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A new report released by the Victorian National Parks Association (VPN) has detailed the impact of urban development on Victoria’s coastline.
According to the "Coast is Unclear" report, authored by marine and coastal environment consultant Chris Smyth, the urbanised coast has expanded by 15% over the last 20 years and now makes up about 17% of Victoria’s total coastline. Population growth, climate change and a "development-focussed government" are all identified in the report as sources of further degradation of Victoria’s 2000 kilometre coastline.
In the report’s key findings, Smyth writes that Victoria’s narrow strips of coastal crown land are "squeezed" between the sea and developed land, and encroaching development coupled with rising sea levels are threatening protected areas. The report also found that in addition to climate change and the urbanisation and industrialisation of the coast, other threats include pressure from visitors, introduced weeds and pests such as cats and foxes, and grazing.
The report recommends that to reverse the decline in coastal nature, coastal conservation estates should be expanded, coastal nature conservation programs should receive greater resources, and ongoing comprehensive scientific monitoring programs should be implemented to assess the health of coastal environments. Other recommendations include the provision of resourcing to community education and engagement programs, funding for weed control programs, an independent review of infrastructure in and around crown reserves and a new Coastal Private Land Conservation Program to support conservation on private land bordering conservation areas.
The report cites the development of a new breakwater, boat ramp and beach road at Bastion Point, Mallacoota as a significant example of the "dash for development" approved by successive Victorian governments. In approving the development, Smyth writes in the report, the Victorian government also approved "the burial of a significant landscape, the town’s only safe swimming beach, archaeological sites and a rare surfing break beneath tonnes of concrete, asphalt and rubble."
"The Coast is Unclear" goes on to comment that the current Victorian government is "also driving fundamental changes to the way planning works" in the state, "weakening planning zones and native vegetation management, and approving contentious development proposals in the face of community opposition."
The previous Labor government, the report notes, also approved development projects such as canal development at Lonsdale Lakes, wind turbines at Cape Bridgewater, the Wonthaggi desalination plant and a coast road at Point Gellibrand, which it claims have all impacted the coast.
The full report can be found <a href="https://vnpa.org.au/admin/library/attachments/PDFs/Reports/coast_is_unclear_29-February%202014-italics%20fix-smallest.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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jrichardson-uRX5hFdKfN

Urban development threatening Victoria's coast: VNPA

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There was a lot to look at in the first room reveal of  The Block: Fans v Faves. The teams’ guest bedrooms threw weird lamps, a transformer bed, stairs that went to (almost) nowhere and a barn door at the judges and viewers. But what stood out to the team at Property Observer was each team’s differing use of art to add (or, unfortunately, subtract) from their room’s décor.
As we said in our recap of The Block’s Manhattan loft challenge, <a target="_blank" href="/news">art is everything</a>. So here are four lessons to take away from The Block’s guest rooms.
Shape up
It’s best to get this out of the way up top: <a target="_blank" href="https://prod.static9.net.au/~/media/a53c02bc256f4214baf238b870142fbc.ashx">Brad and Dale</a> had the best use of art of any team in the first room reveal, by a clear margin. Their circular abstract aerial piece by Barwon Heads artist <a target="_blank" href="https://meganweston.com.au/">Megan Weston</a> (pictured below) was a terrific choice, for many reasons. The first of which was its shape.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/02/13/block_feb_14_one.jpg" width="470" height="264" alt="block_feb_14_one">
Photo courtesy of Channel 9
It is a painful truth learned quickly in property styling that when choosing art for a home, a painting or photograph is simply more economical, both fiscally and with regards to space, than a sculpture or installation.
If you have the room or the money for an interesting, impactful sculpture in your home, like adman Nick Condon's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/1899-malvern-home-listed-by-former-adman-nick-condon/2014021067691">oversized hand sculpture</a> (pictured below), go for it. But if a wall-hanging piece is what you have to work with, don’t neglect the shape.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/02/13/malvern_0007_10.jpg.jpg" width="470" height="313" alt="malvern_0007_10.jpg">
Rooms all over Australia are filled with squares and rectangles – room corners, bricks, windows, and beds. Why add to the monotony with your art? Brad and Dale’s room was no exception to the square trend, which was particularly evident with their minimalist styling.
But the “blokes” were smart enough to choose a circular art work that softened the room without sacrificing its clean aesthetic. The circles were mimicked throughout the room with woollen throw pillows and Billy Buttons (which, while we’re at it, both added some textural intrigue), the circular bedside tables and the team’s loopy lamps.
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
 
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Colour coding (don’t do it)
While the amorphous shapes in <a target="_blank" href="https://prod.static9.net.au/~/media/25afd000675048fab00f4d0f51f7e925.ashx">Kyal and Kara</a>’s Christopher Cayetano <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/single/christopher-cayetano-untitled1-ltd.-ed.-3-1000mm-x-1000mm">framed prints</a> (pictured below) were attractive, we at Property Observer cringed at the team’s clumsy colour matching.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/02/13/block_feb_14_two.jpg" width="470" height="264" alt="block_feb_14_two">
Photo courtesy of Channel 9
The dove grey of the room’s walls was a dead ringer for the art, while matching off-white and muted sea foam throw pillows picked up the prints’ accent colours to seal the deal. Unsubtle colour matching deadens the impact of artwork, reducing it to a decoration. Kyal and Kara should have just sprayed some cookie-flavoured air freshener if they wanted to push the lifeless display home angle.
<a target="_blank" href="https://prod.static9.net.au/~/media/bc1b093814fa413ba6a3407ca5f533e6.ashx">Alisa and Lysandra</a> did the same thing, matching their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/single/indigo-deer">dreary deer artwork</a> to the drapes. To their credit, at least the curtains were sheer, allowing some variation in light and texture to the matte canvas.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/02/13/block_feb_14_three.jpg" width="470" height="264" alt="block_feb_14_three">
Photo courtesy of Channel 9
<a target="_blank" href="https://images.9msn.com.au/resizer.aspx?width=545&amp;height=306&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F~%2Fmedia%2Fe2c069f030234d5c99d515fba1f9e853.ashx">Chantelle and Steve</a> were guilty of over-zealous colour matching as well, with the brown cow-hide rug, red decorative canisters and army-green books (of which there were far too many) all mimicking tones in their vintage “Melbourne” print.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/02/13/block_feb_14_four.jpg" width="470" height="264" alt="block_feb_14_four">
Photo courtesy of Channel 9
In the room reveal episode, Brad and Dale lamented that the judges hadn’t noticed that their throw pillow picked up colours in the art work. But to our mind, that’s a good thing – rather than choosing obvious violet or turquoise furnishings, they picked a single, small item to echo a secondary colour in the artwork. Erring on the side of subtlety allowed the soft furnishings to lend the room a sense of cohesion, without seeming ham-fisted. Remember, a whisper, not a shout.
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
 
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Places, please
As in all things, when positioning your artwork, try to avoid the obvious. A medium sized square print, inoffensive in both content and colour, centred over the bed? That’s exactly what Alisa and Lysandra chose to do, and the results were as boring as you might expect. The twins may have won the challenge thanks to their innovative use of space, but their use of art was wholly unremarkable. With such great variety in the textures room’s textures – the oak feature wall and door, the drapes and the exposed brick – it was a shame that the art was such a letdown.
Alisa and Lysandra’s placement of their artwork against the exposed brick wall was one of their major problems. The team described the art as a central feature of their room, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theblockshop.com.au/blog/alisa-lysandra-were-definitely-feeling-the-pressure">Alisa saying that</a> "Without it, we couldn’t have been able to pull that room off... It was affordable and perfect for the loft feel we were going for. The rest just fell into place around it."
But to Property Observer, the artwork’s dark colour and size meant that it became an uninteresting interruption to the wall’s texture, rather than a focal point of the room. The twins would have been better off with a hanging plant in the place of the art to juxtapose with the wall’s industrial feel and tie into the room’s other organic elements.
Consider too how inhabitants and guests are going to interact with the space in your home. Take a look at the way art is displayed in the home of art collectors Sandra Powell and Andrew King (pictured below), otherwise known as the <a target="_blank" href="/news">Saatchis of street art</a>.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2014/01/22/alb]}
The position of the large black and white photograph of two women bathing over the home's staircase allows viewers to see the entire piece when standing back in the upper-level's walkway, or to view it up close while travelling along its length as they walk up or down the stairs. Though you might get an immediate impact when you walk in the door, if an art work is placed in the obvious spot over the bed-head, there are often few other perspectives from which to enjoy the work.
Article continues on next page. Please click below.
 
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Light and dark
The vintage <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/single/melbourne-vintage-poster">“Melbourne” poster</a> from Printism used by Chantelle and Steve was a nice choice, even if it did veer dangerously close to kitsch in the art-deco building, and displayed as a blind felt a touch self-conscious when paired with their other transformer feature, the convertible shelf/bed. We especially appreciate the print’s scale – Chantelle and Steve were the only team to make a statement with the size of their art.
But such a large piece deserves to be featured in a space where it won’t blend in. By positioning an artwork with such warm tones, hard lines and dense detailing, it offers no relief for the eye set against the room’s exposed brick. The poster would have done better in a bright and airy space, contrasted against a light coloured wall.
Another alternative would have been to use Printism’s much brighter <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theblockshop.com.au/store/single/sydney-retro-poster">“Sydney” poster</a>, which would offer considerably more contrast against the exposed brick and open up the room. But we at Property Observer understand that when it comes to city loyalty, sometimes one’s hands are tied.
Incorporating art into your living spaces offers the opportunity to elevate a room from functional to emotional. Eschew the obvious, aim for intrigue over ornamentation, and go boldly.
jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au
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Art styles for apartment décor: Lessons from The Block

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The Western Australian Department of Commerce has announced the finalists for its 10th annual Consumer Protection Awards.
The awards ceremony, which will be held on March 21, will recognise the contributions of individuals and the media to consumer protection in Western Australia.
Anne Driscoll, the commissioner for Consumer Protection, congratulated the finalists, which were chosen from a list of 22 nominees.
"It really is an accolade to get to this stage considering the calibre of the nominations," she said. "It is a milestone as we mark ten years of the Awards. I am very much looking forward to us once again acknowledging the outstanding efforts of consumer advocates."
This year, the Consumer Protection’s Media Award has been renamed the Ruby Hutchison Media Award, recognising the first woman elected to the state’s Legislative Council.
The shortlisted finalists:
Rona Okely Award (for individuals)
<ul>
<li>Gavan Forster of the Master Builders Association, WA has been raising awareness of consumer building issues via a Q&amp;A newspaper column for more than 15 years.</li>
<li>Sandra Brown assisted consumers during her 18 years at the Citizens Advice Bureau and since retiring in 2011 has continued to give community talks about consumer and tenancy rights.</li>
</ul>
Richard (Dick) Fletcher Award (for organisations)
<ul>
<li>Advocare helps receivers of health and aged care services to know their rights and make necessary complaints.</li>
<li>Consumers' Association of WA is a non-profit, voluntary organisation which successfully campaigned for a product safety ban and the introduction of a service to tell car-buyers if there is any money owing on vehicles.</li>
<li>Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) provides legal advice on consumer credit, banking and finance; particularly to those who are on a low income, vulnerable, disadvantaged or speak English as a second language.</li>
</ul>
Kidsafe WA Award (any contributor to advancement of injury prevention for children)
<ul>
<li>RAC bstreetsmart – a road safety initiative to reduce fatality and injury rates among young people.</li>
<li>Samantha Menezes petitioned for laws to prevent the supply of alcohol to minors without parental permission.</li>
</ul>
Media Award (for journalists and media outlets)
<ul>
<li>David Weber of ABC Radio has produced property scam and romance fraud stories.</li>
<li>Natalie Bonjolo from Today Tonight has exposed dodgy tradespeople and businesses.</li>
<li>Rashelle Predovnik at The Echo Newspaper reports on consumer affairs, including investigations into service providers and safety warnings for shoppers.</li>
</ul>
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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Property professionals among consumer protection award finalists

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The bushfires that travelled through New South Wales’s Blue Mountains in October last year went nowhere near the region’s tourism hubs. Nevertheless, in December the Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimated that as a result of the negative media attention around the bushfires, which contributed to a downturn in the region’s tourist visitations, the region’s economy is down by $71 million.
Donald Luscombe, the Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise chairman, said that although none of the region’s attractions were affected, tourists stayed away.
“As a result of lost tourism visitation over the first 42 days after the bushfire emergency, the total impact to economic output (revenue) for the Blue Mountains was $71.3 million,” he said.
“The data indicates a decrease in wages and salaries of up to $17 million over that 42 day period. Obviously, the flow-on impact of that in terms of consumption and expenditure is significant.  The total impact to the economy of the fires is yet to be calculated but as you can see, the impact from the tourism sector alone has had a truly significant effect.”
Tourist properties have also weathered the impact of poor media coverage. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fntourism.com.au/buy-commercial-real-estate/business-accommodation-tourism-blackheath-nsw-41120130153">Federation Gardens Lodge</a> (pictured below) was prepared to list in October last year through First National Tourism. But according to broker Nick Brook, although the property was unaffected by the bushfires themselves, the vendors and First National Tourism decided to hold off on listing the property.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2014/02/11/blue]}
“We did all the preliminary work, including the research, and were ready to put it on the market. But because of the fires, we held off. We’ve only just listed the property this month,” he said.
The Clarendon Guesthouse in Katoomba (pictured below) sold late last year, with market sources suggesting that the hotel went for close to $2 million.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2014/02/11/kat]}
The sale was handled by Paul Kapiris and Andrew Jackson of CBRE Hotels. Although he says it is too early to draw conclusions from market values, Kapiris has noticed interest in the area recently, including from foreign investors.
“Interestingly, there’ve been a few sales in the area,” says Kapiris. “Whether it’s reflected in the values is probably unclear. But there has been a little bit of movement, particularly in <a target="_blank" href="/news">Katoomba</a>.”
Kapiris points to foreign investors and tourists as a possible source of revival for the region.
“We’ve seen a mix of local buyers seeking assets and foreign buyers, particularly those that have connections to tourism.
“The Australian dollar should have an impact – a lowering Australian dollar should help regional tourism. But how long that will take would be anyone’s guess.
“And the lowering Australian dollar and the growing Asian middle class are part of the reason that we’ve had such an increase in interest from Asian groups.”
Meanwhile, the Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise has launched a number of initiatives to strengthen the region’s economy, including a “Creative Industries cluster”. With research suggesting that creative industries provide 8% of the region’s available jobs – close to double the state average – the range of events and advocacy initiatives will seek to consolidate the area’s reputation as a creative hub.
While the holidays brought some relief to the Blue Mountains, Luscombe says that sustained interest is what the region needs.
“We saw a lift in visitation over the Christmas period, which is traditionally a peak time but the best way for Australia to assist this region continue its recovery is to visit and savour the cooler weather, glorious local food and world-class tourism attractions,” he said.
“We are absolutely open for business.”
jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au
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After bad bushfire press, the Blue Mountains works to regain its footing

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The Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) has released a statement criticising Fair Trading NSW for its dispute resolution process.
According to the statement released, NSW Fair Trading has requested additional funding for its non-binding dispute resolution process, which the REINSW claims is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
An extract from the REINSW statement reads:
"The Minister for Fair Trading’s application for additional funding for a dispute resolution service at NSW Fair Trading is a misguided use of public money, according to the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales.
REINSW President Malcolm Gunning said additional resources should be directed toward the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), which replaced the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) from 1 January 2014.
'The NSW Fair Trading service is a waste of time for all parties involved,' Mr Gunning said.
'This service will not work because there won’t be a binding resolution to disputes.
'All it is going to do is increase time. There is no compulsion, participants don’t have to take the advice and in the end most will end up at NCAT anyway.'"
In a phone interview, Gunning stated that the service would add another level of bureaucracy and time to the resolution process.
"It’s an unnecessary expense – we have a system that is well developed and works. [The service is] a gross waste of money for the tenant, the landlord, and the agent, who all spend time and their own resources trying to resolve their issues," he said.
"The agent looks to resolve the issue on the behalf of the landlord and tenant, so if the issue goes further, it means the relationship between the managing agent and the tenant or landlord has already broken down. And the managing agent is usually very experienced, and understands the landlord and tenancy act very well."
In response to REINSW’s statement, a spokesperson from Fair Trading NSW has said that its dispute resolution service helps the parties involved sidestep the cost of taking their issue to NCAT.
"Far from adding another layer of red tape, this process obviates the need for the more expensive step of lodging a claim with the Tribunal," a Fair Trading NSW spokesperson wrote via email.
"Simply, this is an additional option available to landlords, property agents and tenants to resolve a dispute and does not impede a party going directly to the Tribunal.
"Almost 60% of matters handled by Fair Trading since 1 January 2014 have resulted in the offer and acceptance of a resolution in less than 14 days."
According to Fair Trading NSW, negotiation through its dispute resolution service is generally undertaken via phone or email, unlike a tribunal hearing, which requires all parties to be physically present at a venue, saving business time and travel costs. Fair Trading NSW did not respond to questions regarding any additional funding that may be required for the service.
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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REINSW claims Fair Trading's dispute resolution service a "misguided use of public money"

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All 86 properties that were under the hammer sold at a single mega-auction at Victoria's Gippsland Lakes this weekend through John H Castran.
The properties were sold to recover funds for the collapsed Gippsland Secure Investments, which was a principal lender to Riviera Properties, the former land owners.
Around 1,400 people registered for the auction, hosted by the Metung Hotel. The most expensive sale was for a 18 hectare, 10 marina berth lot, which sold to a buying syndicate for $2.45 million. A mix of commercial lots, marina berths, cove allotments and single dwelling residential plots were sold at the auction. Included amongst them was 76 Beach Road (pictured below).
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2014/02/11/met]}
According to Metung LJ Hooker branch manager Peter Cook, the sale attracted a great deal of attention, with his team fielding enquires five weeks before the event.
"I think there were a lot of people looking for bargains. The diversity of the blocks and the prices that were advertised meant that the auction was open to everyone, from developers to small buyers," he said. There was no reserve set for any of the Metung properties auctioned on Saturday, with a reported five per cent discount on most of the properties sold with a 30 to 60 day settlement. 
Of reports that some Gippsland Lakes residents were worried that the super sale would devalue property in the area, Cook said that the majority of residents saw the benefit of the interest in the former Riviera properties.
"There are always people like that in smaller towns - there are about 1,000 people in Metung. Generally when something like this happens, you’re going to have people who are going to boo-hoo it, and there are going to be people who are going to be for it," he said of the divided sentiment.
Ian Lockwood, the branch manager of Elders Metung, agreed that the auction was good for Metung.
"It's a mixed bag, but I would say it's a great result for Metung. Some properties have sold for a higher prices than what were previously advertised by the previous agent. Other house lots, which were around 700 square metres, sold for about fair average price," he said. "I thought the commercial property, of which there was one in Metung, sold quite cheaply."
Lockwood, who was a referring agent for the auction, said roughly half of the buyers he referred were from Melbourne and half were locals. 
"The biggest value from the auction is that we've had a stream of people through our door that have seen the advertising, never heard of Metung, arrived two or three days before the auction and bought property," he said.
"The one question I keep getting is, 'Why haven't I heard of Metung before?'"
Cook notes that before the auction, marketing for the properties had been sluggish.
"Those lots were sitting empty for a long time," he said. "Initially there were only two agents handling the properties, Riviera and King and Heath, and they should have opened it to other agents to handle some of the properties."
It seems that some shareholders in the collapsed Gippsland Secure Investments agreed, with rumours that some shareholders were discussing the possibility of a class action suit in the auction tent on Saturday. Riviera Properties was the company's largest debtor before it was liquidated. Following the auction, shareholders are reportedly set to receive 80c in the dollar.
While most of the properties sold were located in <a href="/news">Metung</a>, about a quarter of the properties auctioned on Saturday were located in <a href="/news">Paynesville</a> and <a href="/news">Bairnsdale</a>. 
<a href="mailto:jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au" target="_blank">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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Victoria's Gippsland Lakes mega-auction sees 100% clearance

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The Australasian section of Century 21’s global property website, century21global.com, was launched today.
Property listings in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will now be automatically promoted in 74 countries, in 16 languages. Currency conversions will also be available on the new website, which allows international buyers to view Century 21’s full Australasian listings.
According to Century 21 Australasia chairman and owner, Charles Tarbey, the website will allow vendors to access a larger pool of buyers, though the company expects that most transactions will still occur within the property’s country.
“For example, a buyer in Europe can view properties for sale in Australia, in their local language and currency, and communicate with the relevant Century 21 agent via the site,” said Tarbey, who claims the website may give local vendors a competitive advantage over other sellers who are not promoting their properties in foreign markets.
The website will also include pages with localised content to assist foreign buyers. It has localised maps, with property listings and agent contact information.
Century21global.com also features automatic translation services, allowing buyers and agents to communicate in the buyer’s language of choice.
Upon entering the website, buyers are able to click on a continent on the interactive map, which will then list the available countries where Century 21 operates. Buyers are then taken to a page listing general demographics for the country as well as market information including foreign buyers’ legal and tax obligations. From there, a buyer can look at the properties listed in that country, using all the search engine tools available on Century 21’s local website.
The company’s Australian and New Zealand offices will receive 'global kits' this week, containing advice and advertising materials to assist them in marketing properties on the website.
jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au
 
<hr>
 
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
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<hr>
 
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Century 21 launches global real estate portal

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Wilston, located 3 kilometres out of Brisbane’s CBD, is a small prestige suburb with a recovering market. Sandwiched between Newmarket and Windsor and bounded at the south by Enoggera Creek, the suburb has a population of 3,872 people, according to the 2011 ABS census.
Kedron Brook Road, Wilston’s main retail strip, has seen significant redevelopment in recent years, pre-empting Brisbane’s urban renewal project.  The suburb is serviced by buses, and trains at Wilston Train Station. It is also close to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital.
Wilston contains a mix of new units and older “Queenslanders”. According to Andrew Wilson, senior economist at Property Monitors, the suburb's strongest growth over the last 12 months can be seen in its mid-range properties.
"The median price in Wilston is around $800,000, making it a prestige inner-city suburb. But in the top end of the market, while there's been some signs of revival, it's certainly been patchy," he said.
"The homes in the $500,000 to $600,000 band have been doing well in the last year, after some weakness from the year before."
Ray White Wilston principal Alistair Macmillan agrees that the suburb's prestige homes have seen a downturn in recent years.
“Post-GFC we have experienced a lot of prestige buyers exiting the market. This meant that home owners wanting to sell were experiencing very little interest and offers, often resulting in homes being sold well under owners expectations,” he said.
“Over this time frame we saw a lot of homes on the market with very few selling. From 2008 to 2013 we have seen very little change in the median sale price, ranging from $400,000 to $500,000. The main reason for this was the lack of prestige homes that were sold, unlike the height of the market in the early 2000's where we say the median price increase to well over $1,000,000.”
But according to Macmillan, the prestige market has been strengthening over the last year. The buyers he encounters are mostly young families with professional occupations, drawn to the suburb's schools.
“The most encouraging signs recently have been a large number of homes selling over the past 12 months in the higher price ranges showing an increase in buyer confidence in this prestigious market.
“Over the past year there have been 9 homes sold in Wilston over $1,200,000, with the most number of sales being homes from $700,000 to $800,000. This is a great sign of consumer confidence not only in real estate but Wilston in particular. Last year Ray White Wilston sold the highest priced property on a 405 square metre block, which was $2,020,000.”
However, Wilson says that he is yet to see evidence of a sustained revival of the top end of Wilston's property market. 
"There's no sign of a sustained revival of prices in the prestige market," he said.
According to Wilson, Wilston's overall market will be seeing growth in later years. 
"Wilston's revival will happen at the later stages of Brisbane's momentum, once the market is up and running. We'd have to see a strong revival in the state's economy, which is on the cards. The trend will be up - but not quite yet."
<a target="_blank" href="mailto:jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
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Suburb Spotlight: Wilston, a recovering market

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The Tenants Union of NSW has called for parents and carers to take action following a toddler's death in northwest Sydney. 
The 15 month old girl was found unconscious in her cot last Tuesday. She was brought to hospital by paramedics and later died. After initial investigations, police suggested that she became entangled in a blind cord. Hers was the second blind cord related death in a single week in Sydney. A 16 month old girl in Hornsby died on January 30 in similar circumstances.
The Tenants Union has published a post on their blog reiterating warnings they had released after an 18 month old boy died last year in a blind cord accident.
"Keep cots, beds and other furniture away from blind cords," the post reads.
"Keep cords out of reach, by winding them on a hook or clipping them to the blind. Look out especially for older cords that are looped, or knotted or otherwise joined at the tassels. In most cases these can be made less dangerous by cutting the loop or the join, and fixing new tassels on the cut ends. In some cases a blind might require a continuous loop of cord to work. These cords can be made less dangerous by keeping the loop taut through a cleat fixed to the floor or wall.
 "Cutting through cords and fixing cleats like this are alterations to the property, for which you should properly seek your landlord's consent. As minor alterations, your landlord cannot refuse consent unreasonably. And it is hard to think of any good reason for refusing consent for you to do these very simple things to make your home safer for children."
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, at least 11 children died between 2001 and 2008 in blind cord related accidents. All new blinds are required by law to include safety warnings, and instructions on how to safely install cords to prevent accidents.
The ACCC's safety fact sheet on blind cord safety can be found <a href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/item.phtml?itemId=995161&amp;nodeId=9d34104d6131a76659f644fc367e732d&amp;fn=Blind+and+curtain+cords+-+Safety+alert.PDF" target="_self">here</a>.
Landlords and property managers might also consider sending out an alert to their tenants, as well as <a target="_blank" href="/news">considering if there are any safety risks within the properties</a>.
jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au
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Two children die in one week in blind cord accidents: TUNSW calls for caution

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An application to annul the bankruptcy of Jacqueline Mulhearn, the wife of former Queensland property magnate Richard Mulhearn and co-director of the Mulhearn Group, has been dismissed.
After one unsuccessful attempt to have her bankruptcy put aside in 2012, Mulhearn again attempted to have her bankruptcy annulled. The Bank of Queensland applied to have her annulment dismissed on the grounds that it was an abuse of process, in a case that was heard simultaneously in the Federal Court.
Jacqueline Mulhearn’s husband, Richard Mulhearn, once headed the Mulhearn Group, employing around 250 staff. Their properties included a Gladstone shopping centre and the Dicey Reilly pub chain.  As a client of the Bank of Queensland, the Mulhearn Group’s debts at one stage neared $57 million.
In May 2010, five days before the Bank of Queensland appointed receivers to the Mulhearn Group, Jacqueline Mulhearn withdrew $480,000 from the group’s accounts, placing the money in her personal account. The Bank of Queensland froze Mulhearn’s assets, an order which Mulhearn unsuccessfully fought in the courts.
That year, the Bank of Queensland also appointed receivers to the assets of Richard Mulhearn, and he was bankrupted.
A warrant was issued for Richard Mulhearn’s arrest in 2011, following his alleged failure to co-operate with bankruptcy trustees, leaving the country twice without permission. Mulhearn has commented in court and to the press that the trustees were “invalidly” appointed. At the time, allegations were also raised that Mulhearn used an alias, “Derek O’Malley”, which Mulhearn denied.
Jacqueline Mulhearn also left the country in May of that year, living in New York for around 12 months before moving to Northern Ireland to obtain medical treatment.
In January 2012, Richard Mulhearn was arrested at Sydney Airport. His passports were confiscated, causing Mulhearn to miss his father’s funeral in Ireland. That year, Jacqueline Mulhearn was ordered to pay the legal costs of the receivers of the Mulhearn Group after they successfully applied to recover the money she withdrew from the group. As a result of the $24,181 payment, she was rendered bankrupt.
According to the Bank of Queensland, she was served the bankruptcy notice at her New York address and by email. But Mulhearn argued that she had left New York by that date, and no longer used that email address. As a result, she did not comply with the notice, committing an act of bankruptcy.
In October 2012, Mulhearn applied to have the bankruptcy annulled, arguing that the notice was not properly served to her. She also argued that she did not reside in Queensland, so the state’s courts had no jurisdiction to make an order against her, as a non-resident of Australia. The judge dismissed her application at that time, noting that the Mulhearns provided no verifiable details of their financial assets to the courts. He also commented that in June 2012 (around three weeks after the date of bankruptcy), Mulhearn had provided a Queensland address as her place of business, placing her under the state’s jurisdiction.
In the most recent hearing before the Federal Court, which took place late last year, Mulhearn again attempted to have her bankruptcy annulled. However, the court found that she presented no new evidence, and, by attempting to have a “second bite of the same cherry”, had committed an abuse of process.
In his concluding statements, the judge noted that Mulhearn’s application for annulment “could not have succeeded on its merits and in any event was doomed to failure as an abuse of process.”
<a href="https://mce_host/jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au" target="_blank">jrichardson@propertyobserver.com.au </a>
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Wife of former Queensland property magnate's application for annulment of bankruptcy dismissed

<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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]

“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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]

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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]

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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]

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.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

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.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

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Jessie Richardson

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