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The AFL North Melbourne Roos footballer Daniel Wells has secured $1,005,000 for his 1880s Port Melbourne home turned investment property.
The two-time club champion, who has taken to 3AW football special comments broadcasting after injuring his foot, paid $585,000 in 2004. 
Wells had made his debut for North in 2003, North's highest ever draft selection, having been born in Port Lincoln, South Australia, and moved to Kalgoorlie and then to Perth as a child.
He initially lived at the Albert Street, Port Melbourne property but then on marrying school teacher, Mariangela Laudato rented it out in 2006 asking $480 a week. It came with a $510 asking price in 2008, and most recently at $560 a week in 2010.
The hockingstuart agents for the three bedroom Victorian cottage with 112 square metre space had been quoting in excess of $800,000, then $850,000. There were the three bidders.
The whispers were it was bought by a Geelong footballer.
It was marketed on <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-port+melbourne-117182139" target="_blank">realestate.com.au</a> as: "Ready to move in for immediate enjoyment with an exciting scope to further improve or further extend (STCA) if so desired."
Melbourne’s weekend auction market had a clearance rate at the weekend of 71.4%, according to Australian Property Monitors.
Down on last weekend’s two-month high 74.6%, which was revised with late results to 72%, it was well ahead of the 66.3% recorded over the same weekend last year. 
Around 458 auctions were conducted at the weekend which was higher than the 363 conducted over the same weekend a year ago.
Melbourne’s outer east was the best district with 79% sales success.
The most expensive property reported sold at auction at the weekend was a five bedroom home at 21 Clancys Lane Doncaster sold for $2,350,000 by Jellis Craig. 
The most affordable property reported sold at the weekend was a two bedroom unit at 3/7 Coventry Place Melton South sold for $177,000 by First National Tim Farnan. 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Injured AFL Roo Daniel Wells sells Port Melbourne cottage to Cat rival

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Sydney's auction clearance rate weakening continued into July, with a 72.7% success rate achieved today, the Australian Property Monitors data indicates.
Last weekend's revised figure was adjusted to 71.2%, having being reported with an initial clearance rate of 74.1%, which itself was the lowest non-holiday weekend result recorded in Sydney for over a year.
Auction clearance rates have fallen over the five weekends since the June Queen’s Birthday holiday break.
Property Observer notes the last time the clearance rate was in the high 60s rate was in mid-May 2013. Any 70% plus clearance rate is a sellers' market, but the 2013-2014 auction rate has well and truly seen the last of the amazing 80s. It is not just a seasonality issue, as last winter clearance rates improved.
There were almost 440 offerings across Sydney, which was well up on the 290 on the same Saturday last year.
John Clinton, the drummer from the country band, The Wolverines with his wife Kim Clinton didn't secure a weekend sale of their organic-style, all curved Dural home.
The custom-built three bedroom 65 Quarry Road house (pictured above) remains listed through <a href="https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house-dural-nsw-2158/226118/?searchID=40581791" target="_blank">McGrath agent Elise Lau</a> with $2.75 million plus price hopes.
It was passed in at $2.75 million.
The curved two-storey, three bedroom house comes with a self contained two-bedroom studio which was a disused train carriage.
It sits on a 2.85 hectare bush block.
The Wolverines are best known for the song 65 Roses about cystic fibrosis, and the Ballad of Young Bobby Dale.
Once described as a Harley riding, music playing trio, the Wolverines recorded their first album in Nashville in 1996.
Clinton, a former Sydney nightclub owner and yacht charterer, installed a musical mural in the main bathroom by the painter Ken Roberts.
APM had Sydney’s south as having the most number of auctions this weekend with 75 followed by the inner west with 65.
The most popular suburb for auctions was Surry Hills with nine auctions, followed by Concord, Bankstown and Casula each with eight auctions this weekend.
"Activity in Sydney’s home auction market has shifted down a gear over recent months with weekend clearance rates averaging 74.6 percent over June compared to the 77.6 percent averaged over both May and April, and the 82.3 percent averaged over March," Dr Andrew Wilson, the senior economist at Australian Property Monitors advised.
 
