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Eddie McGuire, the Collingwood Football Club president, MMM breakfast radio broadcaster and founder of media company, McGuire Media, has spent around $12,575,000, beating off Chinese investors to secure a Toorak Road, Toorak retail/office complex.
The three-level professional corporate office, located between Williams Road and Grange Road, was sold through CB Richard Ellis on April 11 by See Bay Pty Ltd.
Property Observer concludes it could be occupied by McGuire as an owner-occupier.
The retail space has recently been <a href="https://www.commercialview.com.au/414-toorak-road-toorak/commercial-lease-details-7081357" target="_blank">advertised by CBRE</a> as an excellent opportunity for food operator "as the building has secured a new media company with 100 employees commencing early next year".
Sub-divided into six titles, the sale yield reflected 1.68%, and when fully leased would reflect a yield of 4.8%.
The 414 Toorak Road building, with basement parking and gym, has Allechante nail bar and Lavish dermatology clinic are among the current occupants of the leasing space. Kondo has been holding an end of lease clearance sale.
Browne &amp; Co Solicitors lodged paperwork pursuant to the purchase on behalf of Jax Capital Pty Ltd, which Fairfax Media says is directed by McGuire and his wife Carla.
The property traded at $3.39 million in 2003.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Eddie McGuire spends $12.5 million on blue-chip Toorak retail/office complex

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Wing House, the Byron Bay trophy home designed by architect Peter Stutchbury, has been sold for $5.9 million to a local buyer.
Overlooking Wategos Beach, the four-bedroom house comes with 20 metre lap pool.
The hillside location cost $1.35 million in 2001, with the Stutchbury-build in 2012.
It was sold by Robert and Deborah Wild <a href="https://uniqueestates.com.au/buy-residential-real-estate/house-59-brownell-drive-byron-bay-nsw-13058110346" target="_blank">through Nicolette Wijngaarden of Unique Estates</a>.
Wing House, which takes its name from its wing-shaped roof, was originally listed with hopes above $7 million, but was then revised to offers over $6 million. 
The Wilds, joint directors of the Australian College of Massage, have bought <a href="/news/tom-misner-secures-byron-bay-8-million-small-acreage-record-sale">a </a><a href="/news/tom-misner-secures-byron-bay-8-million-small-acreage-record-sale">luxury home at Coopers Shoot </a>with an infinity pool and views across Byron Bay for $7.9 million (pictured below).
<img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-breakout.jpg" alt="Tom Misner secures Byron Bay $8 million small acreage record sale">
Last month at the hotly contested Asia Pacific Property Awards 2014-2015, Unique Estates Australia was among the winners in the categories of best Australian real estate agency marketing and also best Australian real estate agency <a href="https://uniqueestates.com.au" target="_blank">website</a>.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34" style="float: left;">Title Tattle gleans a residential record was set within the Byron township last week, but it wasn’t beachfront.
Set in the old part of Byron Bay, a home on a 1,000 square metre lot at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-byron+bay-115104447" target="_blank">60 Kingsley Street</a> (pictured below) sold at the $3.5 million asking price through Graham Dunn and Jeremy Bennett at Byron Bay Property Sales to Melbourne buyers. It last sold at $840,000 in 2002, with the rebuild winning a HIA renovation award.
<img src="/images/2014/06/06/byron%20bay%20june%206%20one.jpg" alt="">
 
