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The former home of notorious 1963 train robber Ronnie Biggs fetched $805,000 at weekend auction.
The fugitive and his ­family briefly lived under assumed identities at 52 Hibiscus Road, Blackburn North, in the 1960s. It last sold at $142,000 in 1993, having been briefly listed with $690,000 hopes in 2011.
It is not understood why the agency were giving $590,000 plus price guidance this time, especially as the neighbouring property had sold within the past year at $720,000 plus.
It was among the 1,310 auctions across 260 Melbourne suburbs this weekend – the highest volume so far this year. The REIV put the peak suburbs for auctions as St Kilda (25 auctions), followed by Reservoir (21 auctions), Hawthorn (21 auctions) and Brighton (20 auctions).
A clearance rate of 71% was recorded this weekend compared to 72% last weekend and 69 percent this weekend last year. There were 1,053 auctions reported to the REIV.
The Blackburn North house was advertised as a "family treasure" by the marketing agents Noel Jones Real Estate.
"Folklore has it that the screech of the police car's wheels could be heard all around this neighbourhood when they came for Ronald Biggs in 1969," auctioneer Martin Froese reportedly told the crowd.
Ronald Biggs fled to Australia after escaping a London jail in 1965, where he was ­serving a 30-year term for his part in the infamous train heist that netted around £2.6 million.
The modest brick veneer house was raided by police, who swooped on the property one evening in 1969 to find Biggs had fled that morning.
The unremarkable double-fronted brick veneer villa at Blackburn North was occupied for 18 months between 1967 and 1969 by a couple calling themselves Terry and Charmain Cook.
They were subsequently revealed as the notorious 1963 British train robber Ronald "Ronnie" Biggs and his wife, Charmain.
The $24 a week rented house (pictured below) was raided at 8pm on October 18, 1969 by police - the day after Biggs had fled following a news report that Biggs was working as a carpenter on the Tullamarine airport construction under the name of Furminger.
It was briefly advertised for sale with $690,000 hopes through the Noel Jones agency in early 2011 as a "three bedroom family home with vitality plus immediate appeal commencing with the eye catching front garden setting. The separate dining room and kitchen-meals overlook the generous rear garden - without doubt a delightful play area for children to enjoy - on its attractive allotment measuring 585 square metres in a neighbourhood that always holds its popularity and value."
No mention was made of its status amid the annals of Australian crime folklore.
Biggs, who died in December 2013, was the subject of a earlier 2013 Channel 7 mini-series, Mrs Biggs. Ronald Biggs's former wife, Charmain Brent, as she became known, assisted in the script of the British ITV production from her long-time Melbourne eastern suburbs home which she secured in the early 1970s.
The Hibiscus Road house has been written about in the James Cockington books, Mondo Weirdo and History Happened Here.
In 1960 Ronnie Biggs married Charmian. The Great Train Robbery of August 8, 1963 secured some £2.6 million from a mail train. After being convicted and jailed, he escaped from HM Prison Wandsworth in July 1965 by scaling the wall with a rope ladder. He fled to Paris, where he acquired new identity papers and underwent plastic surgery. 
<img src="/images/stories/2013/05/biggsmay3one.jpg" alt="biggsmay3one" width="470" height="339">
 
Ronnie Biggs flew to Sydney, Australia on a BOAC flight under the name of a Terence Furminger on New Year's Day 1966. Charmain didn't come until June 1967, spending her first night in Darwin.  The self-confessed green poms, with no idea, set out and drove from Darwin down to Tennant Creek, and then across through Cloncurry and Julia Creek. They settled in the Adelaide seaside suburb, Glenelg North.
In 1967 shortly after their third child was born, Biggs received an anonymous letter from Britain telling him that Interpol suspected that he was in Adelaide and that he should move. The South Australian 5KA radio announcer Maxwell Phillips had reportedly identified Biggs as Terry King, a boarding house proprietor from late 1966 to early 1967.
With jobs including working in set construction at Channel 9 Melbourne, Biggs and the family resided at Blackburn North, in Melbourne, Australia. The house, built by Monmia Developments within a Hooker Corporation land-subdivision estate, had been sold in 1964 and then rented out by its purchaser, a Richmond small goods distributor.
After his departure from Hibiscus Road, Biggs stayed at the $15 a night Alexander motel in Essendon for the first night. He then stayed at a cottage in Kalorama in the Dandenong Ranges which was raided in the week after his escape from the Victorian police. He'd fled it in the nick of time, just hours before the police raid, possibly because the local fire brigade had been testing its siren earlier that day which reportedly spooked Biggs.
After fleeing to Brazil via Panama in 1970, his wife and sons stayed behind in Australia. There was then the sad 1971 loss of their 10-year-old son Nicholas, who was killed in a car crash after the Biggs had departed Australia aboard the liner Oronsay in February 1970.
Ronald Biggs spent the next three decades of his life a fugitive in Rio De Janeiro, and became something of a media celebrity. In 2001 he voluntarily returned to the United Kingdom and spent several years in prison, where his health declined. In 2009 Biggs was released from prison. Charmain was reportedly the first person Biggs phoned after being released from jail.
Charmian flew to Britain from Australia in early 2012, just before filming began when she visited Ronnie who was ill, as although the couple had divorced in 1976 they remained on good terms.
Charmian appeared in the background of one of the five episode mini-series scenes - in the public gallery of the Australian court when the lawyer is arguing for her to be released.
It was her first appearance since her 2001 ABC Australian Story when she advised her wealth didn't stem from the robbery proceeds.
"I was paid $65,000 for the story but the tax man took $40,000 of it. <a href="https://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?locid='JUD/71ATC4195'" target="_blank">It's a case that's in all the law books now</a>. So I was left with enough money to buy this house which was $19,000 at the time," <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s316009.htm" target="_blank">she said</a>.
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Great train robber Ronald Biggs' former Blackburn North, Melbourne hideout sold

