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The current higher levels of property spruiking activity was a sign that the Australian property was becoming overly exuberant, Paul Bloxham, HSBC Australia's chief economist has warned.
“Some of the tell-tale signs are there,” he told Fairfax Media on Friday.
“A pick-up in the property spruiking business is a signal things may be getting a little too exuberant,” said Paul Bloxham.
The former Reserve Bank official co-wrote a 2010 study into the causes of the 2003 Sydney housing boom and bust, noting it was accompanied by housing seminars in hotel conference rooms, along with direct telephone marketing.
Last month it emerged that state consumer watchdogs were <a href="/news/property-spruikers-receive-warning-letters-from-states">closely monitoring 37 property investment spruikers</a>.
The NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria and Consumer ­Protection WA warned spruikers that “regulators across Australia are currently monitoring the information, advice and products that are being ­provided in the marketplace”.
Spruikers may be breaking the law for the unsolicited selling of property or education services at free-advice events, the consumer agencies suggested in letters sent to them. 
They note the “many instances” where they hadn’t complied with the requirement that they tell people about the right to terminate contracts during a <a href="/expert-insights/buying/what-is-the-cooling-off-period-investment-terms-explained">cooling off period</a>.
Making false or misleading representations about property investment carries the possibility of criminal and civil action and all claims made at seminars must be substantiated, advised the letters, obtained by the Australian Financial Review.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Property spruiking levels tell-tale signs of exuberance: Paul Bloxham 

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Developer Sunland Group has purchased a 4.7 hectare urban renewal site at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast for $18.4 million.
Sunland managing director Sahba Abedian said it would start on medium rise construction in early 2015 at the Palm Beach Mobile and Tourist Park on the Gold Coast Highway.
The Palm Beach development will comprise 162 luxury apartments in buildings under nine stories and 86 town homes.
Mostly targeting owner-occupiers, the town homes will be priced from around $600,000 and the apartments from around $500,000. 
It was sold by the Pryke family for the past four decades since costing $300,000 in 1973. 
It will close in August following the sale through Darrell Irwin of Colliers International.
The Palm Beach project follows a strong sales by Sunland at its latest medium-rise Gold Coast project, the Marina Residences at Royal Pines.
Sunland, developer of the Q1 superpower, had its last foray in the southern Gold Coast at The Parc residential community adjacent to John Flynn hospital, which was completed about four years ago.
The Palm Beach project brings to about $1 billion the value of new development projects planned by Sunland for the Gold Coast, including a major $350 million redevelopment planned for Mariners Cove at the Southport Spit that has yet to be revealed.
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Palm Beach, Gold Coast mobile home site sells to rejuvenated Sunland

