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Macquarie Group’s domestic mortgage book will almost double to $30 billion in two years, according to a JPMorgan research note.
The doubling will transform the investment bank into one of most significant players in the market.
It still has some way yet to go if it is to become the so-called 'fifth-pillar' in banking behind the four major banks - a position long occupied by ING Bank, which has a $28 billion owner-occupier mortgage book.
But in the short-term the biggest threat is to Australia's regional banks.
Already larger than AMP, Citi and HSBC, JPMorgan noted that the investment bank's growth has been exceptional over the past two years with the portfolio expanding by around 50% to $17 billion.
Recent initiatives include the acquisition of a 25% stake in mortgage aggregator Connective.
Further growth will be fuelled by the redeployment of some $10 billion of surplus cash management account (CMA) deposits, noted JPMorgan.
JPMorgan analysts describe Macquarie's recent push into domestic mortgages as “more meaningful than investors or even Macquarie management themselves may suggest”.
Last July, Property Observer wrote that APRA monthly banking figures showed that <a href="/expert-insights/finance/macquarie-profits-forecast-to-rise-in-2014-financial-year-as-home-loans-business-grows-22-4-in-three-months">Macquarie Bank had grown its owner occupier home loan book by 22.4%</a> in the space of three months, from $3.96 billion in February 2013 to $4.85 billion in May 2013, and more than doubled it in the past 12 months (in May 2012, the loan book was worth $2.2 billion).
APRA ranked Macquarie as the 11th biggest mortgage lender to owner-occupiers.
Macquarie's investor home loan book had also been surging, having risen 21% over the three months from $1.77 billion to $2.14 billion in May 2013.
Alongside its growing home loan book, Macquarie is branching into new areas of mortgage finance funding while cementing relationships with niche home loan players.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Regional banks face heightened Macquarie Group mortgage competition

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The Myrtles, the historic Medindie, Adelaide mansion has been sold for $5 million to a Chinese buyer with local connections.
The most expensive residential sale in SA history is <a href="/news">Glenelg</a>’s historic Stormont mansion, which sold for $6.5 million in 2010.
Last year’s highest residential sale price in Adelaide was 11 Robe Terrace, <a href="/news">Medindie</a>, a single storey 1900 home on almost 4000 square metres which fetched $4,917,000 in January 2013.
There's speculation that 4 Victoria Avenue, <a href="/news">Unley Park</a> was currently under contract at $5 million plus. The 1920s house on 4622 square metres last sold at $2.95 million in 2004.
The Myrtles sold for $5.2 million in April 2006, but the most recent sale was in July 2007 at $3.9 million.
The renovated 1890-built home on 2,200 square metres has six bedrooms in the main home and a separate self-contained apartment.
{qtube vid:=OvzxT3R34kA}
The Myrtles, at 7 Myrtles Court, sold through<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-medindie-115594939" target="_blank"> Harcourts Brock Williams agents John and Stephanie Williams</a>.
“You don’t see too many $5 million private residential sales in South Australia, and I think this is the first one for a couple of years,” Williams told News Ltd papers.
It was once the home of property identities Cathy and Myles Pearce who made a splash on the national stage at the Block auction in the Manly series.
The home boasts 850 square metre of space including formal entrance gallery.
Its chef’s kitchen comes with four ovens, two dishwashers and a cold room.
The grounds come with floodlit synthetic tennis court, a heated pool and spa and an outdoor kitchen.
The home has featured in movies, including Shine, and the television series McLeod’s Daughters.
<a href="/news/the-countrys-most-beautiful-homes-the-winners">It was ranked among the most beautiful homes across Australia</a> on its late 2013 listing by Property Observer readers.
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The Myrtles, Medindie trophy mansion sells to Chinese buyer

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The Melbourne Cricket Club Foundation has sold two Jolimont heritage homes.
They had been listed with a $6 million combined expectation.
Bromo, at 28 Jolimont Terrace was built in 1865 for John Bruce, father of former prime minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce, according to the East Melbourne Historical Society, before their move to St Kilda.
It was expected to fetch mid-$2 million.
The two-storey, six-bedroom residence, at 26 Jolimont Terrace with bluestone cellar, had mid-$3 million expectations.
Number 26, configured as office space, sold for $4.1 million with three bidders, while number 28, a Victorian terrace house on 347 square metres, passed in at $2.45 million, but sold later.
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Melbourne Cricket Club Foundation sells Jolimont heritage homes

