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Perhaps the billioniare entreprenuer Mike Cannon-Brookes, the co-founder of Atlassian, and his fashion-design industry wife, Annie aren't content at Centennial Park.
They were spotted inspecting the Queen Street, Woollahra listing, Clyde Cottage yesterday.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2016/07/26/clydecottage.jpg" alt="">
It was meant to be a Cinderella listing with the agent Clint Ballard expectant of a quick sale.
But it was February, when with ambitious $13.5 million hopes, Clyde Cottage came onto the market.
The restored one-time Woollahra childhood home of Dame Joan Sutherland even had a queue at its open for inspections which extended onto Queen Street.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2016/07/26/clydecottage2.jpg" alt="">
But it seems the interest came mostly from opera and architectural buffs.
By co-incidence the Atlassian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes was spotted back then walking through the village, but showed no purchasing interest.
Cannon-Brookes and wife, Annie spent $12 million last year in Centennial Park after selling in Paddington.
For a time the Cannon-Brookes called Paddington their home at the former 1907 Myers warehouse emporium on Hargrave Street that had been converted into a four-storey, but eight level mansion by Duncan and Lyn Hardie. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2016/07/26/clydecottage3.jpg" alt="">
The adventurous adaption of the prior House of Desks outlet involved a $4 million plus 2005 conversion approval that then ranked among the dearest of Sydney's non-waterfront private residential projects.
Set on a 300 sqm block, it was sold at $10.5 million in late 2015 by the Cannon-Brookes.
Clyde Cottage, which has had a makeover by studiointernationale and May+Swan Architects, has been listed by the patient vendor, Singapore billioniare Ronald Ooi, who was educated in Sydney.
It last sold for $4 million in a dilapidated state.
The restoration and extension of Clyde Cottage retained the original residence at the front, and added two interconnected pavilions behind it that include the ultra-contemporary main living areas.
The house became Sutherland's home after her father died suddenly on her sixth birthday in the early 1930's and sold by the family sold in 1951.
Several years before her death Sutherland noted: "Unfortunately, from the time my family gave up the house, the deterioration set in.”
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Mike Cannon-Brookes inspects Clyde Cottage, Woollahra

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The Sydney actor Brendon Lunney is selling his tropical island, Turtle Island.
Set off the coast of Gladstone in Queensland for an expected price of about $4 million, it was one of only nine under freehold title. 
The 23-acre island which has its own helicopter pads, 15 large water tanks, vehicle accessibility via a car barge and a private jetty.
It has a development approval for a tourist resort. 
Lunney bought the island from property developer Steven Christofidellis, his wife, Marcia just two years ago for $2.145 million. 
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Actor Brendon Lunney selling Turtle Island

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GUEST OBSERVER
There is no denying it: people around the globe have been gripped in a pandemic. It’s called the Pokemon Go craze, and it affects anyone from the age of five up to 50, taking over their smartphones to entice users on a journey around real landmarks and suburban streets in search of fictional Pokemon characters.
It’s augmented reality, but not as we’ve ever seen it before. Gamers can purchase ‘lure’ tools (with real money) to aid their quest and businesses are cashing in, too, creating Pokemon GO events and collaborating with the game’s creator, Nintendo to pay to have their business shop-fronts listed as Poke-gyms for users to train and strengthen their Poke-pack. 
But while many academics are lamenting the downfall of the world as we know it, the gamification of consumer habits also presents an exciting new frontier for businesses all over the world, particularly for the property and real estate industry. 
Already savvy agents are using the Pokemon craze to help attract tenants to rent properties and buyers to auctions – but the real opportunities lie not in the game itself, but what this new technology means for the future of real estate marketing and sales. 
Take the property and real estate industry for example. Just imagine the possibilities – when prospective buyers purchase a new home off-the-plan in a residential community, not only can they walk through the floor plan of their as-yet-unbuilt apartment (there are plenty of virtual reality providers already offering this service) but imagine taking it one step further and allowing these purchasers to walk the streets, step inside all the planned amenities and buildings, even have a virtual coffee in a virtual café – all from their mobile phone. 
Now imagine overlaying avatars - being other prospective or recent purchasers - as superimposed into a virtual blueprint of their future neighbourhood, and enabling buyers to meet and greet each other the virtual streets and even start conversations via messaging services – all from a smartphone App without leaving the comfort of their living room. 
There are also endless opportunities for collaborations – imagine developers working with interior designers or furniture retailers to offer virtual plug-ins so users can view how different furniture pieces will look in their home, then use third party APIs to enable purchasing of their favourite package for delivery in line with their new home reaching completion. 
The advent of this new technology presents an incredible opportunity for marketers to enhance the user experience and create ‘virtual communities’ that are tangible and real. 
It also opens up a swathe of opportunities to sell into different markets, as inspections can comprehensively be experienced from an augmented reality App. 
If Pokemon GO has taught us anything – apart from where Pokemon gyms are located and which Pikachus are harder to find, it’s that we have just entered into a new era of the gamification of buyer behaviours. Who knows just where it will take us but the pressure is now on property developers and agents to see who gets there first. 
Colin Lee is national sales director, Australian Properties International and can be contacted <a href="https://www.australianproperties.com" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Pokémon Go and the gamification of the property industry