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Fashion maven Rozalia Alpert's Potts Point apartment has sold at auction for $3,625,000.
It was initially listed with $5 million plus hopes in mid-2012 which were revised recently to around $4 million.
The three-level Wylde Street apartment is one of three in Tarana, a circa 1885 Victorian Italianate-style mansion that was converted to strata residences in 2003 by developer Jorge Fernandez.
The 415 square metre apartment has an enormous living area that originally was the Tarana ballroom along with ornate Italianate features including parquet floors, corinthian columns and vaulted ceilings.
Alpert was the founder of Cara &amp; Co, which sold cutting-edge fashion as well as food, music and art.
The apartment was relisted with revised expectations, with hopes that the apartment in the heritage building might match its $4 million 2005 purchase price<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/apartment-potts-point-nsw-2011/226991" target="_blank"> through McGrath's Peter Starr and Jared Ginsberg</a>.
With three interested parties, the auction had just the one bidder on the somewhat awkwardly shaped apartment and car parking.
Its location too just a little too far out of the neighbourhood to attract competitive bidding.
Title Tattle recalls it was last sold for $4million by Retro Security's Koste Stefanoff. The apartment, with 258sqm of internal space plus a 160sqm garden, is in the triplex developed in the 1880 Victorian-Italianate-style mansion built for Arthur McQuade, whose family also owned the adjacent sandstone mansion, Bomera.
Tarana stands on Wylde Street, high above the sandstone cutting that was opened up to car traffic many decades ago. In 1907, a third storey was added to the residence and the original billiards room was extended into a ballroom.
The 2003 restoration was undertaken by the heritage-sympathetic Jorge Fernandez who secured $10.5million from the three apartment sales - with $2.55million from Stefanoff.
The Potts Point result sat within Sydney’s strengthening winter auction market with the weekend’s clearance rate the highest reported for 10 weeks.
The initial August weekend commenced on a high recording a preliminary clearance rate of 79.1%, bringing the four weekend Saturday night average to 77.9% compared to the previous four weekend result of 74.4%, according to the Domain Group's Australian Property Monitors.
Sydney has now recorded four consecutive weekends with clearance rates above 77 percent for the first time since March.
Auctions numbers in Sydney were down with 416 properties scheduled to go under the hammer – 90 fewer than the 506 that were auctioned the previous weekend.
However auction numbers were ahead the same weekend last year when 331 homes were auctioned.
APM senior economist Dr Andrew Wilson said this continued the trend over recent months with 1757 homes listed for auction over July again well ahead of the 1233 auctioned over July last year.
Sydney’s inner suburban regions led the charge at the weekend recording exceptionally strong results.
The top performer was the lower north shore with a clearance rate of 92.9% followed by the inner west at 89.9%, the city and east with 84.4%, the northern beaches at 84.2%, the south with 82.2% and the upper north shore with a clearance rate of 81.8%.
The most expensive property reported sold at auction at the weekend was the Wylde Street, Potts Point offering.
The most affordable property reported sold at the weekend was a two bedroom unit at 9/12 Drummond Street Warwick Farm that sold for $296,000 through Professionals Canley Heights.
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Prestige Tarana, Potts Point apartment sold at 10% discount

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Intelligent Property Services says recent Sydney auction price guidance is around 12.7% below actual sale prices.
"With the Sydney market getting off to a cracking start in 2014 we saw that agents and vendors’ price expectations were being regularly eclipsed," the general manager of <a href="https://www.ipsg.com.au/" target="_blank">Intelligent Property Services</a>, Ramon Mitchell, said. 
"We believe that price guides need to be more accurate, especially given the information available to agents and the large sums of money involved in property transactions. 
"Not only do real estate agents have a plethora of information available to them when they price each property, they are also supposed experts in their local area," he said.
A survey issued in August 2013 by Intelligent Property Services (IPS) reported that there was a variance of 13.1% between real estate agent price guides and the final auction result in Sydney, and<a href="/news/nsw/sydney-auctions-selling-15-3-above-price-guides-since-september"> a November 2013 survey showed the gap had got to 15%</a>.
The latest 30 auction sample selection, with tabulation undertaken by head of research at Intelligent Property Services, Joe Kotevich, was from Bondi in the east to Burwood in the west at auctions from $549,000 to $1.7 million.
The results ranged from 1.5% above to the largest variance at 26%, recorded for a $1,362,000 terrace in Alexandria’s golden triangle which had an initial guide of $1 million plus.
"Some sales are pushed significantly over expectations by exuberant bidders as evidenced by the oversized studio at 12/7 Ithaca Road, Elizabeth Bay selling for $725,000 which was a whopping $165,000 over reserve, some 24% above the original guide of $550,000," said Mitchell.
"Another recent example was at the sale of <a href="https://www.homehound.com.au/listing/withdrawn/nsw/sydney-region/eastern-suburbs/darlington-eastern-suburbs/72-ivy-street-darlington-nsw-2008/" target="_blank">72 Ivy Street, Darlington</a>. 
"With a price guide of $700,000 plus there was approximately 100 people in attendance at the auction. 
"After a slow auction bidding stalled in the $700,000’s and a vendor bid of $810,000 was used by the frustrated auctioneer; perplexing many in the crowd. 
"The dilapidated terrace then passed in at $811,000 and finally sold after negotiation for $820,000 – some $120,000 over the price guide."
Mitchell said with the traditional spring selling season fast approaching, "what better time for the industry to show greater levels of transparency in order to temper buyer frustration and to give them a better chance in picking the proverbial battles that they actually have a shot at winning". 
"Whilst our intention is not to infer that all properties are deliberately underquoted, nonetheless the impact remains the same.
"Whenever we ask prospective property buyers what they would rank as the most frustrating aspect of the buying process invariably the answer is the agent “lowballing” the price guide. 
"In our day-to-day role as buyers agents we regularly see selling agents give would-be buyers enticingly low price guides so as to bolster their auction attendance numbers. 
"Time and again we watch disappointed registered bidders walk out of auction rooms without even having had a chance to bid after having watched opening bids knock them straight out of contention," Ramon Mitchell said.
IPS will continue to monitor the market and track the results. 
Auctions numbers in Sydney are down this weekend with 416 properties scheduled to go under the hammer – 90 fewer than the 506 that were auctioned last weekend, according to Australian Property Monitors.
However auction numbers are well ahead the same weekend last year when 331 homes were auctioned.
"This continues the trend over recent months with 1,757 homes listed for auction over July well ahead of the 1,233 auctioned over July last year," APM senior economist Dr Andrew Wilson said.
The inner west will host 75 auctions followed by the south with 64, Canterbury Bankstown  with 45, the upper north shore with 42, the west with 41 and the city and east with 39.
The most popular suburb for auctions this weekend in Sydney is Blacktown in the west with eight followed by Bankstown.
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Add 12% to Sydney auction estimates to secure purchase: Intelligent Property Services