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The bookish television personalities, Andrew Denton and Jennifer Byrne have sold the Double Bay property.
It sold just prior to last night's scheduled auction, after their busy Sydney Writers' Festival, but allowing the couple to be at home to watch The Book Show.
The price has not been disclosed by the <a href="https://rwdbgroup.com/nsw/double-bay/1134573/" target="_blank">Ray White Double Bay selling agent James Keenan</a>.
Buyers were being told to expect to pay $4 million plus after initial $3.8 million plus indications.
They have owned the house since 1998 when the 506 square metre property cost $1.845 million after moving from McMahons Point where they sold in 2001 for $1.57 million.
With four bedrooms, four bathrooms, the property also comes with a self-contained apartment on the lower ground floor.
The celebrity duo’s Tudor-look private oasis has formal and informal spaces and a billiard room showcasing high ornate ceilings and original fireplaces.
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Andrew Denton and Jennifer Byrne sell Double Bay home

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The Simon family have seemingly sold their vast concrete Point Piper harbourfront trophy home for around $30 million, some eight years after the initial listing.
Property Observer gathers its been bought by a current Wolseley Road resident.
It once had $60 million price hopes, reduced to $42 million by 2011, and then $38 million by mid-2013.
One listings<a href="https://www.domain.com.au/property/for-sale/house/nsw/point-piper/?adid=2011013194" target="_blank"> website suggests 130 Wolseley Road is under offer</a> through Sothebys, ending <a href="/news/the-altona-aftermath-buyers-baulking-at-the-ambitious-asking-prices-sydneys-top-20-house-sales-in-2013-he-said-she-said">the peninsula's sales impasse that became embedded with the bullish sale of the $52 million trophy home, Altona in early 2013</a>.
This year's two big trophy home sales have both been in Bellevue Hill.
The 933 square metre Point Piper property last sold in 1996 when the estate of the late FAI chairman Larry Adler secured $12 million from Peter Simon and his wife, Ruth, owners of the light-switch business HPM Industries, then Australia's 99th largest private company with its $170 million annual revenue. Adler's widow, Ethel had decided to stay in their Vaucluse residence which was bought in 1963 for 17,850 pounds.
Mr Adler had built after he bought the Wolseley Road block in early 1988 for $5.1 million from Westfield supremo Frank Lowy.
Frank Lowy had paid $2.675 million for it three years earlier then obtaining permission for a new residence.
The property title is in the name of Marion Richmond, following the death of her parents, Peter, then Ruth Simon.
The vast five-level concrete house now stands in the most verdant patch of Wolseley Road, neighbouring Duff Reserve, a popular fishing location.
The location in the 1950s saw respected architect Douglas Snelling undertake alterations and additions to a Victorian house at 130 Wolseley Road, Point Piper for Bernard Audette.
The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom waterfront, with boatshed, pontoon and electric winch, has Gergely &amp; Pinter Architects-design origins.
It is the architectural firm that is currently at work on the high side of the road.
Demolition began last month on the Wolseley Road, Point Piper mansion owned by the son of a former vice-president of China, Zeng Wei and his wife, Jiang Mei, <a href="/news/chinese-leadership-princeling-demolishes-point-pipers-craig-y-mor-mansion">who are building</a><a href="/news/chinese-leadership-princeling-demolishes-point-pipers-craig-y-mor-mansion"> a $5 million Gergely &amp; Pinter designed house.</a>
 
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Simon family Point Piper sale swings pendulum back to the harbourfront

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Growthpoint Properties Australia has exchanged contracts for the acquisition of the New South Wales Police headquarters in the Parramatta CBD.
The purchase will be funded by an equity raising of $80 to $125 million and, depending on equity take-up, $131 to $176 million from expanded existing debt facilities. 
The 1 Charles Street building was purchased from AustralianSuper.
Listed through CBRE, the 2003 two tower office complex comes with parking for 444 vehicles. It had a total lettable area of 32,700 square metres.
The South African-backed Growthpoint Properties Australia headed the field, against rival Cromwell Property Group after the ­expression of interest campaign closed through Josh Cullen and Rick Butler of CBRE earlier this year.
With a 7.6% yield, the property is fully leased to the NSW state government with a significant remaining lease duration of 10 years and a further five year option period. 
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Growthpoint Properties Australia now owns interests in a diversified portfolio of 51 office and industrial properties throughout Australia valued at over $2 billion.
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NSW Parramatta police HQ sold to Growthpoint

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The Australian Taxation Office appears to have cast doubt on the emerging practice of property investors lending money to their self-managed superannuation fund at zero, or low interest rates, to get around the contribution limit.
The likelihood of future favourable rulings to taxpayers adopting the strategy appears in doubt, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported today.
It has been among the 30 tax minimisation strategies used by investors able to have incomes taxed at zero to 15%, instead of the current top rate of 46.5%, by using generous concessions through superannuation.
Adelaide lawyer of Suzanne Mackenzie of DMAW Lawyers noted while at least one Tax Office ruling appeared to accept, or not reject, the strategy, there had been two other rulings rejecting it.
Raising the prospect of penalty taxes, Mackenzie forecast future private rulings on the strategy would now be knocked back.
However a Tax Office spokesman told the AFR the ATO will continue to issue private rulings "decided on the particular facts to which they relate".
The latest statistics show residential property within superannuation jumped in the year to March 2014 from $17.5 billion to $20.5 billion.
Commercial property holdings rose from $58 billion to $68 billion.
The Tax Office figures show there were 528,000 self-managed funds managing $558 billion in assets as at March 2014, up from 501,000 funds in March 2013.
These self-managed super schemes had $3.3 billion of loans, up from $3.1 billion.
The Australian Financial Review reported last month that around 9,200 self-managed super funds have a $5 million plus balance, a rise of 76% in the past three years.
The zero loan strategy has been used to get around the limit on post-tax superannuation contributions, which is $25,000 rising to $30,000 from July.
The loans were typically at zero or low interest with long repayment terms and the money was to be used by the self-managed superannuation fund to invest in property.
Following the recent private rulings, some tax advisers are now suggesting these loans ought now replicate loans from a financial institution in both the terms and the interest rate charged. 
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ATO cast doubts on SMSF property zero interest loan strategy

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There was something oddly sweet when a humble weatherboard home behind a white picket fence on a 594 square metre block at 17 Banksia Street, Bentleigh East in Melbourne followed me on Twitter recently.
Talk about old world meets new via <a href="https://twitter.com/17BanksiaStreet" target="_blank">social media</a> in the digital realm.
It's just a tiny tactic to possibly gain a little more attention for the auction from me and my somewhat paltry 1,480 Twitter followers before it goes to 21 June hockingstuart auction in conjunction with Vendor Marketing <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/17-banksia-street-bentleigh-east/Property-Details-buy-residential-7169801" target="_blank">with $620,000 plus hopes</a> (pictured below). 
Listing and inspection times has been its only tweets so far, so nothing too personal yet. 
There's just the 11 following the house which is currently following 52 other twitter accounts, including <a href="https://twitter.com/BryceHoldaway" target="_blank">Bryce</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/larryschles" target="_blank">Larry</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/psprekos" target="_blank">Petra</a>. 
<img src="/images/2014/06/03/bentleigh%20east%20june%203%20one.jpg" alt="">
Of course the free Twitter placement is still only popular with a certain market audience, and certainly not embraced by all. I was a late adapter starting only three years ago this October. 
The most garrulous house I've come across was 8 Yarra Bank Court in Abbotsford which signed up to a Twitter account in an 2012 attempt to harness social media to sell the property.
Every day or so the house tweeted another comment about how things are going in the area and what a joy it is to live there. 
After joining Twitter the account had 272 followers after 21 days, and sold for $1.93 million. 
 
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/housetwitter.jpg">
The Twitter campaigns are part of an emerging social media trend in Australia, started back in early 2012 by Northcote resident Kurt Opray. 
He reckons his Northcote house sold for $135,000 above his reserve price after signing the house up to Twitter and YouTube and starting a blog. As a pioneer, it had generated huge publicity on old media, via print and television coverage. Kurt even went onto <a href="https://www.hottestproperty.com.au" target="_blank">establishing a company</a> that packaged and promoted the medium, though hasn't really been mentioned much over the past two years judging by a google search. 
Meanwhile I recently noticed real estate experienced its strongest result on record for Australian online advertising in the March quarter as the property industry ramped up its digital spending.
<img src="/images/2014/05/29/iab-may-29-one.gif" alt="">
Source: IAB Australia.
The latest <a href="https://www.iabaustralia.com.au/research-and-resources/research-resources/item/1689-iab-australia-quarter-ended-march-2014" target="_blank">IAB/PWC Online Advertising Expenditure </a>report showed real estate had increased its category share of general display online advertising by 1.9% in the March quarter, to hit 10.4% sitting in third place.
The report said this result represents the highest retail category share for real estate since the data collection began in 2008.
Motor vehicles (20.7%) and finance (10.7%) topped real estate in the online ad spend.
Around 30% of the overall advertising pie is spent on digital, with the overall online advertising market growing 17.1% year on year to $1.067 billion. Digital's 30% is ahead of both free to air television and newspapers.
However, overall online advertising dollars fell in the March quarter by 1.9% compared to the previous December quarter.
"The March quarter is always slightly softer than the strong December quarter, however, it was pleasing to see strong year on year results," explains IAB director of research, GaiLeRoy.
Search and directories accounts for the biggest portion of online advertising at 54%, with general display with 28%, and classifieds at 17%.
Mobile advertising made up 15% of total online advertising expenditure, compared to 14% in the December quarter.
Video advertising had year-on-year growth of 55 percent, and represented 14 percent of digital display dollars for the quarter. Classifieds grew by 4.4 percent since March, 2013.
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Tweeting over the humble white picket fence @17BanksiaStreet highlights ever expanding digital era

