Former paparazzo and one-time Geelong mayor Darryn Lyons is significantly reducing his property portfolio, quietly placing approximately AUD $6 million worth of high-end real estate on the market. The eccentric media personality, famously known as 'Mr Paparazzi', has initiated an expression-of-interest campaign for his distinctive all-pink apartment in Sydney's Darlinghurst, followed by the listing of a sprawling beachfront mansion in far north Queensland.
Luxury Queensland Mansion Hits the Market
The Queensland property, a contemporary architect-designed home, is listed for offers over AUD $2.5 million and has undergone what agents describe as a 'massive price reduction', hinting at a potential urgency to sell. However, Lyons has offered a straightforward explanation for the sale, telling Realestate.com.au that he has moved abroad and is now concentrating on travel opportunities. 'I do sometimes wonder why I'm selling - but this home deserves someone who can truly inhabit it,' he remarked.
Property Features and Design Philosophy
Boasting four bedrooms, each with an ensuite and private balcony, the residence offers stunning views with two rooms overlooking the ocean and two facing the rainforest. The open-plan living, kitchen, and dining areas are flooded with natural light and seamlessly flow out to a wet-edge pool that appears to merge with the Coral Sea. Additional luxuries include a glazed steam room by the pool and an upper-level deck accessed by a footbridge, providing elevated vistas across the pool, garden, and ocean. Two large gorilla sculptures adorn the back deck, adding a unique artistic touch.
Lyons described the property as 'a luxurious observation home for the natural world,' emphasising that every space is designed to frame the external environment. 'You don't live beside nature here, you live inside it,' he said, highlighting the integration of ocean, rainforest, sky, and light. Previously operated as a successful holiday let, the home can serve as either a luxury retreat or a full-time residence.
Iconic Sydney Apartment Also For Sale
News of the Queensland listing follows reports that Lyons is also selling his apartment at The Horizon in Darlinghurst. Located in the iconic Harry Seidler-designed tower, the fully renovated two-bedroom flat has been dubbed 'Sydney's sexiest apartment'. It features an eye-popping pink colour scheme, risqué artwork, and lavish fittings including a pink bathtub, crystal light fixtures, and ceiling mirrors in both bedrooms. Lyons purchased the luxury flat off the plan in 1998 for AUD $604,000.
Broader Asset Sell-Off and Background
This property divestment is part of a broader trend for Lyons, who also auctioned off his risqué art collection in late 2024 ahead of his move overseas. That auction saw 246 items, worth thousands of dollars, go under the hammer, including a glamorous 'throne' that once caught the eye of Michael Jackson. '[The throne] was part of a pair and Michael Jackson had bought the other one,' Lyons told the Herald Sun at the time.
The sell-off comes in the wake of a costly tax setback for Lyons overseas. In 2023, a UK tax tribunal ruled against him in a long-running dispute with HM Revenue & Customs, leaving him liable for more than £1 million (approximately AUD 1.9 million) in capital gains tax related to the sale of UK properties during the 2012–13 financial year. The case centred on his residency status at the time of the sales, with the tribunal finding he was subject to UK tax.
Meanwhile, Lyons, who rose to fame in the UK as the owner of photo agency Big Pictures and later starred on Big Brother UK, has been embracing his new life abroad. The self-styled travel vlogger has been spending considerable time overseas, recently exploring the sights of Chiang Rai in Thailand, as he focuses on travel and new opportunities beyond Australia's shores.