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Wolverines drummer caught in Sydney's fading auction clearance rate

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ANZ refrained from changing its variable interest rates for its home loans in its hastened July monthly review.
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Its standard variable home loan rate remains at 5.88% per annum (5.98% per annum comparison rate). 
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But the ANZ has announced, while sticking to a formal monthly review, that it will now come quicker - by the Friday following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board meeting, not the second Friday.
“The change to the timing of our monthly review follows consistent customer feedback that they would like to understand the outcome of our interest rate review process earlier in the month in line with our competitors,” the ANZ chief Philip Chronican said.
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“Given the more predictable international economic environment and the greater stability that exists in offshore funding markets we are now in a position to assess the impact of any RBA decision along with the other drivers of funding costs in a more timely way,” Mr Chronican said.
The ANZ went solo in late 2011 with its second Friday monthly review following a statement in December 2011 that the bank would announce any changes to variable mortgage rates for retail mortgages and small business lending on the second Friday of each month
The other big banks have stuck to erratically making announcements without any formal timetable following official RBA cash rate announcements that come on the first Tuesday of the month. 
The latest ANZ interest rate change was announced last August lowering interest rates for variable rate mortgages by 0.25% per annum following its monthly interest rate review.
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ANZ will be quicker to announce any rate change

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With 14 properties, the eastern suburbs dominate <a href="/news/eastern-suburbs-dominate-title-tattles-list-of-sydneys-top-20-sales-of-the-2013-14-financial-year">the top 20 Sydney house sales list for the 2013-2014 financial year</a>.
Among these were four Point Piper mansions including a Wolseley Road harbourfront (pictured above) which tops the list at around $38 million. Point Piper retained top spot and had the four also in the 2012-2013 list. 
But when we looked at the recent Savills analysis of the prestige market of the Sydney luxury residential resale prices its showed a significant drop in the high end Point Piper achieved prices between Q2 in 2013 and 2014. 
Bellevue Hill and Vaucluse also fell back, while Mosman remained the same price wise on the harbour.<img src="/images/2014/07/04/he-said-july-4-one.jpg" alt="">
Source: Savills Research 
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Source: Savills Research
This week our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok discuss the trends they detect from the prestige sales list.
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HE SAID:<img src="/images/2014/03/28/jc-silhouette-7.jpg" style="float: right;">
While Chinese buyers have been increasingly active, they are certainly not throwing huge dollars around. Chinese buyers accounted for less than a handful of the Top 20 house sales during this financial year. 
The four sales we have been able to spotlight were in <a href="/news">Point Piper</a>, <a href="/news">Hunters Hill</a> and two in <a href="/news">Mosman</a>. Maybe one more when settlements take place. 
The challenge posed by land tax for second homes restrained the northern beaches market, especially <a href="/news">Palm Beach</a> which doesn't make an appearance. <a href="/news">Clareville</a> is the only representative of the northern beaches peninsula with a $12 million sale making this year’s cut. Last year the only northern beaches property on the list was a <a href="/news">Whale Beach</a> residence sold for $13.1 million. There had been a Palm Beach property heading the list in 2011/2012 with the sale of Kalua.
This year heralds the return of the local entrepreneur - apparent with <a href="/news/aged-care-entrepreneur-peter-wohl-buys-ron-medich-point-piper-mansion">the $38 million Peter Wohl purchase</a>. He's into aged care homes.
There's also strong whispers that David Singh has bought the <a href="/expert-insights/buying/simon-family-point-piper-sale-swings-pendulum-back-to-the-harbourfront">Simon house on Point Piper</a>. He's into waste management at Global Renewables. There also appear to be a few more expatriate financial white collar buyers who went awol with the decline of the post-gfc big bonuses. Their re-emergence was evident when I wrote that <a href="/news/bank-of-america-boss-matthew-koder-buys-bellevue-hill-trophy-home-market">Angela Fleming sold to Matthew Kodor</a> at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in <a href="/news">Bellevue Hill</a>.
<img src="/images/2014/03/28/mb-silhouette-6.jpg" style="float: left;">SHE SAID:
After a lacklustre few years, Bellevue Hill bounced back during the past 12 months with five homes on the latest Top 20 list, while I recall <a href="/expert-insights/investing/altona-reigns-in-title-tattles-top-20-house-sales-in-the-2012-2013-financial-year">last year’s list featured only one</a>. And maybe another two sales could emerge once official settlements emerge.
It seems the hillside inland suburb experienced a reversal of activity levels while harbourside Vaucluse with seven last year, but just the three this year – and one's an apparent small loss maker.
Point Piper retains poll position for the second year in a row - but of the suburb’s four properties on the list, two homes had languished on the market for years.
It took time for vendors to realize where prices actually stood, even with the benchmark <a href="/news/altona-the-point-piper-harbourfront-sells-for-possible-50-million-plus">sale of Altona</a>, the Wunulla Road trophy waterfront sold for $52 million in March 2013, atop the 2012/13 top 20 list. Altona’s price set the pace for Point Piper vendors (and their estate agents) to evaluate the worth of a property.
However, it must be noted the Lowy family offered $55 million for Altona in 2007, six years before last year’s sale. When the Medich property (which tops this year’s list at around $38 million) was quietly listed in February 2011, it had ambitious $55 million hopes. In May 2012, the price guide was revised down to offers of more than $40 million. 
Sales activity saw Mosman improve on its presence on this year’s list to four properties featured this year, up from the two last year. There were the two Chinese buyers this year in Mosman in the top 20. 
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Point Piper price weakening within Sydney top 20 home sales in 2013-14: He Said/She Said