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Crown Resort executives have refuted silly Fairfax Media speculation that the billionaire James Packer was intent on selling the Barangaroo casino resort penthouse for a windfall $100 million plus.
The project’s award-winning architect Chris Wilkinson from <a href="https://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/crown-sydney.aspx?category=asia-and-pacific" target="_blank">Wilkinson Eyre</a> told a business breakfast only last week that the top three floors of the proposed 270 metre tower would be an integral part of the six-star hotel.
Crown Resorts subsequently confirmed the top three floors would be reserved for the hotel’s “most prized international VIP customers".
News Ltd's John Lehmann noted this week that Fairfax were long-time critics of Barangaroo, although Property Observer would suggest perhaps less so since the effective abandonment of the urban affairs reporting unit formerly headed by the enthusiast Matthew Moore. Records show fewer than 25 urban affairs bylined articles this year in the SMH, compared to the same period in 2011 having close to 150 articles. 
This week Fairfax Media mischievously speculated a $100 million plus sale price would: "mean Mr Packer's company could recoup the entire $100 million licence fee it has paid the NSW government for the right to operate a VIP-only casino in the facility with a single apartment sale."
The resort is scheduled for a 2019 completion.
 
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Barangaroo casino penthouse not for sale: Crown Resorts

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Meriton Apartments boss Harry Tribuboff says he's only interested in an outright sale of the entire group, not part of the business.
</div>
“It’s everything or nothing,” the veteran negotiator Harry Triguboff told News Ltd.
“I’m only talking with one person, not running around selling to many because it will take too much of my time.”
Meriton’s construction pipeline of 4,000 apartments is mostly in Sydney.
He said Australian apartment prices had plateaued. 
Recently ranked by BRW as Australia’s eighth richest person with an estimated $5.5 billion wealth, Triguboff revealed that a Chinese developer had made an offer to buy part of the Meriton group that he valued at more than $6 billion.
"I will not sell part and I still have to understand how he proposes to buy,” Triguboff said.
Picture of Harry Triguboff courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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Meriton's Harry Triguboff says it's all or nothing

