Latest news with #AdrianPortelli
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Alex Cullen confirms surprise new role after getting brutally fired from Today: 'This is an exciting next chapter for me'
Alex Cullen has confirmed his surprising new role, almost six months after he was fired from the Today show for accepting a $50,000 gift from controversial Block bidder Adrian Portelli. In January, the presenter, 44, was given the sizeable sum after he was the first media personality to use Portelli's self-proclaimed nickname 'McLaren Man' live on air - sparking a firestorm which resulted in him leaving Channel Nine. He has now secured a new role as a sports presenter on Melbourne 's Gold 1043.3's top-rating breakfast program The Christian O'Connell Show. Host Christian O'Connell confirmed the exciting news live on-air on Thursday. 'Alex Cullen is brilliant journalist who is looking for a job! You might recognise the name, he's the guy who took the $50,000... That's our guy!' Christian began. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Christian added the commercial radio sector had different rules than TV and so they were happy to welcome Alex to their team. 'Now Channel Nine might go, "Listen, we can't have that", but commercial breakfast radio... We are very much up for payola! Don't worry Alex, you have found a home here, my friend,' he said. Alex shared his excitement at joining the show in a statement. 'This is such an exciting next chapter for me,' he wrote. 'I actually started my career in radio, so to be coming back to it and joining a show that's so loved and so full of heart is a real thrill. 'I can't wait to be on air with Christian, Pats and Rio, and to get to know Melbourne – my family and I are thrilled to be making it our new home.' He will officially join the show next month, after Christian's co- star Jack Post announced his resignation last month. Earlier this year, Alex was axed from the Nine Network after he accepted $50,000 from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli. Today host Karl Stefanovic made the announcement that Alex had left the network live on-air. 'As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week,' a solemn Stefanovic told viewers. 'There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this, what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed he would finish with the network. 'Alex has, of course, been part of the Today family for five years now, he's always ready with a smile and a laugh and without hesitation speaking for all of us here, we can say that we are going to miss him terribly. 'A terrific fella, what you see is what you get and he has been a great mate to all of us over these years and we wish Alex, his wife Bonnie and his beautiful kids all the very best for the future.' A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Nine has agreed with Today presenter and journalist Alex Cullen that he will finish with the network following a review into a recent incident.' The scandal kicked off when Portelli had grown tired of his long-used nickname 'Mr Lambo' and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker on air, with Alex obliging on the Today show. The Block entrepreneur then posted what appeared to be a bank transfer of $50,000 to the presenter on Instagram. Accepting cash, gifts or benefits to undermine journalistic independence, and improperly using a journalistic position for personal gain, are both breaches of the journalism code of ethics as defined by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance union. The ill-advised stunt led to Alex being suspended by Nine and he did not appear on the show while the network investigated the payment. Nine's parting of ways with Alex went ahead despite Portelli's claim that the journalist intended the money to be paid to charity all along. Network insiders also told Daily Mail Australia that the stunt could have been beneficial for the network and Portelli, if Alex had advised the promoter that, as a journalist, he was unable to accept any payment for making the comment on-air.
