
Block star Darren Palmer sells Suffolk Park investment home
Pompano House, the Suffolk Park investment holiday home of The Block interior designer Darren Palmer and husband Olivier Duvillard, has been bought by Candice Rose O'Rourke, the founder of the Zulu & Zephyr lifestyle brand, and her husband Josh O'Rourke.
Its midweek settlement revealed a $2.6m sale price taken by the Bondi Beach-based duo, representing a staggering $1.25m loss when it sold just before Christmas.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom Beachside Drive abode had last traded at $3.85m in 2021 during the Covid pandemic-induced regional property boom.
It hit market with an initial $3.1m to $3.3m guidance last August.
It was then reduced to an asking range of $2.95m to $3.245m, and finally to $2.55m to $2.8m.
MORE: Season low – Scott Cam's Block house drama
Darren Palmer's Byron Bay holiday home, Pompano House, sold for a disappointing $2.6m. Picture: realestate.com.au
Held through DPTM Holdings, the four-bedroom home on 720sq m had been a popular $1500-a-night peak season rental during their ownership.
Located just 100m from Tallow Beach, it came with a path to the beach from its back gate.
PropTrack puts the median four-bedroom house price at $2.25m, having peaked at $2.7m in 2022.
MORE: Suburbs where homes are selling for huge discounts
Darren Palmer.
Candice Rose O'Rourke.
The O'Rourke couple have recently sold their nearby Alcorn St property, Cream House, for $5,025,000 to Carly and Mitchell Roberts.
It had hit the market last May with $5.75m price hopes.
Built by Belcon Constructions, it was marketed as a Zen-like coastal retreat designed by Byron Bay practice Davis Architects.
Palmer has owned the home since 2021.
One of the four-bedrooms.
The Byron Bay life.
The single-level four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, Vogue-featured in 2021, sits amid Nicholas Ward landscaping.
'We designed our home for all stages of our lives,' she told Vogue.
'It's a dwelling intended to accommodate the kids now while they're active and young, but also when they're teenagers wanting space and privacy.
'Eventually, it has to be suitable for us as pensioners as we plan to live here until then!'
MORE: Cost of Sydney parking exceeds price of a home
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
4 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Stock Tips: One expert makes a Sigma call, Aussie Broadband connects with another
It's no easy gig analysing share prices and company performance but somebody's got to do it. Every week two experts from our Share Tips columnist pool give us their recommendations. Toby Grimm – Baker Young Limited BUY Sigma Healthcare (ASX:SIG) Sigma's merger with Chemist Warehouse created Australia's dominant vertically integrated pharmacy group with a high growth outlook given our ageing population and wellness trends. Pinnacle Investment (ASX:PNI) Pinnacle should benefit significantly from the market's rally back to all-time highs with base and performance fees likely to exceed recently downgraded expectations. HOLD South32 (ASX:S32) The company's quarterly production update showed encouraging operational performance, and we note the Hermosa project in the US could be a tier one asset given supportive US critical mineral security policy. Woodside Energy Group (ASX:WDS) Alongside a relatively impressive quarterly output report, Woodside has confirmed key development projects are on track reducing risk and improving free cash flow available for distributions. SELL AMP (ASX:AMP) Recent share price appreciation underestimates continued competitive challenges and continuing investment needs. Combined with sub-optimal bank operations we see risks of setbacks and would be exiting. Helia Group (ASX:HLI) The loss of Commonwealth Bank and potentially ING mortgage insurance contracts (combined worth more than half the business' premiums in 2024) underscores a lack of competitive advantage and growth. Tony Paterno – Ord Minnett BUY Aussie Broadband (ASX:ABB) Remains well placed to grow market share as consumers trend to higher speed tiers and the NBN's fibre upgrade program rolls out. ARB Corporation (ASX:ARB) Australian new vehicles sales increased by 2.4% in Jun-25. ARB's key vehicle sales increased 15.0% in June, with the SUV and LCV market both lifting. HOLD Bapcor (ASX:BAP) After the recent strategy day, the company's key messages are on business simplification, continuing cost initiatives and improving retail operations. It expects operational improvements following headcount reductions and warehouse consolidation. Brickworks (ASX:BKW) Demand for BKW's Industrial property developments remain solid, with further growth in rental income expected. In Australia, recent rate cuts are expected to translate into improved housing activity late in 2025. SELL Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) EVN delivered a slightly softer quarter result (higher capex), whilst the outlook showed higher costs. Trading expensive at these levels. Lynas (ASX:LYC) We believe the optimistic LYC share price rise since the MP Materials & DoD deal is misplaced. We don't believe they will benefit and the US has gone all-in on its domestic producer.