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Mortgage Choice has welcomed Senator Nick Xenophon’s plan to introduce legislative changes to allow first home buyers to access their superannuation savings for a house deposit. 
Mortgage Choice chief executive officer Michael Russell said he believed the proposal would help make a difference to thousands of Australians each year.
The changes to the Superannuation Act 1976 will be debated during the spring session of parliament.
The proposed changes are similar to a scheme, called the Home Buyers’ Plan operating in Canada.
Under the Canadian scheme, home buyers can access up to $25,000 for a first home.
Allowing these buyers to jump onto the property ladder sooner rather than later, the amount borrowed is then required to be paid back into the super fund within 15 years.
Michael Russell advocated the Xenophon scheme as likely to reduce the need for lenders mortgage insurance.
“While lenders mortgage insurance has a crucial role to play in assisting first home buyers into the property market, if the premium can be reduced by lowering the loan to valuation ratio, then this would seem to be in the best interests of buyers," Michael Russell said.
“First home buyers should be allowed to invest part of their super in their own bricks and mortar.”
Mr Russell said the money ought be reimbursed into the homeowners' super account either at the sale of the property or within 15 years – whichever comes first -  and include gains based on an appropriate index.
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Xenophon first home buyer super scheme supported by Mortgage Choice

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Talana, the imposing Queen Anne-style residence at Hawthorn East, has been sold by lawyer Tony Troiani, a partner at King &amp; Wood Mallesons.
Set on Harcourt Street, the six-bedroom, three-bathroom 1900 house was designed by architect John Beswicke, the best known architect in Hawthorn during the late 1800s, having also designed the Hawthorn Town Hall.
The red-brick house, with the decorative embellishments overlaid with timber, comes with a third-storey tower under the large hipped roof clad in Marseilles tiles.
It sits on a 4,122-square-metre holding with north/south synthetic grass tennis court, a solar- and gas-heated pool, and a self-contained summer house.
Talana has been renovated since the current vendors bought the property in 2000 for $2 million from the Mott family.
There is a driveway leading to a four-car garage.
It’s named after a town in the province of Ogliastra, in Sardinia, Italy.
Having been listed with Marshall White in 2011, it was relisted through RT Edgar agent Michael Ebeling with $11 million-plus hopes in 2012.
The most recent marketing agents were Abercromby's who marketed it as offering a resort style family lifestyle with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, a tennis court with golf driving nets, enormous dual-heated lap/leisure pool, and an extra fully self-contained, Boston Ivy-clad summer house.
Jock Langley of Abercromby’s real estate was expecting about $10 million.
 
{qtube vid:=T12WBTanCnI}
 
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Talana, Hawthorn East Queen Anne trophy home finally sells

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Divergent trends are apparent in the housing market of late, with investors continuing to show momentum, while credit to owner-occupiers has consolidated since the end of last year.
Andrew Hanlan, the Westpac senior economist was commenting after investment property loan growth accelerated sharply last month, at the fastest year-on-year growth since the first quarter of 2008.
<img src="/images/2014/08/01/wp-aug-1-one.gif" alt="">
The surge in investment loan lending to pre-GFC levels saw loans to investors in June jump 0.9%, according to Reserve Bank of Australia data published Thursday.
Annual investment loan growth has now hit 8.7%.
<img src="/images/2014/08/01/wp-aug-1-two.gif" alt="">
Loans to households – including owner-occupiers – rose by a more modest 0.6%, taking the annual gain to 6.4%.
"Notably, low and falling interest rates in 2013 triggered a sharp lift in new lending for housing," Andrew Hanlan noted.
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Investor property loan growth back to pre-GFC levels: RBA

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The 1892 Northcote trophy home, built for the Northcote's second mayor, has been listed for 23 August auction through Marek Olech from Nelson Alexander.
Around $2 million is expected by the Otway-bound Roderick Poole, founder of performing troupe Strange Fruit and his partner, opera and theatre director Suzanne Chaundy.
Grand View was once owned by veteran cook Stephanie Alexander with veggie patch of course outback.
The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-northcote-117573539" target="_blank">28 Mitchell Street</a> home is located on a corner block on Ruckers Hill with views of the Dandenongs.
The two-storey five bedroom home has period detailing. There is as a studio/workshop.
Northcote's second mayor was the Glasgow-born butcher William Smith.
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Grand View, Northcote listed by Strange Fruit's Roderick Poole

Kew has long been regarded as one of Melbourne's premier residential suburbs. It's a location defined by its grand period homes, leafy streets and some of the city's most prestigious schools, yet it has often sat just outside the spotlight cast on neighbouring Hawthorn and Camberwell.