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Four years after its announcement, the Queensland government last week cancelled the central plank in the Logan Renewal Initiative: the overhaul of Logan’s 4,900 public housing dwellings by a community-housing-provider-led consortium.
The initiative is a planned 20-year strategy to reshape Logan, an outer-suburban centre in Brisbane’s southeast. It would have been Australia’s largest and most-ambitious residential urban regeneration project.
Given its flagship status, and the hopes invested in it as a new form of public-private renewal partnership, the project’s abandonment could be a serious setback for Australian housing and urban policy.
So, why – presumably at a very substantial cost in compensation to the spurned regeneration partners – did the Queensland government walk away from the deal?
<h2>Why was the project canned?</h2>
The Logan area encompasses Queensland’s largest body of public housing. By the early 2000s, the Logan City Council had begun to see the resulting concentration of disadvantage as damaging to the area’s public image and reputation. As well as detracting from residents’ quality of life, high rates of crime and anti-social behaviour had become a perceived barrier to investment.
Partly in response to these concerns, but also building on an existing collaboration between its Labor predecessor and the council, the Newman LNP government began the Logan Renewal Initiative in 2012. From the government’s perspective this was to be just the first instalment of a broader plan to radically recast the state’s public housing system.
In 2014, after three rounds of bids and multiple modifications to the original specification, a consortium involving two NSW-based community-housing providers was revealed as the successful tenderer.
This proposal involved a new place-based management entity, Logan City Community Housing, and pledged the replacement of 1,000 outdated existing public housing units with 2,600 newly built homes – 1,600 of which would be social and affordable dwellings.
In early 2015, Queensland voters threw out the Newman government. But, nearly 18 months and very probably millions of dollars in set-up costs later, Housing Minister Mick de Brenni last week pulled the plug on the project. Instead, he is offering a A$17 million commitment to fund 70 new public homes over the next three years.
At least some of the seeds of the project’s failure were probably sown by the arguably reckless way it was originally rushed forward in 2012. Buttressed by a huge parliamentary majority and impatient to drastically reshape Queensland’s public services, the Newman government gave little priority to building public support for its radical plans – in housing, as in other areas.
Equally, the drawn-out tender process, with its multiple stages and changing requirements, speaks of excessive haste and/or policy over-reach in a state with little previous experience of urban renewal of the scale and complexity envisaged here.
de Brenni claimed:
The previous government’s privatisation plan was risky and unprecedented in scale.
However, he then went much further, declaring the now-doomed plan unacceptable in principle since:
It’s not the policy of this government to privatise essential services and I want to make it very clear that this includes public housing.
Privatisation is an incendiary term in political debate. It may be a technically accurate description for the transfer of public housing to the control of a non-government body in the form of a not-for-profit community housing provider. But whether this really amounts to the kind of deal normally evoked by the term “privatisation” in the public mind is highly debatable.
First, the “assets” concerned were to be retained in government ownership. They would have passed into community housing provider control only on a fixed-term lease. And the additional homes to be developed would also have returned to government ownership and control at the end of the scheme.
Second, since it is not a profit-making body, the acquiring community housing provider is not in this to exploit the opportunity to generate shareholder returns or to squeeze funding for local services.
To the contrary, in canning the Logan project the Queensland government has turned its back on around $800 million of direct investment in social and affordable housing, as well as significant educational and training opportunities for local people.
Third, in terms of its management of the former public housing stock, the would-be new landlord in any housing transfer project of this kind is subject to both contractual obligations and statutory regulation.
<h2>Inconsistent with Labor policy elsewhere</h2>
de Brenni’s declared interpretation of public housing transfers is also out of line with that of Labor colleagues federally and in some other key states.
In 2013, then-federal housing minister Mark Butler <a href="https://www.formerministers.dss.gov.au/12481/opening-address-powerhousing-australia-conference-melbourne-vic/">reaffirmed</a> the Labor government’s aim of boosting the community housing sector, recognised the role of public housing transfers in achieving this goal, and expressly favoured transactions involving ownership handover rather than those limited to short-term management outsourcing.
Meanwhile, South Australia’s Labor government is currently progressing a public housing transfer program aimed at levering in additional funding to upgrade the public housing stock. This funding would otherwise have been unavailable.
Also, Labor leader Luke Foley in 2015 challenged the NSW government by advocating a boost to the state’s community housing sector through the title transfer of 20,000 public housing units.
With Australia’s public housing withering on the vine and many estates falling further into social and physical decline, there is an argument that these problems could and should be fixed by governments directly. But, over decades, both federal and state/territory governments have shown themselves unwilling to take that responsibility.
This policy stance has also recently been backed by the mainstream view that the renewal of large estates should build in social and economic diversity through a private/public housing mix.
In any case, by whichever route it is to be achieved, a clear, bipartisan way forward to tackle these problems is urgently needed. Fundamentally, that would mean commitments to quantify the national cost of remedying public housing disrepair, to devise a funded estate upgrade and diversification program, and to fashion a sustainable financial and governance framework to assure the sector’s future.
Hal Pawson<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-pawson-147969" rel="author"></a> is associate director - City Futures - Urban Policy and Strategy, City Futures Research Centre, Housing Policy and Practice, UNSW Australia and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-pawson-147969" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Ditching Logan’s public-private regeneration sets Queensland back on social and affordable housing