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The prime Glen Waverley restaurant retail premises at 88 Kingsway fetched $3.61 million when a disparate group of bidders sought the late March auction offering.
It has been conservatively expected by the Savills agency to fetch over $2.5 million with the 190 square metre property generating more than 150 inquiries mostly from Chinese Australian buyers. It was announced on the market at $3 million.
 <img src="/images/2014/03/28/glen-waverley-march-28-fifteen.jpg" alt="">
The interested parties had been attracted not only by the suburb's growth potential but the lucky street number 88. The rental income was $68,000 annually, reflecting an initial 1.88% rental yield.
Some 80 plus contracts had been issued, but there were just the eight bidder at the onsite auction attended by a large crowd on the footpath. Bidding opened at $2 million.
<img src="/images/2014/03/28/glen-waverley-march-28-eleven.jpg" alt="">
It was knocked down to a Chinese Australian buyer by Savills agents Joseph Catanese and Clinton Baxter. The retail property investor (pictured with smile below) migrated 27 years ago from Macau.
<img src="/images/2014/03/28/glen-waverley-march-28-thirteen.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/28/glen-waverley-march-28-fourteen.jpg" alt="">
Adjoining the Century City Walk entertainment centre, it is a short walk from Glen Waverley railway station and its newly completed high rise residential.
Next door, 86 Kingsway fetched $1.2 million in 2011 for its 198 square metre space, reflecting $6,060 a square metre compared to today's $19,000 a square metre.
With 250 square metres, 101 Kingsway fetched $2.76 million 2011. There had been a $1.9 million sale in 2007 of 186 square metre premises at 106 Kingsway. There had been a $1.15 million sale in 2009 of 98 Kingsway which was 256 square metres. 69 Kingsway fetched $2.15 million in early 2012 for its 179 square metre holding.
The lease to Piatella Cafe runs until August 2016, with two five-year options to ­extend. 
The property has been held by the same couple for more than five decades.
The couple originally owned seven on the same street, but have sold them off gradually and this is their last holding.
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Lucky 1.88% rental yield as 88 Kingsway, Glen Waverley shop fetches $3.61 million at Savills auction

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Escaping to a rural retreat is the dream of many city slickers yearning for a blissfully buccolic existence on a lifestyle weekend property with a pony paddock, veggie garden and chook house. 
This week our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok discuss two luxury properties coincidently both near Mount Macedon (64 kilometres north-west of Melbourne) where the piece de résistance is a designer chicken coop suited to the fussiest of fowls. 
<ol>
<li>
Cluckingham Palace is a grandly named state-of-the-art chook house at Hammet, the Macedon luxury weekender of Transfield Services CEO Graeme Hunt and his wife Karen, which is <a href="https://www.jelliscraig.com.au/property/MACEDON-19-Hammet-Place/6770457/#.UzT5zaiSx8E" target="_blank">listed for April 5 auction through Jellis Craig agents</a>, Tom May and Paul Keane, in conjunction with Nicolette van Wijngaarden of Unique Estates. <img src="/images/2014/03/28/macedon%20march%2028%20one.jpg" alt=""> The Hunts purchased the four-acre property in 2008, and since it has been extensively developed, with Karen co-ordinating the landscaping designed by garden guru, Paul Bangay, and other design concepts conceived by the late interior designer, Stuart Rattle. While the equine pursuits of Karen and her daughter, Madison, were a motivating factor for the Hunts’ purchase of Hammet, they also wanted somewhere for the children to experience open space, farm fresh produce and self-sufficient living – a place with free-range egg producing hens and gardens abundant with vegetables and fruit. <img src="/images/2014/03/28/macedon%20march%2028%20four.jpg" alt=""> These aims led to the development of Hammet’s vegie gardens, orchard, 125 tree olive grove and Cluckingham Palace, the Stuart Rattle designed luxury hen house with its traditional four-sided cupola and cock-a-doodle-doo weathervane on the roof. Set privately behind bespoke entry gates and approached by a tree-lined driveway, Hammet’s beautifully appointed four-bedroom residence has uninterrupted views of Mount Macedon and the surrounding countryside. In the grounds are magnificent formal garden rooms, rolling lawns, a floodlit tennis court, children’s playground and lake. <img src="/images/2014/03/28/macedon%20march%2028%20three.jpg" alt=""> Macedon’s four seasons appeal to the Hunts whose home has glorious winter views of oft-Not quite snow-capped Mount Macedon. Originally the family owned one pony, but given their stable size increased, they’re now looking for a larger property to accommodate the horses. With their love of the local community and Macedon’s easy access to the city (45 minutes drive), they intend staying in the region, which for Graeme provides a quiet and relaxing retreat from his high stress, fast paced, executive life. 
</li>
<li>
Not quite as grand, but a cupola and weathervane also adorn the roof of the chook house at Glenbroch, a magnificent 16-hectare lifestyle property at Woodend in the foothills of Mount Macedon. This property also <a href="https://www.glenbroch.com.au/home" target="_blank">is for sale through </a><a href="https://www.glenbroch.com.au/home" target="_blank">Jellis Craig agents</a>, Tom May and Paul Keane. At the end of an oak lined driveway, the two-storey sandstone gabled residence stands in magnificent gardens with numerous garden rooms, an ornamental parterre, extensive hedges, topiaries, lawns, English trees, maple groves, a crabapple walk, orchard and a kitchen garden. Also in the grounds are an entertaining deck, swimming pond and a leafy 'secret garden' leading to a playground and cottage cubby. <img src="/images/2014/03/28/Woodend%20march%2028%20one.jpg" alt=""> Located at 73 Reid Road, and with direct access to Mount Macedon Regional Park, the property has superior equestrian facilities including a stables, tack and feed rooms, a hot internal horse wash and a manège (a rectangular arena for horse training and dressage). Other features include secure post and rail paddocks with electric fencing, quality stockyards, a cattle crush, four dams, seven water tanks and drinking quality bore water for the garden and livestock. From a distance it is as if it was an original stone homestead from the early days of settlement, but the two-storey house was built a little more than 20 years ago by its original owners, the Reids, for whom the road is named. Liz and Milton Collins bought the property five years ago - country people with Milton Collins from country Victoria and Liz Collins from Tasmania, and for many years had run Woodend's grand old Campaspe House. They lived in the former barn before they built their dream home - and its now has been turned into a tack room, washroom and feed room for the horses. The garden has been re-created as a sculptured formal garden, in the style of Sissinghurst Castle in England.
</li>
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<h5>HE SAID:<img src="/images/2014/03/28/jc-silhouette-7.jpg" alt="" style="float: right;"> </h5>
I’m all for chooks being housed in the lap of luxury, but I draw the line at them perching on chandeliers.
I have a soft spot for chooks and where they live having gleefully collected the hen's eggs in my childhood holidays at Merrijig.
Hens are social, intelligent, funny and inquisitive animals, and I say “Bravo” to the Animals Australia recent video campaign commercial featuring five famous comedians (Peter Rowsthorn, Mick Molloy, Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann, Arj Barker and Carl Barron) who profess their love for the “ladies” and bring to attention the ugly conditions of battery caged chooks, by declaring, “That ain’t no way to treat a lady”.
<h5>SHE SAID:<img src="/images/2014/03/28/mb-silhouette-6.jpg" width="100" height="150" style="float: left;"></h5>
I adore palatial poultry palaces that keep hens safe and warm come rain or shine, especially at Mount Macedon which often has all four seasons in a day.
As well as keeping “the girls” comfortable and happy, a designer hen house adds a striking feature to the garden.
My favourite is a white-washed coop <a href="https://www.thefancyfarmgirl.com/heres-the-coop/" target="_blank">featured on the Fancy Farm Girl blog</a>. As well as requisite feed bins, this astonishingly neat and tidy chookery has a crystal chandelier and comfortable armchair – just the spot to perch and chat with your feathered friends.
Any decent Australian version of course must have a Leslie Wilkinson/Hardy Wilson style cupola atop any coop.
I maintain that especially during the Australian winter, chickens often need extra light to lay eggs, so putting in a chandelier into the coop is not only pretty, but functional.
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Designer chicken coops for the fussiest of fowls: He Said/She Said 

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Matthew Koder, the expatriate Asia Pacific president at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is tipped to emerge as the mystery $19 million buyer of the Bellevue Hill mansion, Donnington Grange.

With its so-called classic neo-Georgian pedigree, it was among the freshest and priciest of Bellevue Hill listings. 

Title Tattle recalls Bank of America's head of Asia Pacific global corporate and investment bank was poached several years ago from UBS. Koder had started out at Goldman Sachs in the mid-1990s, after a commerce degree from the University of New South Wales with first class honors in finance.

The reputed sale price went close to Angela Fleming's $20 million hopes. Ranking as the year's highest trophy mansion sale, it is now expected to become available in the executive rental pool given the Koder family are not expected to take up occupancy for several years. Koder's Hong Kong born wife Shanyan (霍尚欣) founded London's Hua Gallery of contemporary Chinese art.

It was 2005 when the late grocery tycoon Jim Fleming and his wife, Angela paid $16.5 million for the Bellevue Hill residence, a pricey sale at a time when a pall was evident over most of the Sydney market.

The 1,842-square metre Drumalbyn Road estate (pictured above), with eight bedrooms, 10-bathroom house and 10-car underground garaging, was sold through <a href="https://doublebay.ljhooker.com.au/M6EF93" target="_blank">LJ Hooker agent Bill Malouf</a> and Sophie Beaumont, in conjunction with Sydney Sothebys International. It was built for the Rubenstein family before its sale to the Flemings.

