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With auction sales results in Canterbury and Hawthorn kept under wraps by Melbourne agents, a Kirribilli house took top place in RP Data's formally notified top 10 sales list this week. 
 
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/20-fitzroy-street-kirribilli-nsw-2061/myrp-490?propertyId=3433375">20 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli, NSW, 2061</a>, three-bedroom house, sold on August 23 by Belle Property Neutral Bay Neutral Bay for $3.025 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/93-hopetoun-avenue-vaucluse-nsw-2030/myrp-490?propertyId=7140665">93 Hopetoun Avenue, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030</a>, three-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on August 25 by McGrath Estate Agents for $3 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/8-58-tristania-drive-bardon-qld-4065/myrp-490?propertyId=2860685">8/58 Tristania Drive, Bardon, QLD, 4065</a>, five-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on August 25 by Brisbane Real Estate for $2.45 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/6-maysbury-avenue-brighton-vic-3186/myrp-490?propertyId=10016151">6 Maysbury Avenue, Brighton, VIC, 3186</a>, four-bedroom house, sold at auction on August 25 by Marshall White &amp; Co for $2.231 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/54-highgate-street-strathfield-nsw-2135/myrp-490?propertyId=6485637">54 Highgate Street, Strathfield, NSW, 2135</a>, five-bedroom house, sold at auction on August 25 by Georges Ellis &amp; Co for $1.99 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/67-manningtree-road-hawthorn-vic-3122/myrp-490?propertyId=11192860">67 Manningtree Road, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122</a>, four-bedroom house, sold at auction on August 25 by Jellis Craig for $1.87 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/2-cullens-lane-hunters-hill-nsw-2110/myrp-490?propertyId=3004239">2 Cullens Lane, Hunters Hill, NSW, 2110</a>, four-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on August 25 by Ward Partners for $1.825 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/23-hopetoun-avenue-canterbury-vic-3126/myrp-490?propertyId=10256234">23 Hopetoun Avenue, Canterbury, VIC, 3126</a>, four-bedroom house, sold at auction on August 25 by Jellis Craig for $1.8 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/12-morotai-crescent-castlecrag-nsw-2068/myrp-490?propertyId=1789956">12 Morotai Crescent, Castlecrag, NSW, 2068</a>, six-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on August 25 by McGrath Estate Agents for $1.75 million
<a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/n/27-curban-street-balgowlah-heights-nsw-2093/myrp-490?propertyId=1229636">27 Curban Street, Balgowlah Heights, NSW, 2093</a>, four-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on August 25 by Richardson &amp; Wrench Seaforth/Balgowlah for $1.75 million
Source: <a href="https://www.myrp.com.au/" target="_blank">RP Data</a>
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With Canterbury and Hawthorn results under wraps, Kirribilli the week's top official sale: RP Data

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Highgate is the most crowded suburb in Perth, according to RP Data.
With 1,941 people in an area 0.39 square kilometres in area, the suburb has 5,004 people per square kilometre.
The larger suburb of Victoria Park, at 2.61 square kilometres, has 8,539 people and a density of 3,266 people per square kilometre. 
Outside of Perth, the most densely populated regional WA area is the tiny town of Karloo, which is just 0.3 kilometres in area. It has a population of only 649, but because of its small size that equates to 2,138 per square kilometre.
The region of Lamington, at 1.26 kilometres, has 2,278 people, or a density of 1,810 people per square kilometre.
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Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.myrp.com.au/">RP Data</a>
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Inner-Perth suburb of Highgate most densely populated suburb of WA: RP Data

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Returns fell across all types of shopping centres from 2011 to 2012, according to IPD.
Total returns dropped from 10.6% to 9.1% across all types of shopping centres.
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Shopping centres recorded lower returns in 2012 than 2011: IPD

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<div id="profile_stats">
Founder, Rockpool Group
Born in: Sydney
Friends: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.thepowerindex.com.au/business-bosses/alan-joyce/201206201425">Alan Joyce</a> | <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.thepowerindex.com.au/business-bosses/james-packer/201206111420">James Packer</a> | Heston Blumenthal | Thomas Keller | <a href="https://www.thepowerindex.com.au/food/kylie-kwong">Kylie Kwong</a>
Home town: Sydney
</div>
You can't escape Neil Perry – even if you want to.
His Rockpool Group runs eight venues across three states, which have garnered 11 Good Food Guide hats between them. For nearly a decade he's been popping up on our TV screens and in our magazines. Even in the air you're eating Perry's tucker, thanks to his 16-year relationship with Qantas. Add in his connections with James Packer’s Crown, and you'd be hard pressed to find an industry Perry hasn't dipped his finger into for a taste.
But it's his famous ponytail that most Australians remember him for.
"I'm getting to the stage where I’m thinking, 'Should I be cutting it off?" but I just can't think of any other look,” the ex-hairdressing apprentice says, laughing down the phone line . “Single-minded, you see. It's been part of a brand for me. I didn't think of it that way, but I've become synonymous with it in the industry."
With over 30 years working in hospitality, the Rockpool founder has become synonymous with a lot of things: Modern Australian and Asian cooking. Steaks. Relationships with the big end of town. A love for quality Australian produce. And a one-eyed obsession about everything he does.
Food industry insiders say Perry exists in his own world: “Planet Perry”. “We're very single minded about what we do and I think you've got to be to be successful,” admits Perry. “Sometimes people say I'm arrogant or whatever. That generally comes across [because of] just not having enough time to do the things I'd like to do.”
What he does like to do is open successful restaurants -- although he’s had his fair share of unsuccessful ones over the years. His Rockpool Group runs three restaurants in Sydney (Rockpool on George, Rockpool Bar &amp; Grill and Spice Temple), four in Melbourne (Rockpool Bar &amp; Grill, Spice Temple, The Waiting Room and Rosetta, which opens September 14) and one in Perth (Rockpool Bar &amp; Grill). The company is budgeting to spend $26 million on staff wages in 2013.
The location of Rockpool’s venues also hints at Perry’s powerful connections. As one food reviewer puts it: “Half of their restaurants are in a hideous, disgusting casino.” All of Perry’s Melbourne restaurants are located in the Crown Casino complex. His Perth restaurant sits in the Burswood Entertainment Complex, a casino and entertainment complex owned by Crown Limited.
Plus, flagstaff restaurant Rockpool on George is widely assumed to be a loss leader, helpful for gaining foodie cred, but useless at making money. Instead it's the highly profitable relationship with Crown – which gives support in the form of cheap rent, fit-out and marketing support – that helps make his restaurants so successful.
Not that he hides his gambling connections. Perry names James Packer as one of his business mentors: “James is just fantastic and has been very generous with his time and advice.”
There's a strong relationship between the two businesses. “I sort of think that Rockpool Bar &amp; Grill brand and Spice Temple co-exist with the Crown brand," says Perry. That's particularly interesting since Crown just announced a Crown Towers hotel in Perth and a new entertainment precinct in Sydney's Banagaroo.
Since 1996 Perry and his Rockpool Consulting team have determined what travellers dig in to while onboard a Qantas flight. Six full time staff work on the project all year long, examining the strengths and weaknesses of catering centres around the airports of the world. Former Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon and current CEO Alan Joyce are the other two names that come up when Perry talks about his mentors.
But Perry is also known for his own mentoring role. His passion for Aussie produce has meant he’s pushed the careers of several now well-known farmers, seafood producers and growers. “The amount of Australian food producers that he has supported along the way is a reflection of his influence and power,” declares chef Kylie Kwong.
As a former apprentice of Perry’s, Kwong is just one of many of Perry’s “young disciples” -- as she calls them -- to have gone on to run their own restaurants. Others include Ross Lusted from The Bridge Room and Mike McEnearney from Kitchen by Mike. Perry is known for paying staff well and many are deeply loyal to him.
His personal endorsements and media appearances have also helped make him a wealthy man. Perry's six cookbooks are beloved by foodies and home cooks alike and he pens a weekly column for Fairfax’s Good Weekend magazine.
Although Perry’s longevity is impressive, Rockpool’s restaurants no long appear in the San Pellegrino Top 50 lists. Perry was credited as one of the pioneers of the Modern Australian food movement, but several restaurant reviewers and food writers tell The Power Index that younger chefs and other restaurants push the boundaries more than Perry and his venues these days.
Not that the 55-year-old is complaining. Ultimately he sees himself more as a restaurateur than a chef, and he’s planning to open five more venues in the next five years.
Rockpool can live on without its founder, claims Perry. “I try and build restaurants in their own right to stand for an experience and stand for quality and value, and that's why I don’t have a restaurant called Neil Perry or plates with my name on it, which I think is a bit of a doomsday situation.
His 18-year-old daughter already works at Rockpool and his other children express interest in continuing the family business, although Perry quips that he'd prefer them to be doctors. No word on who'll carry on the ponytail tradition.
This article originally appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thepowerindex.com.au/">The Power Index.</a>
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Neil Perry planning to open five more restaurants in next five years

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The rental yield for houses in regional Victoria, according to Residex. The median house rent is $315 per week, which is exactly the same as this time last year.
 
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The rental yield for houses in regional South Australia, according to Residex. The median house rent is $255 per week, which is up 2% from this time last year.
 
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The rental yield for houses in regional New South Wales, according to Residex. The median house rent is $360 per week, which is up 3.45% from this time last year.
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The rental yield for houses in regional Tasmania, according to Residex. The median house rent is $270 per week, which is up 3.85% from this time last year.
 
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The rental yield for houses in regional Queensland, according to Residex. The median house rent is $390 per week, which is up 4% from this time last year.
 
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<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/5point74percent.gif">
The rental yield for houses in regional Western Australia, according to Residex. The median house rent is $375 per week, which is 13.64% up on this time last year.
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<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/5point88percent.gif">
The rental yield for houses in regional Northern Territory, according to Residex. The median house rent is $540 per week, which is up 4.85% from this time last year.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/landlords/melbourne-s-395-is-lowest-of-capital-city-house-rental-yields-residex-state-by-state-analysis/2012082156145">Residex has also compiled a list of house rents for landlords in capital cities.</a>
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Victoria's regional house landlords reap $315 a week: A state-by-state rental yield analysis: Residex

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The building and telecommunications industries are expected to pick up in the next few years as the mining sector slows, although other businesses are set to struggle, according to a new report. 
BIS Shrapnel has released forecasts for resources, health services, telecommunications, wholesale trade, building, education, retail, manufacturing, utilities and administration. 
According to BIS Shrapnel, mining investment will continue to underpin activity over the next few years. 
“Mining investment will continue to grow, albeit more slowly, for a few years yet,” says BIS Shrapnel chief economist Dr Frank Gelber. 
But as mining investment peaks in 2014 and starts to decline, non-mining investment will stabilise and start to pick up, taking over as the engine of growth, BIS Shrapnel said in its report. 
Stock shortages, population growth and lower interest rates should stimulate the housing market and dwellings investment, according to the report. 
Meanwhile, non-mining businesses “are not investing enough”. Current economic growth will eventually absorb excess capacity, prompting the next round of business investment. 
“That will impact on the performance of different industries,” Gelber says. 
BIS Shrapnel expects the building industry to gradually improve, supported by a recovery in dwellings building from late this year. 
Next year, non-dwelling building should also pick up as supply tightens after many years in the doldrums. 
“And, remember, mining investment is still rising,” Gelber says. 
“That means overall investment in the construction industry should grow strongly over the next year, but employment will remain subdued.” 
Another area where investment is set to expand rapidly is in telecommunications. 
This is consistent with recent announcements by Telstra, and will be further supported as the private sector invests to take advantage of the National Broadband Network. 
This investment will be accompanied by increased output and employment in the telecommunications industry. 
Meanwhile, education is likely to stabilise after contracting for several years. 
The annual value of exports of education services has fallen by nearly 20% over the past two years, according to BIS Shrapnel, to below $15 billion from $18 billion in 2009-10. 
This is due to the fact that the number of foreign students in Australia has plummeted, deterred by the high Australian dollar, the weak global economy and regulatory changes in Australia. 
While these factors are still in play, and are therefore depressing the level of activity, BIS Shrapnel does not expect them to become any more intense. 
As a result, growth in the education industry should return, supported by ongoing demand from Australian students as the population grows and government spending on education increases. 
Retail should also continue its recent recovery, supported by the current low level of interest rates, increased household incomes and continued growth in domestic demand more generally. 
The generally improved conditions should benefit transport, postal and warehousing industries. 
The accommodation industry is a mixed bag, with CBD hotels benefiting from strong business travel, but tourism continuing to be affected by the high dollar. 
The high dollar – coupled with rising production costs and weakness in key international markets – will also continue to weigh heavily on the majority of manufacturing industries. 
However, some sub-sectors are benefiting from the mining investment boom, while other sub-sectors will benefit from increased building. 
“Nevertheless, we expect low output growth in manufacturing over the next year, with further declines in profitability, investment and employment,” the report says. 
Output growth in the electricity, gas and water industries should also remain subdued as businesses and consumers continue to look for ways to cut their energy usage amid rising costs.
This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.startupsmart.com.au/" target="_blank">StartupSmart</a>.
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Building and telco sectors set to lead post-mining surge: BIS Shrapnel

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Total returns across healthcare property investment were fairly steady between 2011 and 2012, easing from 10.9% to 10.8%, according to IPD.
Medical centre returns held steady at 11.7% during the year, while hospital returns fell from 10.7% to 10.3%.
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Returns for heath care property investors steady over 2011-12: IPD

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It’s obviously feel-good, family-friendly marketing, but the brutal reality is those “Sugar Glider Road”, “Wallaby Close” and “Fairy Wren Circuit” street signs are almost certainly memorials for absent friends rather than indicators of cherished co-residents.
As was so disturbingly articulated by wildlife veterinarian Dr Jon Hanger on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/08/16/3569231.htm">Four Corners</a> August 20, when we clear bushland the wildlife doesn’t just move on. In almost all cases most of the lizards, mammals, small birds and koalas will die, either immediately during the destruction of their habitat, or eventually due to exposure to predators, lack of food or the sheer stress associated with losing their environment. And this kind of wildlife death is specific to Australia: in other countries, suburban sprawl moves over already-transformed rural landscapes. Here, it often envelopes the surrounding forest.
Although fairly tentative and inconclusive, the Four Corners program did highlight the complexity and inevitability of the impact urbanisation has on biodiversity, with the spotlight understandably focused on the tragically cute koala. The recent federal government listing of the species as “<a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.edu.au/the-vulnerable-koala-are-we-in-time-to-save-our-national-icon-6757">threatened</a>” in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT will apparently mean far greater scrutiny of activities that harm koalas or their habitat. The operationalisation of such a process is far from clear, but the cry of “<a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.edu.au/spinning-green-tape-as-the-climate-changes-6632">yet more green tape</a>” can already be heard from developers and certain state government ministers.
Koalas and people share the same tastes in location, though not lifestyle. In coastal eucalypt woodlands and forest throughout the eastern seaboard, people are scrambling for spanking-new house blocks in vast new estates carved directly from the “vacant” bushland.
In the new suburbs surrounding Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, the Gold Coast and the Redlands of south-east Queensland, this is having a predictably catastrophic effect on the local, relatively abundant koala populations. Specialised koala hospitals and centres now operating in these locations all reported large numbers of koalas admitted because of injuries from vehicles, attacks by dogs and a variety of debilitating diseases. In some of these areas, the rate of these admissions has started to wane, principally because the numbers of local koalas have declined significantly.
The best data on koala population trends comes from the “Koala Coast” area of southern Queensland. Here, sizeable tracts of eucalypt forest were set aside for koala conservation in the 1980s (following vehement opposition to plans for new motorways through the areas). As part of the Queensland government’s ongoing monitoring of these koala populations, we now have a depressingly clear picture of a species declining to extirpation. And it’s the expected urban pressures: loss of habitat, cars, dogs and disease.
Each of these factors is being addressed, though in certain places, to a limited extent, and with mixed results. Domestic dog management is being talked about, seemingly seriously, though no one actually expects any real changes there. (Bear in mind that an appallingly high proportion of the koalas translocated from Coomera on the Gold Coast have been killed by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/08/09/feral-dogs-foxes-pose-biggest-threats-to-koalas/">apparently “feral” dogs</a>.)
Koalas appear to carry a remarkable cocktail of <a target="_blank" href="https://wildlifewarriors.org.au/research/koalas">diseases and pathogens</a>, often without showing any symptoms. Urban koalas, however, may be more susceptible to these ailments when subjected to the chronic stress of living in human-dominated landscapes. Wildlife disease experts are investigating diseases throughout the distribution of the species. There is hopeful work toward a vaccine for the most prevalent of all koala afflictions, chlamydia. As any of these researchers are quick to admit, however, we shouldn’t expect quick answers to this exceptionally complex picture.
Perhaps unexpectedly, one area showing surprisingly positive signs is reducing road causalities among roaming koalas. Unlike many species of wildlife – which shun roads and retreat further into the bush far from traffic disturbance – koalas are notorious for attempting to cross even major roads in search of favoured feed trees or a potential liaison.
To reduce the risk of koala road-kill, major local authorities and state agencies have been busy constructing specially designed exclusion fences to stop animals reaching the road. However, for koalas now living in an increasingly fragmented landscape of bushland patches often separated by roads, it is critically important that they are able to move from patch to patch safely.
To help koalas safely cross busy roads, Queensland Transport and Main Roads have been working with ecologists to install structures under bridges and in large culverts. But like many animals, koalas are highly reluctant to walk through water. To provide a dry alternative route under the road, a number of box culverts have been retrofitted: broad ledges are attached to the wall of the culvert with platforms leading from the land on either side of the road. Despite significant skepticism and jokes about whether “eucalyptus addicts” are capable of learning to do something no koala has ever needed to do before, the first animals were using the ledges within weeks and have continued to do so.
The enduring issue for urban koalas is, of course, whether people and koalas can actually coexist in the same environment. Depending on your perspective, it can be either a marvelous discovery or a “bloody nuisance” to have a koala visit the tree in your suburban backyard.
Darryl Jones is deputy director of Environmental Futures Centre at <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.edu.au/institutions/griffith-university">Griffith University</a>
This article originally appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.edu.au/">The Conversation.</a>
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Koalas and other wildlife often die when property developers move in