Increasingly, however, buyers are recognising that Kew offers much of what draws people to those suburbs, with a quieter residential setting, exceptional amenity and long-term owner-occupier appeal.

Within a few minutes' walk, residents can access Kew Junction, one of Melbourne's most established village centres. Cafés, bakeries, restaurants, supermarkets, boutique retailers and everyday services are all on the doorstep, with local favourites including Centonove, Adeney Milk Bar Cafe, and Frank &amp; Harri creating the type of walkable lifestyle that has become increasingly difficult to find in Melbourne's inner east. Beyond the immediate neighbourhood, Glenferrie Road's renowned shopping and dining precinct in Hawthorn and the retail, dining and entertainment offerings of Camberwell Junction are both just a short drive or tram ride away.

The suburb is equally well connected. Tram routes 48 and 109 provide direct access to the CBD, while High Street and Cotham Road connect residents to the wider inner east.&nbsp;Nearby access to the Eastern Freeway also places the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne Airport within easy reach, adding another layer of convenience for weekend travel.&nbsp;It's a rare combination of connectivity and tranquillity, where quiet residential streets sit just moments from some of Melbourne's most established shopping and lifestyle precincts.

For families, Kew remains one of Melbourne's most tightly held addresses. Carey Baptist Grammar School, Xavier College, Methodist Ladies' College, Trinity Grammar, Ruyton Girls' School and Genazzano FCJ College are all nearby, while the Yarra River parklands, walking trails and sporting clubs provide another layer of lifestyle appeal.

It's within this established pocket that developer Ricdanic is delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/wimba-ave-kew-9-11-wimba-avenue-kew-vic-3101">Wimba Ave</a>, a boutique collection of just 13 residences across two buildings named after its location on the tree-lined Wimba Avenue,&nbsp;within one of Kew's most prestigious pockets where homes have been known to sell up to and above $8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140755 project_image_fid=354809]

The residences prioritise the space that buyers are increasingly searching for but struggling to find in established suburbs. Living areas extend beyond five metres in width, ceiling heights range from three to five metres, and apartments open onto private gardens averaging around 125 sqm. Selected residences also feature balconies of approximately 60 sqm, while premium inclusions include Miele appliances, double-glazed windows, EV readiness, fully electric systems and a 7.2 NatHERS energy rating.

Architect Chris Idle says opportunities to deliver homes of this scale within established suburbs have become increasingly uncommon.

"There are very few opportunities to do these kinds of developments in leafy, established suburbs," he says. "To get this level of amenity, natural light, and architectural freedom in such a setting is extremely rare."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140755 project_image_fid=366267]

The architecture draws on Kew's established character through the use of handmade Krause bricks, while landscaping by John Patrick introduces 23 plant species, including nine native varieties, creating an environment which focuses just as much on nature as it does the building.

Construction on Wimba Ave is well underway by renowned high-end builder Sinjen, with completion expected in late 2027. Prices start from $2.22 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=140755]

Joel Robinson

The enduring appeal of Kew's tree-lined streets and village lifestyle

"For me, it's the location." That was the first thing Chris pointed to when reflecting on why he and his wife Marita decided to purchase at Candela Ivanhoe, the under-construction new apartment development by Salter Brothers in the heart of the north-eastern M​elb​ourne​ suburb. ​

"We've lived here before… everything is here," Chris said.