Eastern suburbs dominate Title Tattle's list of Sydney's top 20 sales of the 2013-14 financial year

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The former World Cup winning Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer and his wife, Ruth, have relisted their Southern Highlands retreat with $4.5 million plus hopes.
It was on the market for about $5 million last July.
Two Gates Farm is a 40-hectare property bought at <a href="/news">Robertson</a> as land in 2002 for $865,000.
The Richard Rowe-designed pavillion-style house sits in Annie Wilkes-designed gardens.
There are self-contained guest quarters, a pool and tennis court. 
<a href="https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/acreage-rural-robertson-nsw-2577/229083/?searchID=40535526" target="_blank">Hamish Robertson at McGrath</a> has the offering.
The couple will downsize to a three-bedroom house on 2,000 square metres in nearby <a href="/news">Bowral</a> for $550,000. 
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Coach Bob Dwyer relists Two Gates Farm at Robertson

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The 1850s Wuchatsch’s Farmhouse at Lalor, believed to be the oldest home in Melbourne to be built, owned and continuously occupied by the same family, has been sold at $1,275,000.
The 7,595 square metre property at <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/74-robert-street-lalor/Property-Details-sold-residential-7063833" target="_blank">74 Robert St, Lalor</a>, is the most complete of those found in the surviving Westgarthtown dairy farming settlement.
In 1850, German and Wendish immigrants developed Westgarthtown on the banks of Edgars Creek, 16 kilometres north of Melbourne.
It is a heritage-listed bluestone building feast in the Thomastown and Lalor district.
Wuchatsch’s Farmhouse was the home of Wends Johann and Magdalene Wuchatsch and their family of 10 German and Australian-born children.
Johann Wuchatsch was a foundation member of the Westgarthtown Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Victoria’s Synod.
Currently owned and occupied by third-generation family members ­Robert Wuchatsch, Dorothy Kelly and Betty Barba, the bluestone house has five rooms, including two bedrooms.
The floorplan is in the traditional German farmhouse style with interconnecting rooms and no hallway. An attic extends the length of the building with a window at each end.
There are three other bluestone buildings on the property connected by cobblestone pathways and dry stone walls, including the stables, a milking shed and a dairy.
The property was sold by Jim Kalakias and Graeme Love of Love Real Estate Epping.
The existing heritage-listed buildings must be retained on 3,905 square metres with a possible seven lots on the remaining land which the buyer will be pursuing, Graeme Love told Property Observer.
Kalakias expected interest from a wide range of buyers as possible use as a reception centre, artists’ studio, cafe or community centre.
The City of Whittlesea purchased the neighbouring Ziebell’s farmhouse several years ago with Ziebell’s Farmhouse now part of a guided tour conducted by the Friends of Westgarthtown of the Thomastown Pioneer Precinct. 
But they council showed no interest this time.
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Lalor bluestone farmhouse sells after 150 years