Last October Property Observer reported <a href="/news/price-floor-found-for-prestige-as-angela-fleming-spends-12-4-million-on-point-piper-apartment">Angela Fleming bought mining executive Ian Stolyar's Point Piper apartment for $12.3 million</a> from the mortgagee-in-possession.

No price details have emerged on another major Bellevue Hill sale just nearby with NAB Wealth management executive Greg Symons buying from the Cosgrove family. It was very much an off market deal. 

In the dress circle of Bellevue Hill, Sydney’s most prestigious non-waterfront suburb, another magnificent heritage home, known as Rovello is whispered to have  been snappily sold by the Darling family - also without price disclosure after the expressions of interest marketing campaign concluded March 28. Title Tattle is aware of an $18 million offer made from bottom feeding wise buying interests so, $20 million plus must have been achieved.

Set on the highest point of Bellevue Hill and facing north over Sydney Harbour, Rovello was built for Dr Vincent Flynn and wife, Jean Flynn, a great-niece of George Adams, the founder of Tattersall’s Sweepstake. A trust fund established some years after the 1881 introduction of Tattersall’s sweepstake generated vast wealth for the Adams family.

Flynn chose a site on Ginahgulla Road, considered one of the suburb’s finest streets, as the location for her new home. And then she commissioned Wilson, Neave and Berry to design the house in the colonial Georgian revival style favoured by Hardy Wilson who was the company’s leading architect.

Barford, another residence designed by Wilson, Neave and Berry, the leading architectural firm of the 1920s and 1930s era remains listed. Rovello had $20 million price hopes. Barford comes with $60 million price expectations. With double digit millions price tags, these grand residences have fascinating histories linked to prominent Australian families. Their hertitage status doesn't preclude further contemporary living renovations, as the recent <a href="/expert-insights/investing/rovello-v-barford-showdown-of-1930s-wilson-neave-and-berry-designed-bellevue-hill-trophy-homes">He said She Said column advised Property Observer readers.</a>

With a $3.23 million median house price, <a href="/news">Bellevue Hill</a> is among the highest in the country. But its median house price is still below its $3.92 million peak in 2010 and 6% below five years ago. 

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7588]

The tobacco chief David Crow has meanwhile bought in Bellevue Hill paying about $11.75 million for the home of former Network Nine senior executive Lynton Taylor and his wife, Ros. 

The redundant 1920s Rose Bay home of Crow, the chief executive of British American Tobacco Australia, and his wife, Lucinda has snappily sold on Beresford Road at apparently just under $7.5 million.

One of Bellevue Hill's oldest families, the Ure family has listed "Kells", their 1924 home. The grand Californian bungalow was once the childhood home of R.M. Ure, the government architect who designed the Reserve Bank building on Martin Place.

The eight-bedroom Lamb Street property has been listed for April 7 through 1st City-Hasemer+Caldwell.Eyles with $3.7 million plus hopes.

The 1910 Bellevue Hill residence of publicist Judi Hausmann is apparently for sale - and may have even sold snappily - with $8 million plus hopes, although her estate agency appears slow on the emergence of the internet as a marketing means. 

The 1338 square metre Kambala Road property comes with pool and tennis court. 

It was bought from Hong Kong-based businessman Greg Jones and his wife, Kim, in 2004 for $5,875,000 who had paid the fashion designer Rebecca Davies $5,275,000 for it in 2002. Hausmann is off to The Plantation House in Darling Point.

Speaking of fashion designers, Camilla Freeman-Topper and her husband Dave secured $4.65 million late last year through Ray White Double Bay agents Ashley Bierman and Elliott Placks for their Bellevue Hill abode. 

The battle-axe Cranbrook Road property had been bought in 2009 for $3,275,000, and then renovated and extended. There were hopes of about $4.5 million.

Indonesian media mogul Eddy Sariaatmadja and his wife, Sofie, have their 1,619-square-metre Ginahgulla Road, Bellevue Hill property for sale. 

It was bought in 2009 for $14.5 million. The now-gutted house with approved plans has $15 million plus hopes by Sariaatmadja, who owns Indonesia's second-largest media group, Emtek.

Willowbrook, the reinvented Georgian property with a substantial rebuild done by architects Lawton Hurley, sold for $11 million last year to the Prosser family, contradicting the over the top Fairfax Media estimates of $12 million.

Viewless Willowbank, a five bedroom Bellevue Hill trophy home (pictured below), was sold by Mark Greig, son of the late cricket commentator Tony Greig and his wife, Angela Roche, through Sotheby's International Realty Sydney agent James McCowan. The 858 square metre property previously sold at $5.75 million in 2007 when bought from Peter Kendall.

The 1930s Georgian home was re-built 2009 by architects Lawton Hurley with interiors by designer Lynda Kerry in grounds landscaped by William Dangar. The Hamptons-style house comes with mosaic-tiled heated pool and spa with cabana and the semi-enclosed deck with built-in outdoor kitchen.

