<html><body>
Approvals for the re-booted significant investor visas have sped up significantly from about 25 a month to 69 a month recently.
In ­Victoria, 684 have been granted, representing a potential investment of up to $3.42 billion. 
More than 100 have been granted in New South Wales in the last year, bringing the state at least $530 million, according to the recent data published in the Australian Financial Review. 
The significant investor program, launched in 2012, gives residence to applicants investing at least $5 million over four years in certain assets, including bonds, a regulated ­managed fund or Australian companies.
In NSW, $300 million has been invested in Waratah bonds, ­providing funding for crucial infrastructure projects.
The Australian government announced it is looking to speed up the four- to six-month process to further applications. 
The invested funds need to remain in Australia for four years.
The applicant is required to spend 160 days in Australia over four years before gaining permanent residency. 
Direct investments in property and exchange-listed companies are not be included in the $5 million but can be expected in addition to this threshold.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

SIV approvals in Victoria six times higher than NSW

<html><body>
Property prices move in cycles, but perhaps not exactly with the speed that the loosest of property promoters suggest.
Indeed the value of the average national home has actually only grown by an average of 2.4% per year, plus inflation, over the past six decades.
Owning a home can therefore prove to be as expensive as renting, according to some Reserve Bank of Australia research.
The researchers at the Reserve Bank, Ryan Fox and Peter Tulip, have looked at the average cost of home ownership.
Their recent research prompts the asking of the perennial question - should you rent or buy?
Here's the list of ongoing running costs like council rates and water, all significant costs must be deducted from any increase in house prices for investors or home owners alike. 
Of course, the intrinsic benefits of home ownership aren't calculated. 
And much of the final outcome depends of course how long you retain the property — with longer stays very much shifting the equation in favour of buying.
<img src="/images/2014/07/17/rba-table-july-16-one.gif" alt="">
Source: RBA.
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Home ownership running costs as a percentage of rental income: RBA insights

<html><body>
Melbourne's inner ring's highest clearance rate suburb was Carlton North with 88% from 32 auctions.
It just pipped Elsternwick in the top 10 clearance rates in inner Melbourne with its busier 87% success rate.
Recent sales included a three bedroom terrace at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-carlton+north-117100011" target="_blank">134 Fenwick Street</a>, Carlton North (pictured above) that sold through Nelson Alexander at $1.22 million.
It last sold at $435,000 in 2002.
Neither suburbs had any auctions last weekend, and this weekend there is just the one in Elsternwick.
It is a new home <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-elsternwick-117311431" target="_blank">at 19a Riddell Parade</a>. 
<img src="/images/2014/07/18/elsternwick%20july%2018%20one.jpg" alt="">
<table style="width: 460px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Suburb (15+ Auctions)
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Total Auctions 
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Sold at Auction
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Clearance Rate
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Carlton North
</td>
<td valign="middle">
32
</td>
<td valign="middle">
28
</td>
<td valign="middle">
88%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Elsternwick
</td>
<td valign="middle">
91
</td>
<td valign="middle">
79
</td>
<td valign="middle">
87%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Camberwell
</td>
<td valign="middle">
180
</td>
<td valign="middle">
154
</td>
<td valign="middle">
86%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Brunswick East
</td>
<td valign="middle">
60
</td>
<td valign="middle">
51
</td>
<td valign="middle">
85%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Malvern East
</td>
<td valign="middle">
161
</td>
<td valign="middle">
135
</td>
<td valign="middle">
84%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Clifton Hill
</td>
<td valign="middle">
56
</td>
<td valign="middle">
47
</td>
<td valign="middle">
84%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Hawthorn East
</td>
<td valign="middle">
117
</td>
<td valign="middle">
98
</td>
<td valign="middle">
84%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Abbotsford 
</td>
<td valign="middle">
55
</td>
<td valign="middle">
46
</td>
<td valign="middle">
84%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Flemington
</td>
<td valign="middle">
48
</td>
<td valign="middle">
40
</td>
<td valign="middle">
83%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Northcote
</td>
<td valign="middle">
183
</td>
<td valign="middle">
152
</td>
<td valign="middle">
83%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Source: REIV
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Carlton North pips Elsternwick for best auction clearance rate