"They had been looking for about 18 months. They had done their homework, they saw the market was moving so they jumped in," Dunn told Title Tattle. 
The prior township record was $2,705,000 on Cooper Street which also sold through Byron Bay Property Sales.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 5px; float: left;">
Escaping the southern winter cold, Melbournite Ned Rockman recently purchased through Byron Bay Property Sales. “I’ve loved it up here for many years” he says.
It is a five hectare holding at Newrybar which cost $1.75 million last year. “I’m almost 45 and I don’t want to spend the second half of my life in Melbourne. I want to spend it here”.
Rockman is not the only well-known Melbourne purchaser of late. Portland House director Stephen Hains, son of intensely private Melbourne billionaire investor David Hains, has also bought into Byron Bay. 
Hains spent nearly $2.77 million on a beach house at Belongil, despite nearby coastal-erosion issues. He got a three-bedroom 1962 coastal shack on 1922 square metres on Childe Street. 
Flight Centre co-founder Graham Turner's wife Jude also bought a beach shack for $2.77 million on the Belongil peninsula, on the edge of the Byron township in 2012.
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Wing House, the Peter Stutchbury-designed Byron Bay trophy house sold

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Catherine Verschuer, wife of Westpac's managing director of foreign exchange and commodity Paul Verschuer, has emerged as the $5.2 million buyer of the Reserve Bank's Kirribilli property, Eversley. 
<a href="/expert-insights/buying/rba-sells-kirribilli-mansion-securing-impressive-7-8-annual-price-growth">It sold at March auction</a> through Kingsley Yates of Ray White Lower North Shore.
The couple own a nearby Victorian terrace on Peel Street which cost $2,775,000 in 2007.
Last year Title Tattle featured the Verschuers when they bought <a href="/news/nsw/notting-lane-cottage-point-waterfront-with-disco-sold-for-3-35-million-by-drew-muirhead">the Cottage Point mansion</a> of entrepreneur Drew Muirhead for $3.35 million.
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Westpac foreign exchange dealer buys RBA's Kirrbilli mansion

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The global fast-fashion giant Zara’s local offshoot is highly profitable. But the financial results for the Australian stores suggest the initial queue forming, love affair was moderating, according to the Australian Financial Review.
Spain’s retail juggernaut has nine Australian outlets.
Documents lodged with ASIC show Zara’s revenue rose 32% to $141 million for the 12 months to 31 January, down on the 56% revenue growth recorded in 2013.
The documents reveal the first earnings dip since its 2011 arrival with the 2014 profit down $1.52 million, some 8.5%, to $16.46 million.
Costs escalated as its store roll-out triggered administration costs up 146%.
The cost of goods sold are increasing ahead of sales.
Macquarie Private Wealth obtained Zara’s financial results noting average sales per Zara store had continued to fall since it first entered the market, down from $42.8 million in 2012, to $25.8 million in 2013, and most recently to $18.2 million in 2014.
‘’It also appears that the initial stores have been more productive than the later stores, potentially highlighting store maturation, increased competition from other new entrants including Topshop,’’ Macquarie suggested.
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Zara nine store roll out triggering lower profits in Australia

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Chris Ellison, the Mosman Park WA mining millionaire, and his wife, Tia have spent another $6,625,000 to expand their $57.5 million Swan River luxury riverfront estate.
Ellison is the founder, major shareholder and the executive director of Mineral Resources.
The latest hillside double storey mansion purchase was also bought from Angela Bennett who secured the Australian record when the <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@-32.01167,115.778936,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m5!1e2!3m3!1s8418817!2e1!3e10?hl=en-US" target="_blank">sprawling Mosman Park riverfront compound </a> sold.
The initial purchase had a reported 7,567 square metres of riverfront land and included three self-contained buildings, private jetty, boathouse, gym, <a href="/news/the-swan-river-mosman-park-home-cinema-in-australias-priciest-sold-residential-compound">cinema</a>, pool and tennis court. Property Observer notes the latest acquisition added 769 square metres.
<a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/45+Saunders+St/@-32.014866,115.777457,3a,90y,41h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sNxa9KA24GLEjX-Ao5bF24w!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x2a32a40a66661f49:0x1b300cd0145082dd!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">Google Streetview were there</a> when it was a hard rubbish day.
The iron ore heiress had bought the property, with home perched in similiar Mediterranean style above the main riverfront house, from the Sisters of St John of God for $400,000 in 1992.
At the time of his big purchase Chris Ellison's stake was worth about $300 million on his 2009 purchase.
Earlier this year, Ellison added another 65,000 shares to his personal holding, soon after the company sold its Christmas Creek ore processing facilities to Fortescue Metals Group.
Ellison had bought the shares for $701,035 to take his stake to 27,038,000 shares or 14.5% of the shares on issue. Mineral Resources shares were at the time trading at $10.79. The shares went onto its 12-month high of $12.74, now trading in the vicinity of $10.40.
 Picture courtesy of Google Maps.
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Perth's $57.5 million home compound on the Swan River gets even bigger