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<a target="_blank" href="/news"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/3point25m.gif"></a>
The <a target="_blank" href="/news">approximate purchase price of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke's new Berrima acquisition</a>, Round Hill, the 93-hectare Southern Highlands lifestyle farm with picket fenced oval with cricket pitch. The Clarke purchase fulfills his dream of opening a cricket academy. It's a very private forested property accessed only by gravel road.
 
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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/les-samba-s-pomeroy-potts-point-apartment-sells/2012082056119" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/2point1m.gif"></a>
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/les-samba-s-pomeroy-potts-point-apartment-sells/2012082056119" target="_blank">sale price of the Pomeroy, Potts Point, apartment of the slain Sydney racing identity Les Samba</a>. It sold some 14 months after its initial listing. It's been bought by veterinarian Raoul Wanner and his wife, Ingrid.
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<a target="_blank" href="/news"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/32point5percent.gif"></a>
The percentage of consumers polled by Westpac-Melbourne Institute <a target="_blank" href="/news">who expect interest rates to fall in the next 12 months.</a> Two-thirds of consumers expect either rates to rise (32.7%) or rates to remain unchanged (34.7%), indicating a considerable lack of consensus on where mortgages rates are heading over the medium term.
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/landlords/battlers-and-the-beach-campbelltown-and-pittwater-units-strongest-rental-markets/2012082056140"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/16point3percent.gif"></a>
The annual rent increase in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/landlords/battlers-and-the-beach-campbelltown-and-pittwater-units-strongest-rental-markets/2012082056140">Pittwater units recorded in the year to June</a>, according to PRDnationwide. RP Data shows that Pittwater units have a weekly rental of $320. This is the strongest-performing unit rental market in and around Sydney. 
 