ABC News
34 minutes ago
- ABC News
China's carbon emissions may have peaked thanks to renewables push
Climate experts say China's carbon emissions may have peaked, which could affect global climate targets, the fight against global warming — and the Australian coal industry. China is currently the world's biggest emitter, accounting for some 30 per cent of global carbon emissions, but a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that in the year to May 2025, China's CO2 emissions dropped 1.6 per cent. China policy expert at CREA Belinda Schäpe said the trend had also continued in the months since. Ms Schäpe told the ABC the finding was "really unique" because the only other times the country had recorded a year-on-year decline in CO2 emissions were during times of economic downturn, like the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's really quite a historic result," Ms Schäpe said. "It's due to a really rapid increase in renewables build-out in China that has translated into an increase in power generation coming from clean sources and driving down the coal share in the power mix, and with that, bringing down emissions." She said China led the world in green energy uptake. "In May [2025] alone, China built out 90 gigawatts of solar capacity, which is really huge. It translates to roughly 100 solar panels per second. "We are now at a point where solar and wind capacity is actually bigger than all thermal power capacity. So not only coal, but also including gas, oil and other fossil fuel sectors." Li Shuo, director of the China climate hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the ABC he thought that despite previous emissions fluctuations, the country would continue to reduce its carbon output. "It certainly suggests that after three decades of very rapid economic growth, and also growth in China's emissions, the emission peak point for China has come very close, if it has not happened already," Mr Li said. "We have certainly entered into, if not yet an emission peak, a plateauing period for China's emissions. "We have entered a new phase of China's emissions, a phase that features a stabilisation of China's emissions and increasingly large-scale integration of China's renewable energy power, which, I hope, will actually make the country reduce its emissions from this point on." If the world is to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere needs to come down, not stabilise, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate experts say a failure to limit global warming below that figure will result in catastrophic consequences for people and the planet. Despite the rapid installation of renewable energy plants across the country, China is still building new coal-fired power plants. Beijing approved on average two coal-powered projects a week in 2022 and 2023, after power shortages in 2021. Belinda Schäpe said a backlog of these projects was now coming online, but they were using less coal. "There's been a significant drop in coal imports … in June, there was a 25 per cent year-on-year drop in coal imports," she said. "In June, China's power demand growth was actually 70 per cent higher than last year this time around, but solar and wind power generation met 89 per cent of that power demand growth. "That's what we've been seeing over the last six months, really, where renewables, or solar and wind in particular, accounted for 24 per cent of total electricity generation. Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to continue phasing down the country's coal consumption in the next five years, between 2026 and 2030. Jorrit Gosens, a climate change and energy policy fellow at the Australian National University, said Australia needed to rethink the future of coal mines. "The writing is on the wall a little bit in the future economic potential of that industry," he said. China imports roughly 30 per cent of Australian thermal coal exports, making it Australia's largest market. Dr Gosens said China's increasing wind and solar power generation, combined with increasing domestic supplies of coal, created a "double whammy" for Australian coal exports. "It should be expected that those export volumes will continue to decrease over the next few years." Other Asian markets of Australian coal, such as South Korea and Japan, would follow suit as they decarbonised, he said. Dr Gosens pointed to the Mt Arthur coal mine in NSW, for which BHP could not find a buyer because of the shrinking demand of coal and its liabilities, like rehabilitation costs. He said local community leaders and the