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The RBA's head of financial stability Luci Ellis has repeated the view that Australia's central bank won't be introducing ‘‘macroprudential’’ policy restrictions on higher-risk lending in order to preserve financial stability.
Despite limits on loans with high loan-to-valuation ratios being introduced in Canada, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Korea and Hong Kong, Ellis defended the RBA's caution.
‘‘We view macroprudential policy as something to be subsumed into the broader financial stability framework,’’ Ellis said in a speech to the University of Adelaide Economics Department.
“We recognise that quantitative restrictions were already tried in the 1960s and 1970s – and didn’t always work so well.
‘‘The division between ‘microprudential’ supervision, narrowly focused on individual institutions, and system-wide ‘macroprudential’ supervision, never made much sense to us in Australia.’’
Ellis stressed the central bank’s tools for promoting financial stability were the ‘‘telephone’’, a reference to calling APRA and raising concerns, and the ‘‘microphone’’, a reference to the RBA's public comments.
"Exposing and warning of risks can ideally change behaviour, and steer the system away from higher-risk outcomes," she said.
Her speech follows last week’s warning from APRA which unveiled new draft guidelines on how to manage risks in the mortgage market.
Ellis said APRA and the RBA were already well equipped to promote financial stability.
‘‘The rationale for carving out particular bits of the prudential framework under separate governance – which is what people mean nowadays by ‘macroprudential tools’ – appears to be that supervisors cannot be relied on to discharge their duties with system-level concerns in mind,’’ she said.
‘‘That might be true in some countries, but not in Australia and at least some other countries.’’
In framing the objectives of financial stability policy, Luci Ellis noted whenever housing prices boomed people worried that housing has become unaffordable. 
"Of course, if prices are rising, it must be that someone can afford those prices.
"If they are motivated by speculative expectations, though, prices can run ahead of levels that can be sustained in the longer term.
"So there can be a financial stability angle to those concerns, if a future fallout is likely to harm the real economy, either directly or via distress in the financial system.
"But the real policy concern here is that other people get priced out.
"It is fundamentally a question of distribution, particularly intergenerational distribution.
"This is not in the remit of financial stability policy, and the two goals should not be conflated.
"But we should be mindful of this equally legitimate goal of public policy, which is to ensure that everyone can access appropriate shelter that they can reasonably afford.
"Sometimes this goal mutually supports the goal of financial stability.
"But as we saw in the US housing meltdown, if you get the policy response to an affordability issue wrong, the consequences for financial stability can be dire," she outlined.
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RBA shies away from macroprudential housing policies, but microphone at the ready

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Orb House in Kew, the noteworthy Bojan Simic Architecture-designed contemporary home has been listed for sale through Kay &amp; Burton agents Sam Wilkinson and Scott Patterson.
Set high on the hill in Kew, it was built during 2009 by WAF Constructions on its 582 square metres block at <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/52a-molesworth-street-kew/Property-Details-buy-residential-7199097" target="_blank">52a Molesworth Street</a>.
It is four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Its facade is a huge wall of glass. There is a giant circle cut-out on the wall behind and a staircase forming an exaggerated zigzag below. 
A curved central spine wall separates the house into two zones: the communal living areas within the curved rim and then its bedroom sleeping zone is positioned beyond.
A circular cut-out in the pergola roof continues the orb theme, as does a dome on its top.
There is a central courtyard model, inspired by dwellings of ancient Pompeii.
The office space on the mezzanine level overlooks a two-storey internal void with views to Studley Park through dramatic two-storey glass curtain walls. 
It was shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects 2010 Victorian Awards.
It first sold for $5 million in early 2011 through Wilkinson.
Offers are due by June 30.
 
