JK Rowling buys $10 million Tasmanian mansion for holiday hideaway

It has emerged that 'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling is heading Down Under after splashing $10 million for a mansion in Tasmania.

It is understood that the billionaire author intends to make the 856ha Symmons Plains estate near Launceston a family holiday house, having purchased the property earlier this year.

This week's Woman's Day reported that the stately seven-bedroom house, sprawling grounds and 4km of river frontage was Rowling's second Tasmanian property investment.

The prominent Tasmanian Youl family had owned the estate since it was built in 1839, but seventh-generation owners Andrew and Audrey Youl finally put it on the market at the start of the year.

Confidentiality agreements signed upon sale prevented the couple from speaking to the magazine, but another family member confirmed Rowling was the buyer.

"She'll use the property as a holiday hideaway for her family from Scotland," The Daily Telegraph quoted the family member as saying.

The property, which is about 25km south of Launceston, offers "all the conveniences of commuter living close to a major regional city, yet the privacy and scale of a major farming operation".

The 10 million-dollars price tag would be a pittance for Rowling, whose net worth was valued at $1 billion in March by Forbes magazine.

According to Woman's Day, Rowling already owns a historic Tasmanian property near Bridport, on the state's north coast.