Published: 02:34 BST, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 02:41 BST, 31 August 2026
They retreated from the spotlight several years ago when they moved to Queensland, and then in 2025 relocated to a farm on the Coomera River in the Gold Coast hinterland.
But former Sydney Swans star Buddy Franklin and his wife Jesinta returned to Bondi Beach over the weekend with their family.
The rarely seen couple were spotted grabbing a coffee and smoothies in the popular beachside suburb on Sunday.
The footy player, 39, was ever the doting dad, with his baby boy Bam, eight months, seen strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.
Meanwhile, a beaming Jestina, 35, was radiant makeup free, and seemed happy to be back in Sydney for a quick getaway.
The model looked stylish in a casual chic ensemble of beige tie-up trousers with a short-sleeve cashmere sweater and chocolate brown suede loafers.
Former Sydney Swans star Buddy Franklin and his wife Jesinta returned to Bondi Beach over the weekend with their family
Buddy recently has opened up about his dramatically different life since retirement from football, revealing he has happily swapped the game for life on a rural property with wife Jesinta and their three children.
The footy star retired in 2023 after one of the most decorated careers the game has seen, finishing with 354 AFL games, 1066 goals, four Coleman Medals, eight All-Australian selections, and premierships with Hawthorn in 2008 and 2013.
Yet despite the success, he said he found something even more rewarding since walking away from the game.
'I loved playing football, I'll never say I didn't,' Franklin told News Corp.
The Franklins have settled on acreage near the Coomera River in the Gold Coast hinterland, where they have built a new family home after leaving Sydney behind.
The move represented a return to the kind of upbringing both Buddy and Jesinta experienced as children.
Buddy grew up in the small Wheatbelt town of Dowerin in Western Australia, while Jesinta spent her childhood in the Gold Coast hinterland community of Clagiraba.