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The buyers of horse breeder Frank Tagg's Rose Bay home, Lynton, have emerged as Swiss Reinsurance managing director Mark Senkevics and his wife, Kimberley.
They paid $7.6 million for the grand 1912 Edwardian home following the sale of their Wallaroy Road home in Woollahra.
The price went backwards through McGrath Estate Agents from when Tagg and wife Sally bought Lynton for $8 million in 2007 from property developer Piers Dawson-Damer.
Ballard Property agent James Ball listed Senkevics' BKH-designed Woollahra with $6 million hopes, but is likely to have secured $5.5 million plus from the Fay family purchase.
They had been there since 2004 when they paid Richard England, the chairman of agribusiness Ruralco, $1.895 million for the then home.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Shock prestige price decline at Rose Bay

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The Jamie's Italian chain and other iconic eateries controlled by the collapsed Keystone Hospitality Group have been put on the market by the receivers.
All 17 leasehold venues are for sale, after the group went into receivership last month after failing to renegotiate lending arrangements with its financiers KKR and Olympus Capital.
Keystone does not own any of the real estate in which it operates.
Ferrier Hodgson's Morgan Kelly and Ryan Eagle have appointed CBRE as the lead sales advisor.
The one caveat is that the Jamie’s Italian restaurants must be sold as a group.
“The Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Parramatta Jamie’s Italian restaurants are some of the best performing Jamie’s Italian restaurants globally and offer a very attractive opportunity for the right partner. We will continue to work closely with the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group with a view to identifying a new partner for their business in Australia,” Mr Kelly said. “This may be part of a whole of enterprise sale or as a separate portfolio.”
Short-listed parties will be invited to commence due diligence via a commercial-in-confidence data room before submitting formal offers. 
“Formal bids are expected to be submitted and assessed in September 2016, with the aim of reaching in-principle agreement with a buyer or buyers in late September 2016.”
Kelly is hopeful that sales will be finalised be for the commencement of summer trade.
The Australian reported the failed restaurant operator had been due to repay its international lenders $25 million on the eve of its administration.
But the company, which was until recently run by Southern Cross Austereo boss Grant Blackley, was instead yesterday pushed into receivership by its lenders, American private equity giant KKR and Singapore-based private equity outfit Olympus, which it owed almost $80 million.
Accounts show the company, which is now run by investment banker and shareholder Richard Facioni, lost $20 million last financial year after turning over $120 million.
The Keystone accounts show Mr Facioni and fellow directors Warren Duncan and Robert Webster had agreed with the private equity giants to restructure the business, including raising an immediate $5 million in fresh equity from existing shareholders and selling assets that included Bungalow 8, Cargo Bar, Kingsleys and Jamie’s Italian chain.
The AFR reported 60 creditors were present at the first creditors meeting. 
Speaking publicly for the first time, the directors revealed to AFR Weekend they were planning an initial public offering for the group to raise equity and pay back the secured debt of about $78 million. They and other shareholders also injected $5 million of their own money into the business late last year.
This leaves about $34 million of unsecured debt, which included $6 million owed to trade creditors. many of them were at the meeting on Friday.
Keystone executive chairman Richard Facioni said the individual venues were trading well, but at a corporate level, the group was carrying too much debt.
Facioni also explained that the $24 million loss in the last set of accounts which prompted their auditors PwC to raise a going concern issue was made up mostly of interest payments and expansion costs related to the purchase of Pacific Restaurant Group, which owned rights to Jamie's Italian and other venue expansions.
The group made $120 million in revenue last year.
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Keystone selling all Jamie's Italian in one line