"Our doctor is around the corner, there's dentists, pilates, everything we need, restaurants, fast food places, two train stations, Ivanhoe and Darebin, both in walking distance. You don't need anything else."

<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/X8K0Bozug7A?si=Puwc6vx_ZO0qQZF8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Just 10 kilometres from Melbo​urn​e's CBD, Ivanhoe combines direct city connectivity with the amenity of an established village community. Residents have access to highly regarded schools, expansive parklands, public transport, and a thriving retail and hospitality precinct centred around Upper Heidelberg Road, all within a neighbourhood that has retained its leafy character despite its proximity to the city.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/candela-ivanhoe-40-upper-heidelberg-road-ivanhoe-vic-3079">Candela Ivanhoe</a> sits within the heart of this established landscape, positioned just moments from Ivanhoe Village and within walking distance of many of the suburb's most sought-after amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=364553]

From Candela, residents can access cafés, grocers, wine bars, restaurants and essential services on foot, while Ivanhoe Station and Darebin Station provide direct connectivity across Mel​bour​ne. The development is also surrounded by some of the suburb's best-known lifestyle destinations, including Pinkie, Laurent, Enni, Docasa and Woodfire Pizza e Cucina, alongside Ivanhoe Plaza, Woolworths, pharmacies and specialty retailers.

Green space is another defining feature of the suburb. Darebin Parklands, Ivanhoe Park, Nellie Ibbot Park and the Yarra River trail network provide extensive opportunities for recreation, while Ivanhoe Golf Course and Ivanhoe Tennis Club continue to underpin the area's long-established lifestyle appeal.

The suburb's education offering further strengthens demand. Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Mary Immaculate Primary School and Ivanhoe Primary School have helped establish the area as one of Melbou​​rne's most sought-after schooling precincts, attracting families and downsizers alike who want to remain connected to the area.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=357510]

While location was the priority for Marita and Chris, the project itself also needed to meet their expectations.

"Whilst location was paramount, I was also looking at design of the environment and Candela ticked every box," Marita said.

"We're just thrilled with our choice."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=336455]

Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/salter-brothers">Salter Brothers</a>, Candela Ivanhoe has been designed to complement its village setting, with an emphasis on generous floorplans, natural light and practical everyday living.

Residents will have access to a range of shared amenities, including a communal rooftop garden and dedicated residential lounge, complemented by a ground-floor café and lifestyle wellbeing centre, helping foster the sense of community already emerging among future owners.

That approach has resonated strongly with the market. More than 90 per cent of purchasers at Candela Ivanhoe are owner-occupiers, with buyers ranging from downsizers and second-home buyers to young families and first home buyers, creating a genuinely multi-generational community of grandparents, parents and children. It reflects a broader shift across Melbo​​urne's apartment market, where buyers are increasingly prioritising neighbourhood quality, lifestyle amenity and long-term liveability.

Currently under construction by Ironside, Candela Ivanhoe comprises 58 apartments. Candela Ivanhoe is scheduled for completion in the coming months, and residents can move in from September. One to four bedroom residences, prices from $649,000 and limited opportunities remaining.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=342]

Location and lifestyle drive demand at Candela Ivanhoe

As apartment buyers increasingly look beyond the four walls of their residence, the quality and depth of shared amenity has become a defining factor in how developments are designed and experienced, particularly in the high-rise, new apartment development space.

In Southbank, where high-density living continues to evolve, developers are placing greater emphasis on creating environments that support wellbeing, connection, and convenience as part of everyday life.

That approach sits at the heart of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aura-at-melbourne-square-7-hoff-boulevard-southbank-vic-3006">AURA</a>, the latest residential tower in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/osk-property">OSK Property</a>’s $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct. Rising 67 storeys above Hoff Boulevard, the 673-apartment development has been conceived around what OSK describes as a “vertical wellness ecosystem”, a layered collection of amenities that extends throughout the building rather than being confined to a single podium level.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370263]

The amenity offering begins on the seventh level within the AURA Club, a dedicated resident hub focused on health, relaxation, and daily convenience. Here, residents will have access to an indoor swimming pool, cold plunge, spa, sauna, and steam room, alongside a fully equipped gym, reformer Pilates studio, and yoga room.

