The Hollywood couple formed by the Spanish Elsa Pataky and the Australian Chris Hemsworth was the first to move to Byron Bay, a small coastal town of about 9,000 inhabitants in the state of New South Wales, in Australia.
It was in 2014 when they left the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to enjoy a more relaxed life in this paradise that combines subtropical mountains with idyllic beaches for surfing and scuba diving.
Although the breathtaking landscapes of Byron Bay have become the permanent backdrop for their prolific Instagram accounts, the two actors little imagined then that their experience would serve as an inspiration to many other celebrities in the world of cinema.
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A post shared by Elsa Pataky (@elsapatakyconfidential)
Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Natalie Portman, Sacha Baron Cohen or Melissa McCarthy are some of the celebrities who have moved temporarily or permanently to Byron Bay this 2020, not only for its magnificent views but above all because Australia is one of the countries where covid has been best controlled (with a total of 909 deaths among its 25 million inhabitants).
These new residents have such loose budgets that their arrival has triggered a rise in house prices in Byron Bay and surrounding towns.
The area has been dubbed “Hollywood 2.0” and real estate agents are amazed at the explosion of interest they have registered, with houses being bought without being seen or with inspections through Zoom, the virtual calling and meeting application.
The median property value in Byron Bay is now AU $ 1.44 million (€ 900,000), an increase of more than 22% from last year.
They are the same prices that can be found in the better neighborhoods of cities like Sydney or Melbourne.
Tourism began to develop in Byron Bay in 1980 and the value of houses and vacation residences has been rising consistently, but never at such exclusive prices.
This December, American actor Mark Wahlberg received permission from the Australian government to comply with the mandatory quarantine for COVID in Byron Bay instead of the official hotels in Sydney.
The luxury accommodation Wahlberg chose for confinement has a minimum price of 1,500 euros per night.
Similarly, fellow American actress Melissa McCarty moved with her family to Byron Bay in August and, according to the
Daily Mail
, has spent more than € 22,000 a week renting a multi-story mansion with an infinity pool nearby. from one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia.
In both cases they are temporary transfers since the two actors are filming their latest projects in Australia.
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Although the arrival of Hollywood stars is definitely changing the landscape of Byron Bay and making it unaffordable for many of its traditional residents, this is the best news for the Australian government.
Melissa McCarthy has participated in Australian actress Nicole Kidman's latest television production,
Nine Perfect Strangers,
which was completed in late December near Byron Bay.
Filming the production has not only resulted in an injection of capital and labor for the Australian film industry, but has also involved the rental of 60 homes in Byron Bay, including that of Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban.
Nicole Kidman and Chris Hemsworth are becoming ambassadors for Australian film and tourism with efforts to attract Hollywood.
With the help of generous incentives approved by the Canberra government, Hemsworth got his last two productions for Netflix to move their filming to Australia in 2020.
The actor has always been open about his preference to work close to home to spend as much time as possible with his wife and three children, India Rose, eight, and twins Sasha and Tristan, six.
When the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in December, the Australian wrote on Instagram: "I'm looking forward to the advances in science and modern medicine for 200 more years."
Thanks to him, the filming of the next installment of Thor is scheduled to begin this month in Sydney.
The film's crew has moved to Australia for weeks, including hero Natalie Portman and new villain Christian Bale.
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A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)