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The luxury Gold Coast beachfront property, 241 Hedges Ave on Mermaid Beach, sold at $4 million yesterday, representing a $4.7 million loss.
There were four bidders.
The four bedroom Mediterranean style house on a 405 square metre block last traded in 2008 when bought by cotton farmer Alan Frost for $8.7 million from the Ray family.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-mermaid+beach-117224899" target="_blank">The opening bid was $3.8 million</a> for the house with 650 square metre internal space with the auctioneer Colin Banks declaring the home on the market at $3.95 million. 
Its unimproved land value was recently put as $2.9 million, reflecting a $7,150 a square metre land value as against the market price at $9,900 a square metre.
The News Ltd local paper, the Gold Coast Bulletin said it sold to a Brisbane buyer.
It was marketed by the former high-flying agent Harry Kakavas in conjunction with Tony Velissariou.
The cotton farmer Alan Frost recently paid $6.6 million for 103-105 Hedges Avenue, Mermaid Beach – his third home on the exclusive strip known as millionaires’ row. <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-mermaid+beach-116934287" target="_blank">It was an 810 square metre double block </a><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-mermaid+beach-116934287" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">holding</a>, reflecting $8,150 a square metre. 
The latest $4 million sale join the long list of loss takers with the delayed onset of the global financial crisis still playing havoc with prices
In late 2011 Property Observer recorded a 57% price drop at 199 Hedges Avenue on its 2007 pre-global financial crisis sale price.
The 199 Hedges Avenue property was bought by Parkdon Pty Ltd, a company associated with Avi Silver from Caulfield. The vendor, Max Twigg, also came from Melbourne.
It cost $17.5 million in 2007 and resold at $7.7 million in 2011, meaning the price dropped by about $50,000 a week during his four-year ownership.
Another $10 million plus loss on the Gold Coast's "Millionaires' Row" was incurred by the internet-billing company high flier Daniel Tzvetkoff, who splashed out $27 million in early 2008 on the unfinished mansion of fallen tourism entrepreneur Tony Smith and his wife, Simone.
At its mortgagee sale in 2009 it resold at $17 million to drilling tycoon Peter Mitchell, who was cashed up after selling his business for $150 million. Given the Ipswich-born internet whiz-kid spent $8 million on almost completing construction, Tzvetkoff's foray actually translated to an $18 million loss.
"As well as a reduction in the volume of sales, prices since the GFC have fallen by anywhere between 35% and 50%, with the most expensive homes generally suffering the greater price drops," HTW noted at the time in 2011. 
But losses have still been reoccurring with 237 Hedges Avenue selling last year at $3.35 million, which was down on the $3.65 million paid in 2011, and the $6.75 million peak paid in 2008.
Eight Mermaid Beach price collapses (compiled by Property Observer)
<ul>
<li>199 Hedges Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2011 for $7,700,000, last sold for $17.5 million in 2007, a loss of 57%.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave199use.jpg">
<ul>
<li>247 Hedges Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2010 for $5 million, last sold for $10.25 million in 2007, a loss of 51%.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave247.jpg">
<ul>
<li>31 Hedges Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2011 for $5.4 million, last sold for $11 million in 2008, a loss of 50%.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave31.jpg">
<ul>
<li>19 Albatross Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2010 for $6 million, last sold for $11 million in 2008, a loss of 45%.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/albatross19right.jpg">
<ul>
<li>31 Albatross Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2009 for $5.35 million, last sold in 2008 for $9 million, a loss of 40%.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/albatross31.jpg">
<ul>
<li>49 Hedges Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2000 for $9.5 million, last sold in 2008 for $16 million, a loss of 40%</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/hedgesave492.jpg">
<ul>
<li>89A Albatross Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2010 for $6.5 million, last sold in 2006 for $10 million, a loss of 35%</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/albatross89.jpg">
<ul>
<li>33 Hedges Avenue (pictured below), sold in 2009 for $17 million, last sold in 2008 for $27 million, a loss of 37%</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/stories/hedges33.jpg">
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Backwards at $2,000 a day: Millioniare's Row Hedges Avenue, Mermaid Beach still at half price

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The Bexley vendor and their estate agent who publicised their $570,000 reserve price ahead of its weekend auction secured a $613,000 sale.
The unusual tactic garnered a result at 7.5% above reserve, which suggests it was a tad conservative in its initial appraisal although recent surveys typically put sold prices at around 12% above price guidance.
Its web marketing didn't actually give the reserve price, with inspectees of 15A St Georges Road advised of it when they turned up or rung the agent.
The LJ Hooker listing agent confirmed to Property Observer that there was no marketing of the reserve price as he needed to engage possible buyers in a conversation which might not happen if the reserve price was publicly available.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bexley-117327823" target="_blank">The $570,000 disclosed reserve price was for a two bedroom, two bathroom property</a> which traded at $400,000 in 2004.
The buyers’ agent Patrick Bright attended the auction saying it was a test case for a fully transparent and successful auction for vendor and buyer alike by disclosing the reserve price prior to auction.
“Speaking with the under-bidder after the auction, she said she only bid on the property because the reserve price had been published in advance and she knew the property was truly within her budget," Bright suggested.
Though she did miss out.
Bright noted the underbidder "claimed she would not have even attended the auction if the reserve price had not been disclosed as she was ‘fed up’ with attending auctions that had reserves well over the price guide provided by agents".
Patrick Bright is currently petitioning the NSW government to disclose reserve prices prior to auction to stamp out underquoting.
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A 7.5% premium above disclosed reserve at Bexley auction experiment

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Australia's big housing worry is that its house price-to-income ratio is rising, according to Australian Financial Review columnist, Chris Joye.
The RBA data has it at 5.1 times in March 2014, a touch below the 5.2 records in 2007 and 2010, he noted. 
After these prior records, prices fell 6% to 8% he added.
"My analysis suggests the ratio has crept further since March as national prices continue to outstrip incomes," with Joye warning of a possible vulnerability from an interest rate, income or unemployment rate shock.
"With Australian home values in absolute terms and compared to incomes now at, or near, multi-decade peaks, there is a case that we have an emerging bubble. 
"While Glenn Stevens has been reluctant to mention the “b-word”, the RBA’s latest research lends weight to the notion valuations are getting stretched.
"Speculative mania and/or rapid credit growth are only portents, not conditions, precedent to a bubble existing.
"RBA officials claim they are not worried about a bubble because credit growth is low.
"This is muddle-headed for two reasons: first, housing credit growth is outpacing incomes, which is the key criterion; second, credit growth is only meaningful in respect of the light it sheds on changes in the level of household leverage and the probability of borrowers defaulting.
"Low leverage combined with strong credit growth is a sign of dangerous conditions ahead.
"But RBA data shows that historically and internationally lofty leverage has already arrived: Australia’s 150 per cent household debt-to-income ratio is approaching its pre-financial crisis apogee.
"All we need now is an interest rate, income or unemployment rate shock to crush house prices and send leverage into uncharted territory.
"And contrary to RBA rhetoric, house prices are hardly “cooling”.
Joye noted in the first seven months of 2014, prices have inflated at a 9.5% annualised national pace (triple wages growth) with Melbourne values appreciating more rapidly than Sydney, with both realising strong double-digit gains this year.
"Many pundits were fooled by the winter seasonal slowdown, which has been reversed.
"With banks promoting the cheapest mortgage rates ever, I suspect Australia’s nascent housing bubble will get bigger."
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Housing bubble getting bigger, economist Chris Joye says RBA is muddle-headed

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The bulky goods entrepreneur Brett Blundy has expanded his beef operations buying another cattle station in the Northern Territory.
The $6.5 million acquisition of Amungee Mungee Station near Katherine will increase the herd capacity to 150,000.
BBRC diversified into beef in 2010 with a stake in Barkly Pastoral Company.
Until the latest purchase it had 85,000 head of cattle at three other beef stations in the Northern Territory's Barkly Tableland. 
BBRC exports most of its live cattle to Indonesia with some to Vietnam, a BBRC spokesman told Fairfax Media.
BBRC has bought Amungee Mungee in partnership with Bullwaddy, which has a minority stake in the station. Bullwaddy owners Adrian and Emma Brown will oversee the daily operations at the 316,900-hectare station.
BBRC now have an interest in 1.4 million hectares.
The Beef Central website recently wrote that Amungee Mungee's new owners planned to increase the number of watering points from 20 to 160 over the next three years.
Located east of Daly Waters, Amungee Mungee was recently sold bare of stock by the Zlotowski family.
The Browns are also owners of Katherine-based business Northern Stock Water, which is the only manufacturer of polyethylene (PE) pipe products in the Northern Territory.
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Brett Blundy expands Northern Territory cattle station holdings

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Myer family scion Richard Shelmerdine and his wife Trine have secured the rights to redevelop Victoria’s historic Point Nepean ­Quarantine Station.
They plan <a href="https://pointgroup.com.au" target="_blank">a $100 million tourism centre</a><a href="https://pointgroup.com.au" target="_blank"> development</a> within the site on the Mornington Peninsula, outside Melbourne.
The Shelmerdines’ Point Leisure Group plans to develop an upmarket hotel, ­function centre, health retreat, hot spring facility and museum.
<img src="/images/2014/07/21/point-napean-july-21-four.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/07/21/point-napean-july-21-three.jpg" alt="">
The 17 hectare site was Victoria's quarantine ­station in 1852.
A marine education centre, a National Centre for Coasts and Climate, operated in conjunction with The University of Melbourne, is also planned amid the 50 buildings on site.
<img src="/images/2014/07/21/point-napean-july-21-five.jpg" alt="">
In 2008, Richard Shelmerdine secured another piece of peninsula history, The ­Sisters estate in Sorrento for around $18 million, later subdividing it for profit after applying to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to slice it into five pieces.
It was the beach that was the site of Victoria's first European settlement in 1803, in private hands since 1890 and was previously owned by eccentric millionaire Peter Rand.
<img src="/images/2014/07/21/point-napean-july-21-one.jpg" alt="">
Richard Shelmerdine is a fourth-generation member of the Myer retailing clan, a family that have been locals at Portsea for more than 50 years.
Richard’s father, Peter Shelmerdine, was a councillor on the Mornington Peninsula. 
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Shelmerdine family secure Point Nepean Quarantine Station development project

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The prominent harness horse-breeder and construction company director Duncan McPherson sold his two-level Brighton house for $4.68 million at weekend auction.
Stefan Whiting of Buxton took bids from four interested parties when 30 Dawson Avenue was offered.
The house sits on a 987 square metre block four doors from the foreshore.
It had previously traded at $1.5 million in 2000.
It was among the 527 homes scheduled to go under the hammer in Melbourne over the weekend which was around 100 higher than the 426 conducted over the same weekend a year ago.
Australian Property Monitors put the preliminary auction clearance rate at 74.3%.
The most popular region for auctions was the north east with 97 followed by the west with 87, the inner city with 78, the inner south with 75, the outer east 68, and the inner east with 46 auctions scheduled.
Richmond was the most popular suburb with 15 auction listings, followed by Reservoir in the north east with 13 followed by Mount Waverley in the outer east with 12, and Glen Waverley, according to APM.
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Melbourne’s auction market had been remarkably consistent, Dr Andrew Wilson, the Domain Group senior economist said.
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One of Melbourne's best-known bridal wear families sold their ornate Bulleen home.
But the sale price secured by Joe and Patricia Pallozzi of Raffaele Ciuca for their Georgian-style house at 13 Coromandel Court was not disclosed.
The Ray White agent Frank Perri was looking for $1.5 million plus interest. 
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Brighton home sells for $4.68 million as weekend's top auction result

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A 12-bedroom 1888 Victorian Petersham trophy home sold at weekend auction for $3.3 million to an investor.
 Converted into 10 apartments in 1942, the four-storey mansion comes with 10 bathrooms.
The owners, Isabel Crespo and Vincente Traversa, who live in a three-bedroom rooftop apartment, collected an annual rental income of about $154,000. It will be higher once the vendor moves out and the investor buyer finds tenants for the two level penthouse, which is tipped to likely be around $650 a week, thereby giving a 5.6% overall yield.
They paid $75,000 for it in 1985, reflecting 13% annual price growth.
More than $2.5 million was tipped <a href="https://www.belleproperty.com/9P3648" target="_blank">by selling agents</a><a href="https://www.belleproperty.com/9P3648" target="_blank"> Rob Clarke and Callum Edmonds of Belle Property Annandale</a> for 29 Croydon Street, Petersham. The reserve price was $2.8 million. The suburb's median house price is $945,000, <a href="/news">according to RP Data</a>. 
It was among the 399 auctions are scheduled over the weekend in Sydney, some 92 more than the 307 homes auctioned over the same weekend last year, according to Australian Property Monitors.
The preliminary clearance rate was 77.3%, so another strong result.
"The weekend will likely prove to be the low point for auction listings this winter with numbers now set to rise through to spring with the July school holiday break now over," Dr Andrew Wilson, the Domain Group senior economist said.
The inner west hosted the most number of auctions with 64 followed by the city and east with 52, the south with 51, the upper north shore with 46 and the west with 41.
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Mosman was the most popular suburbs for auctions along with Greenacre in Canterbury Bankstown and Blacktown in the west, each with eight.
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The Potts Point apartment of the founder of Cara&amp;Co fashion and accessories concept store Rosa Alpert was withdrawn from weekend auction.
It is in the converted Victorian Italianate mansion Tarana.
The three-level apartment, first listed in 2012 with hopes of $5 million, was bought in 2005 for $4 million.
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Petersham boarding house fetches $3.3 million in Sydney weekend auctions