<img alt="" src="/images/2014/03/28/bellevue%20hill_0011_13.jpg.jpg">

Addenbrooke, the stately Bellevue Hill trophy home, was the prestige suburb's last big sale at $28 million last year. Addenbrooke last traded at its 1988 auction for $5.375 million having been the home of the late Sir Lionel Coppleson, the former hire purchase Custom Credit co-founding chairman, for close to five decades.

The $28 million sale exceded the suburb's prior record which stood at $23 million for Lachlan Murdoch's Le Manoir purchase in 2009 and the also sale of 84 Victoria Road in 2010 for $23 million. There have been another three sales above $20 million, including Rona in 2005 at $20.5 million. 

Another of last year's big sale was when Cranbrook School paid $15,501,000 under the hammer in May for the former home of Sir Peter Abeles, Sundorne.

Yoorami remains for sale through Martin Schiller at Savills. Yachtie Matt Allen, a veteran of more than 20 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races, is off to the late Sir William Tyree"s Darling Point harbour front. It was 1996 when the Potter Warburg executive Matt Allen spent $5.65 million sale to buy the Yoorami Estate in Bellevue Hill from the barrister Geraldine Vandeleur, wife of silk Charles Sweeney.

Sir William Tyree was the founder of a 1940s electrical transformer manufacturing company.

Matt Allen's most famous Sydney to Hobart skippering has been of Ichi Ban, which has variously been a Sydney 38 OD, a Farr 40 OD and a Jones 70 ocean racer. He is the former Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore.

Sir William - who briefly dabbled in FM radio licences in the late 1970s - was knighted in 1971 for philanthropic services.

In the early 1990s Sir William successfully resisted attempts by Woollahra Council to turn his foreshore land, which has unrivalled boating facilities, into a harbourfront open space linking to nearby McKell Park.

Sir William engaged three agents to find its buyer in August 2011. A dispute over the selling agency commission has been whispered.
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Bank of America boss Matthew Koder buys Bellevue Hill trophy home market

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A two-bedroom house with a rear studio made out of recycled tin has broken Redfern's house price record, selling for $2.73 million.
A crowd of 100 gathered at 105 Marriott Street, to watch less than a handful of bidders push the price $230,000 above the $2.5 million reserve for the 265 square metre property.
It sold to an inner-west family though Charles Touma of Belle Property Glebe by the Byron Bay bound vendor film producer Jane Smith, who grew up on a farm in Cootamundra and thinks tin sheds are great. There had been $2.25 million plus pre-auction hopes by Jane Smith who first moved to Redfern 15 years ago.
The property had previously sold in 2010 at $1.65 million, and in 2007 at $1,275,000 and at $701,000 in 2001.
The previous Redfern record was set in 2013 when the 27 Chelsea Street home of late artist Brenda Humble sold for $2.58 million. The four-bedroom home on 400 square metres sold for $330,000 over its reserve.
Redfern's weekend offering was a double fronted three bedroom freestanding home plus freestanding rear corner tin shed building. The historic 1940s tin shed had undergone a designer transformation into two self-contained spaces.
The rear tin shed - credited to architect Raffaello Rosselli - is set up as a work from home space with kitchenettes. It had also been available on Airbnb.
The shed in its prior state was structurally unsound so the original shed was disassembled in 2011 and set aside for the erection of a new timber frame.
Layers of corrugated iron accumulated over generations of adhoc repair were then reassembled on three facades with Corten steel window boxes opening up the once windowless space.
 The front and rear dwellings are connected by a grassed yard with timber decking.
The median house price for <a href="/news">Redfern</a> sits at $921,500, an 11% jump from the previous 12 months, according to RP Data.
It was among the many record prices set across Sydney suburbs so far this year.
This list of records set in eight known suburbs, according to APM figures, includes consecutive records set at Matraville.
Warren Ball Avenue, Newtown: undisclosed but $3.5 million plus (previous $3.2 million in 2010)
Water Street, Wahroonga: $9.2 million ($7.5 million in 2013)
Llandilo Avenue, Strathfield: $6.8 million ($5.75 million in 2007) through Joseph Georges &amp; Co
Larose Avenue, Matraville: $2.04 million ($1.93 million in 2014)
Trevilyan Avenue, Rosebery: $2.17 million ($2.02 million in 2013)
Belmore Road, Peakhurst: $1.64 million ($1.48 million in 2013)
Montpellier Ridge, Bella Vista: $2.24 million ($2.08 million in 2013)
Georges River Crescent, Oyster Bay: $3.45 million ($2.9 million in 2007)
(Source APM)
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Corrugated iron 1940s tin shed $2.73 million Redfern record after Raffaello Rosselli repurposing