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Karratha, then Port Hedland continue to bear the brunt of the collapsing WA property market, according to the REIWA March quarter data.
Median prices and sales of properties are derived from Landgate data, excluding properties more than 1 Ha.
Karratha has seen a 25 percent property price decline from 12 months ago, and a 10.8 percent decline in the last three months.
A four bedroom home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-karratha-122763422" target="_blank">2 Thistle Loop</a> in Karratha (above) was initially listed with $485,000 hopes but the asking price has been slashed to $445,000 in just two months.
The suburb of Port Headland is also decreasing quickly, down 23.1 percent from 12 months ago.
Broome has seen the biggest property value decline in the last three months with an 11.2 percent decline.
Surprisingly Northam is performing well. The suburb has seen a 19.6 percent increase in property values from 12 months ago and 17 percent in the last three months.
 
 
<table class="data-table members-data-table table-striped">
<thead><tr>
<th>PROPERTY VALUES (MEDIAN SALE PRICES)</th>
<th>MARCH 2016 QUARTER</th>
<th>CHANGE FROM 3 MONTHS AGO</th>
<th>CHANGE FROM 12 MONTHS AGO</th>
</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Houses, Established</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Perth Metropolitan</td>
<td class="number-right">$530,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-1.9%</td>
<td class="number-right">-4.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mandurah - Murray</td>
<td class="number-right">$400,000</td>
<td class="number-right">3.4%</td>
<td class="number-right">-4.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bunbury Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$392,000</td>
<td class="number-right">4.5%</td>
<td class="number-right">0.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geraldton - Greenough</td>
<td class="number-right">$325,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-11.0%</td>
<td class="number-right">-16.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kalgoorlie - Boulder</td>
<td class="number-right">$327,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-4.5%</td>
<td class="number-right">-3.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Albany Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$390,000</td>
<td class="number-right">4.0%</td>
<td class="number-right">0.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Broome Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$475,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-11.2%</td>
<td class="number-right">-19.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Busselton Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$449,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-4.5%</td>
<td class="number-right">-1.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Esperance Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$355,000</td>
<td class="number-right">1.4%</td>
<td class="number-right">-12.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Karratha Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$330,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-10.8%</td>
<td class="number-right">-25.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Northam</td>
<td class="number-right">$280,000</td>
<td class="number-right">17.0%</td>
<td class="number-right">19.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Port Hedland Urban Area</td>
<td class="number-right">$500,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-2.0%</td>
<td class="number-right">-23.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Regional WA</td>
<td class="number-right">$380,000</td>
<td class="number-right">1.3%</td>
<td class="number-right">-3.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Multi-Residential</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Perth Metropolitan</td>
<td class="number-right">$436,000</td>
<td class="number-right">0.2%</td>
<td class="number-right">-1.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">Land</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Perth Metropolitan</td>
<td class="number-right">$265,000</td>
<td class="number-right">-0.4%</td>
<td class="number-right">-1.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Regional WA</td>
<td class="number-right">$185,000</td>
<td class="number-right">4.5%</td>
<td class="number-right">
3.9%
 
 
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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Karratha price median down 25 percent

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The latest data from the REIV suggests Geelong has shown above average price growth during the June quarter 2016.
The median sits at $440,000.
CoreLogic recently noted Geelong had a clearance rate of more than 60 per cent during the June 2016 quarter.
It was the third quarter in a row that Geelong was the strongest performing regional auction market, across the country.
Property Observer found three examples of sales and listings around that price.
A charming three bedroom period home just sold for $440,000, the median price in Geelong. The property at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-geelong-122980454" target="_blank">118 Garden Street</a> (above) was listed for sale between $420,000 and $460,000. It last traded for $435,000 in 2010.
<img src="/images/2016/07/25/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-25%20at%201.52.16%20PM.png" alt="">
If you prefer an apartment, there's a two bed inner city unit at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-geelong-122593090">10/96 Mercer Street</a> (above) which is listed for less than the suburbs median price. It has a price guide of between $395,000 and $429,000. It last traded for $380,000 in 2008.
<img src="/images/2016/07/25/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-25%20at%201.53.52%20PM.png" alt="">
A two bedroom <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-geelong-121842834" target="_blank">Yarra Street apartment </a>(above) comes in with a slightly higher price guide of between $435,000 and $449,000. Last traded for $430,000 in 2014, the home also has a study.
 
