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The historic 1919 Hotel Bondi has been put up for sale by the family of the late hotelier, Cyril Maloney.
<a href="https://www.hotelbondi.com.au" target="_blank">The family have owned it for 44 years</a>, bought by the third-generation hotelier Cyril Maloney, who was born in 1919, in Henty, NSW.
After leaving school at 14 to help the family after the Great Depression, Maloney's beginnings as a hotelier began with his wartime savings kitty of £3,000 to buy the Railway Hotel in Orange.
Then came the Regent Hotel at Broadway in the Illawarra, the Wallerawang Hotel, the Freemasons Hotel in Broken Hill, the Railway Hotel in Parramatta, the Great Northern Hotel in Chatswood, the Shellharbour Hotel, the Olympic Hotel in Moore Park, the Bondi Astra, Cronulla's Cecil, the Hornsby Hotel, the Metropole Hotel in Cremorne and the Hampton Hotel in Kings Cross.
The jewel in the crown was the Hotel Bondi.
The property is a four-level hotel with 37 ensuite hotel rooms, bar, gaming room with 30 gaming machine entitlements, bottleshop and 12 car spaces on Campbell Parade.
The hotel is tipped to sell at about $40 million, although the SMH commercial property editor Carolyn Cummins says its real value lies in the development potential of the property.
The Australian Financial Review subsequently suggested $45 million plus.
It sits adjacent to the soon-to-be-completed Pacific Bondi Beach, a luxury apartment and hospitality development.
The Maloney family have yet to sell<a href="/news/nsw/11th-floor-bennelong-trophy-apartment-set-to-test-the-2014-prestige-market"> their prestige CBD penthouse</a>.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Hotel Bondi listed by the Maloney family after 44 years

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There are 614 Melbourne homes scheduled to go under the hammer this weekend.
It is up on last weekend’s 549 and 80 or so higher than the 531 conducted over the same weekend a year ago.
The most popular region for auction listings this weekend in Melbourne is the west with 104 followed by the inner south with 96, the inner city with 87, the north-east with 84, the inner east 76, and the outer east with 66 auctions scheduled.
<a href="/news">Reservoir</a> is the most popular suburb for auction listings this weekend in metro Melbourne with <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/portal/search?rm=search&amp;mapsearch=0&amp;kw=july%2026%20&amp;sub=Reservoir%20VIC%203073%2C&amp;sur=bord&amp;bel=0&amp;beh=0&amp;bal=0&amp;bah=0&amp;sor=featured&amp;CID=0&amp;GID=0&amp;con=S&amp;ptr=r&amp;pal=0&amp;pah=0&amp;portalview=residential&amp;portalsection=buy&amp;exsale=1&amp;jpdate=1&amp;jpday=1&amp;bs=12&amp;prl=0&amp;prh=0" target="_blank">15 listings</a> in the north-east locality.
The next busiest is <a href="/news">Mount Waverley</a> in outer east, <a href="/news">Carnegie</a> in the inner south and <a href="/news">Doncaster</a> in the inner east each with 10 auctions. 
Reservoir was pinpointed this week as <a href="/expert-insights/investing/the-top-10-melbourne-hotspot-suburbs-frank-valentic">a possible Melbourne hotspot</a>.
"Everyone wants to buy in a “hotspot” area that becomes trendy and popular in the near future and allows investors to take advantage of some good capital growth over a shorter time period," Frank Valentic, managing director of award-winning buyers' agency Advantage Property Consulting said.
Reservoir is located 12 kilometres north of the CBD, bounded by the Merri Creek in the west, and the Darebin Creek in the east, a mixed use suburb in Melbourne's north.
The suburb has significant industrial areas in the west and a commercial focus around the railways station and along Broadway.
Reservoir is well represented by the Italian population and also features the Reservoir Private Hospital and Edwardes Lake Park.
One of the auction offerings, at 55 Nesbitt Street (pictured above),<a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/55-nisbett-street-reservoir/Property-Details-buy-residential-7283789" target="_blank"> is promoted as "nest or invest</a>". 
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Reservoir hotspot forecast faces weekend auction test

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ACT police are investigating a real estate fraud after a Canberra home sold without the consent of the absentee landlord home owner.
The real estate scam at <a href="/news">Macgregor</a> has all the hallmarks of prior fraudulent sales by overseas fraudsters.
The owner, living in South Africa, discovered the north side house had been sold after contacting her local ACT property manager as she had not receive the past four rental payments. 
ACT Police has taken control of the investigation in consultation with police in South Africa. 
"Police will investigate a series of exchanges which led to the sale of the property without the owner’s knowledge or consent, and the disbursement of the funds generated by the deception," the statement said.
The ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell has warned home owners to be vigilant of scammers.
The details of the Macgregor scam have not been publicly released, but Property Observer notes sales over the period between last October and February this year ranged between $200,000 and $560,000. There was a $335,000 average sale price.
There have been similar cases in WA including two successful sales and six attempted real estate frauds.
The ACT Real Estate Institute CEO, Ron Bell told 2CC Capital Radio that agents and homeowners must be wary as the scammers tend to get through the web.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: 
<a href="/news/14-anti-fraud-tips-for-investment-property-owners-and-vendors">14 anti-fraud tips for investment property vendors</a>
 
 
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Absentee Macgregor landlord loses ACT home to South African fraudster

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The Canberra neurospine specialist Dr Michael Ow-Yang and his wife Amanda have emerged as the buyers of the French chateau-inspired Bowral estate, Chateau Blondel.
It was sold for $3.5 million by local antique dealers Gary and Maryanne Nolan earlier this year.
They had bought the 5.7 hectare property in 2000 for $385,000.
It sold after its relisting in late 2013 with Bill Bridges of Ballard Property in conjunction with Ian Rayner of Ian Rayner Real Estate.
It was sold pre-auction, price undisclosed, on its recent auction marketing campaign through estate agents <a href="https://www.ballardproperty.com.au/Selling/recentsales/residentialdetail.aspx?id=WOOLLAHRA%202012118&amp;wlid=fbeafe75-a114-4ad4-bae9-5331323c00d1" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Bill Bridges</a> and <a href="https://www.ianrayner.com.au/search/display.aspx?ln=1893258" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Ian Rayner</a>.
More than $4 million was being sought this time around for the house which was constructed in 2000 after the block was bought from Eukarima School.
Back in 2006 Title Tattle recalls the seven-bedroom, 17th-century French chateau-styled residence was for sale with a $7.9 million asking price.
From the entry to the 5.7-hectare property through 300-year-old cast-iron gates, the carriageway leads up to the porte-cochere.
With its walls 450 millimetres deep from 4,000 tonnes of quarried stone, the residence covers 975 square metres, with three state rooms, baroque dining hall, seven bedrooms and three bathrooms.
I also recall there were grazing English Suffolk sheep and alpacas in the frost-bitten grounds of the Centennial Road property that overlooks the nearby Centennial Vineyards.
The house name apparently dates back to an ancestral link to Jacques-Francois Blondel, Louis XV's architect.
The Berrima antiques dealers Maryanne and Gary Nolan were inspired by the work of French interior designer Jacques Garcia. 
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Chateau Blondel at Bowral sells to neurospine specialist

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Merrylands secured a new record price last weekend when a commanding two-storey home sold under the hammer for $1,405,000.
It was 64 Belmont St, Merrylands (pictured above) that bettered the previous record by around $130,000.
The modern home on a 714 square metre holding has five bedrooms plus office. It sold through<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-merrylands-117315615" target="_blank"> Laing + Simmons Granville agents Ray Fayad and Anthony Shalala</a> with 10 registered bidders at the auction. It was built after the block cost $370,000 in 2002.
The opening auction offer was $1 million. 
The previous record was at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-merrylands-116073231" target="_blank">53 Murray Street</a> (pictured below) which sold for $1,271,000 earlier this year.
<img src="/images/2014/07/25/merrylands%20july%2025%20two.jpg" alt="">
There are 509 auctions scheduled this weekend in Sydney well up on last weekend’s 404 and 174 more than the 335 homes auctioned over the same weekend last year.
The south will host 88 followed by the city and east with 63, the inner west with 57, the upper north shore with 54 and the west with 50, according to Australian Property Monitors.
The most popular suburbs for auctions this weekend in Sydney are Blacktown in the west and Surry Hills in the city and east each with nine.
Last weekend's 404 listings will likely prove to be the low point for auction listings this winter with numbers now set to rise through to spring, APM senior economist Dr Andrew Wilson said.
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Merrylands $1.4 million record price as winter auctions soar

