Mansion owned by father of gambling tycoon Ed Craven goes up in flames
A $16 million NSW holiday mansion owned by the father of online gambling tycoon Ed Craven has gone up in flames just weeks after it was given the green light for renovation.
Firefighters were called to the 15-bedroom Sapphire Beach property twice on Tuesday as flames engulfed the luxury property.
Coffs Harbor Fire and Rescue first responded to the address at 5.40pm on Tuesday when a small part of the building was found burnt out.
But shortly before midnight, several more emergency calls came in after it was once again seen engulfed in flames.
The luxury beach house, which has access to its own private beach area, was once owned by mining magnate Nathan Tinkler.
But the 1.8ha, 15-bathroom estate was last purchased by Jamie Craven, the father of Australia’s youngest billionaire, for $16 million in cash in 2024.
And just weeks ago, the local council approved a $30 million proposal to renovate the property.
NSW Police confirmed two separate calls were made to the property on Coachmans Close in Korora on Tuesday night and it was believed the building had re-ignited itself following the initial fire.
“The property was abandoned and vacant and there were no reports of injuries,” NSW Police said.
“Officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District have launched an investigation into the incident.
“The fire is being treated as suspicious and the investigation is ongoing.”
A $29.7 million project to regenerate the property has been submitted to the City of Coffs Harbor Council; If approved, it will be demolished and replaced by a new two-storey mansion with two underground swimming pools and a 300mm deep reflection pool.
The plans were given the green light by the council in June.
There is no suggestion that the Craven family were under suspicion for the fire, as neighbors told local media that vandalism was common in the area where the vacant mansion is located.
The property was originally put on the market by Mr. Tinker for $30 million, but sold for nearly half that.
Still, the $16 million paid made it four times more expensive than the next most expensive property in the suburb.
