (2002), Big Little Lies (2018), and Being the Ricardos (2022).
Kidman has made some savvy property plays in Australia.
Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for her portrayal of writer Virginia Woolf.
Nicole Kidman in 2002 film The Hours.
Darling Point
During her marriage to Tom Cruise, Kidman owned a three-storey, eight-bedroom Darling Point home on a sizeable 1068sq m Harbourside plot.
She sold the Yarranabbe Rd home in 2009 for “about” $13.2m after listing originally in 2008 for $20m.
Cruise and Kidman had paid $4.2m 1995 for one half of the villa, then three years later they spent another $4.75m to own the whole property.
During her marriage to Tom Cruise, Kidman owned a three-storey, eight-bedroom Darling Point home.
Milsons Point
Kidman and her then-husband Keith Urban claimed half a dozen apartments in Harbourside Milsons Point, taking her tally in the one building to more than $27.5 million.
In 2023, the former couple purchased a three-bedroom spread on level 15 of the landmark Latitude building in Sydney’s north side for $7.725 million.
The pair first bought into Latitude in 2009 picking up a penthouse for $6m.
They then continued their spree paying $2.68m for a unit lower down the block. Three more apartments followed, for $7m, $2.78m and last year they paid $1.35m for a one-bedder on level four, believed to be used as a private gym.
The block started life as a commercial building in the 1970s but was repurposed in 2005 by Mirvac to accommodate 120 residential apartments.
The block also has a swimming pool, spa, sauna, and gym for residents to use. Clark Park and Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is next door.
There are no other units to buy in Latitude currently, but you can rent a one-bedroom unit on the fourth floor for $750 a week through Di Jones Lower North Shore.
Mirvac’s Latitude by Leighton apartment complex. Picture: Joel Barbita/D-Max Photography
The pair first bought into Latitude in 2009 picking up a penthouse for $6m. Picture: Joel Barbita/D-Max Photography
Southern Highlands
The former A-list pair picked up a massive farm called Bunya Hill in Sutton Forest, New South Wales, paying $6.5 million.
The place includes a rustic Georgian mansion built in 1878 with a pool room, library, and guest cottage.
Shortly after acquiring the sprawling estate, Kidman and Urban put in an 18m swimming pool, new gym, full-sized tennis court and 250m grass mounds around the perimeter to block out the pesky paparazzi.
With views of green rolling hills, manicured lawns and gardens it’s not hard to see why the grand mansion made the NSW top homes of 2023 list.
Bunya Hill at Suttons Forest — Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s residence in the NSW Southern Highlands. Picture: Guy Finlay
Rosedale
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Kidman’s dream beach house on the NSW South Coast never materialised.
She had envisaged building a $2.5 million compound on a coastal pile, but was turned off by the lack of privacy.
In 2009 she reportedly called the local police requesting an escort after claiming harassment from the paparazzi while driving to the Rosedale property.
Land measuring more than 1000sq m with 21m of waterfront south of Batemans Bay had been acquired for a total of $4 million in 2004.
She sold for a loss after offloading two lots for $3 million in 2011 and the last parcel was settled in 2013 for just $665,000 despite originally being listed in 2008 for $1.2 million.
The private property in Rosedale that Kidman sold in 2013.
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is one of the few actresses to win two Academy Awards.
The star won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004) and Best Actress for her role as a former socialite in Blue Jasmine (2013).
She has also received four Golden Globes for her roles in Elizabeth (1999), I’m Not There (2008), Blue Jasmine (2014), Tár (2023).
Blanchett has made several moves in the Australian property market.
Cate Blanchett is one of the few actresses to win two Academy Awards.
Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004).
Blanchett in Blue Jasmine (2013).
The Thor: Ragnarok star made her first foray into the Sydney housing market in 1996 when she purchased an apartment in Coogee.
The award-winning actress sold her one-bedder on the ground floor of Brooklyn Flats at 152 Brook St, Coogee for $358,000 in 2001— $60,000 above reserve.
She’d met the playwright and director Andrew Upton the same year she bought the unit, and soon after they bought a larger Coogee apartment for $441,000, selling it for $950k in 2011.
The Thor: Ragnarok star made her first foray into the Sydney housing market in 1996 when she purchased an apartment in Coogee.
The award-winning actress sold her one-bedder on the ground floor of Brooklyn Flats in Coogee for $358,000 in 2001 — $60,000 above reserve.
The couple had already bought their $10 million trophy home in Hunters Hill in 2004 that sold for a suburb record of $18m in 2017.
Built in 1877, the estate includes a self-contained apartment separate from the main house, a riverfront tennis court and a designer swimming pool.
In 2019, the pair sold their Hawkesbury hideaway, in Sydney’s north, for $1.7 million. They bought the triple-level waterfront retreat at Berowra Creek for $1,495,000 in 2004.
That same year, the couple snapped up a waterfront apartment in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, for $1.3 million.
The purchase was reportedly an investment for their children, which they still own.
Blanchett and Upton bought their $10 million trophy home in Hunters Hill in 2004 that sold for a suburb record of $18m in 2017.
In 2019, the pair sold their Hawkesbury hideaway, in Sydney’s north, for $1.7 million.
