A top-floor apartment belonging to royal coach builder Jim Frecklington has sold in Manly for well above what anyone expected, just as it was about to go under the hammer.
The three-bedroom unit, perched on the top floor of Elizabeth Towers with views over Manly Harbour, had originally been guided at $2.6 million. Interest from buyers was strong enough that the price guide was bumped up to $2.7 million before an offer came in that made an auction unnecessary altogether.
Selling agent Susie O’Brien of McGrath Manly would not be drawn on the exact sale price, but other sources have indicated the apartment ultimately changed hands for around $3 million — a full $400,000 above the original guide. In a property market that has had its share of challenges lately, that kind of result stands out.
The new owners aren’t local. They’re understood to be from outside the area and plan to use the apartment as a holiday letting property and occasional short-term base, drawn no doubt by its position overlooking the harbour.
It’s easy to see the appeal. The apartment at 20/81 West Esplanade comes with a generous wraparound balcony, an open-plan kitchen, two bedrooms with built-in storage and a third room that could serve as a bedroom or study. There are no shared walls with neighbouring units, a full bathroom plus a separate powder room, lift access, and — notably — it’s the only apartment on its floor.
For Frecklington, the sale closes a chapter on a Manly home with sweeping views, but his name remains tied to some of the most recognisable carriages in royal history.
He built the ornate Australian State Coach back in 1988 as a Bicentennial gift from Australia to the Crown. That coach later carried Prince William and Catherine during their 2011 wedding procession.
He went on to create the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, a six-horse carriage built in his Sydney workshop and assembled with more than 100 historical artefacts spanning almost a thousand years of British history. It marked the first state coach of its kind ever assembled outside the United Kingdom. That coach carried King Charles and Queen Camilla to their coronation in 2023.
Frecklington is now putting the finishing touches on yet another carriage, known as the King’s Coach, which is being built with the help of a small team at a workshop on Sydney’s northern beaches. The coach was blessed in a ceremony held in December 2025, marking a significant milestone in the build.
In recognition of his decades of craftsmanship and service, the late Queen Elizabeth II awarded Frecklington the Royal Victorian Order — an honour he has described as deeply personal.
Published 17-June-2026
