They started on the sunny shores of Summer Bay, earning a few hundred dollars a week.
From Chris Hemsworth to Kate Ritchie, these former Aussie soap stars have turned their humble beginnings on Home and Away into impressive real estate portfolios.
Here’s how the small-screen favourites became property power players.
Chris Hemsworth
Estimated Net Worth: $200 million
Long before he was cast as the God of Thunder Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Hemsworth appeared on Home and Away.
The Melbourne-born actor joined the iconic soap in 2004 as Kim Hyde. He departed the series after three years in 2007.
The Hollywood star has built an impressive real estate portfolio, primarily in Australia.
In 2013, Hemsworth bought a Malibu home from Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan for $US4.8 million ($A7.4 million).
Described as “a home fit for a god”, the five-bedroom abode features a large kitchen with state of the art appliances, gym, library and guesthouse. The home took three years to build
The Star Trek star sold the property in 2016 for a cool $US7 million ($A10.8 million).
In 2014, Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky bought a big slice of land in Byron Bay, NSW.
Nicknamed ‘Fortress Hemsworth’ by the locals, the estate took three years to build.
Valued at as much as $50 million, the state-of-the-art home boasts eye-popping district views – all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
The six-bedroom property features a media room, indoor and outdoor gyms, a spa, games area, a bowling alley and a massive 50m infinity pool.
Kate Ritchie
Estimated Net Worth: $4 million
Kate Ritchie was just eight years old when she was cast as Sally Fletcher on Home and Away from 1988 to 2008.
The media personality has made a number of moves in Sydney’s property market.
Ritchie owned a Bellevue Hill apartment which she sold for $885,000 in December 2020. She purchased the two-bedroom unit for $355,000 in June 2000.
The Underbelly alum also owns a home in Randwick she purchased in 2003 for $990,000 with her ex-husband, former rugby league player Stuart Webb, which they later renovated.
Ritchie offloaded her weekender in Burradoo, in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands, in 2021 for $3.2 million.
The four-bedroom abode “Fallow Field” was purchased by the pair for $1.75 million in 2016, featuring a tree-lined driveway and an 1800s carriage house with a hayloft.
Last year, the two-time Gold Logie winner revealed she still earns money from the soap opera, despite leaving the show 17 years ago.
The radio presenter revealed on Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie, she earns money if scenes she starred in on the Channel 7 soap get reused.
“What do you get for the replays of Sally on Home and Away?” Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli asked.
Her co-host Ryan Fitzgerald added: “Do you get royalties at all?”
“I get residuals [as] they call them here for Home and Away,” she admitted before adding: ‘Home and Away goes to over 60 countries all over the world.
“So will you get a check for 80 bucks or something?” Fitzy asked.
“Yeah I think so … something like that,” Ritchie responded.
Isla Fisher
Estimated Net Worth: $123 million
Isla Fisher rose to fame as Shannon Reed in Home and Away from 1994 to 1997.
A year after she starred on the soap, the Wedding Crashers star purchased a two-bedroom Woollahra unit for $171,500. She sold the apartment last year for $930,000.
Located on the Ocean Street corner directly across from Centennial Park, the 1930s pad had been listed with a $1 million price guide, but pulled from its auction.
It had been operated by Fisher as a tenancy with it last marketed at $400 per week in early 2021, having been slashed from its $680 a week in 2018 given the extended Covid pandemic hit on the rental market.
Juilan McMahon
Estimated Net Worth at time of passing: $24 million
Juilan McMahon was cast as Ben Lucini on Home and Away from February 1990 until May 1991.
Before his tragic death, a significant portion of the Charmed alum’s wealth came from real estate in both the US and Australia.
In 1997, the Fantastic Four star purchased a home just below the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles for $US700,000 ($A1.06 million).
He sold it in 2015 for $US2.18 million ($A3.32 million), netting a profit of $US1.5 million ($A2.2 million).
In 2017, McMahon offloaded his Malibu home after a decade for $US3.55 million ($A5.41 million).
The property featured five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool, and a volleyball court.
Situated on more than an acre in Malibu Park, the home was initially listed for $US4.395 million ($A6.7 million) and later reduced to $US3.85 million ($A5.8 million) before the sale, according to the LA Times.