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<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/land/melbourne-land-blocks-dip-below-%24200000-but-no-dramatic-falls-expected-oliver-hume/2012082156102"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/210k.gif"></a>
The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/land/melbourne-land-blocks-dip-below-%24200000-but-no-dramatic-falls-expected-oliver-hume/2012082156102">gross price of Melbourne residential land</a>, according to the latest research by Oliver Hume. Once rebates and incentives are factored in the net effective land price fell below the “magical” $200,000 mark for the first time since June 2010, the real estate group reported.
 
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<a target="_blank" href="/news"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/4point075m.gif"></a>
The <a target="_blank" href="/news">sale price for a Castle Cove house that was the week's top sale</a>. The Marston Architects-designed property was the subject of a hotly contested bidding war between two bidders, who pushed the price up from $3.6 million to its sale price.
 
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<a target="_blank" href="/news"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/30pont7percent.gif"></a>
The <a target="_blank" href="/news">increase in house prices in the Queensland mining boom region of Isaac,</a> which includes much of the coal-rich Bowen Basin, over the past year. The median house price in the Isaac region is now median of $572,500, according to RP Data.
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The 7 must-know numbers of the week, starting with Michael Clarke's Berrima purchase

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43 Eloura Diver, Dharruk, NSW, 2770
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/eloura.jpg">
The current tenants of this three-bedroom house are paying $350 per week, which listing agent Terry Harris of RealEstateOne says is at market rent for the area. The tenants are on a month-to-month lease but are keen to stay on. The brick veneer house is within walking distance of a shopping centre and is close to Chiffley College and Chiffley Primary School.
Harris<a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestateonestmarys.com.au/index.cfm?pagecall=property&amp;propertyID=1962279"> is marketing the property</a> with price hopes of $260,000 plus, and if it sells for that price, that would secure an investor a gross rental yield of 7% at its current rent, above the gross rental yield for Dharruk houses of 6.2%, according to RP Data. The gross rental yield does not consider the costs of maintaining the property, including council rates and other fees such as water bills and managing agent fees.
The median house price in Dharruk  fell 0.2% in the past year but rose 17% in the past five years, according to RP Data.
<a target="_blank" href="https://calc.washingtonbrown.com.au/wbdcalculator/calculator.aspx?RID=HPCAZOPTTT">Washington Brown</a> estimates the first-year tax depreciation deduction to be $4,000 and over five years to be $8,000.
The property will go to auction Saturday, August 25 at noon.
For more information about prices and yields in <a target="_blank" href="/news">Dharruk, see the RP Data suburb page.</a>
For another investment prospect going to auction this weekend, see page 2.
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13/30 Kelvinside Road, Noble Park, VIC, 3174
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/kelvinside.jpg">
Within walking distance of the Noble Park train station, this two-bedroom apartment has recently been renovated and has new paint, carpet, curtains and tiles. It is currently vacant, but listing agent Adrees Ezadyar of Ray White says it could be expected to rent for about $260 per week. 
Ezadyar <a target="_blank" href="https://www.raywhite.com/vic/noble-park/788459/">is marketing the property</a> with price hopes of $190,000 plus, and if it sells for that price it would secure an investor a gross rental yield of 7.1%, well above the gross rental yield for Noble Park units of 5%, according to RP Data. The gross rental yield does not consider the costs of maintaining the property, including council rates and other fees such as water bills and managing agent fees.
<a target="_blank" href="https://calc.washingtonbrown.com.au/wbdcalculator/calculator.aspx?RID=HPCAZOPTTT">Washington Brown</a> estimates the first-year tax depreciation deduction to be $3,000 and over five years to be $6,000.
The median unit price in Noble Park fell 6.5% in the past year but rose 41.5% in the past five years, according to RP Data.
The property will go to auction Saturday, August 25 at 1pm.
For more information about prices and yields in <a target="_blank" href="/news">Noble Park, see the RP Data suburb page.</a>
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Friday form guide: Yields of up to 7% in Dharruk

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

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“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

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Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

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Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

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Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

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Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

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The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

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Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

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Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

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Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

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Cassidy Knowlton

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