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Bartinon, the seven-bedroom waterside mansion in Sorrento on the Gold Coast has finally sold. It has been bought by a Chinese buyer for $7.22 million.
The sale of the mansion, located at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-sorrento-112672807" target="_blank">26 Marseille Ct, Bundall</a>, fell short of its 2009 price when the Melbourne transport tycoon Doug Kefford paid $8 million.
It sold earlier this year, settling last month to buyers, Guanghan Chen and Yi Zhao of Tallai.
Bartinon sold through Lucy Cole, having been on and off the market since the highest bid of $7.25 million offered at 2011 auction.
Transport tycoon Douglas Kefford bought it from Cameron Davis, from the Samtay Group, and his wife, Lynette..
The seven-bedroom early 1980s home was built by tycoon Sir Justin Hickey and his wife, Lady (Barbara) Hickey.
The name of the one-hectare Riviera estate incorporates the initials of their five children.
Hickey, the Marrickville-born insurance magnate who started his career cutting lawns, moved to the 250-squares house in the early 1980s after selling his Emerstan Drive, Castle Cove, house to businessman Phil Cave.
With 85 metres of frontage, it is one of the largest residential blocks on the Nerang River on the coast.
Davis paid $6,665,000 in 2006 to buy it from former Fraser Island tourism operators Sidney Melksham and Angela Burger.
The 6,500-square-metre riverfront Sorrento property <a href="/news/qld/sorrento-mansion-bartinon-back-on-the-market">previously sold for $4.25 million in 2001</a> when offloaded by Indonesian industrialist Alimin Soenario.
Soenario had set a $3,125,000 record in 1994 when he bought it on its then 9,000 square metres.
Kefford spent only four or five weeks a year at the house on Marseille Court.
Lucy Cole, of Lucy Cole Prestige Properties suggests it was one of the most significant sales of the past five years.
Bartinon has an illustrious history having been visited by the likes of Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, the King of Tonga, the Sultan of Brunei, Whitney Houston and Dr Henry Kissinger.
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The Gold Coast trophy home Bartinon sells to Chinese buyer

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Kiloren, the six-hectare Southern Tablelands property with Edna Walling gardens, has been relisted for sale. 
It was installed in 1951 around the three-bedroom Crookwell house designed by architect John Mansfield for the Broadbent family. Walling was familiar with the climate given her Markdale, Binda commission for the Ashton family in the late 1940s. 
The Kiloren garden has been in the care of gardening author Jennie Churchill and her husband, vet Rob Churchill, for more than three decades.
<a href="https://www.drewlindsay.com.au/?property=kiloren-southern-tablelands" target="_blank">Drew Lindsay Real Estate is seeking </a>$1.2 million.
The six-hectare Crookwell property comes with one of the most intact Edna Walling gardens.
 Its classic Walling features include basalt walls and pathways softened by relaxed planting. 
Walling described it as one of her less formal designs. She believed that landscape architects should be involved from the earliest stage of the project when she worked around the house under construction on a bare hillside with just one tree. 
She brought plants from her own nursery at Bickleigh Vale, near Melbourne. There is a cottage within the grounds. 
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Edna Walling garden for sale at Crookwell's Kiloren

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Newport on Sydney's Pittwater will be the new home of model Jennifer Hawkins and husband Jake Wall. 
Property Observer gleans they have quietly paid $4 million for two adjoining Newport properties, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-nsw-newport-2640148" target="_blank">Jacaranda Cottage</a> and the lesser, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-newport-105663970" target="_blank">Blois Cottage</a>.
The much traded properties (pictured above on 2009 marketing) were once part of the longtime estate of the former politician William Wentworth.
It was later part owned by Lynne Clarke, the daughter of Sir Russell Drysdale, who sold her 2000 square metre holding in the mid-1990s.
It was an off-market bushland listing on Newport's Prince Alfred Parade through David Watson, of LJ Hooker Avalon who had previously sold the estate at $2.6 million in 2009 to a company directed by businessman Tony Berg.
Jacaranda is a generous land holding offering privacy and ambience given its huge 2052 square metre gently sloping site to almost 37 metres of absolute water frontage.
Blois Cottage, originally the gate keeper’s cottage of Sydney’s famed Wentworth Estate, is a 1,200 square metre holding.
The two-hectare Wentworth estate in Newport set the subdivision scenario for Pittwater after the retired maverick politician Bill Wentworth sold it to millionaire adventurer Dick Smith in 1986 for $1.9 million.
Dick Smith sold the Prince Alfred Parade property for $2.7 million 15 months later. Then the property developer Mr Fred Johnston then sold it in smaller allotments.
<a href="/news/jennifer-hawkins-sells-her-curl-curl-north-home">The glamourous couple recently sold in Curl Curl North</a>, as work on their other Curl Curl home neared completion.
They took a risk buying Newport before even listing Curl Curl North.
Now they have their next ambitious eventual home ownership project.
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Jennifer Hawkins spends $4 million on Newport waterfront

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.

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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.

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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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