 
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Geelong's strengthening home sales market

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<div class="tg-tlc-storybody_intro">
Sydney’s Millers Point and Naremburn, plus East Melbourne all recorded a perfect auction clearance rate in the past quarter, according to CoreLogic.
Naremburn’s clearance rate increased from 82 percent in the December quarter, while East Melbourne jumped from 80 per cent.
The combined capital city clearance rate fell to 68 percent during the June quarter down from 69 percent over the first quarter of 2016.
Brisbane’s best performer was the outer suburb of Runcorn, where the clearance rate was 77 percent - well above the Brisbane average of 45.3 percent. 
Runcorn also had the best auction clearance rate in the December quarter.
According to CoreLogic, Runcorn's median price is $530,000.
Property Observer found a few examples of sales and listings around that price.
A huge four bedroom, three bathroom townhouse at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-townhouse-qld-runcorn-123095334" target="_blank">39 Diamond Place</a> (above) has a buyers guide of $500,000. Sitting on 312 sqm, the home previously traded for $226,000 in 2000.
</div>
<img src="/images/2016/07/25/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-25%20at%201.43.27%20PM.png" alt="">
A slightly smaller three bedroom home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-runcorn-122789022" target="_blank">10 Balonne Street</a> (above) just sold for $508,000. Previously traded for $122,000 in 1994, the home sits on a large 649 sqm block.
<img src="/images/2016/07/25/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-25%20at%201.45.09%20PM.png" alt="">
If you want to pay higher than Runcorn's median price, a renovated resort style home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-runcorn-122893770" target="_blank">314 Daw Road</a> (above) is available for $565,000. The three bedroom with swimming pool last traded for $430,000 in 2011.
 
 
 
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Brisbane's Runcorn ranks as strong auction selling market

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Jessica Origliasso, one half of Australian pop duo The Veronica's, has sold her Brisbane bolthole for $599,000.
She made a profit on the New York loft style apartment having paid $465,000 in 2009.
It was a chance to own a piece of Brisbane music history, according to selling agent Go Gecko selling agent Brendan Terry, who suggested it was the apartment where the Brisbane raised singers penned some of their most famous hits.
Located in the 1930's heritage listed McWhirters Building, the Art Deco apartment had three bedrooms, a modern kitchen and a sunroom
Jessica and her sister Lisa burst onto the pop scene in 2005.
The Los Angeles based singer recently said she missed the smell of the Brisbane air.
This article was first published in The Weekend Australian.
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Jessica Origliasso sells in Brisbane

Apartment buildings are increasingly being designed around how people actually live day to day, not just how they want a building to look.

For buyers, that shift is showing up in practical inclusions that respond to changing habits. Work-from-home spaces, EV charging, wellness amenities, secure bike storage and parcel management are becoming part of the broader apartment conversation, reflecting a move toward buildings that reduce friction in everyday life.

Online shopping has become one of the clearest examples of that change.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion online in 2025, with nearly one in four retail dollars now spent online. That has made parcel delivery a regular part of apartment living, rather than an occasional inconvenience.

For apartment residents, however, the delivery process can be less straightforward than it is for detached homes. Parcels may be left in lobbies, redirected to Post Offices, missed entirely, or placed under the responsibility of building managers and concierge teams.

That is why secure parcel infrastructure is increasingly being considered alongside more familiar apartment amenities.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VjjLwoViX0?si=A3k7ws9NX35Uac7_" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Australia Post Parcel Lockers offer one way to address the issue. When a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS, then collect it using a QR code or one-time PIN. The parcel is kept secure, accessible and removed from common areas.

The broader Parcel Locker network now includes more than 1,500 locations across Australia, positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and other accessible locations.

For new apartment projects, the relevance is clear. A building’s amenity offering is no longer only about lifestyle spaces, but also about convenience, security and functionality.

As buyer expectations evolve, secure parcel delivery is becoming part of the same design conversation as flexible working, sustainable transport and resident wellbeing.

It is one less thing for residents to worry about, and another example of apartment design adapting to the way Australians now live.

Joel Robinson

Apartment design is adapting to the way Australians shop

While school holidays and trips to Europe tend to define the winter property market, there's been no cold snap at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-walden-north-sydney-177-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The Walden</a> in North Sydney.