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Orb House, Kew architectural gem listed for sale

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Billionaire Ralph Sarich has listed a redundant, unrenovated Mosman Park riverfront property.
It cost $1.05 million in 1994. 
A reported $11 million is tipped for 31 Saunders Street, one of Perth’s most exclusive private addresses, although Property Observer notes $14 million initial hopes on its late 2013 listing.
The 2008 square metre holding comes with a 1950s home.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-wa-mosman+park-200721223" target="_blank">I</a>t is listed through <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-wa-mosman+park-200721223" target="_blank">estate agent William Porteous</a>.
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Billionaire Ralph Sarich lists Mosman Park, Perth riverfront

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The ANZ has been named Home Lender of the Year by Money magazine, for the 13th time in 16 years.
ANZ Australia CEO Philip Chronican said buying a home was "arguably the most important financial decision most people will make during their lifetime," so the bank strives to make the process simpler for customers.
“Since we launched the Banking on Australia program in 2012, we’ve been investing in ways to deliver better outcomes for our customers and we’re very pleased to receive industry recognition of our efforts.
ANZ have had the equal lowest home loan variable interest rate for the past 12 months.
It's internal data suggests its has grown its home loans faster than the market for the past 17 consecutive quarters.
2012 was the twelfth time that the ANZ had been awarded Home Lender of the Year when using the CANNEX star ratings, 1,961 home loans offered by 115 lenders were ranked including variable home loans for residential and investment purposes.
<div>
ANZ's tally goes back to being awarded Home Lender of the Year by AFR Smart Investor magazine in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 and then by Money magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
NAB won in 2011.
Money Magazine named Newcastle Permanent its Home Lender of the Year for 2013, the first year that the major banks had been overlooked for the award.
 
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ANZ takes Money magazine's 2014 Home Lender of the Year from Newcastle Permanent

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The high profile investor syndicate of John Singleton, Gerry Harvey and Mark Carnegie have spent $80 million to buy the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park.
Known as the 'three amigos', the trio see the potential for redevelopment at the Centennial Park location.
''We - John Singleton, Katie Page, Mark Carnegie and I - visited it a couple of times and realised it was hard to get 11 hectares with development opportunities and its location, anywhere else in Sydney,'' Harvey told Fairfax Media.
He signalled about 26,000 square metres within could be readily redeveloped after consultation with the local residents.
"We will look at all options, including a hotel, pubs, serviced apartments and an updated retail sector,'' Harvey suggested.
The syndicate's portfolio has centred on hotel acquisitions.
The 11.08 hectare site centres around the Bent Street retail precinct and the former Sydney Showground show-ring.
CFS Retail Property Trust listed its leasehold interest in The Entertainment Quarter through Sam McVay from McVay Real Estate who secured the offer from the consortium headed by the Carnegie Private Opportunities Fund No. 1.
The sale of the mixed use asset focused on retail, entertainment, leisure and space in the Centennial Park precinct is conditional on the approval of the ground lessor and the NSW government. 
CFS and one of its wholesale funds, CFSGAM Property Retail Partnership, jointly hold a leasehold interest in the asset. The most recent CBRE valuation as at December 2013 was $63 million, with no vacancy rate, however down on its mid-2013 valuation of $66.4 million.
Michael Gorman, the deputy CEO, said the sale was in line with its strategy of divesting non-core assets.
It was sold by the CFS almost 10 years after it was bought from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and the developer, Lend Lease.
Photo courtesy of J Bar/ <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>.
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'Three Amigos' buy Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter

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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