The new Canterbury Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett and his wife, Kylie scored building approval last month for their $770,000 dream home plans at Barrack Point.

It will be a new two storey home with pool set on the oceanfront.

Their building application shed light on their return to the Illawarra coast from Sydney's northern beaches.

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It has now emerged they have spent $1.764 million in an off market purchase of a 760sqm building site. Their late 2019 exchange settled over the summer break with the family having been renting at Barrack Point after Barrett lost his coaching job at the Manly Sea Eagles.

They had departed the Shellharbour region in 2015 after having secured a ­record setting $2.4 million sale price for their then newly-built home.

The Barretts had paid $904,000 for the oceanfront reserve site in 2004.

Barrack Point has only had two higher sales in the interim, when $2.5 million was paid on Shell Cove Rd in 2017 and $2.82 million paid in 2018 on Headland Pde.

Their redundant Freshwater home sold for $3.65 million, with the deal last November done just six days after it hit the market with a $3.2 million guide.

The couple had paid $2.41 million in 2015 for the five bedroom home after moving from Barrack Point.

Barrett retired as a player after the 2010 NRL season, following a 15-season career with the Illawarra Steelers, St George Illawarra, Wigan in the English Super League and the Cronulla Sharks. The then 32-year-old left the game as the incumbent NSW captain, having played 11 games for the Blues.

Originally published as New Bulldogs coach to build dream home