Developer-builder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aland">ALAND</a> sold more than $35 million worth of apartments throughout June, including a $6.8 million apartment that now ranks among the highest apartment sales ever recorded in North Sydney.

SRM Residential agent Ben Stewart said buyer demand throughout June reflected a mix of improving market confidence and longer-term thinking from owner-occupiers.

"We're seeing strong demand from owner-occupiers who are taking a longer-term view," Stewart said.

"Many recognise the opportunity to secure an apartment in an iconic building and premium location while values remain attractive. They may initially lease the property, but the intention is to eventually move in themselves, rather than purchasing purely as an investment."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=367129]

Located at 177 Walker Street, The Walden will deliver 161 one, two, three and four-bedroom residences across a 30-storey tower designed by Rothelowman. Every apartment occupies a corner position, maximising natural light, cross ventilation and views across Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, Sydney Heads and the northern districts.

Rather than a traditional balcony, the residences feature winter gardens that seamlessly extend the open plan living areas, creating versatile spaces for relaxing or entertaining throughout the year. Floor-to-ceiling glazing draws in natural light while showcasing sweeping views from the building's elevated Walker Street position.

Every apartment features high-end Calacatta marble, bespoke joinery, and fully integrated appliances.

The larger residences have been planned with distinct entertaining and private zones, with many master suites positioned on corners to capture natural light and harbour views. Walk-in dressing rooms, freestanding baths and refined stone finishes reinforce the house-like feel that has resonated with downsizers and owner-occupiers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6393]

Rothelowman Principal Ben Pomroy said the project was designed to make the most of its unique position overlooking the harbour.

"The Walden is a celebration of all things beautiful, curated for those who expect nothing less than exceptional," Pomroy says.

"Meticulously designed entertaining spaces and light-filled living areas that capitalise on capturing the natural beauty of Sydney's iconic harbour."

Residents will also have exclusive access to The Pavilion, a dedicated amenity building featuring a rooftop pool, wellness studio, gymnasium, sauna, concierge service, residents' lounge, private dining spaces and work-from-home facilities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6402]

The project marks ALAND's first major luxury apartment development in Sydney's inner-city market after more than two decades delivering residential communities across Greater Sydney.

Founder and CEO Andrew Hrsto previously said the rarity of the Walker Street site made it an opportunity the company could not overlook.

"This is a rare opportunity to bring a truly exceptional project to life in one of Sydney's most iconic locations, and to showcase our craftsmanship and design expertise at a world-class level," Hrsto said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6383]

The Walden has been introduced to the market at a time when demand for living in North Sydney is at an all-time high. Billions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure, including the recently opened Victoria Cross Metro station, located just 300 metres from The Walden, providing residents with direct access to the Sydney CBD in just minutes.

Private investment has also transformed the area through the arrival of new retail and dining destinations, elevating the lifestyle offering in what was once considered primarily a commercial precinct rather than an aspirational residential address.

The Walden is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134323]

ALAND records $35 million in sales in North Sydney as The Walden bucks quiet winter selling season

The long-awaited redevelopment of the former Eastlakes Shopping Centre site has reached a major milestone, with Conquest's plans for a new mixed-use precinct officially placed on public exhibition.

The State Significant Development Application would transform the 1.7-hectare site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/19a-evans-avenue-eastlakes-nsw-2018">19A Evans Avenue</a> into one of Sydney's largest urban renewal projects, delivering 736 apartments above a new shopping centre anchored by Woolworths, alongside specialty retail, dining, commercial space and new public open spaces.

The public exhibition marks the next chapter for the project after <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/conquest">Conquest</a> acquired the stalled Stage Two development from Crown Group, who completed the first stage across the road prior to their voluntary liquidation.

<img alt="First look: Conquest unveils plans for 736-home Eastlakes Shopping Centre redevelopment" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5fca22c5-d1ed-4e2c-8801-03f7df1eafc8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/eastland%20podium.png?VersionId=uomwr41nF8CmLUZRDcu3mHQechlbxucS" />

&nbsp;

Designed by DKO Architecture, the proposal comprises four residential buildings ranging from 14 to 18 storeys above a two-level retail podium. The development would deliver 736 apartments, including 74 affordable homes, 215 Build-to-Rent apartments and 521 market residences. Provision has also been made for dual-key apartments, which could increase the total number of dwellings to 877.