federal government needed to transition communities historically reliant on coal mines into other industries. "Currently, we're still seeing more resistance to change than embracing of that transition, which I think is a risky strategy given the demand for our product is not going to be determined by those local communities or by the federal government," he said. "Our best bet really is to make sure that there are viable alternatives for when it does get to that point." US President Donald Trump's policy agenda has seen green energy subsidies replaced with coal subsidies. Li Shou said it was clear that the two countries were now on different paths. He said some conservative forces within China may use the US's withdrawal from clean energy as motivation "for domestic inaction", but he was confident that it would not change the country's policy direction. "China has over the last decade or so become the superpower when it comes to wind technology — deploying and manufacturing wind, solar batteries and electric vehicles," he said. "This will not change because of what is happening or not happening in the US and if anything, Beijing will just continue with this green path because doing these things is ultimately in the country's long-term economic interest. "There has been a realisation on the Chinese side that they should continue and double down on their climate and environmental agenda, not because of the global situation and the US situation, but just for their own sake, to clean up the skies in major Chinese cities." China is set to announce its new climate reduction targets as part of the Paris agreement later this year. He said that would tell the world a lot about where the global appetite to reduce emissions was at. "Whether China chooses to coordinate with some of the other geopolitical powers will also tell us a lot about where the global climate agenda stands and to what extent countries, including China and Australia and the European Union, can still engage," Mr Li said.

News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
The Block dud suburbs revealed: Shock data shows reno risks
The Block's horror track record at picking suburbs for its high-profile flips has sparked warnings would-be renovators could risk vast sums of money following their lead. New analysis of median prices in the year leading up to the show's auction days for the past 17 seasons shows homes in seven of the suburbs were losing money months before contestants picked up a paint brush or emotionally abused their partner. In ten of those seasons, the show's selected suburb was significantly outperformed by the wider Melbourne or Sydney market, depending where it was located. And it appears their latest destination in Daylesford is on track to join the list of money-losing suburb choices. Latest figures show the suburb's $818,000 median has dropped $72,000 in the 12 months to the end of June. On Phillip Island last year, price records show that in the 12 months it took the show to go from buying its Cowes site to hosting the auctions in November, the median house price had tumbled $35,000 (4.5 per cent) to $750,000. And by the time the show's Hampton East auctions were held in November 2023, the local median price had dropped more than $100,000 — despite the figures used to calculate that median including The Block's sales. One of the homes purchased by high profile billionaire Adrian Portelli has already gone on to sell for a more than $1m loss. Median price reductions typically reflect a reduction in the majority of home prices in an area, including higher-end offerings like those on The Block. The reality renovation show has also been criticised for over renovating to the point where homes are sold far below what the updates would cost, as well as for its impossible time frames and unrealistic auction results. Depreciation schedules calculated for the last season of The Block by quantity surveyors BMT showed all of the homes would eventually allow an investor to claim more than $4m in tax deductions as the value of the materials and fixtures added during the renovation declined. The highest price paid was $3.3m, but the rest sold for less than $3m, indicating the properties were overcapitalised by close to $1m. With another season commencing, property, building and renovation experts have advised anyone inspired by the reality TV program to watch Grand Designs or to head to social media or YouTube for a dose of renovation before starting their own attempt. Prominent buyer's agent Cate Bakos said after more than a decade, only picking 60 per cent of suburbs where values rose wasn't a good strike rate, and in many instances it should have been clear they wouldn't perform well. Ms Bakos said more recent choices to centre the show in regional Victorian townships including Phillip Island and this year's season in Daylesford had gone against wider trends of the state's regional holiday home hotspots' values facing a protracted down turn — and anyone looking for a flip should consider similar areas with caution. 