In 2020, Blanchett and Upton sold their $12 million two-storey unit in the historic Astor apartment building in Sydney’s CBD.
The pair bought the pad for $8 million from the Wizard Home Loans founder Mark Bouris in 2015.
The five-bedroom residence has views over Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Garden and the main Harbour.
In 2024, Blanchett and Upton offloaded her investment property in Melbourne’s southeast.
The couple scored a more than $3 million result for the home that was initially listed with $2.25m-$2.45m hopes. They paid $745,000 for the house in 2006.
Blanchett and Upton sold their $12 million two-storey unit in the historic Astor apartment building in Sydney’s CBD in 2020.
In 2024, Blanchett and Upton offloaded her investment property in Melbourne’s southeast.
Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career, most notably for his iconic role as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).
The Aussie star made history in 2009 by becoming the second performer to ever win a posthumous acting Academy Award.
The actor made a significant property play Down Under when he bought and quickly renovated a three-level house at Bronte Beach.
Ledger forked out $4.45 million for a three-level house at Bronte Beach in 2004.
The Patriot actor renovated the four-bedroom property, adding a 1700-bottle wine cellar and a home cinema with tiered seating and Tasmanian oak-panelled walls. He sold the beachside stunner sold in 2006 for $7 million.
Heath Ledger received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Ledger won an Oscar for his iconic role as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). Picture: Warner Bros Entertainment
The home hit the market weeks after photographers sprayed Ledger with water at the Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain.
The Monster’s Ball star reportedly offloaded the coastal retreat because the paparazzi attention in the enclave was “scaring” him.
“Bronte is scaring me at the moment. I don’t feel like living there anymore,” Ledger explained to TeenHollywood.com.
“It’s a shame because I obviously love it. It’s breaking my heart because you can’t go back there.
“You can’t do anything. You don’t want to go with your wife and kids down to the beach and swim when there are 10 people photographing you.
“It really is awful so … that’s keeping me away from Australia.
“I feel like the paparazzi are going to kick me out of that city.”
Ledger forked out $4.45 million for a three-level house at Bronte Beach in 2004. Picture: Supplied
The Patriot actor sold the beachside stunner sold in 2006 for $7 million. Picture: Supplied
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson won two Academy Awards for his 1995 epic Braveheart.
The US-born, Australia-raised actor unloaded his Victorian homestead in 2004 for $1.825 million.
Named Carinya Homestead, the 21.2ha property including a six-bedroom house is located at Gundowring, about 331km from Melbourne.
In the 1980s, Gibson and his then-wife Robyn lived at Carinya with their six children.
The homestead was part of a more than 809ha site, known as Beartooth, which the Lethal Weaponstar owned.
After selling off most of the surrounding land in 2006, Gibson held onto Carinya and used it as a holiday home before offloading it a decade later.
Mel Gibson won two Academy Awards for his 1995 epic Braveheart.
In December 2004, Gibson unloaded his Australian homestead for $1.825 million.
2026 Aussie Golden Globe nominees
Jacob Elordi
Jacob Elordi received his first Golden Globe nomination for his supporting performance in Frankenstein.
The Aussie heart-throb scored a second nod in the miniseries field for The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
In 2020, the Brisbane-born star spent $2 million on a Byron hinterland acreage at Goonengerry.
Set around 25km inland from the coast, there are two Hamptons-style dwellings on the private two hectare estate.
The main three-level residence has four bedrooms.
Set away from the home, close to its citrus orchard plantation, is a self-contained three bedroom cottage. The property comes with 115,000 litre rainwater tanks.
Jacob Elordi received his first Golden Globe nomination for his supporting performance in Frankenstein. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
In 2020, the Brisbane-born star spent $2 million on a Byron hinterland acreage at Goonengerry.
Sarah Snook
Sarah Snook received her third Golden Globe nomination for her new miniseries All Her Fault.
The Adelaide-born star has won the Golden Globe twice for her work in the acclaimed series Succession.
In 2021, Snook and her husband comedian Dave Lawson bought a 14-hectare country home in regional Victoria for $1.7 million.
The sprawling estate is situated about 80km northwest of Melbourne near the popular town of Woodend.
The three-bedroom barn-style home comes complete with a home office, two dams and workshop.
The Dressmaker actress also owns a home in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. Details of the property are not known.
Sarah Snook has won the Golden Globe twice for her work in the acclaimed series Succession. Picture: Rich Polk/Getty Images
In 2021, Snook and her husband comedian Dave Lawson bought a 14-hectare country home in regional Victoria for $1.7 million.
Joel Edgerton
Joel Edgerton received a nomination for Best Actor in a drama category for Train Dreams.
The Secret life of Us alum has a few property moves in Australia. He purchased his first home in Parramatta North for $200,000.
Joel Edgerton received a nomination for Best Actor in a drama category for Train Dreams. Picture: Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix
In 2013, The Great Gatsby star spent $1.58 million on a four-bedroom semi with ocean glimpses in North Bondi. Picture: Supplied
In 2013, The Great Gatsby star spent $1.58 million on a four-bedroom semi with ocean glimpses in North Bondi.
The sale followed after the Blacktown-born actor sold his two-bedroom Darlinghurst apartment for $735,000, which was bought for $485,000 in 2001.
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