19 hours ago
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Toorak, with its old money Victorian families and rows of palatial mansions, may well be the indisputable epicentre of Melbourne's high society.
But Portsea and Sorrento, two sun-kissed seaside suburbs at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, are fast eclipsing it as an enclave for the ritzy 'in' crowd.
They are refreshingly free from chaos and congestion while still within a luxury SUV ride from the city, and have long been Melbourne's answer to the Hamptons.
The annual Portsea Polo event on Point Nepean is an unmissable fixture on the social calendar, with Melbourne's wealthiest families raising eye-watering amounts for charity while mixing with the socialites, celebrities and titans of industry.
And with views to die for from sprawling, secluded blocks, the area's homes are a summer refuge for Australia's most affluent, privacy-obsessed and well-connected families, and, increasingly, the playground of choice for the young, hot and rich.
So we spoke to our society spies to find out who's who in the so-called 'Portsea and Sorrento set'. Some of the names will be familiar, but others may come as a surprise...
It's not surprising that some of Melbourne's most elite socialites live in the seaside suburbs of Portsea and Sorrento. (Pictured: Chris and Rebecca Judd)
Comedian Andy Lee and his model fiancée Rebecca Harding (pictured) are also big names
Leading the pack are Rebecca and Chris Judd who are often seen attending A-list events at the prestigious Portsea Polo.
The couple, who live in a stunning $7.3million mansion in Brighton, are revered in Melbourne's social scene and are fixtures on the Mornington Peninsula too.
Next comes comedian Andy Lee and his model fiancée Rebecca Harding, who are regulars at the area's finest restaurants and boutiques.
They live in the posh seaside suburb of St Andrews Beach and are often seen spotted out and about in Portsea.
Andy has also opened up a pop-up for his portable food business, Dimmies and Tinnies, at the general store in Sorrento.
Glamour couple Nick and Rozalia Russian, who own buzzy late-night venue Bar Bambi, also made the list, in part due to their reliable presence at the annual polo.
They are joined by ultra-private cricket couple Ricky Ponting and wife Rianna, who bought a luxurious $3.5million home near the famous Portsea Hotel in 2019.
They also own a $20million six-bedroom pile in Toorak, bought just before they offloaded an even larger mansion on Brighton's Golden Mile for $16million.
Their Portsea three-bedder is set on a 1,068sqm plot near Fishermans Beach, and includes a swimming pool, full-size tennis court and private laneway access to the secluded strip of sand.
Glamorous couple Nick and Rozalia Russian (pictured), who own late night venue Bar Bambi, also made the list and are regulars at the exclusive Portsea Polo
Australian cricketing great Ricky Ponting and his wife Rianna (pictured) bought a luxurious $3.5million home in the beachside suburb of Portsea in 2019
Melbourne society couple Nick and Camilla Speer (pictured) recently sold their Portsea clifftop mansion, Rovina, for about $25million
Influencer Brooke Hogan and her hotelier husband Myles Pitt (pictured) are a notable couple in the Portsea-Sorrento social scene
Brooke was an in-demand model before settling into Sorrento life (pictured in 2018)
Melbourne society couple Nick and Camilla Speer also run in the same circles, and recently sold their Portsea clifftop mansion, Rovina, for about $25million.
Influencer Brooke Hogan and her hotelier husband Myles Pitt are a notable couple among the enclave's elite.
Myles' family owns the prestigious Hotel Sorrento near the suburb's iconic pier and ferry wharf, an A-list favourite.
Shane Warne's ex-wife Simone Callahan and her children are also part of the peninsula's social scene. The late cricket legend was planning to build a $5million mansion in Portsea prior to his sudden death in 2022.
Also making the list are Coco, Bella and Hannah Fox, the grandchildren of billionaire trucking tycoon Lindsay Fox.
Antony 'The Cat' Catalano, the Domain CEO-turned-property mogul who owns Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay, and his wife Stefanie, are also among Portsea's elite.
Shane Warne's ex-wife Simone Callahan (pictured) and her children are also part of the scene
Also making the list as Melbourne's most elite are Coco (left), Bella and Hannah Fox (right), the grandchildren of billionaire trucking tycoon Lindsay Fox
Antony 'The Cat' Catalano, a property mogul who owns Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay, and his wife Stefanie (both pictured) also hold a lofty position at the top of the Portsea social ladder
Founder of design and events agency DOT DOT Dash Shirin Pulitano (pictured) also runs in the same circles
PR expert Lucy Nettlefold attended an event hosted by Andy Lee in Sorrento last weekend
Joining the list is cashed-up Grupa Żywiec brewery investor John Higgins, who snapped up the Spanish Mission-style mansion Ilyuka for $26million in 2011.
Higgins' heritage home held the record for the most expensive in the neighbourhood for a decade, but was dethroned by private equity boss Ben Gray's purchase of the lavish 1882 clifftop estate Westbank for $30million in 2022.
PR expert Lucy Nettlefold and founder of design and events agency DOT DOT Dash Shirin Pulitano also run in the same circles, and attended Andy's hospitality event in Sorrento last weekend.
The Deagues, the McIntoshs, the Becks, the Littles and the Knowles families round up the elite Melbourne clans that prefer Portsea to the big city.
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