An original beachfront shack in Byron Bay has sold for about $18 million, and the buyer is tipped to be hospitality rich lister Justin Hemmes.
The chief executive of multibillion-dollar hospitality empire Merivale has been busy adding to his $41 million-plus residential property portfolio in the beachside hotspot in recent years.
Rich lister Justin Hemmes is tipped to have bought this Byron Bay beach shack for about $18 million.Credit:
Multiple real estate sources from the Byron Bay region that are not authorised to comment publicly have revealed the bar tzar bought a four-bedroom, original beach shack for about $18 million on Friday.
Two years after Merivale bought the Cheeky Monkey’s bar in Byron Bay in 2021, Hemmes bought a couple of beachfront houses on nearby Belongil Beach for $22 million and $16 million. He also added another property on the same stretch of land for $3.75 million last November.
Justin HemmesCredit: Getty Images
Merivale began as a fashion house by Hemmes’ parents, John and Merivale Hemmes, before venturing into hospitality with over 90 brands and ventures to-date. The company is worth a reported $3 billion and the Hemmes’ family wealth is also reported to be $1.58 billion, according to The Australian Financial Review’s 2025 Rich List.
The $18 million residence is a two-storey property atop a dune that consists of two self-contained studios on the ground floor and a two-bedroom unit on the upper floor.
A sold sticker on the listing indicated a sale by private treaty on February 13 with the sale price undisclosed. The price and buyer’s identity will be revealed at settlement.
Denzil Lloyd and Will Phillips of Sotheby’s International Realty Byron Bay held the listing but declined to comment on any aspect of the sale or buyer’s identity when contacted by this masthead. It was left to other real estate sources to divulge a sale by Hemmes.