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- Hosted PM Albanese and Kylie Minogue at Anthony Pratt’s $100M Kew estate.
- Built for a 1870s beer baron, it was later housed by powerful Catholic Archbishops.
- Features “Raheen 3,” an award-winning modern glass pavilion designed by Bates Smart.
- The ultra-private billionaire compound famously saw Pratt confront a trespassing intruder.
With Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and more than 250 VIPs in attendance, Visy Billionaire Anthony Pratt threw a ‘backyard party’ to remember on Saturday night at his mega-mansion, Raheen.
The Pratt family’s primary residence in Melbourne’s affluent suburb of Kew is the same mansion where Katy Perry famously performed in 2024 for around $1.5 million. Now, Kylie Minogue can add her name to the mantle with a multi-million-dollar performance serving as the highlight of the party on Saturday night. Kylie reportedly opened with chart-topper Spinning Around before Can’t Get You Out of My Head, Better the Devil You Know, On a Night Like This, Padam Padam, and The Loco-Motion. However, the highlight of the show was, Especially For You, a nostalgic twist for Kylie, who said it reminded her of “driving her Datsun to Nunawading,” where she filmed Neighbours.
Raheen has become the venue of choice for Melbourne’s biggest private parties, and when you take a look behind the gates, it’s easy to see why. The asymmetrical Italianate mansion (featuring a four-storey tower) was built for Edward Latham in the 1870s, the wealthy founder of the Carlton Brewery, and was funded by Melbourne’s booming 19th-century beer industry. Now, it’s in the hands of Anthony Pratt, the executive chairman of Visy Industries, who has an estimated net worth of AUD$25.84 billion. Let’s take a look inside!
Beer Barons to Archbishops: The 150-Year History of Raheen
The Raheen residence at 94 Studley Park Rd has had only a handful of owners since it was built by the founder of the Carlton Brewery, Edward Latham.
Sir Henry Wrixon, a prominent Melbourne barrister, solicitor, and politician, bought the residence from Latham in the late 19th Century. It then changed hands again, this time to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, which owned the property from 1917 to 1981. It famously became the official residence of the highly influential and politically controversial Archbishop Daniel Mannix.
Three subsequent Archbishops lived there until 1981:
- Archbishop Justin Simonds (1963 – 1967)
- Archbishop James Knox (1967 – 1974)
- Archbishop Frank Little (1974 – 1981)
Richard and Jeanne Pratt would return it to private hands when they bought it from the Church in 1981. The packaging magnates bought the estate and commissioned renowned architect Glenn Murcutt to add a modern wing (“Raheen 2”) in 1993. Richard’s son, Anthony, would add a third wing, “Raheen 3”, in 2023.
Inside “Raheen 3”: The 2023 Billionaire Upgrade
Following Richard Pratt’s tragic death from prostate cancer in 2009, his son, Anthony Pratt, took over and initiated the latest architectural upgrades, commissioning architecture firm Bates Smart to design “Raheen 3.” It won a Victorian Architecture Award for Residential Architecture (Alterations and Additions) in 2023.
Unlike the heavy, dark brick of the historic mansion that’s visible from the street, the attached four-bedroom family retreat is a transparent, light-filled sanctuary strategically hidden from view.
Because the architects didn’t want to disturb the historic grounds, the pavilion is elevated. It hovers over the estate’s existing swimming pool and gardens, offering uninterrupted views of Studley Park and the Melbourne CBD skyline. It’s these grounds where Pratt holds his infamous Melbourne ‘backyard parties’ and where Katy Perry and Kylie Minogue performed.
Raheen means “little fort” in Gaelic, and the residence is fortified with large gates, high walls, surveillance cameras and security staff. That didn’t stop an intruder from entering the property a decade ago, but Mr Pratt foiled the burglar’s plans, and he was subsequently arrested.
While Raheen remains a fortress, its place as one of the country’s best mega mansions has been firmly cemented.
From the 1870s beer baron’s palace to a modern-day billionaire’s fortress, Raheen has always been a symbol of ultimate wealth, and as Saturday night’s star-studded bash proves, its legacy as Melbourne’s most exclusive address is still going strong.
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