The wellness facilities are complemented by a range of spaces that acknowledge the changing ways people live and work. Work-from-home lounges and co-working areas sit alongside a library, music room, games room, cinema facilities, and open-air terrace spaces, providing residents with flexible environments that can adapt throughout the day.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367468]

Beyond the internal amenity, AURA introduces a series of Japanese-inspired gardens that form a quieter counterpoint to the tower’s social spaces.

Landscaped retreats feature curated outdoor dining, tranquil courtyard seating, fire pit, and a tea house pavilion. Rather than functioning as simple recreational areas, the gardens have been designed as places for reflection and informal gathering, drawing on principles of balance, nature, and calm that underpin the project's broader design philosophy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367810]

The social amenity continues to evolve as residents move higher through the building. Levels 49 and 50 house the Meridian Club, where a lounge bar, conservatory spaces, and private dining rooms take advantage of elevated city views. At the summit of the tower, the exclusive Cumulus Club spans Levels 66 and 67, offering additional lounges, private dining, and meditation and treatment rooms positioned above Melbourne’s skyline.

For OSK Property, the extensive amenity offering reflects a broader focus on wellbeing as a core component of apartment living rather than an added feature.

“Aura stands tall as an exemplar of holistic wellness – its focus on social, physical and mental health culminate in a building that is calming, restorative and relaxing, where residents will have their own sanctuary within the well-connected and sought-after Southbank,” says OSK Property CEO Chong Boon Woon.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367796]

AURA’s amenity strategy extends beyond the tower itself through its integration with the wider Melbourne Square precinct.

Residents will have direct access to Kennedy Park, Southbank’s 3,745 sqm landscaped public park, alongside a full-line Woolworths supermarket, childcare centre, hospitality venues, and approximately 1,600 sqm of additional retail planned within AURA’s lower levels. Together, these elements create a highly connected residential environment where daily needs, recreation, and wellness are woven into the fabric of the community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370253]

As Melbourne’s apartment market continues to mature, developments are increasingly judged by the lifestyle they provide beyond individual residences.

Through its combination of wellness facilities, landscaped retreats, social clubs, and precinct-wide amenity, AURA represents a shift toward a more comprehensive model of vertical living, one where shared spaces play as significant a role as the homes themselves.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151921]

AURA elevates amenity living at Melbourne Square

Builder-developer Scion is the latest to target Sydney's booming Hills Showground Metro precinct, filing plans for more than 100 apartments within walking distance of the station.

Scion has lodged a concurrent rezoning and State Significant Development Application for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/27-33-middleton-avenue-castle-hill-nsw-2154">27–33 Middleton Avenue</a>, where it plans to replace four existing homes with an 11 and 14-storey mixed-use development comprising 109 apartments, six affordable housing dwellings, and a ground-floor café.

Designed by BHK Architects, the proposal includes three levels of basement parking with 174 spaces, more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space, and extensive landscaping across the 3,791 sqm site.

The development has been designed as two buildings connected by a recessed wintergarden spine, with the 14-storey building positioned to the south and the 11-storey building to the north.

<img alt="Scion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="64dc359d-736b-43b8-87a8-70a8285cab47" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-25%20at%208.47.01%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=PXh.m8id_aevBPHEckPf88wQ2RQThPos" />

The apartment mix has been weighted towards owner-occupiers, with 13 one-bedroom apartments, 55 two-bedroom residences, 31 three-bedroom apartments, six three-bedroom lofts, and four four-bedroom homes. Six apartments will be dedicated as affordable housing in line with the NSW Housing SEPP.

According to the Architectural Design Report by BKH, the proposal seeks to create "a place-responsive architecture" inspired by the natural landscape surrounding Cattai Creek, while strengthening the public domain through landscaping, active frontages and a neighbourhood café.

