Inside A Mansion-Sized Penthouse In Sydney, Australia: The Boyd Residence

Rising high on the Sydney skyline is a trophy home like no other.

The mansion-sized penthouse, perched atop a triangular-shaped glittering bank tower, is one of the crowning jewels of city’s residential high-rise market. It’s private, secure and unexpected.

At some 600 feet up from the pavement, the Boyd Residence can be reached only by an exclusive-use lift from within the 24-hour security building.

There are no prying neighbors or walls shared with noisy partiers. The penthouse is the only residence in the concrete and steel office block.

Set 43 stories above the central business district’s bustling street level, the more than 25,800 square feet of interiors center on a voluminous great room lined with windows. Automatic drapes move away to reveal views of the skyline and Sydney Harbor, whose curved edges provided the inspiration for the museum-like home.

Project designers, who spent four years crafting the ambitious space, liken the sweeping shape of the residence to that of a boat or a stringed instrument. In fact, the designers turned to guitar makers to help achieve the undulating black lines that curve and bend throughout the residence like a black ribbon.

The award-winning three-level sky mansion is entered from a private elevator that opens to a glass wall with built-in champagne storage. The double-height living area, with a sleek fireplace and multiple seating groupings, has walls of glass that take in the panorama of the city. A paneled cigar room doubles as an intimate dining spot.

A section of the penthouse contains louvered windows that create a winter garden effect. The roomy study has a club-like atmosphere. An unanticipated detail is a triangle-shaped Juliet balcony with a glass front that protrudes from one wall of the upper level.

There are four en suite bedrooms as well as an additional bathroom.

A resort-style private rooftop pool tops the living space. The garage is private and secure.

The price for the ANZ Tower Penthouse is AU$66 million (about $51.5 million), and that’s no typo. Sydney and environs are known for lofty sales prices, having seen a $100-million residential transaction several years ago. Last year’s high for Australia of $51 million, according to CoreLogic, was for a sale in a Sydney suburb.

Ken Jacobs of Private Property Global, an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, is the listing agent.

So what will this incomparable residence garner? It remains to be seen what Australia’s AU$7.2 trillion ($5.49 trillion) residential market will bear for this pinnacle property. For now, it remains the crown jewel of the Sydney skyline.