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The unusual Hollander House, the Antonio Gaudi-style home at Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches, has been listed for sale.
The hand-formed ferro-cement house is without question one of the finest examples of true organic architecture in Australia. 
"Hollander House is free form and highly contemporary and will appeal to those who think different," <a href="https://www.modernhouse.co/listings/hollander-house/" target="_blank">the marketing from </a><a href="https://www.modernhouse.co/listings/hollander-house/" target="_blank">Modern House</a>, a specialist estate agency for architect-designed residences, suggests. No formal price guidance has been issued, but an ambitious $1.5 million has been mooted in both the local papers.
The current owner is Californian-born interior designer Nancy Renzi of Renzi Design.
The property at 81 Grandview Drive was designed by David Hollander and built between 1969 to 1971 following the contours of the land like a giant rock formation.
"It evokes memories of Antonio Gaudi’s Barcelona architecture with the optimism of the future, think Zaha Hadid but with texture," the marketing suggested.
It first featured in Australian House and Garden, September, 1971, then voted one of the top five houses of the year, Australian House and Garden, 1973. Vogue Australia featured it in 1975.
Hollander developed a floor plan enveloping three levels beginning at the entrance hall and office, continuing through the living area to the kitchen/dining area, and ultimately ascending to the casual recreation room at the highest elevation.
His elliptical walls have curves which he thought were correct aesthetically, having found a heavily treed allotment just below the crest with a restrained excavation of the site for his new home. 
Recent additions to the design include an outdoor bath in the private deck from the main bedroom and a large entertaining deck off the kitchen with an outdoor fireplace as a centrepiece. There is 180 square metre internal space for the house engineered by E Perry and built by B A Moore on the 904 square metre block.
Hollander designed it for his own use and lived there for 14 years. Stephen and Meredith D'alton sold the house in 1990 for $230,000. It last traded at $860,000 in 2011.
<img src="https://www.modernhouse.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FLOOR-PLAN_Portrait_HOLLANDER-HOUSE-728x1030.jpg" alt="FLOOR PLAN_Portrait_HOLLANDER HOUSE" width="728" height="1030" data-original="https://www.modernhouse.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FLOOR-PLAN_Portrait_HOLLANDER-HOUSE-1273x1800.jpg">
David Hollander trained at the University of Sydney in the mid-1960s, later joining the Canberra office of Towel Rippon and Associates before accepting a position with the Sydney practice Devine Erby Mazlin (today DEM) in 1974. 
Some of Australia’s most celebrated circular-plan buildings include Roy Grounds’ Australian Academy of Science building at the Australian National University, Canberra (1956) and on a domestic scale, Peter Muller’s dome-roofed Kumale, in nearby Barrenjoey Road, Palm Beach (1955).
<a href="/news">Newport</a>, which sits between the Pacific Ocean to the east and Pittwater to the west, is a 20 minute drive to <a href="/news">Palm Beach</a> or <a href="/news">Manly</a>.
Newport is situated 31 kilometres north of Sydney’s CBD. 
Photography: © Jennifer Soo (Photos: 1, 2, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14) © Sharyn Cairns Photography (Photos: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13)
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Organic 1970s Hollander House, the Gaudi-style home at Newport, listed

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The 47-room Newport Mirage Hotel on Sydney’s northern beaches has been sold for $10 million to a Chinese buyer.
The deal was struck on a 9% yield through CBRE hotel agents Andrew Jackson and Paul Kapiris.
It was sold by the Bayfield family at the lower end of the estimated $10 million to $12 million reported sale prospect.
The Bayfields also own the Newport Arms Hotel, The Dee Why Hotel and Bayfields Liquor Superstore.
The family has owned the four-star hotel and function centre on the water since 2000.
It was the first hotel purchase for the undisclosed Chinese group.
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Newport Mirage Hotel sold to Chinese buyers

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Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting is buying a 50% share in Liveringa and Nerrima stations in the West Kimberley.
The joint venture with Graham Laitt and his family, the owners of the Milne AgriGroup, involves expanding their prime beef production.
The venture will re-open the mothballed Waroona abattoir previously known as Clover Meats, which was once one of the biggest meat processing facilities in WA.
Rinehart told The West Australian her family had a long and continuing links to the WA pastoral industry, with the investment aimed at helping to meet booming food demand in Asia.
Hancock Prospecting and Mr Laitt have been working on the deal for about a year in a well planned move into beef production.
The ABC estimated the price was about $40 million.
"It intends to provide capital and commercial knowledge to support the industry as it targets expansion into global markets," the Hancock Prospecting statement said.
"We are well placed to meet the growing needs of our Asian neighbours," she said.
Established in 1910, Milne's businesses include Milne Feeds animal nutrition, Mt Barker Free Range Chicken and Plantagenet Free Range Pork.
After taking equity in 1987, it was 2002 when the former lawyer Graham Laitt assumed control of Milne, adding it into his existing farming holdings.
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Gina Rinehart buys into Kimberley cattle stations

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.

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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."

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

[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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