Atlas Urban, in its Urban Design Report, says the proposal takes a different approach to increasing density around Hills Showground Station by favouring a more slender, vertically articulated built form over a conventional mid-rise outcome. The report argues this allows for greater deep soil planting, improved solar access and a better public domain outcome, while still delivering additional housing close to rapid public transport.

The site sits around 500 metres from Hills Showground Metro Station, within a precinct earmarked for significant residential intensification following the opening of the Sydney Metro Northwest line. Planning documents accompanying the application note that Greater Sydney's population has grown by more than one million people since planning for the precinct first began, reinforcing the need to accelerate housing delivery around existing transport infrastructure.

Scion is expanding its development pipeline which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/chatham-west-ryde-2-6-chatham-road-west-ryde-nsw-2114">Chatham in West Ryde</a>, 62 apartments which are approaching completion. They also have a State Significant Development Application with the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/96-anzac-avenue-west-ryde-nsw-2114">145 apartments on Anzac Avenue</a>, also in West Ryde.

First look: Scion plots Castle Hill apartment development near Hills Showground Metro Station

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a>&nbsp;has unveiled its scaled-back plans for a pair of towers rising up to 49 storeys directly opposite Bella Vista Metro Station.

The builder-developer will deliver 674 apartments and a new mixed-use hub at the gateway to the station precinct.

The State Significant Development Application has been lodged under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway for the 6,979 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/9-11-mawson-avenue-bella-vista-nsw-2153">9-11 Mawson Avenue</a>, with the apartments sitting above a mixed-use podium. Initial plans were for closer to 900 apartments across two 40-storey towers.

Located around 30 metres from the Bella Vista Metro Station entrance, the development is intended to act as a catalyst for the long-planned Bella Vista Station Precinct, transforming a vacant site into a transit-oriented residential and commercial destination.

Planning documents describe the project as delivering "a high-density mixed use destination that combines housing, retail and community-serving uses in a highly accessible setting."

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 674-apartment Bella Vista towers opposite Metro station" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="21c08216-589e-490d-ad08-2d88b6fa62d9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bella%20vista%20podium.png?VersionId=3TnwjjQCNwTsmyQRaWnFrLTSAF0CJeka" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/turner-studio">Turner</a>, with landscape architecture by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, the project comprises 674 apartments, including 102 affordable housing dwellings representing 15 per cent of the residential floor space. The housing mix spans studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, alongside a collection of townhouse-style residences integrated into the podium levels. The development also includes specialist disability accommodation and an elevated provision of adaptable and liveable housing.

The mixed-use podium has been designed to create an active urban centre around the Metro station, incorporating a 1,423 sqm supermarket, a 3,029 sqm gym, specialty retail spaces, a 100-place childcare centre and a publicly accessible "city room" community space. A secondary laneway, active frontages and landscaped public areas are intended to improve pedestrian connectivity through the site and strengthen links between the station precinct and surrounding neighbourhood.

In the project's design report, Turner said the proposal responds to Bella Vista's emerging role as a higher-density centre within Sydney's north-west growth corridor.

"The project transforms a strategically located site into a high-density mixed use destination that combines housing, retail and community-serving uses in a highly accessible setting," the report states.

"Active frontages, a publicly accessible city room, a secondary laneway and a mix of uses including a local supermarket, child care centre and gym create a more complete and socially useful urban environment for residents, workers and the wider community."

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 674-apartment Bella Vista towers opposite Metro station" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0fde6220-82de-4f6a-9b63-d0fd8157acc9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bella%20vista%20da.png?VersionId=7hEmuSutH8plTd_RqqdmPu055F6qe554" />

Urban Property Group has been one of the busiest developers across Greater Sydney this year.

The developer is progressing around 1,000 apartments across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-urban-property-group-plans-next-major-wollongong-tower">two projects in Wollongong</a>, with several thousand more homes in the pipeline across Newcastle, Castle Hill, Little Bay and Penrith.

Jonathan Chancellor

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