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The retired Rooty Hill-raised Rudd/Gillard government minister Greg Combet has somewhat turned silvertail snapping up a $1.84 million rooftop Cremorne Point penthouse.
And it was bought by the former coal miner at a 17% discount.
It was recently sold, price undisclosed, after being marketed as a "house-like penthouse". 
It was marketed at $1.8 million-plus after an earlier marketing campaign failed to secure close to its prior sale price.
Title Tattle recalls the penthouse had previously sold at an over-the-top $2.2 in 2007 when offloaded by Jennie Edgley, of the noted impresario family.
It came with 184 square metres of indoor/outdoor living occupying the top floor in a boutique art deco block.
It has expansive harbour views taking in bits of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
It comes with huge entertainers' terrace with a private alfresco living area.
It has three bedrooms, plus study/reading room, two bathrooms and a single lock-up garage.
The former Combet home in the Newcastle district, on the posh part, The Hill, was sold last November for $342,000 having been bought for $285,000 in 2008, shortly after the former trade union boss began his failed federal parliamentary career in joining the first Rudd ministry in December 2007. He retired at the last election.
The son of a winemaker at Penfolds at the Minchinbury Estate, Combet was the member for the Charlton electorate after coming up from Melbourne after 14 years at the ACTU. The lower Hunter Valley electorate  includes the centres of Boolaroo, Cardiff, Cooranbong, Edgeworth, Elermore Vale, Fletcher, Minmi, Morisset, Speers Point, Toronto, Wangi Wangi, and parts of Wallsend and Warners Bay.
His great-grandfather, who migrated to the Hunter from France, once owned a wine bar near Cardiff in the electorate. 
It closed in the 1950s. 
"Imagine my pleasure when a very elderly and frail man came into my Cardiff campaign office and, after seeing my name on the window, asked if this was where the wine bar had moved to. He did say it was a long time between drinks!," Combet mentioned in his first speech to the parliament.
He also maintained a flat in Canberra.
This week he revealed the former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard offered to resign in his favour at the height of Labor's leadership instability.
Last December the South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill appointed Greg Combet to oversee the SA government's response to the car maker's plan to close, paid $160,000 annually to manage the rapid transition for the car industry prompted by Holden's departure plan.
Picture courtesy of Richard Taylor/flickr/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>. 
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Greg Combet secures Cremorne Point penthouse at 17% discount

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WA authorities have warned real estate and settlement agents to be on high alert following reported real estate fraud in the ACT. 
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll believes the criminals responsible will be encouraged by their success to make further fraud attempts. 
“Everyone in the property industry, particularly those involved in property management and sales, should have a heightened state of awareness about these fraud attempts. They need to be in a position to detect them soon after initial contact is made and certainly before any documents are sent,” Driscoll said. 
“Agents need to ensure that they have owner identification processes in place and that all of their staff are properly trained and instructed in what to do when a request to change contact details are made, especially if the owner is based overseas.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dom Blackshaw of the Major Fraud Squad (WA Police) said there are similarities between the ACT fraud and <a href="/news/wa/three-arrested-in-south-africa-after-wa-home-sale-scam">previous cases in WA</a>.
“There have been two successful and six unsuccessful real estate frauds reported in WA in recent years, all but one have involved properties owned by South Africans. 
"We are assisting ACT authorities in their inquiries by sharing information gathered during our investigation into these past WA cases,” Blackshaw said. 
“Through our cooperation with the Australian Federal Police and overseas authorities, we have had some success with one man in Nigeria and three people in South Africa arrested over two of these frauds, but this doesn’t mean there won’t be others who are attempting to do the same. 
“With the windfall for a successful real estate fraud being substantial, there will always be criminals attempting to steal an owner’s identity and sell their home without their knowledge. So it’s imperative that people working in the property industry are vigilant at all times to the warning signs so that these fraud attempts don’t reach a successful conclusion.” 
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The anti-fraud tips for home owners include: 
<ul>
<li>Regularly check that your property manager/real estate agent has your current and correct contact details on file</li>
<li>Set up a password or secret question that will confirm your identity when dealing with your property manager/agent</li>
<li>
Provide copies of your ‘identification’ details when engaging your property manager, so agents are able to compare your details with fraudulent documents that may be presented later
</li>
<li>
Be proactive and ask your property manager/real estate agent/conveyancer how they intend to identify the true owner of the land title they are selling or dealing with. Ask them: do they complete a 100-point check? Do they comply with Landgate’s Verification of Identity Practice?
</li>
<li>Ensure that your property manager/agent has a process in place to verify any requests to change your contact details by sending notifications to both the old and new addresses, both physical and electronic</li>
<li>Ensure that your property manager/agent has your correct signature on file and that they check signed documents to confirm they match</li>
<li>Protect your personal information and prevent identity theft by using secured mailboxes for mail deliveries and shredding or burning letters before disposing of them</li>
<li>Be wary of giving your personal and/or financial information to third parties, either by phone or email</li>
<li>Regularly change passwords to your email and banking accounts</li>
<li>Never click on any links contained in emails from unknown sources</li>
<li>Install anti-virus/anti-malware software on your computer and keep it up to date</li>
<li>
Owner(s) can place a Caveat (Improper Dealings) on their property through Landgate, which means the owner(s) must personally attend Landgate’s Midland office and pass an identity check , before that caveat may be removed, which reduces the risk of the title changing hands without the owner(s) knowledge
</li>
<li>
Consider subscribing to Landgate’s TitleWatch service, which will alert you if an Electronic Advice of Sale (EAS) is lodged, or documents are lodged, against your Certificate of Title.
</li>
<li>If you are going overseas and selling your property, consider appointing someone trustworthy to act on your behalf as your Power of Attorney; and remember to take with you the relevant original identity documentation so your identity can be verified by an Australian Consular Official</li>
</ul>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: Landgate
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14 anti-fraud tips for investment property owners and vendors

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Even billionaires can get it wrong - especially with Gold Coast sky-high mansions.
The tobacco king Sergey Katsiev sold his 48th floor Circle on Cavill penthouse for $3.2 million to a wealthy Australian investor.
But he's $2.25 million out of pocket.
The Surfers Paradise apartment, one of the city’s largest at 669 square metres, sold to Katsiev and his wife Liudmila Katsiev for $5.45 million in mid-2006.
He has a $1.6 billion tobacco fortune, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/sergei-katsiev/" target="_blank">Forbes magazine</a> which says Katsiev made his fortune in tobacco after the fall of the Soviet Union. 
From 1991 to 1993 he worked in the government trade mission to the Netherlands.
 When he returned to Russia, he headed Mercury Tobacco Corporation, an importer of tobacco products owned by billionaire Igor Kesaev. In 1998 Katsiev founded his own company, Megapolis, which also sold tobacco products. 
In 2006 Katsiev and Kesaev merged their companies. Megapolis is now Russia's largest seller of tobacco products. 
In 2012 the company's revenues exceeded $12 billion. In one of the biggest-ever deals in the Russian consumer market, in December 2013 Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) announced they would each buy a 20% stake in Megapolis for a combined $1.5 billion.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-surfers+paradise-117277055" target="_blank">Ray White Surfers Paradise sales agent Tolemy Stevens</a> secured the sale last week.
Circle on Cavill was developed by Sunland with around 650 apartments in 2007.
It includes two residential towers adjacent to the retail and office complex, which comprises ground-floor retail and A-grade office space, open-air restaurants and cafes.
International tourists liked the centre on its opening for its upmarket fashion labels.
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Circle on Cavill, Surfers Paradise price plunge for Russian billionaire

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The first homes and roads at Mirvac’s Harold Park residential Glebe development have been opened, marking the completion of Harold Park’s first precinct, Locarno.
It comprises 298 apartments and terraces in the precinct that will see around 2,500 people live in the 10.6 hectare park side development.
It was August 2011 when Mirvac began marketing its proposed <a href="https://haroldparkbymirvac.com" target="_blank">Harold Park</a> development less than a week after taking ownership of the former harness racing ground. The first sales came in November when prices started from $499,000 for studios, one bedders from $550,000; two bedroom apartments from $775,000; and three bedroom units from $1,245,000.
<img src="/images/2014/07/24/locarno%20harold%20park.jpg" alt="">
Mirvac’s CEO and managing director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, said today that Harold Park set a benchmark for residential development, balancing density, sustainability and quality of life.
“The inner-city will gain a new park that leads right down to the harbour, another two km of cycle paths, easier access to Jubilee light rail station and a new community space with the proposed future restoration and adaptive reuse of the Tramsheds." Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said.
"Sustainability was at the heart of the way in which Mirvac conducted its business, developing land for housing and employment,” she said.
Harold Park exceeds BASIX targets by 25%.
"That in turn means it offers a better quality of living for residents and becomes an asset for the whole community,” she added.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the project was an "achievement for the city".
"The people who will live here will be blessed," she said.
<img src="/images/2014/07/24/harold%20july%2025%20one.jpg" alt="">
Buildings and roads at Harold Park acknowledge the champions of the paceway from 1911 until the final race in December 2010. 
The first precinct, Locarno, was named after the 1980 Miracle Mile Winner, driven by New Zealand owner-trainer Robin Butt, who was at Harold Park for the official opening.
The newly opened streets, Grattan Close and Scotsman Street, were inspired by 1974 Miracle Mile winner Hondo Grattan and the 1979 winner The Scotsman. 
Construction of Harold Park began in 2012, with completion anticipated in 2017. More than 4000 jobs will be generated throughout the life of the project. 
Strong sales have meant that release dates for the six Harold Park precincts have typically been brought forward to meet demand. The most recent precinct release, Altivolo, sold out in a day and Mirvac is currently awaiting DA approval for the fifth precinct.
Some 900 sales have been achieved to date.
With an estimated $30 million cost, the Tram Shed Depot at the northern end of the site, built in 1904 to serve Sydney’s growing network of tram lines, will be adaptively reused to become a market style retail destination and community hub.
HISTORIC TIMELINE FOR HAROLD PARK 
1828 – Suburb of Glebe proclaimed
1890 – Harold Park established with pony racing, trotting, bicycle races and athletics the featured events. 
1904 – Rozelle Tram Depot built to the north of the racecourse and brought punters in their thousands. 
1929 - The racecourse was officially re-named Harold Park 
1939 – US Army commandeered the park for use through the Second World War. 
1958 – Rozelle Tram Depot closed when the Glebe line shut down. 
1967 – Harold Park’s signature race, the Miracle Mile, was introduced. 
1987 – Greyhound racing, which had begun in the inter-war period, ended. 
1987 – Live televising of races which marked the end of the big crowds at Harold Park. 
2009 – The NSW Harness Racing Club moved to Tabcorp Park at Menangle. 
2010 – Site sold to Mirvac 
2010 – On Friday 17 December, the last race meeting was held at Harold Park. 
2012 – City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore turned the first sod 
2014 – On 24 July, The Lord Mayor and Mirvac CEO and Managing Director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz declare the first precinct, Locarno, officially open. 
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"Blessed" buyers start residing in Mirvac's Harold Park 

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The Pace Development Group has secured the Smith Family headquarters in Collingwood.
The prominent 1,139-square-metre site, will now get an apartment complex, Nina, named after the Nina Proudman character in Channel 10 series Offspring, which is filmed around Collingwood.
Pace directors Shane Wilkinson and Cameron Yates, who presumably are fans of the Asher Keddie-played role, expect to start off the market marketing the apartments next year.
The Smith Family bought the Collingwood building 15 years ago with plans to now relocate to smaller, leased premises and use money from the sale of 73-77 Wellington Street for statewide education programs.
The building was built in the 1970s so showing its age and is no longer appropriate to The Smith Family’s needs.
The Smith Family’s Victorian general manager, Anton Leschen, said the sale reflected the charity’s desire to make sure its resources weren’t tied up unnecessarily.
The site is bound by Cambridge, Langridge and Wellington streets.
<a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-vic-collingwood-501171563" target="_blank">It sold through CBRE for $8.8 million earlier this month</a>, so apartment design plans are yet to become available.
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Offspring's Nina set to tower in Collingwood

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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