August 31, 2026 — 5:00am
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The St Kilda home of Melbourne legend Ron Barassi and his wife, Cherryl, is being sold, three years after the AFL great’s death, with his family saying it is “time to pass the torch”.
It is not just bricks and mortar, but a true slice of Melbourne history that is coming to market following Barassi’s death in September 2023 and the passing of Cherryl, his second wife, in December.
The historic St Kilda home owned by Ron and Cherryl Barassi is being offered for private sale.Justin McManus
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with off-street parking is part of the historic elevated Marli Place terrace on the St Kilda esplanade which dates back to the late 1800s and overlooks Port Phillip Bay.
St Kilda was Barassi’s stamping ground for more than 40 years after he married Cherryl – he was the most visible of local legends.
Barassi’s son, Richard, said the property represented his father and Cherryl’s love and their shared affection for St Kilda.
“It is certainly a home where people are going to have a really great life because it is a fabulous house,” Richard told CBD.
Inside the St Kilda home of the late Ron and Cherryl Barassi.Justin McManus
“It was a kind of a magical place and it was so important to them. Many, many, many interesting people came through the house and there have been amazing family moments created in that home. It is something special.
“These properties in Marli Place are really tightly held … (but) it is time to pass the torch.”
The property is offered for sale via expressions of interest with a price guide of $2 million to $2.2 million through Frank Mlikota at Parkinson Prestige.
Ron and Cherryl Barassi lived at Marli Place in St Kilda for more than 40 years. Justin McManus
Mlikota told CBD he was honoured the Barassi family had entrusted him with the sale of the home.
“Marli Place is a St Kilda landmark, but this is also a very personal home, full of history, character and provenance. My role, as I see it, is to handle it respectfully and help find its next custodian,” he said.
Ex-Dees CEO in fine form after launching bombshell legal claim
Some people go to ground when faced with adversity, others double down and press on. Former Melbourne Football Club chief executive Paul Guerra certainly falls into the latter category.
Guerra has not been shying away from public events since his stoush with the Demons went legal earlier this month.
Guerra is chasing the club for up to $1 million in an unfair dismissal claim in the Federal Court after he was suddenly dumped as CEO in April, a mere seven months after starting in the high-profile role.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief of staff Chanelle Pearson with the organisation’s former chief executive Paul Guerra at the chamber’s Autumnal Ball in May 2025.Griffin Simm/Supplied
CBD spotted Guerra at an evening on the future of Fitzroy Street and the St Kilda precinct last Tuesday. Next, he was seen by a CBD operative having his tarot cards read at an inner-city gathering hosted by The Civic Partnership.
He was at the races at Caulfield on Saturday at the Menzies Stakes meeting and later that night was among guests at the black-tie Brainwave Ball which raised funds for families dealing with childhood brain conditions. Clearly, he has no shortage of support around town.
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Brainwave pulled an impressive crowd at its gala at the NGV with CBD sighting Mercedes-Benz Australia head of brand Jerry Stamoulis, deputy president of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce Clare McCartin, sports medicine identity Dr Peter Larkins and Civic Partnership’s spinner, Mark Hawthorne, mingling around the giant psychedelic Yayoi Kusama pumpkin in the gallery’s foyer before heading into Gandel Hall for dinner.
One of the strangest items up for auction on the evening was … nothing. Auctioneer Shawn Cosgrove offered nothing – literally nothing – with spirited bidding seeing the hammer fall for $2000.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers hits the market for a chief of staff
More than three months after handing down the May federal budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers continues to face blowback from the business community.
The simmering tension between the government and business chiefs was brought into sharp focus again last week, when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chalmers filed into the ballroom of Sydney’s Sofitel for the Business Council’s annual dinner, flanked by senior staff.
Business Council of Australia president Geoff Culbert, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black arrive at the Business Council of Australia dinner on August 25. Oscar Colman
So our guess is Chalmers may be feeling a little vulnerable without the counsel of one of his most-trusted senior advisers in the coming months, as his chief of staff, Claudia Crawford, heads off on parental leave.
Crawford, a well-respected former investment banker and economist, is among the most influential staffers in Parliament House. She became the first woman to be chief of staff to a federal treasurer when Labor took power in 2022, a big-name hire at the time, and has worked with the treasurer on and off for the past decade or so, dating back to the Wayne Swan days.
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Crawford leaves big shoes to fill. The treasurer’s staff have been informed of the departure over the past week or so, CBD hears, turning attention to who Chalmers will bring in while she’s on leave.
It’s hard to imagine the recruitment drive will be easy. The political transfer market isn’t exactly teeming with people who, like Crawford, are Harvard-educated operators willing to sacrifice the salaries they could be making in the private sector for, er, the Labor cause.
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Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
John Buckley is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners