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The INXS guitarist Tim Farriss secured $1.73 million for his Milsons Point apartment at weekend auction.
It was bought seven years ago off the plan for $1.65 million in 2007.
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The apartment at <a href="https://www.belleproperty.com/8P1813" target="_blank">1003/118 Alfred St</a> was bought as an investment with intentions to have it as a city bolt-hole away from their Southern Highlands farm where they breed cattle.
It had been listed through Belle Property Neutral Bay agent, Mark Jackson with $1.6 million plus hopes.
Over the years its asking price rent has ranged between the initial $1,000 a week sought in late 2009 and the $1,250 weekly asking rental sought briefly earlier this year.
The 10th-floor apartment in the North Residences was briefly up for sale in 2010 with hopes of more than $1.7 million. It has 146 square metres internal space plus 20 square metres balcony, parking for one car and storage space.
It is in a converted office building which completed in 2009 with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, open plan interior and a gourmet kitchen.
Tim Farriss and his wife, Beth apparently envisage a move to the Northern Beaches.
Farris has been part of INXS since the beginning, playing with his brothers, Andrew and Jon Farris, and high school friend Kirk Pengilly, as featured in the Channel 7 mini-series in which he collaborated.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

INXS guitarist Tim Farriss secured $1.7 million for Milsons Point apartment

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The Reserve Bank of Australia sold its redundant Kirribilli mansion, Eversley, for a bullish $5.2 million at weekend auction.
Its annual price appreciation during the RBA's 28 year ownership reflected a healthy 7.8% annual growth.
It was among the 670 properties that went to weekend auction with the initial Australian Property Monitors tally at another weekend clearance rate above 80% - of 81.5%.
 It represented the eighth weekend running that APM has recorded above 80% on initial results, although the prior weekend was revised down to 77.9%, which is about its true auction success tally.
With unconfirmed $4.5 million plus price hopes, the opening bid at the Ray White Lower North Shore auction was $4.1 million.
There were just the two reported bidders, who pushed the price of the duplex at 10 Carrabella Street up.
It last sold in April 1986 for $630,000 under Bob Johnston's governorship just before the Sydney market took off in its late 1980s record boom.
No reason for its sale has been given but Property Observer recently noted in recent years <a href="/news/nsw/no-more-landlord-niggles-as-rba-lists-excess-4-million-kirribilli-residential-property">the property has been beset with pesky landlord issues</a> taking up much of the central bank's time.
Issues including leaking taps, pathway descaling, problematic cistern, dangerous tree limb decay, low pressure hot and cold shower water, hazmat requirements, leaking roof tiles, balustrade compliance, damp kitchen ceiling, decaying front garden fencing, the back fence replacement, bathroom grouting issues, possums in the fiddlewood tree, beeping fire alarm on the first floor, and the failing light above the sandstone stairs that meant the steps were dangerous. 
At one point rental abatement was given.
The weekend's highest sale was $5.7 million in Mosman.
APM put Melbourne's initial weekend clearance rate at 73% an its revised prior weekend at 69.8%, indicating that slight softening in the Melbourne market. Its initial result last weekend was 73.9%.
Melbourne's highest weekend sale was $3,125,000 in Canterbury. 
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RBA sells Kirribilli mansion securing impressive 7.8% annual price growth

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Australian cricketer David Warner secured $1.88 million when his Little Bay home sold at weekend auction.
Initial reports suggested the coastal suburban Sydney house would fetch about $1.9 million.
Two buyers competed for the renovated four-bedroom Jenner Street home.
The 27-year-old opening batsman had purchased the property for $1.75 million in 2012.
The home, with Queenslander-style facade, had a contemporary rear extension with an open-plan living space of its 738 square metre block.
David Warner apparently will be trading up in Sydney's east, but the Sunday Telegraph Phil Rothfield's has recently written the test opener has denied he was looking to buy a property in the $4 million range in Bondi.
Warner and his fiance, Candice Falzon announced they are expecting a child earlier this month.
Warner also has an investment property in Maroubra, which cost $562,000 in late 2009. It is in a 1950s Maroubra Road block of four units.
Its rental performance appears patchy as available at a $620 a week rental in late 2011, by March 2012 it was still available at $560 a week.
It became available again in March 2013 at a $600 a week asking price, seemingly on a six month lease, as it was back briefly available for rent at $600 a week in late 2013.
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Cricketer David Warner sells in Little Bay as family home becomes necessary

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These days living in a luxury penthouse denotes the epitome of modern classy apartment living for cashed-up downsizers. 
Since 2007 there have been a few penthouse sales at more than $10 million, but typically at well under their ambitious asking prices. One of the strongest sales was when Angela Fleming, the widow of grocery tycoon Jim Fleming, beat off the Maloney family paying $12.3 million last October for the former Point Piper apartment of mining executive Ian Stolyar, which was sold mortgagee-in-possession. Angela Fleming bought before she sold, which most are not prepared, so the impasse of unsold huge mansions has caused some tepidness in the penthouse market. Angela's strategy has paid off as Donnington Grange, her neo-Georgian-style residence on Bellevue Hill was reported sold on late Friday afternoon at around $19 million, after it was listed in January for $20 million with Michael Pallier of Sydney Sotheby's International, and Bill Malouf at LJ Hooker Double Bay. It last traded in 2005 for $16.5 million.
 
Meanwhile across inner eastern Sydney, where penthouse envy reigns supreme, a wide range of top-notch penthouses remain up for grabs, including a couple of listings that offer the choice of combining two adjoining apartments. The agents say be prepared to spend $10 million plus. 
The supposed Sydney record of $21 million was set last year at Bondi Beach for the off the plan The Pacific double penthouse, bought in an uncharacteristic blaze of marketing hype by the publicity shy chief investment officer of Caledonia Investments, Will Vicars. This week our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok cast their eyes across the 12 priciest penthouse offerings in the “Emerald City” and say which one they’d buy if the funds allowed.
1) The ultimate - well priciest - trophy penthouse listing currently on offer is at 1 Macquarie Street overlooking Circular Quay (pictured below). In the Bennelong complex directly behind the Opera House, it is for sale with price hopes of more than $30 million.
Originally designed as four separate apartments, this enormous harbourside penthouse was consolidated by hoteliers Cyril and Margaret Maloney after the couple purchased four units off-the-plan in 1999 for almost $14 million. The penthouse has been listed for the second time in five years. In 2010 it was listed with a $30 million price tag, but failed to sell.
Following the death of Mr Maloney last year, his widow has placed the property on the market through Bill Malouf of LJ Hooker Double Bay and Michael Pallier of Sotheby's International. With annual strata fees reported to be well over $100,000, the 700 square metre apartment has its own lift lobby, a wine cellar, billiards room, a grand main bedroom suite, dressing rooms and a multimillion-dollar view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House concourse. There are also five car spaces on title.
Malouf and Pallier suggest the penthouse will attract an international buyer due to its unique landmark position in the dress circle between Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. 
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/sydney%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
2) In second place, with reported $20 million hopes, is the Darling Point penthouse of the late Macquarie Bank co-founder David Clarke. With about 740 squares metres of Babworth House (pictured below), the Arts and Crafts mansion built in 1915 for retailer Sir Samuel Hordern, the Mount Adelaide Street apartment was bought by Clarke in 2003 for $8 million.
Architect Michael Suttor and designer Michael Love collaborated on its interiors, which boast a grand reception hall, sweeping staircase, study, gym, and formal and informal living areas. Clark’s widow Jane Clarke has it listed with Sotheby’s Michael Pallier.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/darling%20point%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
3) The next most expensive is the Darlinghurst penthouse of high-rise Horizon which remains for sale after it was withdrawn from auction last weekend through Bill Bridges of Ballard Property.
Crowning the distinctive Harry Seidler-designed tower, the 43rd-floor penthouse (pictured below) is owned by Tasmania’s gambling arts patron, David Walsh, who’s the proprietor of the much-admired MONA gallery and Moorilla Estate vineyard. Walsh had listed his penthouse with $16 million price expectations.
To entice buyers and sweeten a deal for prospective purchasers, he was to offer the buyer select artworks from his private collection, including a watercolour triptych on paper by John Olsen to remain, though it makes more sense to keep the oil painting by Michael Johnson in situ. Walsh bought the penthouse from property developer Lang Walker in 2002 for $10 million through Bridges - it exceeded Sydney's then $8-million penthouse record.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/darlinghurst%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
4) The Residence on College Street overlooking Hyde Park still has a sub-penthouse (pictured below) remaining for sale with $16 million hopes.
Known as The Archibald, it was withdrawn from recent auction by CBRE agent Ben Stewart.<a href="/expert-insights/investing/chinese-riddle-unravelling-over-the-lucky-penthouse-88-in-sydneys-the-residence"> Jonathan honed in recently on the mystery $17 million buyer</a> of The Residence's true penthouse known as The Sulman and luckily numbered 88 in the building.
The buyer is Huang Shannian with clues about him coinciding with a person of the same name who featured on the 2009 Huran Richest Chinese People list at 88th place before disappearing from public view. With 690 square metres of space, the three-bedroom Archibald sub-penthouse has panoramic views and includes a private pool and spa, a rooftop kitchen and outdoor terraces.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/l_hyde-park-feb-14-breakout.jpg" alt="">
5) At Bondi Beach, a pair of penthouses, owned by celebrity accountant and yachtie Anthony Bell, is listed for sale by expressions of interest closing March 28 through McGrath agent, James Dack.  
Atop The Bondi, a modern complex on Campbell Parade, the two penthouses were purchased by Bell for $7,725,000 in 2006 and then a supposed $9 million in 2010. Each has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, large open-plan living spaces, a Calacutta marble kitchen and a staircase leading up to an enormous rooftop entertainment deck. Bell and his Getaway presenter wife, Kelly Landry, are off to a waterfront house at Watsons Bay bought for $12.5 million last year.
There have been $15 million reported expectations for Bell’s pair of penthouses in The Bondi.
6) There are $15 million-plus hopes for The Eliza penthouse on Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Developed by Edward Doueihi of Ceerose, The Eliza is under construction and due for completion this year.
Spanning three levels overlooking Hyde Park, the 460-square-metre penthouse will sit atop a 17-storey building designed by the architects Tony Owen Partners.
It features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a home theatre, a private lift, 3.5-metre-high ceilings, a massive 13.5-metre frontage overlooking the park and full automation through C-Bus. The top level comprises the entertainment terrace with a 10-metre lap pool.
Many of the lower floor sales have been through Savills. The full floor offerings are being marketed by Nigel Napoli and Irene Lau of Savills, in conjunction with Richard Shalhoub and Hamish Robertson of McGrath.
7) Some years after completion, The Stamford Residences penthouse at 171 Gloucester Street (pictured below), Sydney remains listed with $15 million expectations.
In 2007 when, when the Stamford Residences was the latest high-rise in The Rocks, the four-bedroom penthouse was been listed with $16 million-plus expectations.
With Thomas Hamel designed interiors and numbered 28A in the Kahn Finch-designed building, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom penthouse has 567 square metres of indoor and outdoor space with views to the north and west, and frontages to Gloucester and Cumberland streets. It is listed through Colin Griffin of CBRE Residential Projects.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/sydney%20march%2021%20two.jpg" alt="">
8) Two adjoining apartments in Highgate are offered for the first time together (pictured below).
With $12 million hopes, the two most northern penthouse apartments, numbered 2802 and 2803, have a total of around 600 square metres which includes eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, vast living areas and parking for five cars. Robert Alfeldi of Feldi Property Agents has the offering.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/sydney%20march%2021%20three.jpg" alt="">
9) At Potts Point, there’s no word yet about the sale of the penthouse atop The Georgia (pictured below) which was listed for sale at more than $10 million with expressions of interest through Jason Boon at Richardson &amp; Wrench Elizabeth Bay.
Expressions of interest closed on the 14th March, was developed by the hotelier Chris Crawley but is for sale under instructions of receivers PPB Advisory.
The Georgian on 22 Macleay Street was finished in 2010, with Crawley retaining the three-level penthouse as his own. It has 680 square metres of space with a rooftop pool and panoramic views stretching from the city skyline to The Heads.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/potts%20point%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
10) At Darling Point, the redundant penthouse of property developer Bob Rose and his wife Margaret (pictured below) is listed at $10.75 million through LJ Hooker Double Bay agent Bill Malouf, in conjunction with Ken Jacobs of Christies.
Located towards the tip of the peninsula at 56 Yarranabbe Road, it spans a total of 512 square metres over two levels with an expansive rooftop terrace.
The Roses commissioned architect Dennis Rabinowitz to design the Yarranabbee Road triplex, in which they will keep the middle apartment.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/darling%20point%20march%2021%20two.jpg" alt="">
11) For sale at about $10 million is the Woolloomooloo pad of Ian Gowrie-Smith (pictured below), the flamboyant Australian-born London-based founder of several international drug companies as well as oil and gold exploration groups.
Although not atop a building, the Gowrie-Smith, 2/6 Cowper Wharf Road Woolloomooloo apartment is certain to attract penthouse buyers due to its unique position in an ultra exclusive modern building at the northern tip of Woolloomooloo Wharf.  
Boasting some the largest and most expensive penthouse-style apartments in Sydney, this ultra-private waterfront building is the home of radio broadcaster John Laws and his wife Caroline, as well as actor Russell Crowe.
In 2004 the Laws paid almost $15 million to buy the apartment above their existing home in the complex, while Crowe paid $14.35 million for his apartment in 2003.
For sale through through agent Peter Blacket and Ken Jacobs of Christies, the marketing says the garden apartment totals 600 square metres including a protected outdoor entertaining area where you can fish from the balcony.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/woolloomooloo%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
12) There also is a $10 million asking price on the Boheme penthouse, on Hall Street, Bondi Beach.
It’s the priciest of the virtual sellout of 43 apartments in The Toga Group’s luxury development. Ben Stewart, of selling agents CBRE, has the Bates Smart-designed Boheme 225 square metre penthouse listing.
Numbered 702 in the complex, it comes with a strata levy of $7,000 a quarter.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/jc-silhouette-5.jpg" style="float: right;">
HE SAID:
I reckon there can be just the one penthouse in an apartment block - the best unit in a residential development taking up the whole of the top floor.
So it is The Georgian penthouse in Potts Point (pictured below) for me.
No doubt about it, since it occupies the top three floors. It’s also within the Potts Point village which hasn’t looked back since the local Woolworths opened almost a decade ago.
Others on the list we've compiled of 12 are either in windswept, weekend empty, CBD locations or close enough to smell the wafting smell of the fast food eateries that attract the hordes below.
The Georgian, of course, looks down onto the recently sold 28 Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay penthouse. It has been sold to a company called MAH Pty Ltd, which I gather might be short for Michael Hill, but not the well known jeweller, but the South Africa born businessman who founded Blue Sky Capital. It's been very hush hush since the former chairman of the Future Fund, David Gonski sold the penthouse through Ballard Property agent Clint Ballard, in conjunction with Michael Pallier of Sotheby’s International.
No doubt they all celebrated with a drop from Eagles Rest Winery, of which Hill is a director. I glean it sold for $12.5 million. It had been slightly updated since Gonski’s $12 million purchase in 2012 from former Deutsche banker Hal Herron. But the rooftop golf putting green was maintained which could presumably provide the Georgian penthouse buyer with hours of viewing entertainment.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/potts%20point%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/mb-silhouette-4.jpg" height="150" style="float: left;">SHE SAID:
Given I could fish from its terrace, I’d choose the Gowrie-Smith pad at Woolloomooloo Wharf.
With its glorious harbour views and excellent restaurants on the doorstep, and also the close proximity to Potts Point’s cafes, restaurants and shops, I think the location is hard to beat.
What appeals to me about this apartment are its privacy, close proximity to the water, spacious living areas and the 315 square metre terrace with attractive planting and world class views. When I felt like a swim, I could stroll around the bay to Boy Charlton Pool in the Domain or walk up to Potts Point and visit Jonathan at The Georgian penthouse.
The idea of keeping a 40-metre boat moored at Gowrie Smith’s adjacent marina berth appeals too – but in reality I’d eschew the hassle and expense of maritime pursuits, and leave that berth with Oscar, Paul Ramsay’s magnificent motor vessel.
Due to the exclusivity of the five-level complex at the wharf’s tip, I think the Gowrie-Smith abode is a wise investment for this building always has commanded top prices from savvy buyers with deep pockets.
I prefer the Gowrie-Smith apartment to the Pomeroy penthouse (in nearby Potts Point) which liquor baron John Piven-Large bought last year for $15 million from property developer Bob Ell.
For me, the wharf location also is preferable to the soulless city or lifeless Darling Point where an unrenovated penthouse, in company title Santina on Yarranabbe Road, sold for $10.35 million in 2007 to Kerrie Mather, CEO of Macquarie Airports.
And I’d rather live in the Gowrie-Smith pad than the four-bedroom four-bathroom penthouse (with 600 square metres of entertainment areas) atop 7 Macquarie Street which the Manassen family bought for $12 million in late 2011. It was was sold at a loss by retail entrepreneur Brett Blundy and his wife, Vanessa, who paid $12 million for it in July 2007 before engaging designers Hare &amp; Klein to refurbish the interiors.
<img src="/images/2014/03/21/woolloomooloo%20march%2021%20one.jpg" alt="">
 
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Plenty of blue sky with 12 Sydney penthouses at $10 million or more: Which one to buy?

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There was a beautiful 1860s sandstone cottage in the heart of Woollahra village up for mid-week auction.
One of its signature sandstone cottages, marketed as having a romantic Parisian style garden courtyard. 
And having spent the past fortnight in France, Title Tattle reckons the Di Jones marketing for 3 Victoria Avenue (pictured above) was repérer sur or spot on.
A petite, formal, wisteria covered patio space with a sense of openness, with elements of stonework, neatly trimmed hedges and shrubs, with a symmetrical focal piece. Arbour gates fit the bill. Though not quite a French parterre which originated in 15th-century gardens of the French Renaissance. 
It was passed in at $1.8 million. 
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 5px; float: left;">
 Of course Sydney's most famous French-influenced suburbs is Hunters Hill. 
The modern-day Hunters Hill owes much of its style to the Gallic residents of the mid-1800s with the settlement of the Joubert brothers, who bought up much of the from 1847 onwards.
Beverley Sherry, in her book Hunters Hill, Australia's oldest garden suburb, says the brothers travelled to the Antipodes in search of adventure and profit. They successfully pioneered the suburb of Hunters Hill taking over from Mary Reiby who'd got things going.
It's the smallest metropolitan municipality in NSW - and one of the oldest as it was incorporated in 1881 seemingly taking its name after Captain John Hunter, who commanded HMAS Sirius on its First Fleet voyage and was later responsible for exploring the upper reaches of Sydney Harbour. 
With Parramatta River on one side and Lane Cove River on the other, the sandstone-strong peninsula suburb is one of the prettiest in Sydney. Title Tattle always does the annual jacaranda walk.
There are around 100 stone houses and around 300 buildings classified by the Heritage Council, so Hunters Hill is one of our most important conservation areas.
It was actually known as The French Village in the 1850s following the role of the two French brothers Jules and Didier Numa Joubert.
The Jouberts were adventurers and entrepreneurs from Bordeaux who made much of their fortune from selling wine and spirits at one point to the French forces annexing New Caledonia.
After buying land they engaging some reported 70 artisans from Lombardy who built many stone houses in the area. They got to build bridges over the Lane Cove River at Fig Tree and the Parramatta River at Gladesville.
Jules was first chairman of the council in 1861-62 and Didier first mayor in 1867-69. They started a ferry service. 
Moocooboolah, in Alexandra Street, was Jules's home. Didier Joubert built and lived in the colonial-style home St Malo, demolished in 1960 to make way for the new Fig Tree Bridge and expressway linking Lane Cove and Drummoyne.
Several other property speculators joined the Jouberts, one of the more prominent being Charles Edward Jeanneret, English but of French Huguenot descent, who built most of his houses on the southern side of the peninsula having bought 11 acres of land in 1874. They include the sandstone mansion Wybalena, where he lived for 20 years, raising his family of 11 children. Jeanneret became a Hunters Hill councillor and mayor, even elected to the Legislative Assembly.
There was also the Count Gabriel de Milhau, Leonard Bordier, and the Fesq family, with these French real estate investors having ambitious schemes of subdivision and construction. The count was a French nobleman exiled from France after the 1848 French Revolution.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">Perhaps the most authentic French style house in Sydney is Passy at Hunters Hill. 
It has only had three owners in the past 45 years.
Between 1855 and 1857 Passy, a stone villa, was built by the Jouberts for Monsieur Louis Sentis, the French Consul at the time and named for the precinct of Passy in Paris. Sentis was the first foreign consul in Australia, as the French pursued commercial and missionary activities in the Pacific. Wine and wool were strong suits.
it last sold in 1999 for $2.9 million when the magnificent sandstone mansion, set on 4200 square metres, was bought by the Obeid family. Before its 1999 sale Passy traded on Bastille Day in 1987 for $1.65 million when bought by Dorothy Spry from Norman Wheeler, the late antique trader, who'd paid $75,000 in 1970. Earlier residents included Sir George Gibbs, who was Premier of NSW between 1925-29.
Last November the SMH investigations reporter Kate McClymont wrote a still unconfirmed report that the Obeid family was understood to have quietly put on the market with an asking price of $10 million. Title Tattle gleans the house was built with diplomatic sound proof doors between rooms!
Its mansard roof extension seemingly stems from the 1970s, adopting the style which actually dates back to 1734, from mansarde (short for toit à la mansarde) named after the architect Nicholas François Mansart. 
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">The Joubert's influence wasn't just in Hunters Hill. Didier Numa Joubert, acquired the Birch Grove Estate in 1854. His 1860 subdivision created Louisa Road and Numa, Rose and Ferdinand streets, all named after family members: his wife and daughter, both named Louisa, his son Numa, his mother and another daughter, named Rose, and his nephew Charles Ferdinand.
Title Tattle recalls the playwrite David Williamson had his 1980s family home of eight years, a three-storey residence, which was designed by Jules Joubert. It was down the end of Louisa Road of what has occasionally been called "the Paris end of Balmain".
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">That's a phrase most likely said of the glamourous top end of Collins Street Melbourne, with Sydney's most oft usage being the lower part of Potts Point. That suburb ofcourse also comes with the New York end of Macleay Street.
While we pride ourselves too on egalitarianism like the French, in the select parts of suburb with the most valuable real estate there's a certain snobbery.
Supposedly Surry Hills too with David Servi long ago coining the term "the Paris end of Surry Hills" for the patch bounded by Riley, Foveaux, South Dowling and Cleveland streets.
Victoria Street Ashfield is another that occasionally gets called the Paris label, as does Kent Street around Observatory Hill, as one of the upmarket CBD addresses.
They try to suggest there's a "Paris" end of Double Bay, with its large established trees, near the old Ritz-Carlton hotel development which needs to re-open for the term to have any renewed resonance.
Title Tattle reckons the "Paris end" qualification requires a relatively low rise residential precinct, with plenty of charming architectural merit, green shady trees help, along with a cosmopolitan atmosphere…and perhaps a bit bike friendly.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">Apparently French language classes have been held in Sydney since 1814 when their were Kent Street classes, given British interest in French culture and language. 
The Alliance Française de Sydney only dates back to 1895, one of the 1040 Alliances Françaises existing in 136 countries across the world which began in 1883. It is situated in the Clarence Street building designed by the architect Harry Seidler, who designed the Australian Embassy on a triangular shaped block in Paris, with views of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, which was purchased by the McMahon government in 1972 for $7 million.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">The French influence isn't all of the past. One Central Park, part of the high-rise project on the former brewery site at Broadway is the work of the French architect, Jean Nouvel of Ateliers Jean Nouvel done for clients, Frasers and Sekisui House. It's the one with the vertical garden walls.
But the official French representation took a battering in the wake of the global financial crisis. Saying adieu to the eastern suburbs the French government sold its Bellevue Hill holdings in 2009 and 2010. They got $7.4 million for a four-bedroom house on Ginahgulla Road which was among the 1700 properties listed for sale that year by the government as it sought to reduce its debt burden after the global financial crisis. It had been bought in 1995 for $3.75 million. 
Making a slightly bigger dent on its then record $2.12 trillion debt, the government sold Le Manoir, a grand Georgian house in Bellevue Hill, in 2009 for $23 million to Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch. The French state had bought it for $26,000 in 1956. It was marketed as Le Manoir, but it was a grand Georgian house in Bellevue Hill. 
As far as the austerity, it continues so much so that President Francois Hollande’s popularity is at 19%, a new low in his approval rating. There was a bus driver strike yesterday down in the south of France as part of a national day of protest to rising unemployment, weak growth, a disaffected business community, low productivity and high taxes. France is now seen as among the sick countries of Europe with unemployment at 10.8% which is double the level in Germany. A quarter of those aged under 25 are out of work.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">No chateaux's currently of sale in Sydney but two years ago Normandie, a French-inspired chateaux estate at Dural, sold at $2.85 million. It was a mortgagee-in-possession sale, having been initially listed in September 2009 by its owners with $6.25 million-plus hopes. The imposing sandstone residence was built in 1985 after the manor house was built on the almost-bare block bought in the early 1980s for $130,000.
The sellers had studied books on French chateaux before finalising their concept for the house with the assistance of designer Darryl Lock, who drew the plans. Lock also created many of the interior finishes, such as the four chandeliers suspended from the 10-metre-high cathedral ceiling in the great hall at the centre of the residence. The house has a slate roof imported from the Pyrenees, external walls made from Sydney sandstone and interior walls of rendered brick. Designed to maximise its north and easterly aspects, it has forest and rural vistas from every room.
Le Chateau, a another landmark manor house at Dural, sold last year for $6.3 million. Mixing modern with medieval, the prestige listing in the semi-rural Hills District north-west of Sydney was the location of the Channel 7 television series Beauty and the Geek.
Must be something about the district as the French were growing cotton and coffee at Castle Hill in the early 1800s.
Paris apartment prices aren't too dissimilar to Sydney apartments. Currently, the average per metre squared in Paris stands at €4,420 (around A$7000) in the outskirts of Paris and €8,270 (A$12,000) in the Paris city centre. The most expensive properties can be found in La Monnaie and Odeon are at €14,730 per square metre reflecting around A$22,000. Sydney's penthouses however can be far pricier as today's He Said She Said penthouse column confirms.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34">This weekend Sydney has another 650 or so auctions, the fifth week in a row at that level or higher. Last weekend's two highest sales were in Hunters Hill, one almost a modern one given it was an 1890s sandstone house which sold for about $3.3 million through McGrath. Then a gracious French provincial-inspired home at 3 Sea Street with a level lawn stretching out to a swimming pool and barbecue area, and a private jetty and pontoon was sold at an undisclosed price having been listed with expectations above $5.5 million through Savills agent Adam Ross in conjunction with BresicWhitney agent Nicholas McEvoy. 
Now the Hunters Hill riverfront residence, Windermere (pictured below) is listed with hopes it will set a suburb record of $12.5 million plus through McGrath's Tracey Dixon. It dates back to 1857 when built by Jules Joubert, having last traded when bought by the Tarabay family in 2011 for $10.5 million. It was renovated by prior owners Warren and Catherine Fraser, of Frasers Motorcycles, with a 2005 pavilion-style wing by architect John Rose, of Tanner Kibble Denton. It was once the home of architect Donald Crone, whose widow, Annelies Crone-Arbenz, sold it after 37 years' ownership for $4.4 million in 1998 to the Fraser family. The fine-furniture maker Andrew Lenehan, who arrived from Ireland in the 1830s, was its second owner, buying it in 1867 for 900 pounds, after Joubert was briefly declared insolvent in 1866. Offers on the Ernest Street property close April 8.
Last weekend's initial clearance rate of 81.8% was seven in a row at 80% or above for the Sydney market and was again generated from high listings numbers, as Dr Andrew Wilson from Australian Property Monitors has noted.
APM says the inner west will be the weekend's most active region for auctions with 112 offerings. Next highest is the south with 100. Mosman on the lower north shore is again the most popular suburb for auctions with 10 listings followed by Paddington with nine, Strathfield and Carlingford with eight each, and Wahroonga, Epping and Newtown each with seven auctions listed.
The auction Title Tattle will be watching this weekend is Australian opening batsman David Warner's Little Bay home which comes with about $1.8 million hopes through McGrath agent Adrian Bo. It's a Queenslander-style home, but sans views of la Perouse.
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Windermere, Hunters Hill highlights Sydney's French property affair runs deeper than parterre gardens

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Angophora House, the recently completed Avalon house designed by Richard Leplastrier, has been sold for $1.6 million. It had been listed by Andew Campbell, the builder who has worked on a number of Leplastrier's designs.
It was marketed by the agency, <a href="https://www.modernhouse.co" target="_blank">Modern House Estate Agents</a>, as "a piece of fine cabinetry for humans".
<img src="/images/2014/03/20/avalon-march-20-one.jpg" alt="">
The Bellevue Avenue house was set on the edge of the extended grove of Angophoras.
The house had six pavilions on an 808-square-metre site with views towards Bangally Headland.
<img src="/images/2014/03/20/avalon-march-20-two.jpg" alt="">
The four bedroom, two bathroom house with 139 square metres of internal space had been worked on full-time for three years and three months until its completion in February 2013.
The design actually stems back to 2003.
<img src="/images/2014/03/20/avalon-march-20-five.jpg" alt="">
Some six months was spent in the ground with the help of master builder John Simpson with the timber, being recycled Jarrah coming from the Freemantle Wool Store, comprising some nine carriage loads delivered by Andrew Brodie of Australian Architectural Hardwoods, Kempsey.
RP Data gives the median house price as $2.32 million.
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<img src="/images/2014/03/20/avalon-march-20-four.jpg" alt="">
Images courtesy of Michael Nicholson Photography
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Bespoke Angophora House, Avalon, designed by Richard Leplastrier fetches $1.6 million

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Bidding on one of Cronulla’s most admired homes, listed for auction last night after an eight month makeover, topped out on a $4.2 million bid.
Ray White Rockdale listing agent Con Economos told Property Observer there were five registered parties.
But the vendor builder Tony Bittar wants more for the the still futuristic Apollo Gate, an icon of the Sutherland Shire's waterfronts since the 1970s.
Nicknamed the Cronulla spaceship house, or the White House, it has a reputation that dates back to its completion, with its Reuben Lane design motivated by spiritual and architectural links to Mediterranean villages and with whitewashed buildings clinging to the coastlines.
It first changed hands for $185,000 in 1978 when sold by the Breen family who owned the Metropolitan Sand Company at Cronulla.
The house at <a href="https://www.raywhite.com/nsw/cronulla/1087356/" target="_blank">4-6 Cowra Place</a> has direct access to Salmon Haul Bay.
It featured in NSW Builder magazine, the official journal of the Master Builders' Association, in May 1975 (pictured below). It was built by CH &amp; CR Ellis with spiralling western red cedar ceiling.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/05/cronullamay3one.jpg" alt="cronullamay3one" width="470" height="391">
<img src="/images/stories/2013/05/cronullamay3two.jpg" alt="cronullamay3two" width="470" height="323">
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Reuben Lane, who died in 2012, was inspired by the work of his mentor Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of the capital city of Brazil, Brasilia.
Ray White listing agent Con Economos marketed the property as a "one-off’.
"A truly spectacular home with an unbeatable location,” said Con Economos.
The 6 Cowra Place, Cronulla property was initially marketed with  $3.5 million plus expectations having been renovated extensively since sold at $3.2 million last May.
It offers five bedrooms plus study, a double garage and two car spaces and guest quarters. There's an atrium lounge, an internal spa, and landscaped gardens. Its four bathrooms’ original tiles are sourced from the same suppliers as the Sydney Opera House.
