Zac Efron has been famous his entire adult life. The actor got his big break at the age of 18 when the 2006 sensation High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel, so he’s spent a lot of time in the public eye—and perhaps that’s why the Iron Claw star prefers to keep his home life under wraps. Shortly after the pandemic hit in 2020, the actor made a break for Australia and has been somewhat elusive ever since. Where does the California native live now?
In 2013, Efron spent just under $4 million on a modernized midcentury pad high up in the Hollywood Hills. The 5,644-square-foot dwelling featured five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gym, a wine cellar, and a separate guesthouse. The actor welcomed Vogue to the premises to film a “73 Questions” video in 2017, but in a departure from the franchise’s typical format, the crew only interviewed Efron outside. Cameras revealed a look at the dwelling’s exterior, showcasing its expansive decks and swimming pool, complete with a waterfall that cascaded from a spa perched on the deck above.
In March 2020, the 17 Again star hunkered down in the coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia, where he seemingly stayed put for the rest of the year. That November, he began production on the action-thriller Gold, which was filmed in the South Australian outback. Efron listed his LA home for $5.9 million in December 2020, ultimately getting $5.3 million for it in May 2021. “As of now, he has no plans to live permanently in LA again,” a source told People a couple of months later. “He loves Australia and considers it his home.”
A view of the Byron Bay coastline.Photo: Peter Harrison/Getty Images
It was later revealed that the Hairspray actor had purchased a swath of undeveloped New South Wales property in an online auction shortly before listing his longtime Hollywood digs. Efron spent $2 million on the 318-acre plot, located about an hour north of Byron Bay. According to listing details, the same family owned the scenic property for over a century before it went up for sale. The unspoiled sprawl boasts mountains, waterfalls, streams, valleys, Pacific Ocean views, and trails suited for an active lifestyle of bushwalking and mountain biking. Reporting speculated that the former Disney star might build a home on the property, but evidence of that remains to be seen.
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So, where does that leave the primary residence of the talent who gave us the iconic “Bet On It” scene? Everywhere and nowhere, as far as public information goes; Efron stayed in Australia throughout the first quarter of 2021, when production began on season two of his Netflix docuseries Down to Earth, which took place entirely down under. Since then the 36-year-old has bounced around the globe to film projects in Canada, the US, Thailand, and Australia. “I’m in a van trying to travel and see as much of the world as I can, or just hiking in the woods and camping,” Efron said in a September 2022 interview with Men’s Health, going on to disclose that his worldly possessions were mostly reduced to a modest capsule wardrobe suitable for his outdoorsy lifestyle.
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A little over a year later, the nomadic star told Variety that he had been spending time at his Australian property while contemplating his next real estate move. “Any time I want, I can spend time with my parents—I know they’re always going to be in California. But I’m thinking about where I want to build a home base and cultivate my life,” Efron told the outlet. “It’s shocking—sometimes you wake up after doing three movies a year, and you’re like, I’ve neglected thinking about my own personal life for this long.”
Since then, the Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile actor seems to have doubled down on his world tour lifestyle. “Usually if I am not working, then I will be on a trip finding something new,” Efron told The Rake in January. “It is a great way to live, and it opens your eyes to something much bigger than Hollywood. It can all feel very small if you’re stuck in LA, and I was stuck there for quite a few years.”
