The previous record price for Sydney this year was $18 million, which James Packer and his wife, Erica, paid for a 2374-square-metre Vaucluse property sold by executors of the estate of the oil shale pioneer Sir Ian McFarlane.

There was no sign of Russell Crowe or his wife, Danielle Spencer, at last night's Raine & Horne auction. They had attended the appointment-only inspections.

Le Manoir in Bellevue Hill...potential bidders had to lodge a $50,000 refundable deposit to take part

Le Manoir in Bellevue Hill...potential bidders had to lodge a $50,000 refundable deposit to take part

Bidding opened at $18 million, and the underbidder was stockbroker Walter Lewin.

Only high-flying prospective buyers or their lawyers could attend the private auction, which was held under instructions from the French Government.

Prospective buyers had to lodge a pre-auction refundable deposit of $50,000 to indicate their bona fides. And the French reserved the right to vet those who lodged the deposit.

''The auction will be conducted as a private auction with no members of the public attending and no media representatives,'' clause 36.3 of the contract said. Rival estate agents were not allowed to observe, although text messages of the result spread quickly through the eastern suburbs.

Le Manoir, on a 4097-square-metre battleaxe block on Victoria Road, but has six bedrooms, a pool and a tennis court. It last sold for £25,000 in 1955.

The anticipated presence at the auction of the Chinese Government, which spent $6.9 million on a near-new French provincial-style residence in Toorak, Melbourne, in July, did not eventuate.

The Bronte-based Murdoch and his wife, Sarah, who are expecting their third child in April, have been inspecting private family friendly houses for much of the past year.