At ground level, the shopping centre has been designed as the suburb's new meeting place, anchored by a full-line Woolworths and complemented by a curated mix of fresh food retailers, cafés, restaurants, health services and everyday convenience shopping. Generous pedestrian links and landscaped public spaces will connect the retail precinct through to Jack Mundey Reserve, creating a more walkable and connected neighbourhood.

Conquest CEO Michael Akkawi said the redevelopment was about far more than replacing a shopping centre.

"Eastlakes has been overlooked for too long, and this is the community’s moment. We are building a shopping centre and homes, a genuine heart for the suburb, and we genuinely want locals to help shape it."

"We enrich communities through the creation of homes, places, and experiences designed for life, built to last, and owner for generations. That starts with listening, so we warmly encourage everyone with a connection to Eastlakes to view the plans and share their thoughts."

<img alt="First look: Conquest unveils plans for 736-home Eastlakes Shopping Centre redevelopment" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="22f6fb20-54fb-4bd7-8a92-48fafdd00608" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/eastland.png?VersionId=cugp7s9hrMHGJJdYzkeAkrFoQgnF4GXf" />

DKO said the design had been shaped by the site's landscape setting and surrounding open space.

"Our vision for the site embraces its unique Bidjigal identity by blending the residential living with generous landscaping and a material palette inspired by the Bidjigal locality, and celebrating the panoramic views to Botany Bay and the wetlands reserves."

"Taking cues from Country, we seek to harmonise built form with the landscape and lightly touch the earth. By reconnecting, retaining and regenerating existing ecology, and weaving in natural elements, we can deepen our connection to Country."

The landscape strategy extends across the podium and rooftops, incorporating communal gardens, children's play areas, lawns, community gardens, family gathering spaces and extensive tree planting. New landscaped links will also strengthen the connection between the precinct and Jack Mundey Reserve, while publicly accessible open spaces have been integrated throughout the development.

The proposal builds on Conquest's broader placemaking strategy for the site. Through an ongoing partnership, local artist Joe Rashbrook has been appointed Urban Art Curator, working alongside young residents to transform the project's site hoardings into a public art gallery that allows the community to engage with the redevelopment before construction is complete.

Conquest has rapidly expanded its development pipeline since acquiring the Eastlakes site, with more than $6 billion worth of mixed-use projects now in planning across Sydney, including Stanmore, Castlecrag and Waterloo.

Conquest CEO Michael Akkawi said the redevelopment was about far more than replacing a shopping centre.

First look: ‘Far more than replacing a shopping centre’ as Conquest unveils 736-home Eastlakes redevelopment

Abadeen has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for one of Mosman's largest apartment developments in recent years, seeking approval to transform the former Honeysuckle Garden and Midas site on Military Road into a 100-apartment mixed-use development.

The SSDA, lodged with investment partner Phoenix Property Investors, proposes around $230 million worth of new housing on the prominent <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/494-516-military-road-mosman-nsw-2088">494-516 Military Road</a> site.

The proposal comes as Mosman Council continues to progress its recently endorsed Masterplan, which identifies the precinct for increased housing density while maintaining the suburb's established character.

Designed by DKO Architecture, the development would comprise 100 apartments above ground-floor retail, with a rooftop wellness precinct including a gym, sauna, entertaining areas and landscaped communal spaces.

Rather than pushing to the full 12-storey height identified in Council's Masterplan, the proposal ranges between five and nine storeys, stepping down towards Hale Road. A tenth level would accommodate resident amenities rather than additional apartments.

The project has been designed to appeal to a broad range of buyers, from first home buyers and young professionals through to families and local downsizers looking to remain on the Lower North Shore.

<img alt="Mosman" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5dada03f-5b4c-43ba-ba62-2868add31440" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-27%20at%209.57.55%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=7LBy0B.Jo8_iWAFJsClcV7Q3UnXrv49r" />

Abadeen Executive Chairman Justin Brown said the apartments had been designed as genuine long-term homes rather than investor-focused stock.

"The apartments have been designed as genuine long-term homes, with efficient floorplans that maximise usable living areas, generous storage, natural light and strong connections between indoor and outdoor spaces," Brown says."

"We've focused on creating homes for a broad range of buyers, from first home buyers and growing families through to downsizers who want to remain in Mosman."

The rooftop wellness offering forms a key part of the proposal, with residents set to have access to a gym, sauna, outdoor entertaining spaces, communal dining areas, landscaped gardens and a multi-use recreation court overlooking Sydney Harbour.