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The pre-Easter auction rush gathers pace this weekend with 790 homes set to go under the hammer, the highest number of Saturday auctions this year.
The following two weekends’s each have in excess of 900 homes.
The prestige market continues to improve with last Saturday recording 20 sales of properties above $2 million, according to Australian Property Monitors.
Prestige buyers were active in the lower north last weekend with a stunning clearance rate of 92.5%. Next best was the city and east with 89.7% followed by the inner west with 86.8%.
Andrew Wilson, the senior economist for Australian Property Monitors, says this weekend the inner west will again provide the most number of auctions at 128 followed by the south with 107 and the city and east with 103.
Ashfield in the inner west is the most popular suburb for auctions this weekend with 12 listed. This is followed by <a href="/news">Paddington</a> in the city and east with 10 and number of suburbs with nine auctions scheduled including <a href="/news">Epping</a>, <a href="/news">Earlwood</a>, <a href="/news">Bexley</a> and <a href="/news">Chatswood</a>.
Last weekend a <a href="/expert-insights/buying/corrugated-iron-1940s-tin-shed-2-73-million-redfern-record-after-raffaello-rosselli-repurposing">Redfern offering set a record price</a> for the suburb. 
Recently a <a href="/news/lavish-strathfield-offering-sells-for-record-6-8-million-as-inner-west-prestige-gathers-pace">Strathfield</a><a href="/news/lavish-strathfield-offering-sells-for-record-6-8-million-as-inner-west-prestige-gathers-pace"> offering set a suburb record</a> (featured picture above) at $6.8 million through Joseph Georges, of George Ellis &amp; Co for a house with over 1,000 square metres internally, with garaging for seven cars, a pool and tennis court.
APM has listed some seven other recent record sales from <a href="/news">Bella Vista</a> in the north to <a href="/news">Oyster Bay</a> in the south.
"The Sydney market continues to meet every challenge over autumn and remains on record breaking pace for the number of listings, the number of sales and naturally the value of property sold at autumn auctions," Wilson said,
Last weekend produced another strong result for the local market with a clearance rate of 81.5% – the eighth consecutive weekend rate at or above 80% this year on they initial rests, although the revised figures after more results have settled around 77%.
"The average (initial) weekend rate this year at 82.5% is clearly higher than the 78.6% averaged over the final eight weeks of the last year’s spring-summer market and unsurprisingly well ahead of the 71.1% averaged over the same eight weekends a year ago," Wilson said.
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Some 790 weekend auctions, then the pre-Easter fortnight of 900 plus Sydney auction offerings

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The former observatory home of Professor Georg von Nuemayer - a noted astronomer and polar explorer - has been listed for sale in South Yarra.
He undertook major astronomical work from the basement in the Domain Road property during his residency in the 1860s.
Historic sketches of the pendulum room where the work was conducted (such as the one below) appear in then contemporaneous publications. 
<img src="/images/2014/03/27/south-yarra-heritage-march-27-one.jpg" alt="">
Source: Royal Society of Victoria
Located on a corner block, the 203 square metre property is set on one of Kings Domain's finest streets.
The four bedroom home has several living areas plus terrace courtyard and double garage.
The 119 Domain Road, South Yarra property has been listed by <a href="https://www.kayburton.com.au/property/119-domain-road-south-yarra" target="_blank">Kay &amp; Burton agents </a><a href="https://www.kayburton.com.au/property/119-domain-road-south-yarra" target="_blank">Gowan Stubbings and Emma Bloom</a> who expect between $2.75 million and $3 million at its April 5 auction.
Von Nuemayer, who lived between 1826 and 1909, was the director of the Flagstaff Observatory, and former member, councillor, Vice President and honorary life member of the Royal Society of Victoria.
There now sits a plaque on the property commemorating the significance of the home set on the Hope Street corner, formerly known as Montpelier Terrace/Place.   
Born in Palatinate, Germany Neumayer was education in Munich, becoming interested in polar exploration, terrestrial magnetism, oceanography, navigation, and nautical astronomy. After he made a voyage to South America, he arrived at Sydney in 1852. After trying his fortune on the goldfields, Neumayer gave lectures on navigation to seamen, and then spent time in Tasmania at the observatory.
After he arrived in Melbourne in January 1857, he secured government funding for an interim observatory, with the instruments provided by the King of Bavaria, at what is now Flagstaff Gardens. The Botanic Gardens observatory opened in 1862.
Von Neumayer was a member of the exploration committee of the Royal Society which organised the 1860 Burke &amp; Wills Expedition joining it between Swan Hill and Bilbarka. The South Yarra property was his residence around 1863 and 1864.
In 1895, von Neumayer had established the German Commission for South Polar Exploration, which culminated in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_German_Antarctica_Expedition" title="First German Antarctica Expedition" style="line-height: 1.3em;"></a>1901 so-called Gauss expedition.
Neumayer died in 1909 in Germany, his name given to the German Polar Research Station in Antarctica, "Neumayer Station".
The front two rooms and the hall on ground floor and first floor, basement and attic room have been assessed as original dating back to its 1850's construction. One of the first residents was John Moore from the Tasmanian Fire Insurance company.
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Astronomer Professor Georg von Nuemayer's 1860s South Yarra home listing

