From Hollywood to Down Under: 11 celebrities that have called Australia home

Matt Damon

Hollywood actor Matt Damon and his immediate family called Australia home for six months in 2020, with Damon relocating for the filming of Thor: Love and Thunder.

Damon is also rumoured to have purchased a $22 million Byron Bay mansion after spending an extended period of time in the coastal town.

Olivia Newton-John

Grease star Olivia Newtown-John called her 187-acre Byron Bay ranch home for over 40 years.

According to Mansion Global, the four-bedroom property was also home to a number of natural dams, waterfalls, and streams.

Newton-John sold the property in 2019, as she was spending majority of her time at her nearby wellness retreat Gaia.

George Michael

Singer George Michael purchased a home in Sydney’s Palm Beach in 2010 during his final Australian tour.

The Wham! frontman lived in his five bedroom, five bathroom Sydney home for a number of months before returning to England. The oceanfront villa was put up for sale in February this year with a price guide of $15 million.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, purchased a stunning gothic-style mansion in Sydney’s Lower North Shore in 2005.

The Hunters Hill home was owned by the star-studded couple for 12 years, with the property reportedly being sold for $20 million in 2017.

David Bowie

Singer David Bowie purchased his luxury Elizabeth Bay apartment in 1983.

Based in the Kincoppal Building, Bowie used his Sydney apartment as his home base while he explored the outback and tropical Queensland throughout the 1980s.

Bowie sold the apartment in 1992, following his marriage to supermodel Iman.

Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky, currently call their $20 million Byron Bay mansion home.

Originally purchased by the couple in 2014, the property underwent five years of renovation, with Hemsworth officially moving in in late 2019.

The mansion is home to a number of luxury features, such as a steam room, massage room, personal gym, seven car garage, and two fully equipped bars.

George Harrison

Beatle George Harrison and his wife Oliva built a six-acre bungalow complex in Queensland’s Hamilton Island during the 1980s.

Coined ‘Letsbeavenue’, the home took four years to build, with a large amount of the materials used sourced from the island itself.

The couple frequently returned to their Hamilton Island home, with their last visit being less than 12 months before George’s passing in 2001.

Margot Robbie

Australian actor Margot Robbie is currently exploring the Byron Bay market, with both her and her husband, Tom Ackerley, being spotted at an inspection for a luxury eight-bedroom property in Cedar Hill.

Prior to her move to America in 2010, Robbie lived on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are no strangers to Australian real estate, with Kidman owning five apartments in the Latitude Apartment block in Sydney’s harbourside suburb of Milson’s Point.

Although the couple spend majority of their time in Nashville, the Australian duo retreat to their ‘Bunya Hill’ homestead in the New South Wales Southern Highlands.

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin

Director to the stars Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume designer Catherine Martin, previously lived in a 2700 square metre heritage home in the inner-Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.

The nine-bedroom property was rented by the couple for nine years, with Luhrmann and Martin eventually purchasing the home in 2006.

The inner-city mansion was renovated and decorated by Martin to fit the couple’s eclectic aesthetic.

Luhrmann and Martin sold the property in 2016 for $16 million.

Bec and Lleyton Hewitt

Following the sale of their former home in Melbourne’s mansion suburb of Toorak, tennis star Lleyton Hewitt and his wife Bec purchased ‘The Palms’ in the Queensland beachside suburb of Burleigh Heads.

The $4.3 million home sports a luxury outdoor setup, with a sunken fire pit, pool, and spa framed by an assortment of tropical plants.

The couple have also called various luxury properties around Australia home, with their real-estate portfolio including homes in Kenthurst, St Kilda, Palm Beach, and Adelaide.