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Wellings, one of the oldest estates in Sydney's inner west, has been listed for 16 August Ray White auction by artisans Frank and Marcellina Civardi, of Civardi Furniture.
They secured the 3,679 square-metre Burwood estate in 1990 for $900,000 when it was unliveable. 
Heritage architect Lester Tropman has helped restore the gothic-style villa which dates back to 1813.
It was first officially recorded in the 1830s as owned by London shipowner William Richards and extended over the year starting from 1860.
The eight-bedroom estate has been<a href="https://raywhiteburwood.com.au/nsw/burwood/1166145/" target="_blank"> listed by Janeta Biviano of Ray White Burwood</a>, with a well in excess of $6 million suburb record tipped for its 16 August auction.
The three-bedroom gatehouse is one of the first pre-fabricated homes in Australia.
The gatehouse was made in Hamburg, then exhibited in Paris in 1854 before it was imported for the French Consul General's residence in Hunters Hill, Passy.
It was moved to Wellings in 1967 by former owner Dr Lindsay Grant and his wife, Adeline (nee Agnew).
Wellings is located at 4 Woodside Avenue East on 3,679 square metres, not only the main residence but also The Gatehouse.
The previous owners lived in the property from 1953.
The previous renovation had been made in 1947 and took away a lot of the property’s original grandeur.
 
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Wellings, the hidden Gothic Burwood offering

<html><body>
The Block television personality Shelley Craft and her estate agent husband, Christian Sergiacomi, didn't find a buyer when their Byron Bay hinterland home, The Rise went to school holiday auction.
<a href="https://www.byronbaypropertysales.com.au/listing-71213-The-Rise" target="_blank">The tropical five bedroom, three bathroom hideaway </a>sits on 6,100 square metres at Ewingsdale in the hinterland.
The five-bedroon Ewingsdale offering has around 290 square metres floor space.
Jeremy Bennett, of Byron Bay Property Sales has it listed at $1.5 million plus.
It has been home to The Block co-presenter and husband, known as Serge, who has been a cameraman on The Block, since they bought it in 2010 for $1.61 million.
The couple recently spent $2.05 million on an 8,050 square metre property at neighbouring McLeods Shoot, a substantial discount as it had been initially listed for sale at $3.5 million-plus in 2010.
The couple are busy building on the property which was long owned by the McGettigan pioneering family who who first settled in Byron Bay in 1882.
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Shelley Craft yet to sell Byron Bay home

<html><body>
Melbourne house prices have risen to a new record median of $658,000, with the city's median price up 3.3% over the three months to 30 June. 
Real Estate Institute of Victoria chief Enzo Raimondo said the Melbourne market remains strong and continues to show solid gains. 
There was a 16.7% year on year increase. 
The median house price was up from $637,000 in the March quarter - however the quarterly 3.3% increase was lower than the 9% recorded in the September quarter last year. 
"It was the city's middle ring suburbs, highly sought after by buyers priced out of the inner-city, which showed the most substantial house price growth," Raimondo said.
The middle Melbourne house price of $720,000 was up 1.8% in the June quarter and 15.8% year-on-year growth.
 Inner-city house prices grew 12.1% year-on-year, while for the outer suburbs the figure was 10.4%. 
Middle ring suburb auction listings around the Melbourne median price range include the 26 July Bulleen offering.
<a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/13-millicent-avenue-bulleen/Property-Details-buy-residential-7299741" target="_blank">Agents have advised a $620,000 to $680,000 price range for 13 Millicent Avenue</a>, Bulleen (pictured above) at its Fletchers auction.
Offerings at around the $720,000 middle Melbourne median include <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/13-yorkshire-street-blackburn-north/Property-Details-buy-residential-7298851" target="_blank">13 Yorkshire Street Blackburn North</a> (pictured below) where the Noel Jones agents are suggesting $690,000 plus at its 26 July auction.
<img src="/images/2014/07/17/blackburb%20north%20july%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
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Middle suburb sales strength triggers record $658,000 Melbourne median house price

<html><body>
Property promoters recommending self-managed super funds (SMSFs) borrow and invest in property must be careful not to break the law, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission commissioner, Greg ­Tanzer has warned.
ASIC said it was investigating ­SMSF seminars for evidence of misleading and deceptive conduct.
ASIC was also warning of unlicensed ­financial services conduct following a rise in promoters urging investors set up or use an existing fund to invest in property.
“These promoters may not be ­complying with the law,” Greg Tanzer said in a speech to the annual CPA Australia Self-Managed Super Fund Conference entitled,The regulator’s perspective on the regulation of SMSFs.
He referred to ASIC’s SMSF task force which is examining "high-risk" SMSF issues making specific note of the Charterhill group collapse earlier this year.
"It operated as a ‘one-stop shop’, providing advice to clients on the establishment of SMSFs, rollover of existing superannuation funds into an SMSF, sourcing and purchase of investment properties, property management, insurance and taxation services. 
"This raised a number of questions about operators using this business model," Greg Tanzer advised.
He said the ASIC taskforce appointed a small project team to explore the trend of ‘one-stop shop’ operators offering a range of services to SMSFs. 
"The purpose of the project team is to investigate the (often complex) business model structures of these operators and the risks to investors that this trend poses. 
"So far the project team have identified that a feature of these business models is a ‘one size fits all’ approach where all investors who use their multiple services receive the same suite of products and services – that is, they end up with an SMSF, a property investment and a limited-recourse borrowing arrangement."
The project team is also exploring whether commissions are being paid within these business models and whether these commissions are consistent with the restrictions on payment of commissions for advice under the FOFA reforms. 
Under the Corporations Amendment (Streamlining of Future of Financial Advice) Bill 2014 introduced on 19 March 2014, some forms of commission that were originally banned under FOFA will be reintroduced. 
Tanzer added it was worth noting that where commissions are permitted, they must still be clearly disclosed to retail clients. 
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia supported moves to stop any risky borrowing by funds.
Recent figures from the Tax Office show funds with borrowings had tripled over the past four years.
The average loan size has doubled to $357,000 with commercial and residential property holdings now comprising more than 15% of total assets held by the $1.6 trillion self-managed super sector.
Property ranks as the third-largest allocation after cash and listed shares.
Greg Tanzer noted section 911A of the Corporations Act requires any person carrying on a financial services business in Australia to hold an AFS licence or be a representative of an AFS licensee.
A person provides a financial service if they provide financial product advice. 
Financial product advice is defined as a recommendation, a statement of opinion or a report of either of those things that is, or could reasonably be regarded as being, intended to influence a person’s decision in relation to a financial product. 
Providing financial product advice includes making a recommendation or a statement of opinion to a person to set up an SMSF or use an existing SMSF to purchase property through that SMSF. 
ASIC is concerned that, with the increased popularity of SMSFs and property investment, real estate agents and property advisers may not realise that they may be carrying on a business of providing financial product advice and may need an AFS licence, or authorisation under an AFS licence, when making recommendations or statements of opinion to a person to use an SMSF to invest in property. 
Where an AFS licence is required, unlicensed entities must immediately cease offering and providing financial services or advertising the provision of financial services until such time as an AFS licence is obtained or they become a representative of an AFS licence holder. 
A person convicted of carrying on an unlicensed financial services business may be subject to a fine of up to $34,000 or imprisonment for two years or both. If a company is convicted it may also be liable to penalties, including a fine of up to $170,000.
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Charterhill collapse prompts warning for SMSF property promoters: ASIC

<html><body>
Richmond is Melbourne's most active inner ring auction suburb, according to the REIV.
South Yarra ranked second, nine auctions fewer, in the top 10 auction suburbs in inner Melbourne are as follows (as at 6 July 2014).
Last weekend Richmond's highest price was <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/property/for-sale/house/vic/richmond/?adid=2011253785" target="_blank">19 Charlotte Street</a> (pictured above) sold at $1,363,000.
The cheapest was $390,000<a href="https://www.domain.com.au/property/sold/apartment-unit-flat/vic/richmond/?adid=2011254550" target="_blank"> at 2/16 Rowena Street for a one bedroom unit</a>.
<img src="/images/2014/07/17/richmond%20july%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
<table style="width: 460px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Suburb
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Total Auctions 
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Sold at Auction
</td>
<td valign="middle">
Clearance Rate
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Richmond
</td>
<td valign="middle">
248
</td>
<td valign="middle">
193
</td>
<td valign="middle">
78%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
South Yarra
</td>
<td valign="middle">
239
</td>
<td valign="middle">
176
</td>
<td valign="middle">
74%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
St Kilda
</td>
<td valign="middle">
235
</td>
<td valign="middle">
145
</td>
<td valign="middle">
62%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Glen Iris
</td>
<td valign="middle">
220
</td>
<td valign="middle">
172
</td>
<td valign="middle">
78%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Preston
</td>
<td valign="middle">
210
</td>
<td valign="middle">
144
</td>
<td valign="middle">
69%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Kew
</td>
<td valign="middle">
191
</td>
<td valign="middle">
144
</td>
<td valign="middle">
75%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Hawthorn
</td>
<td valign="middle">
189
</td>
<td valign="middle">
140
</td>
<td valign="middle">
74%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Northcote
</td>
<td valign="middle">
183
</td>
<td valign="middle">
152
</td>
<td valign="middle">
83%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Brunswick
</td>
<td valign="middle">
180
</td>
<td valign="middle">
133
</td>
<td valign="middle">
74%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle">
Camberwell
</td>
<td valign="middle">
180
</td>
<td valign="middle">
154
</td>
<td valign="middle">
86%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Source: REIV
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Richmond tops ladder for most auctions: REIV

<html><body>
Denfield House, the 1837 Georgian homestead at St Helens Park near Campbelltown, has been listed for sale.
More than $1.2 million is tipped by <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-st+helens+park-117358807" target="_blank">Tim Doyle of Ray White Macarthur Group</a> for its 26 July auction.
It was built by early settler John Farley with the meticulously restored farmhouse now coming with four bedrooms, a study and a cellar. 
The one hectare grounds comes with a pool, cricket net, vegetable garden, fruit trees and enough room for the pony, the ad suggests. 
It is being marketed as one of the Macarthur's most treasured estates.
{qtube vid:=wZyBMVO-fVE}
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Denfield House, the 1837 St Helens Park Georgian homestead listed

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Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour has sold his six bedroom Kew mansion.
Settlement documents show $7,072,500 was achieved for the Sackville Street home, set on a double block with court and pool.
<a href="https://www.sackvillestkew.com.au/gallery" target="_blank">The property was listed last August by </a><a href="https://www.sackvillestkew.com.au/gallery" target="_blank">Australia's highest-paid public servant</a>, settling earlier this year.
The three level mansion, built in 2006 after the subdivision of a former monastery site, was marketed with $7 million plus private treaty hopes through Paul Pfeiffer and Warwick Anderson at RT Edgar.
It was built by Montage Developments with "epic space and understated opulence" throughout the "resort style" estate, complete with outdoor kitchen, self contained cottage, swimming pool, spa, steam room and north/south flood lit championship court.
The estate covers 2,027 square metres. 
It is the fifth house on Sackville Street sold for $5 million plus, with the top sale being historic, La Verna at $12 million in 2007. 
La Verna, the 1880s Italianate-style residence now on 3,310 square metres, had been long owned by the Franciscan Friars who sold to developers several years earlier. 
Ahmed and Dionnie Fahour were the mystery buyers behind the $22 million sale of Invergowrie, the historic bluestone home in Hawthorn that was an exclusive finishing school for young women.
The off market sale of the imposing mansion made headlines in April 2013 on Property Observer with the buyer undisclosed using solicitors, Arnold Bloch Leibler as their intermediaries
The subsequent $22 million sale documentation has been through a holding company whose address and directors are from the office of the solicitors.
Peter Hill, the skateboarding Globe International co-founder and his wife, Angela sold the colonial-gothic style Invergowrie mansion that sits on 1.1 hectares.
It had cost $10.75 million in 2002. 
Invergowrie (pictured below) is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/stories/2013/04/invergowrieapril24one.jpg" alt="invergowrieapril24one" width="470" height="303">
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Change of address as Ahmed Fahour sells Kew mansion for $7 million

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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