'Buying near the peak for the regional areas is a bit silly,' Ms Bakos said. 'We had crazy growth during Covid, so I wouldn't have chosen regions as a location for The Block.' The prominent buyer's agent said it was important those considering a renovation while watching this season should be very conscious that the homes were heavily overcapitalised, and warned their auctions were unrealistic. 'I would argue that it's all questionable,' Ms Bakos said. 'Watch Grand Designs — that's a better insight, I think, than The Block into what can go wrong.' Real Estate Institute of Australia president Leanne Pilkington said anyone getting ideas of flipping homes from The Block needed to remember 'the whole purpose is to entertain'. While the show did face additional challenges with the need to find a site where at least five similar properties could be worked on by contestants, Ms Pilkington said others needed to 'be much more discerning'. She added that building industry members she knew couldn't watch the show without 'getting very frustrated with it'. Despite this, Ms Pilkington said those looking for a bit of inspiration and the latest trends could potentially draw on features and advice from the judges in the reveal episodes. Her advice for picking a winning area to consider flipping a home in was to focus on homes closer to the median house price, those near public transport and key amenities such as hospitals and major shopping centres. 'And it's absolutely better to go for a middle of the road property,' Ms Pilkington said. Property Developer Network founder Rob Flux has been helping amateur property developers and flippers, tackling similar sized projects to The Block, for a number of years. Mr Flux said he had gone up against The Block's producers as a prospective buyer for a property in the past, and had been told their offer for it was about $2m above his own. 'They are overpaying in all departments,' he said. 'And, I don't know if it is by design or by coincidence, but they are going into areas that aren't growing, and sometimes where the market is going down.' While this might help them find properties that suit their needs, Mr Flux said it was not ideal. However, he noted the bigger risk was following their approach to renovations. 'Despite the fact that it's called reality TV, there's nothing real about it,' Mr Flux said. 'It's extremely rare for anyone to live on site and work for eight weeks.' Instead, he advised a more practical approach starting with understanding what was missing but likely to soon be in demand in an area, working out what buyers would pay for it and then calculating if there could still be a profit — factoring in a buffer in case the market doesn't rise. 'Then, if the market goes in your direction and it works well, you will double your profits,' Mr Flux said. Caitlin Hamston and her partner Scott have flipped or built four properties across Melbourne's inner west over the past nine years. On two occasions they've lived in the homes during the renovations, a process they wouldn't recommend for anyone with kids. While they stick to areas they know, they will even give these a miss if conditions aren't right. 'If it was going backwards, we would avoid it,' Ms Hamston said. Her advice for would-be renovators was to find areas where prices look likely to rise, pick streets with a good feel to them, then look for blocks that don't have constraints that would impact extensions or a new home build. Ms Hamston also advised against getting caught up with luxury finishes, and to look for affordable alternatives wherever possible. 