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Potts Point's latest offering sale has been the penthouse of the publican Chris Crawley after receivers PPB Advisory took possession.
Crawley developed The Georgian on Macleay Street in 2010, retaining the three-bedroom 680 square metre triplex penthouse with pool. 
Jason Boon and Andrew Hoggett of <a href="https://www.randw.com.au/1408774/" target="_blank">Richardson and Wrench Elizabeth Bay</a> had been telling inspectees that it was set<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-potts+point-116039307" target="_blank"> to fetch above $10 million.</a> 
It's annual strata levy is just short of $20,000.
Expressions of interest closed on the 14th March, with the sold stickers posted yesterday.
The Georgian three-level penthouse came with views stretching from the city skyline to The Heads.
It was featured in the recent <a href="/news/plenty-of-blue-sky-with-12-sydney-penthouses-at-10-million-or-more-which-one-to-buy">top 10 Sydney prestige penthouses</a> He Said/She Said list.
Crawley was allowed to demolish an historic villa to undertake the project.
Former liquor merchant John Piven Large paid a reputed $15 million in 2012 for the Pomeroy, Potts Point penthouse of Bob Ell.
The previous highest sale was $8.85 million in 2011 when the Sutton car dealing family bought a 624 square metre penthouse, one of two in the Rockwall complex.
A $20 million off the plan offering in the Ashington project failed to proceed when the project collapsed, with the subsequent Investa project splitting the top floor into two apartments.
 
 
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The Georgian penthouse sells in highest Potts Point apartment sale since 2012

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The Mosman weekend top seller fetched $5.7 million. But the marketing has suggested $6 million plus hopes.
But it represented only a small increase on its past two sales.
The five bedroom, four bathroom house had previously sold in 2008 at $5.25 million, reflecting 1.5% annual price growth during the past six years.
And it had been renovated in the meantime.
<img src="/images/2014/03/25/mosman-march-25-one.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/25/mosman-march-25-two.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/25/mosman-march-25-three.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/25/mosman-march-25-four.jpg" alt="">
Photos: 18 Moruben Road, Mosman from its 2008 listing, prior to renovation
With views of Balmoral, The Heads and Manly, it had also sold at $5.1 million in 2007.
The five-bedroom house on 590 square metres at 18 Moruben Road fetched $5.7 million through Belle Property at weekend auction. 
<a href="/news">RP Data puts Mosman's median house price currently at $2.3 million</a>, just a tad under its $2.36 million median record achieved in 2012.
The $2.3 million median is however matching the peak achieved prior to the onsite of the global financial crisis.
It dipped to as low as $1.9 million in 2009.
After its 2012 recovery, it dipped to around $2.05 million.
Mosman agent Robert Simeon wrote today that the <a href="/expert-insights/buying/the-property-numbers-that-really-count-mosman-a-good-indicator-of-property-market-strength">Mosman house market was easily one of the most observed on the property catwalk</a>.
He presented some interesting stats on the sales volumes from Australian Property Monitors. 
<ul>
<li>2006 Number of Houses Sold 366 for a total value of $932,663,130</li>
<li>2007 Number of Houses Sold 373 for a total value of $1,130,325,667</li>
<li>2008 Number of Houses Sold 247 for a total value of $702,311,112 – GFC</li>
<li>2009 Number of Houses Sold 278 for a total value of $732,986,251 – GFC</li>
<li>2010 Number of Houses Sold 317 for a total value of $900,728,149 – GFC</li>
<li>2011 Number of Houses Sold 270 for a total value of $777,349,292</li>
<li>2012 Number of Houses Sold 284 for a total value of $789,400,700</li>
<li>2013 Number of Houses Sold 366 for a total value of $1,022,005,721*</li>
</ul>
 
Simeon noted the 2013 figure will rise significantly higher given a number of top end properties sold late in 2013 with long settlement periods.
 
 
 
The Moruben Road house topped RP Data's list of the week's top 10 sales. There were just the two entrants from Melbourne.
Top 10 sales of the week ending March 23, according to RP Data:
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/18_moruben_road_mosman_nsw_2088/4493552" target="_blank">18 Moruben Road, Mosman, NSW, 2088</a>, five-bedroom house, sold on March 22 by Belle Property Mosman for $5.7 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/21_wallis_avenue_strathfield_nsw_2135/6496668" target="_blank">21 Wallis Avenue, Strathfield, NSW, 2135</a>, six-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on March 22 by Georges Ellis &amp; Co for $4.525 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/24_beaver_street_malvern_east_vic_3145/11585509" target="_blank">24 Beaver Street, Malvern East, VIC, 3145</a>, five-bedroom house, sold at auction on March 22 by Jellis Craig Bennison Mackinnon for $4.1 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/67_georges_river_crescent_oyster_bay_nsw_2225/5258407" target="_blank">67 Georges River Crescent, Oyster Bay, NSW, 2225</a>, five-bedroom house, sold at auction on March 18 by Highland Property Agents for $3.45 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/233_o'sullivan_road_bellevue_hill_nsw_2023/1369906" target="_blank">233 O'Sullivan Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW, 2023</a>, five-bedroom house, sold on March 19 by Richardson &amp; Wrench Double Bay for $3.18 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/14_allenby_road_canterbury_vic_3126/10253153" target="_blank">14 Allenby Road, Canterbury, VIC, 3126</a>, five-bedroom house, sold at auction on March 22 by Kay &amp; Burton for $3.125 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/7_blake_street_rose_bay_nsw_2029/5915064" target="_blank">7 Blake Street, Rose Bay, NSW, 2029</a>, four-bedroom house, sold on March 18 by Ray White Double Bay for $3.1 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/5/32a_awaba_street_mosman_nsw_2088/4476065" target="_blank">5/32A Awaba Street, Mosman, NSW, 2088</a>, three-bedroom house, sold at auction on March 22 by Croll Real Estate for $3.065 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/10_spofforth_street_cremorne_nsw_2090/2002561" target="_blank">10 Spofforth Street, Cremorne, NSW, 2090</a>, five-bedroom house, sold on March 21 by Belle Property Neutral Bay Neutral Bay for $3 million
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.myrp.com.au/property/34d_latimer_road_bellevue_hill_nsw_2023/16760271" target="_blank">34D Latimer Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW, 2023</a>, four-bedroom house, sold prior to auction on March 17 by L J Levi Real Estate for $2.9 million
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Back at pre-GFC median highs, but Mosman top seller can only muster 1.5% annual price growth 