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A modernist home behind the modest frontage of an 1890s Annandale brick and tile, semi-detached terrace has been listed for sale.
One Rose is located occupying a corner on leafy Rose Street. It's an important design by the distinguished architect Don Gazzard who took advantage of the slope and northerly orientation of the 253 square metre corner site.
Its entry is off Nelson Street with its signature glass block wall.
One Rose, the three bedroom, two bathroom home was designed and built in 2001 to 2002 by the architectural firm, Gazzard Griffiths.
It is <a href="https://www.modernhouse.co/listings/one-rose/" target="_blank">being offered through Modern House</a>, the specialist estate agency for architect-designed residences.
"This is a house that allows you to live modern – pity the neighbours in their dim Victorian dwellings," the marketing says.
In 2008 it was listed for auction through Jennifer Aaron Real Estate with $1.55 million-plus hopes, with more than 300 people inspecting it, but then withdrawn before auction.
Its 4.7 metre height of the main living space, that incorporates sitting, dining and kitchen with mezzanine above, was assisted by structural engineers, Birzulis Assocs and hydraulic Engineers, Thomsonkane.
Don Gazzard was in his late 60s when the current owner commissioned him to transform their three bed, one bathroom, Victorian cottage.
Marcus Lloyd-Jones, the Modern House agent, notes while studying interior design at the National Art School, the current owner fell in love with the work of Pritzker Prize winning Mexican architect Luis Barragan and challenged Gazzard to encompass some of his ideas. 
Photography: © Michael Nicholson Photography.
 
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One Rose, the Don Gazzard-designed Annandale house listed

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The BRW rich-lister Mark Rowsthorn has sold the former Golden Crust bakery in Armadale, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, for $11.5 million.
The bakery, built in 1915, was converted into a luxury five-bedroom residence by architects Jackson Clements Burrows in 2010 (pictured above).
Title Tattle gathers it has been bought by the Toorak couple, Sara and Clark Kirby. He is the chief operating officer of Village Roadshow. Their $2,695,000 plus redundant Toorak offering remains for sale after failing to sell at last month's Marshall White auction.
It was last sold in 2006 at $4.5 million to Rowsthorn and Allison Gibson through Kay &amp; Burton by the antique dealers Edward and Peta Clark who had 69 Sutherland Road as their home and gallery. The Clarks <a href="/news/vic/industrial-era-windsor-factory-abode-listed-with-3-5-million-plus-hopes">moved to Windsor</a>, selling to their interior designer daughter, Tamsin Clark and her husband Patrick Johnson for $3.1 million in early 2013.
Built in 1915, the former Golden Crust Bakery was largely untouched when the Clarks bought the 915 square metre holding in the mid-1980s.
It still bears the original bakery signage on its brick exterior, the Australian Financial Review wrote.
The other bakery sale was at the weekend when 1A College Place, Albert Park (pictured below) sold at $3,705,000 through Greg Hocking Holdsworth to Julian Cress, co-creator of the Channel Nine series, The Block. 
The vendors had bought The Block contestants Kyal and Kara's apartment in last season's finale.
With separate living and dining spaces, <a href="/expert-insights/buying/albert-park-former-1896-bakery-listed-in-the-block-aftermath">the five bedroom property had been tipped to fetch more than $2.9 million at its auction</a>.
<img src="/images/2014/05/20/albert%20park_0000_1.jpg.jpg" alt="Albert Park former 1896 bakery listed in The Block aftermath">
There is an upstairs retreat at the 300 square metre holding with ivy-covered red brick house that was the Albert Park bakery between the 1890s and 1920s. The property originally fronting Kerford Road. 
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-albert+park-116896327" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Warwick Gardiner, of Greg Hocking Holdsworth, had the listing</a> which traded at $860,000 in 1998.
Julian Cress and Sarah Armstrong have been renting in Albert Park.
Super Saturday had 1,159 properties scheduled to go under the hammer, the third highest weekend for auctions this year.
Australian Property Monitors reported Melbourne has conducted more auctions over the first five months of this year than over the same period in any previous year. 
There was a preliminary weekend clearance rate of 74.4%.
Photo of Golden Cruset Bakery, Armadale © Shannon McGrath. Architect Jackson Clements Burrows Pty. Courtesy of Facebook.
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Bakery property sales bonanza in Melbourne as Mark Rowsthorn sells

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.

[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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