'Otherwise, it defeats the whole purpose if you are trying to renovate and sell for a profit,' she said. She also advised against expecting to complete renovations quickly, with her and her partner's typically taking two years to turn over each of their four builds to date. While Ms Hamston does own a building company, which has made their work easier, she said they had been noticing trades were becoming easier to engage in the past few months. Along with interest rate reductions helping to limit holding costs for loan repayments, she said now could be an opportune time to consider trying a renovation project. Expert Advice For Flipping Properties – Focus on areas you know with good amenities, schools and transport; – Work out what housing an area is missing, who will buy it and what they will pay; – Calculate a budget based on what buyers are likely to pay; – Aim to be selling a home close to the suburb's median price, to ensure the most potential buyers; – Expect to make mistakes and budget for them; – Consider potentially hidden holding costs including land tax, interest rate repayments and energy bills for the site; – Budget for realistic time lines to complete work; – Don't assume that lots of other people doing a particular type of home flip or development in an area means they are making a profit, check your own numbers; – Look for areas with high street appeal, then look for homes or blocks without easements or issues that could hamper your plans to renovate; – Get good trades around you that are reliable; – Consider higher cost improvements such as updating the facade and even adding a pool, if there is advice it will help boost a sale; – Avoid properties with low-return repairs needed, such as those that require underpinning; – Explore YouTube channels and even social media for advice from qualified builders and trades, not 'reality' TV; – Don't rush into things; – Try engaging with local community property development networking events; Sources: Property Developer Network's Rob Flux, Buyer's advocate Cate Bakos, serial flipper Caitlin Hamston THE BLOCK SUBURBS' TRACK RECORD Daylesford, 2025 (The Block auction to be held November) Median house price 2025 (June): $818,000 Median house price 2024 (June): $890,000 12-month change: -$72,000 (-8.1%) Melbourne average change: -$1106 (-1.3%) Phillip Island, 2024 (November) Median house price 2024: $750,000 Median house price 2023: $785,000 12-month change: -$35,000 (-4.5%) Melbourne average: $0 (0%) Hampton East, 2023 (November) Median house price 2023: $1,437,500 Median house price 2022: $1.55m 12-month change: -$112,500 (-7.3%) Melbourne average: -$30,000 (-3.3%) Gisborne, 2022 (November) Median unit price 2022: $1.2m Median unit price 2021:$935,000 12-month change: $265,000 (28.3%) Melbourne average change: $43,000 (5%) Hampton, 2021 (November) Median unit price 2021: $2.33m Median unit price 2020: $1.903m 12-month change: $430,000 (22.4%) Melbourne average change: $111,000 (14.8%) Brighton, 2020 (November) Median house price 2020: $2.71m Median house price 2019: $2.545m 12-month change: $165,000 (6.5%) Melbourne average change: $26,000 (3.6%) St Kilda, 2019 (November) Median unit price 2019: $528,809 Median unit price 2018: $514,000 12-month change: $14,809 (2.9%) Melbourne average change: -$20,000 (-3.5%) St Kilda, 2018 (October) Median unit price 2018: $525,000 Median unit price 2017: $542,500 12-month change: -$17,500 (-3.2%) Melbourne average change: $21,200 (3.9%) Elsternwick, 2017 (October) Median house price 2017: $1.87m Median house price 2016: $1.605m 12-month change: $265,000 (16.5%) Melbourne average change: $25,000 (4.8%) Port Melbourne, 2016 (November) Median unit price 2016: $643,750 Median unit price 2015: $652,500 12-month change: -$8750 (-1.3%) Melbourne average change: $20,000 (4%) South Yarra, 2015 (November) Median unit price 2015: $590,000 Median unit price 2014: $560,000 12-month change: $30,000 (5.4%) Melbourne average change: $26,500 (5.5%) South Yarra, 2015 (April) Median unit price 2015: $577,800 Median unit price 2014: $552,000 12-month change: $25,800 (4.7%) Melbourne average change: $18,100 (3.9%) Prahran, 2014 (October) Median unit price 2014: $504,000 Median unit price 2013: $522,500 12-month change: -$18,500 (-3.4%) Melbourne average change: $27,000 (6%) Albert Park, 2014 (April) Median unit price 2014: $701,000 Median unit price 2013: $430,000 12-month change: $271,000 (63%) Melbourne average change: $29,627 (6.8%) South Melbourne, 2013 (July) Median unit price 2013: $511,000 Median unit price 2012: $535,000 12-month change: -$24,000 (-4.5%) Melbourne average change: $40,000 (9.2%) Bondi, 2013 (March) Median house price 2013: $1,567,500 Median house price 2012: $1,247,500 12-month change: $320,000 (25%) Sydney average change: $42,000 (7.4%) South Melbourne, 2012 (July) Median house price 2012: $894,500 Median house price 2011: $985,000 12-month change: -$90,500 (-9.2%) Melbourne average change: -$15,000 (-3%) Richmond, 2011 (August) Median house price 2011: $845,000 Median house price 2010: $805,000 12-month change: $40,000 (5%) Melbourne average change: $35,000 (7.6%)