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Set high on 33 hectares, 10 minutes to Mansfield, Erinview has been listed for sale with a $1.9 million asking price.
It's been the O'Kelly family passion for 35 years. All up it comes with eight bedrooms and six ensuite bathrooms.
<a href="https://www.clarkco.com.au/properties/residential/Acreage+Semi+Rural-Vic-Mansfield-115733507" target="_blank">The property at 694 Howes Creek Road comes with tower that incorporates a library</a>.
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/2.jpg" alt="">
There are mirror image wings each comprising a huge lounge, two bedrooms, bathroom and ensuite, and polished timber flooring.
The grounds comes with pizza oven, gazebo, plunge pool and a fully covered orchard and vegetable area keeps the birds at bay.
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/5.jpg" alt="">
There are horse stables and large workshop.
"This is arguably the grandest property on the market in the district," says the recent marketing by Andrew Clark and Peter Holloway at Clark &amp; Co Mansfield. 
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/9.jpg" alt="">
It is also listed with Ruralco agent Danni Schneider.
<a href="https://www.erinviewhouse.com.au" target="_blank">It has been a bed and breakfast.</a>
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/18.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/20.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/21.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/24/mansfield/24.jpg" alt="">
 
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Erinview, the Mansfield retreat listed after 35 years

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/abadeen">Abadeen</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/perifa">PERIFA</a> have celebrated the topping out of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf,</a> marking a significant milestone in the delivery of one of Syd​ney's most anticipated waterfront communities.

Located on Sydney's harbourfront at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/putney-nsw-2112">Putney</a>, the project has now reached its highest structural point, with construction progressing strongly towards completion in 2027. 
&nbsp; 
The milestone was celebrated on-site with project partners Phoenix Property Investors, Mitsubishi Estate Asia, Versatile Construction, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, consultants and stakeholders, to recognise the collective effort behind the transformation of the historic waterfront site into a vibrant new residential, marina and lifestyle destination.

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&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will deliver a mix of waterfront residences and terraces, complemented by a private 36-berth marina, waterfront dining opportunities and a revitalised foreshore designed to reconnect the community with the river's edge. 
&nbsp; 
Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said the project represented a rare opportunity to create the next chapter in Sydn​ey's long history of successful waterfront precincts. 
&nbsp; 
"Throughout Sydney, some of the city's most sought-after addresses have emerged from carefully considered waterfront precincts such as Woolloom​ooloo Wharf, Walsh Bay and Breakfast Point," Brown said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362566] 
&nbsp; 
"What makes these places so successful is that they become much more than residential developments," Brown said.

"They bring together homes, hospitality, marina facilities, public spaces and a strong sense of community in locations where future supply is incredibly limited."

Brown has long described absolute waterfront land in Sy​dney as "finite."

"Once these opportunities are developed, they are rarely replicated. That's why Syd​ney's waterfront precincts have consistently demonstrated strong demand and long-term value growth over many decades. 
&nbsp; 
"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is one of the few remaining opportunities to secure a residence within a masterplanned waterfront community that combines direct water access, marina ownership opportunities and a genuine village lifestyle just moments from the Sy​dney CBD."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362564] 
&nbsp; 
PERIFA Founder and Managing Director Fabrizio Perilli said the project reflected a shared commitment to delivering exceptional places that create long-term value for residents and the broader community. 
&nbsp; 
"The topping out milestone is a significant achievement for the Versatile Group and a testament to the collaboration between all project partners, consultants and contractors involved," Perilli said. 
&nbsp; 
"Beyond the residences themselves, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will establish a new waterfront destination that celebrates the history, character and lifestyle of this unique location while creating a lasting legacy for future generations."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=291195] 
&nbsp; 
Construction is being delivered by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/versatile">Versatile Construction</a>, with structural works now substantially complete across the precinct. Attention will progressively shift to the construction of the waterview terraces, apartment façades, services and interior fit-out works over the coming months. 
&nbsp; 
With limited residences and marina berths remaining, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> continues to attract strong interest from owner occupiers and downsizers seeking a premium waterfront lifestyle within close proximity to Putne​y Village, Rh​odes, Top Ry​de and the Syd​ney CBD. 
&nbsp; 
As one of the last opportunities to secure a residence within a new masterplanned waterfront community on Sy​dney Harbour, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is expected to remain a highly sought-after address for years to come.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=13962]

Joel Robinson

Abadeen, PERIFA, top out Putney Wharf harbourfront precinct

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]

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.

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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.

[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.

Jonathan Chancellor

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