2003 The Block contestants Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonnin secretly sold their Sunshine Coast hideaway for $10 million. Photo: Lyndon Michaelsen/The Australian
2003 The Block contestants Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonnin, long known as Gab and Was, secretly sold their inland hideout on Queensland's Sunshine Coast for $10 million did.
The couple, who founded design company Designer Boys after appearing on the first series of the Channel 9 show, bought the Cooroy Mountain estate Riverdale in late 2016 for $2.7 million. The 4 hectare estate is bordered by lush rainforest.
They worked with Noosa architectural designers Zest Design to revise the floor plan with several tweaks, including a master retreat with a study, walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom.
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Interior designers Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonnin have sold a hidden property in the Cooroy hinterland for $10 million.
Home set a local record. Photo: Lyndon Michaelsen/The Australian
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The off-market sale to the Wells family set a record for Cooroy Mountain, surpassing the $9.5 million paid in 2021 for the 44-hectare Pillarilly Estate. Cooroy Mountain in Noosa Shire, about 25km from the coast, has just about 70 homes.
Gab and Was took part in the first The Block series, where the team renovated a four-unit complex on Roscoe Street in Bondi. They were the first same-sex couple to appear on an Australian reality show, and often renovated in their underwear.
Mobile phone retailer Crazy John, looking to capitalize on the series' high ratings success, paid $670,000 after the makeover. Two years later, in 2005, the price reversed when Crazy John sold for $560,500.
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This home boasts lush views. Photo: Lyndon Michaelsen/The Australian
The duo appeared on The Block in 2003.
Mr Sonin works as a sales manager for Landcare Australia, and Mr Atkins works as a public relations officer, and both men were working at their day jobs during the refurbishment.
The couple, who were based in Potts Point at the time, had enjoyed great success with their previous hinterland retreat in Federal, on the outskirts of Byron Bay.
They bought the 23-hectare property in 2007 for $610,000 and sold it in 2013 for $3 million.
The restored and expanded 120-year-old farmhouse was put on the market early last year with hopes of $14 million, but was unsuccessful, but was significantly revised in April this year through TRG and Ray White. It was put back on the market with a guidance of $5.5 million.
According to PropTrack, only 3 homes have sold in Cooroy Mountain in the past 12 months.
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