<img alt="Mosman" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d37c2d6b-583a-4a0f-b7a9-9f46b893d2f4" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-27%20at%209.58.06%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=FPoa5FCm2RtzjhAh2w5FTWJbV6GHfY8D" />

DKO drew heavily on the site's natural and cultural history, undertaking a Connecting with Country process with local Aboriginal Elders to inform the architectural and landscape design.

Senior Associate Matthew Ritchard said the design sought to create a building that responded to both the site's landscape and its cultural significance.

"The architectural language of the project is a deep expression of Connecting with Country, where the materiality and colour palette serve as a bridge between the site's geological history and its future as a residential sanctuary."

The proposal also retains the site's established blue gum tree as the centrepiece of the communal landscaped gardens, while introducing activated retail fronting Military Road to strengthen the connection between Mosman and Cremorne villages.

If approved, the project would deliver 100 new homes within walking distance of shops, public transport, schools and local amenities, adding to the limited pipeline of new apartments on the Lower North Shore.

<h2>Project Snapshot</h2>

Project: Honeysuckle Garden Redevelopment

Address: 494-516 Military Road, Mosman

Developer: Abadeen and Phoenix Property Investors

Architect: DKO Architecture

Lead Architect: Matthew Ritchard

Value: $230 million

Residences: 100 apartments

Key features:

<ul>
	<li>
	Ground-floor retail
	</li>
	<li>
	Rooftop wellness precinct
	</li>
	<li>
	Gym and sauna
	</li>
	<li>
	Outdoor entertaining and BBQ areas
	</li>
	<li>
	Landscaped communal gardens
	</li>
	<li>
	Multi-use recreation court
	</li>
	<li>
	Retained mature blue gum tree
	</li>
	<li>
	Connecting with Country design process
	</li>
	<li>
	Harbour, CBD and Balmoral views from upper-level apartments
	</li>
</ul>

Abadeen Executive Chairman Justin Brown said the apartments had been designed as genuine long-term homes rather than investor-focused stock

First look: Abadeen plans 100 apartments on former Honeysuckle Garden site in Mosman

The wave of apartment proposals sweeping through Mosman shows no signs of slowing, with another major residential development lodged through the NSW Government's State Significant Development pathway.

Developer First Quadrant Properties, which recently completed Willoughby Grounds and has several projects in planning across the North Shore, has unveiled plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/cove-on-ourimbah-40-56-ourimbah-road-mosman-nsw-2088">Cove on Ourimbah</a>, a 63-apartment development on Ourimbah Road, adding to the growing pipeline of projects reshaping one of Sydney's most tightly held harbour suburbs.

The proposal would consolidate nine properties at 40-56 Ourimbah Road into a part eight, part nine-storey apartment building, continuing the momentum created by the NSW Government's accelerated planning pathways that have seen several significant developments emerge across Mosman over the past 12 months.

Designed by Doroch Architects, the project would deliver 63 apartments, resident wellness facilities including a gym, pool and sauna, landscaped communal spaces and basement parking, while using recessed upper levels, generous setbacks and extensive planting to reduce the perceived scale of the building.

<img alt="First look: First Quadrant Properties eyes nine-storey Mosman apartment project under State Significant pathway" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32ee68e4-141e-4a10-8f83-48e961a5e71e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Ourimbah%20Road%2C%20Mosman%20a.png?VersionId=CUeILFc6APlwXPc.iplElbxHvREKwjig" />

Doroch Architects said the building had been designed to reinforce Mosman's established character.

"The building's aesthetic is grounded in the existing residential character of Ourimbah Road and the broader Mosman context," the architect noted in the planning documents submitted to the NSW Government.

The design adopts a contemporary material palette of natural stone, textured concrete and brown concave metal cladding, complemented by integrated planters and deep balconies. The podium incorporates softened curved concrete forms, while increased setbacks have been provided adjacent to the heritage-listed property at 60 Ourimbah Road to create a more sympathetic transition.

The site sits around 330 metres from Mosman Town Centre, placing it within the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy area, where increased residential density is being encouraged close to shops, transport and services.

The proposal follows a string of major apartment projects lodged or declared State Significant in Mosman in recent months, including Abadeen's 100-apartment Honeysuckle Garden redevelopment on Military Road and several other developments across Awaba Street, Redan Street and Muston Street from the likes of Time &amp; Place, HELM and Prosker Property.

&nbsp;

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/time-place-to-take-on-mosman-apartment-market">Time &amp; Place to take on Mosman apartment market</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-abadeen-plans-100-apartments-on-former-honeysuckle-garden-site-in-mosman">First look: Abadeen plans 100 apartments on former Honeysuckle Garden site in Mosman</a>

&nbsp;

Jonathan Chancellor

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