Courier-Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Courier-Mail
Business listed for sale complete with a camel called Sandy
A unique business opportunity is for sale, and it comes complete with a camel called Sandy. Operating at EcoPark Fishing Park & Farm Stay, the 3.11ha site is located at Luscombe, which is located between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Listed with Ray White Shore Group, 2 Hall St is zoned Commercial and classified as a Special Tourist Attraction. It boasts 'beautifully landscaped grounds featuring fishing ponds, open picnic areas, native wildlife, and engaging family-friendly activities'. At the entrance is a retail gift shop and fully operational kitchen, servicing visitors and guests throughout the week. An onsite property also provides a steady income stream. The business website describes it as a fishing park and farm stay. There are two accommodations types – the EcoPark Lodge and overnight camping for one group only. Exclusive overnight camping starts at $499 for four people, with an additional $75 per person, right up to $1500 for 20 people, and $75 per person after that. EcoPark Lodge is a self-contained house that sleeps up to 18 people. Activities include fishing, with all gear supplied, a 36-hole mini golf course, animal and bird feeding, a jumping castle, paddleboats. waterbikes, large boardgames, swings and slides, table tennis and football. There is also pedal go karts, 4WD buggy rides and tours. The catch and release fishing involves try to land one of the thousands of fish within the ponds, including Barcoo Grunter, Sooty Grunter, Silver Perch, Eel-tailed catfish, Australian Bass, Golden Perch (or Yellow Belly) and Murray Cod. 'Our catch and release policy ensure that there are plenty of fish for all to enjoy catching,' the website says. MORE: Adrian Portelli's mega Block sell off Party pad that has hosted celebs and sports stars hits the market ATO's dragnet: Millions of side hustles face shock tax bill And as for the other animals, these include Sandy the Camel, rabbits Miss Poppins and Lady Blue, a number of macaws, deer, and Dorothy the Pig. The website also says that a shark and ray encounter is 'coming soon'. There is also peacocks, donkeys, sheep, goats, guinea pigs, ducks, turkeys and baby chicks.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Adrian Portelli selling entire Block compound at Phillip Island
Adrian Portelli is selling off his entire Block compound at Phillip Island months after snapping up all five homes on the hit renovation show. The billionaire businessman posted on Instagram, begging fans to take all the properties off his hands, The Herald Sun reports. 'For Sale. EOI. The Phillip Island Block Resort. Selling complex complete. Everything included. Will not sell houses separately,' he posted. Portelli put out a call for expressions of interest in making the multimillion-dollar purchase. During last year's The Block grand final, the Aussie entrepreneur made history when he bought every single house for a whopping $15.03 million. Portelli's purchases included $3.5 million for the house renovated by sisters Maddy and Charlotte Harry. He dropped $3.3 million for a property transformed by Courtney McInnes and Grant Freeman. Portelli paid $2.93 million on the pad created by Kristian and Mimi Belperio, $2.7 million for the home renovated by Ricky Recard and Haydn Wise and rounded out his 'royal flush' by purchasing the home made-over by Kylie and Brad Baker for $2.6 million. The businessman announced he was done with The Block and would not be in the market for Block properties in 2025. Back in December, Portelli put the entire Phillip Island complex up as a prize in a mega-giveaway. In Australia's most lucrative giveaway outside of lotteries, the richlister offered up a choice of either all five Phillip Island homes from last season's The Block, or a substantial cash prize of $8 million. Ballarat resident and healthcare worker Holly won the sweepstakes and ended up pocketing the money, he revealed. Portelli said the cash prize had already cleared into her account and they were sending her a cheque as well. He added that his shopping platform, LMCT+, was not going to be running another giveaway of the properties as a promotion of that scale was costly. 'I've purchased (the homes) twice now,' he said. 'I think everyone forgets that the resort is one half of the cost. So to run a promotion like that costs double the amount we have paid for it in marketing expenses and running it and permits. 'It's really difficult to try chase the money back for it.' At the time, Portelli said he would most likely keep the residences for himself and maybe hold events there. — Additional reporting by Sarah Petty
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Billionaire Adrian Portelli begs fans to buy EVERY HOME he purchased on The Block after dropping $15 million on entire Phillip Island compound - and failing to give it away in a competition
Adrian 'Mr Lambo' Portelli has revealed he's selling off his entire Phillip Island compound. The billionaire businessman, 35, made history when he snapped up every Block home on Phillip Island for $15.03million last year. However it appears he is ready to let it all go - and has appealed to his fans to take it off his hands. In a post shared to Instagram Stories on Friday, he wrote: 'For Sale. The Phillip Island Block resort selling complex complete. Everything included.' 'Will not sell houses separately' he added. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. However it appears he is ready to let it all go - and has appealed to his fans to take it off his hands. In a post shared to Instagram Stories on Friday, he wrote: 'For Sale. The Phillip Island Block resort selling complex complete. Everything included' Adrian included a question box where people could 'express interest' in making the multi-million dollar purchase. Last year, Adrian attempted to give away the entire compound in a record-breaking raffle. The house giveaway was earlier marred by technology issues which has forced him to postpone the announcement of the winner. However he got back on track 24 hours later with over 111,000 viewers tuning in on Facebook. Portelli called the winner, a 34-year-old woman from Ballarat called Holly, to give her the good news that she had won. 