McMahon and his sisters Melinda and Deborah, also inherited several properties in Australia from their mother, Lady Sonia McMahon.
Their childhood home in Bellevue Hill was sold for $9 million in 2011 following Lady McMahon’s death in 2010. The profits from the sale were split between the siblings.
A second residence in Bellevue Hill was offloaded in 2012 for $6.25 million. That same year, the family’s Palm Beach weekender was sold for around $2 million.
Bec Hewitt
Estimated Net Worth: Unknown
From 1998 to 2005, Bec Hewitt (nee Cartwright) played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera Home and Away.
The actress and her husband tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt have been busy in the property market.
The Aussie power couple sold their Toorak mansion in December 2021, less than a month after listing it.
The Melbourne home, which they had purchased for $12.7m, sold for $15.2 million.
Also in 2021, they splashed $4.305 million on The Palms — a Gold Coast manor which “broke the internet”, attracting interest from around the world.
The property was sold in January this year for an undisclosed fee in a deal shrouded in secrecy.
Lleyton also previously owned a mansion in his hometown of Adelaide, which he sold in 2014 for $2.18 million.
He made a loss on the home, originally paying $3.2 million for it in 2003.
It was reported in late 2023 that the Hewitts had purchased a resort-style estate in Glenhaven for $10.3 million, where it is believed that they still reside.
The Hills Shire home previously belonged to former Parramatta Eels star Nathan Hindmarsh.
Before he starred in US TV shows The Mentalist and The Guardian, Simon Baker played James Hudson on Home and Away from 1993 to 1994.
The Launceston-born actor has cashed in on the Aussie real estate market.
Baker and his then-wife Rebecca Rigg owned a terrace in Paddington that was sold in 2007 for $3.3 million.
The former couple offloaded their North Bondi beach pad for more than $3.5 million within two weeks of it hitting the market. They paid $2.63 million for the apartment in 2014.
The three-bedroom property features incredible views and includes access to an exclusive 118 sqm rooftop terrace.
In 2022, The Devil Wears Prada star spent around $6 million for a property between Bondi Beach and Tamarama that was marketed as a “tropical rainforest haven”.
The three-bedroom property has views of Bondi Beach. Baker’s purchase followed the 2021 sale of the Bronte property he shared with his ex-wife for $17m.
The Logie-winner also retains a retreat at Nashua in the hinterland above Byron Bay, which he purchased in 2009 for $1.5 million.
Ryan Kwanten
Estimated Net Worth: $9.2 million
Before reaching international stardom on True Blood, Ryan Kwanten played lifeguard Vinnie Patterson on Home and Away from 1997 to 2002.
Last year, the Summerland alum sold his northern beaches investment after 25 years ownership.
The Aussie actor pocketed $550,000 for the Manly studio apartment after 78 days on market.
He paid $162,000 for the 28sq m unit in 1999, two years after he made his debut in Summer Bay.
Kwanten’s unit is on the ground floor of the Regents Court complex, just south of the Manly Wharf.
The last time it was advertised for rent was in 2018 at $420 a week.
Kwanten still has a foothold in the Sydney market as, since 2017, he’s owned a two-bedroom investment apartment in Balgowlah which cost $1 million.
Dannii Minogue
Estimated Net Worth: $38 million
Kylie’s younger sister Dannii joined Home and Away in 1989, playing Ailsa Stewart’s niece Emma Jackson. She left the series in 1990 to launch her music career.
The TV personality has made a couple moves in real estate. She paid $2.05 million for Hawthorn East pad in March 2010.
The former Young Talent Time star and her then-partner Kris Smith spent $130,000 on an extension to the property in April 2011.
In 2021, the entertainer bought a stylish house in Hawthorn East, two years after selling her previous pad in the same suburb.
The sale price was undisclosed, but the property had a $3.2m asking price.
At the time of the listing, the residence was marketed as offering “low-maintenance luxury living”, with high-end features including a lift, a stone and Miele kitchen, a north-facing alfresco terrace with a barbecue kitchen, and a basement cellar and gym.
Three of the four bedrooms have ensuites, while the main also boasts a walk-in wardrobe.
