Beachfront luxury accommodation business to get a little Latin spice

Harpers on the Beach at No.8 Harper Pl, White Beach. Picture: SUPPLIED

A LUXURY Tasman Peninsula beachfront bed and breakfast property has been snapped up by international buyers with ties to the TV and banking industries.

No.8 Harper Place, White Beach — Harpers on the Beach — boasts a tightly held and absolutely magical position.

It takes just 30 paces to stroll from its garden to the pristine sandy beach with stunning views across Storm Bay to Bruny Island and the South West Wilderness.

The property is one of just eight set along the 3km stretch of snow white sand.

For tourists on the peninsula, the location is close to everything — the coastal walks of the renowned Three Capes Track, historic Port Arthur and the popular Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.

Harpers on the Beach.

Cape Hauy and Hippolyte Rocks, part of the Three Capes Experience on the Tasman Peninsula.

No.1 tourist attraction, Port Arthur Historic Site. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

The eight-bedroom multi-dwelling Harpers on the Beach was sold by Knight Frank’s Anne Bowman and John Blacklow.

Mr Blacklow said the prime beachside location was key in generating international inquiry.

“There are very few properties here that actually front the beautiful white sandy beach,” he said.

“The advantage for this one was that the owners could live in the large first floor apartment overlooking the beach, and have income from the three ensuited rooms and two cottages.

“Great lifestyle? You bet!

“Harpers on the Beach was a premium offering and the price reflected that.”

The property was purchased for $1.5m, per realestate.com.au, by Justin Morgan-Cooper, an Aussie expat now Dubai-based bank executive.

He added Harpers on the Beach to an existing portfolio of land interests on Tasmania’s East Coast.

Mr Morgan-Cooper’s wife, Olivia Peralta, is the daughter of Mexican billionaire and leading industrialist Carlos Peralta, chairman of Mexico’s largest multinational IUSA.

Ms Peralta is a well known Mexican TV host, author and entrepreneur. Her various social media accounts tally over 500,000 followers.

Her family’s social media presence is vast with accounts in aggregate over three million followers.

Property buyers Justin Morgan-Cooper and partner Olivia Peralta.

For vehicle lovers, taking the journey on Instagram/Don_Huayra is an exciting way to burn some time peaking at the jaw dropping car collection.

Mr Morgan-Cooper met his future wife “randomly” while holidaying in Mykonos, Greece in 2017 and now they have a 18-month-old daughter together.

He said they intend to have his Australian family actively involved in the Harpers on the Beach business operations going forward.

He said they will make it their own by adding a little bit of Mexican Latin spice to the existing B&B experience.

“One thing is for certain, mezcal will become the welcome drink of choice for all future patrons,” he said.

Water views from the breakfast table.

Fire up the coffee machine.

By the fire with a good book.

Harpers on the Beach has been owned by Jonathon and Jill Mills for about a decade.

Jonathan’s father is British actor Sir John Mills. He has two sisters, Hayley Mills, a well known actor and Juliette Mills, a Broadway star.

The Mills family built the main house next to a classic two-bedroom beach house and developed the property into an award-winning business.

Mr Mills says as a business, Harpers on the Beach is “almost too popular” if that is possible, and that any time it is open, it’s fully booked.

For the couple, visiting Tasmania was a life-changing experience.

Originally from Scotland and England, they spent a few years in the heat of Queensland before holidaying on the Apple Isle.

“We fell in love with the place and quickly moved here within months,” Mr Mills said.

“When I moved to Australia from the US, friends did not know where Tasmania was. But it has become a hot spot for tourism in the last 15 years, it has been a radical change.”