Sam Wood, Antony Catalano and the real estate puzzle that has Brighton talking

Real estate intrigue is practically sport in Melbourne so it is little wonder that the emergence of a link between troubled former Bachelor star Sam Wood and controversial businessman Antony Catalano has Bayside abuzz.

Chats with two locals, a trip to the address and official documents have helped CBD piece together the puzzle.

Wood and wife Snezana own two homes in Greater Melbourne, a Brighton house they paid $7.15m for in an off-market deal and settled in January, and a Mount Martha property they forked out $2.7 million for in October 2020.

Instead, Wood’s luxury car, complete with distinctive number plates, has been parked in the driveway of a third Bayside property which CBD visited on Wednesday, spotting members family and their friends coming and going.

In yet another example of how small a state of more than 5 million can be, that five-bedroom, three-bathroom home is owned by a former significant acquaintance of charged media mogul Catalano.

CBD attempted to contact the owner of the property as well as Snezana, without success.

Word on the leafy streets is the Woods’ never moved into the $7 million Brighton enclave they settled earlier this year and that spruce-up works have been going on at the property. We were even told a real estate agent had paid the property a visit.

The founder of the online 28 fitness platform remains in custody in Queensland after being arrested in Noosa on the weekend and charged with domestic violence related offences.

A bail application is listed for Thursday and Wood’s lawyer, Mathew Cuskelly , has said that the charges against the 46-year-old will be defended.

The Noosa fallout continued on Tuesday when Wood was sacked by DBG Health, the company that bought his 28 by Sam Wood business in 2022, in a deal that valued the fitness platform at $71 million.

DBG Health severed all commercial ties with Wood “effective immediately”.

“DBG Health does not tolerate domestic violence in any form, and our thoughts are with anyone affected by it,” the company said in a statement.

Catalano, meanwhile, is expected to return to court later this month charged with assaulting a woman at his St Kilda home .

Victoria Police allege that he swung a clothes iron at his wife Stefanie’s head, unlawfully imprisoned her in the luxury apartment, threatened to stab her to death and choked or strangled her. She was admitted to hospital with a broken tailbone.