James Packer touches down in Sydney after staying away from Australia for years amid claims his Crown Casino staff worked tirelessly to ensure his sprawling Barangaroo apartment was ready for his arrival.
- James Packer lands in Sydney after three years out of Australia
- He is on vacation with his ex-wife Erica and their two daughters.
- The family will stay in the Packer’s One Barangaroo penthouse they bought for $72 million
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James Packer flew to Sydney after leaving Australia three years ago amid a tumultuous period for the billionaire.
The 55-year-old stepped off a private plane that landed at Sydney airport on Sunday with his ex-wife Erica Packer and their two daughters Indigo, 14, and Emmanuelle, 10, for a 10-day holiday in Australia. .
The rent-a-jet flight is understood to have taken off from Saudi Arabia and the Packers will head to the luxurious One Barangaroo penthouse at Crown’s recently completed casino and resort in Sydney.
It will be the first time that Mr. Packer, who was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, has seen the development in person, having last been in Australia in January 2020 when the project was a level development site.
He appeared in October that same year via video link to give evidence at an inquiry into Crown’s NSW gambling license, where he admitted to taking medication to treat bipolar disorder.
One of Australia’s highest profile billionaires, James Packer (pictured), touched down in Sydney for a holiday on Sunday.
Indigo (left) exiting the chartered plane with her sister Emmanuelle and mother Erica (right)
Room with a View: The incredible ‘sky house’ Packer bought in 2017, though the reclusive billionaire has never set foot in it.
Packer revealed last year that he intended to return to Australia in 2023, but wanted to make it clear that he didn’t need the medication, get fit and lose some weight so he could enjoy the trip to his old hometown of Sydney with his family. .
He dramatically left the country after resigning from his 22 senior positions at Australian companies in 2018, citing that he wanted to focus on his mental health.
Before that time, he had been involved in a very public relationship and then broke up with star singer Mariah Carey, and was embroiled in business scandals in China and Israel.
It was reported that he was receiving treatment for anxiety and depression in the United States.
James Packer bought the $72 million Sydney residence atop the One Barangaroo building in Sydney in 2021 with his ex-wife Erica handling the interior design
Erica and a friend from Los Angeles were designing the interior of the Crown penthouse apartment and ‘reconfiguring’ it to allow for easier access between floors.
One Barangaroo is a 71-story skyscraper comprised of 82 palatial apartments as part of the Crown Casino and Resort development
The palatial Crown apartment boasts 360 degree views and is arranged over two levels.
Not long after Crown spectacularly imploded after media reports in 2019 linked the casino group to money laundering and dodgy Chinese operators emerged.
Packer sold his Crown shares for $3.3 billion and has been living among his various residences abroad in recent years.
He mainly spends his time between an $80 million mansion in Los Angeles, which he bought to be closer to Erica and her children, his $20 million home in Aspen, Colorado, and his recently completed $50 million compound in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
He also owns an Ellerstina polo ranch on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and a superyacht on which he often stays.
James spent $50 million on this Los Angeles mansion to be close to Erica Packer, who lives nearby in Malibu.
An exterior view of Mr. Packer’s Colorado estate, part of his extensive portfolio of properties
Inside the cozy Colorado mansion, upstairs with a roaring fireplace
But while he’s in Sydney, it’s understood he’ll be staying in his Crown Barangaroo penthouse that he bought for $72 million in 2021.
Erica is believed to have handled the interior design for the project with her Los Angeles designer friend, Nathan Turner, and the workers rushed to finish the fittings in time for their vacation.
The dark color palette of blackened stainless steel, Greek marble and bronze has been replaced with a light and airy feel.
Some minor jobs will reportedly have to wait until after the Packers take off, like installing a private elevator between two of the floors and moving a kitchen, which requires complex plumbing on the floor.
