This vision involved the couple repairing the estate's colonial structures and restoring a horse track to hold picnic races. And it involved breaking off sections of an enlarged Fernhill estate for subdivision and sale. The Fernhill estate in Mulgoa includes 385 hectares of land and an 1845 sandstone homestead. The Tripps soon became friends with Mr Ayres, the member for Penrith, and his partner Marise Payne, now the Foreign Affairs Minister. In June 2013, Mrs Tripp attended a fundraising dinner to celebrate Mr Ayres’ third year in Parliament, with a spot at the political couple’s table. And in 2014 the Tripps hosted Ms Payne’s 50th birthday party at Fernhill free of charge. But the Tripps were unable to make a go of the property. They left Fernhill at the start of 2016 and, they say, from this point no longer held a financial interest in the property. They remained the registered proprietors of Fernhill, and it was purchased by the state government in March 2018 for $27.25 million – described by Mr Ayres as a "coup" for western Sydney.

Stuart Ayres with his partner Marise Payne, now the Foreign Affairs Minister, at Fernhill in 2015. Credit:Tim Bauer This transaction has drawn the attention of the state opposition, which has raised questions about the extent of the links between the Tripps and Mr Ayres. “Mr Ayres issued a press release saying the NSW government had purchased the Fernhill property from Angas Securities for more than $27 million,” said shadow treasurer Ryan Park. “Why did he fail to mention that the registered owners of the property were Simon and Brenda Tripp, his close personal acquaintances?” Fernhill had been owned by Warren Anderson – a colourful developer and entrepreneur once known for his association with former prime minister Paul Keating. But when Mr Anderson was bankrupted in 2010, the mortgage over the property was acquired by investment firm Angas Securities. In 2012 Angas entered into a complicated arrangement with the Tripps. Mr Tripp had been a stockbroker and real estate manager, and the couple had made a name restoring prestige properties.

Under their agreement with Angas, the Tripps moved into Fernhill and held an option to buy the central and historic section of the property for $10 million. They hoped to reinvigorate this central section, restoring it to its former grandeur and hosting events and functions. Simon and Brenda Tripp with Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Ray Selkrig in 2013. Credit:Gene Ramirez And if they could make more than $55 million through the subdivision and sale of the eastern and western sections of the estate – which had been acquired by Mr Anderson – they would be able to keep the remainder, according to documents released by Angas. The Tripps soon started lodging development applications with Penrith Council. They lodged a successful application to host a “Tough Mudder” fitness event in April 2013. On June 28, 2013, they lodged a development application to subdivide the eastern and western parts of the estate to create 92 residential lots.

Loading The week before they lodged this application, Mrs Tripp attended Mr Ayres’ fundraiser. To the surprise of some at the event, Mrs Tripp sat at the main table with Mr Ayres and Ms Payne – although they had known each other less than a year. The week after the fundraiser, Mr Ayres’ office emailed the chief operating officer at Fernhill, Tom Lawson, to chase payment, according to emails provided to the Herald. “Stuart has asked if I would contact you to see if you would be able to organise payment for the event that was on Wednesday evening at which Mr & Mrs Tripp were booked … Stuart would like to be able to have all payments finalised by end of financial year where possible.” Mr Lawson forwarded the email to Brenda Tripp. Mrs Tripp, however, told the Herald that she was invited to the fundraiser as a guest of Ms Payne and would not have paid. She said that, at one point, Mr Ayres told her she should not pay because of uncertainty over whether she was a developer. (Donations from developers are illegal in NSW). “I don’t remember if that was that dinner or something else,” she said. A spokeswoman for Mr Ayres said: “Brenda Tripp was a non-paying guest at the June 2013 event.”

Mr Ayres, the architect of the state government's controversial stadiums policy, also helped the Tripps organise their picnic race days. In October 2013, then racing minister George Souris announced the Tripps had been granted a racing licence to hold a race day. The media release credited the member for Mulgoa, Tanya Davies, as well as Mr Ayres with helping the Tripps organise the event. Practice at the Fernhill Estate racetrack in 2013. Credit:James Brickwood Emails provided to the Herald show the extent of Mr Ayres’s assistance. In one email to Mr Ayres in June 2013, Mr Lawson follows up with the MP on the “ingenious idea of involving Inglis” to create a new point of interest for media. The following month, Mr Lawson writes to his “old buddy, old pal” Mr Ayres asking how he went with Inglis, the racehorse sales company. Mr Ayres replied that he “keeps missing him”. “Yes please do send me the sponsorship packages and new logo,” Mr Ayres replied to Mr Lawson. “Also Brenda was going to send me the email from the Arabian Association. With target contacts.”

Loading Asked for this story about the extent of his commercial involvement with the Tripps’ picnic race day, Mr Ayres’ spokeswoman said: “He had none.” Unfortunately for the Tripps, however, their plans to consolidate and subdivide the eastern and western sections of Fernhill did not make it through council. Both Mr and Mrs Tripp told the Herald they left the property in early 2016 and from that point no longer retained a financial interest in Fernhill. Andrew Luckhurst-Smith, the chairman of Angas Securities, also told the Herald the Tripps did not have an interest in Fernhill from early 2016. The Tripps remained the registered proprietors of the property, subject to an $18 million mortgage to Angas, when the state government announced the purchase of the property in March 2018.