'Oh my God, no f**ing way. I didn't watch the live on purpose because I thought it would be bad luck,' she Portelli during the call. Holly opted to sleep on the choice between taking $8 million in cash or keeping all five properties. However, she later opted to take the cash, leaving Adrian still holding the homes. Holly opted to sleep on the choice between taking $8 million in cash or keeping all five properties. However, she later opted to take the cash, leaving Adrian still holding the homes. One of the homes is pictured The scheduled lottery through his company LMCT+ had hit a major roadblock on Thursday due to technical difficulties, with Adrian deciding to 'pause' the action. The winner was due to be unveiled at 8.30pm on Boxing Day but the result had been postponed for 24 hours due to the issues. In a video, Adrian explained that the giveaway had closed at 8pm as planned, but due to the sheer volume of traffic on the website, the LMCT+ systems then crashed. During the 2024 finale of The Block, Adrian made history by purchasing all five of the properties for a huge $15million. In his final year of bidding on the show, Adrian ensured Maddy and Charlotte Harry became the youngest ever winners when he bought their home for $3.5million. Adrian's company, LMCT+, has frequently raffled off properties from The Block, including last year's $5million purchase of Steph and Gian's winning home. Shortly after buying up the entire plot of homes on Phillip Island, Adrian then announced his massive 'resort giveaway' through LMCT+.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The Block star warns the Channel Nine homes are a dud buy ahead of upcoming season in Daylesford
Property guru Frank Valentic has issued a stark warning that homes featured on Channel Nine's The Block are often a 'dud buy', struggling to hold their value after the cameras stop rolling. One of the biggest reasons for this, the Melbourne-based buyer's agent said, is because the properties do not come with enough land. The Advantage Property Consulting director and familiar face on The Block pulled no punches when asked whether the contestant-renovated homes are a good investment. 'It's land that appreciates over time. Buildings depreciate,' he told referencing the first six seasons of The Block set in eastern suburbs apartment blocks, and adjacent townhouses, in Sydney. Meanwhile serial Block buyer Adrian Portelli gave away all five of the Philip Island homes he purchased last year for $15million in a raffle. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. One in five buyer's from The Block's previous 19 seasons have ended up re-selling their made-for-TV home at a loss. One particularly unfortunate purchaser found themselves $600,000 out of pocket after offloading their property, just six years after purchasing it. Many of these 'renovated' homes have also languished on the market for hundreds of days, gathering dust. Although The Block houses can be a good investment for high-income investors seeking tax benefits and capital growth, they come with potential risks. Chief among them is the ability to successfully market a property whose renovation flaws have been aired for all of Australia to see. Of the 32 Block properties re-listed for sale since being auctioned fully furnished on-air, the Herald Sun reported 'seven have sold at a loss, two more failed to sell entirely and seven more struggled to seal a deal — taking more than 60 days to do so.' The worst offender was a three-bedroom apartment in Port Melbourne, from the 2016 season. It fetched a hefty $2.59 million under the hammer but was then flogged in 2022 for a paltry $1.98 million – a jaw-dropping $610,000 loss. Even the infamous former South Yarra hotel from season 11, where a self-proclaimed vampire gigolo was once accused of a horrific crime, has seen its Block apartments struggle. One unit sold for $1.722 million in 2016, a $13,000 drop from its original sale price a year earlier. Another sat on the market for 278 days with a $2.445 million price tag that failed to attract a single buyer, only to be re-listed in 2023 and languish for another 291 days. Valentic said keen investors should keep their eyes peeled for suburbs poised for a boom. In Melbourne, he believes areas like Elwood, Richmond, and Reservoir could follow in the footsteps of Toorak - the city's most elite suburb - rewarding savvy buyers who get in early. Filming for the 21st season of The Block is already underway in Daylesford, regional Victoria. Five new teams of everyday Aussies are currently transforming rundown holiday homes into luxury properties as part of a new neighbourhood within Hygge Property's Middleton Field estate. Belle Property Daylesford principal Will Walton, who sold the sprawling site to Channel Nine, confirmed the cast and crew are integrating well with the local community. With Portelli officially retiring from purchasing The Block homes in 2024, this upcoming season may prove a real test of the market for the properties. The median house sale price in Daylesford, Victoria, Australia, is approximately $819,000 - Daylesford's property market, particularly for houses, has experienced a recent decline in activity. While it was a popular area for investors, it's no longer considered a top-performing investment location, with a negative annual growth compound rate and a relatively low rental yield. However, it's important to consider that Daylesford's appeal as a desirable lifestyle location continues to attract buyers, particularly those seeking a tree-change.