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Cronulla's Oscar Niemeyer inspired Apollo Gate waterfront seeking $4.2 million plus buyers

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The family home of the one of Melbourne's most famous footballing dynasties has been sold in North Ringwood.
It was the childhood home to three AFL players, Jason, Cameron and Travis.
<img src="/images/2014/03/19/ringwood-march-19-one.jpg" alt="">
Fletchers estate agents Traci Stella and Todd Lucas <a href="https://fletchers.net.au/4126563/3-124-126-Plymouth-Road-Ringwood-North" target="_blank">had the property listed for sale between $850,000 and $950,000</a> in a March 18 expressions of interest campaign, closing yesterday. The sale price has not been revealed.
The former Richmond and Collingwood great David Cloke and his wife, Julie bought the Plymouth Road for around $400,000 in 1994, three years after his playing retirement.
<img src="/images/2014/03/19/ringwood-march-19-two.jpg" alt="">
The double storey recently renovated house on 930 square metres has four bedrooms, multiple living areas including an upstairs retreat, front and rear balconies, a triple garage and an in-ground pool.
There is also an outdoor kitchen with built-in BBQ and wine fridge. 
<img src="/images/2014/03/19/ringwood-march-19-three.jpg" alt="">
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North Ringwood nest of Collingwood's Cloke clan sold

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The pioneer music engineering entrepreneur Tom Misner has secured around $8 million for his luxury five hectare Byron Bay property.
The NSW far north coast hinterland property with five bedroom house sold last week, apparently to a Melbourne couple.
<a href="https://www.uniqueestates.com.au/Homes/Detail.aspx?id=ue353&amp;wlid=9c4ec799-34c6-492b-a1c9-08889277f6bc" target="_blank">The 5.6 hectare property known as The Byronian is at Coopers Shoot</a> with elevated views of the ocean, the entire stretch of Tallows Beach and the Byron Bay lighthouse.
 <img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-one.jpg" alt="">
The property comes with stands of rainforest, manicured lawns, gardens, gardens, a citrus orchard; four horse paddocks, stables and riding arena, floodlit tennis court and an ionized wet-edge pool.
There is a separate guest studio with ensuite, living area and kitchenette beside the six car insulated garage. 
It is listed as sold through Nicolette van Wijngaarden at Unique Estates.
It is being credited as a Byron Bay hinterland record for a small acreage, exceeding the $7.7 million paid in 2008 for a 40 hectare Possum Creek holding, Bandongrove sold by the developer builder, Andrew More of Unico Developments through Unique Estates.
 <img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-two.jpg" alt="">
In 2010 Alasdair Morrison, a former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia now with Citigroup, paid $7 million for the Emerald Valley Villa, the resort-style Goonengerry estate sold by the founder of the carbon-offset company Climate Friendly, Michael Robison. The 34 hectare property, with frontage on the Wilson River, comes with an ancient aquifer that supplies it with spring water.
Amelika sold in 2011 for $4 million, setting a strong price for small acreages. The purchase by the Lane family of Amelika, the hinterland property with contemporary house designed by architect Sharon Fraser in the white-box architectural style, was a 10-hectare holding.
<img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-three.jpg" alt="">
Last year Warren Sonin and and Gavin Atkins, stars of the first series of Channel 9 reality TV show The Block, secured around $3 million for Charltons, their 24 hectare holding at Federal, which settled last week to Jess and Brad Garnham.
A $4.1 million price was paid in 2011 for a 30 hectare Myocom property.
The Misner Coopers Shoot Road property last traded at $2.2 million in 2003.
 <img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-four.jpg" alt="">
The Byron Shire record remains on the beach at Wategos Beach, but the hinterland top sale was when Colliers International Wollongong agent Simon Kersten sold the vast 132-hectare Cedar Springs at $8.1 million in 2006, which was subsequently broken up into several lots. The main house resold on 45 hectares at $6.8 million.
It was developer Danny Goldberg's record-breaking $15.7 million purchase of a Marine Parade beachfront in January 2006 that set the high end of the Byron market.
Last featured in the 2007 BRW Rich List with a worth of $289 million, Misner established the SAE (School of Audio Engineering) Technology College, Surry Hills in 1976 gong on to be be the largest audio and multimedia training facility in the world with 26 SAE colleges in 13 countries by the late 1980s.
 <img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-five.jpg" alt="">
In 2010 Navitas, the listed education provider founded by Rich 200 member Rod Jones, paid $289 million to buy 47 campuses across 14 countries.
SAE Group was founded in 1976 by former Rich 200 member Tom Misner, who departed the rich list in 2007 with a fortune of $289 million.
<img src="/images/2014/03/17/byron-bay-march-17-six.jpg" alt=""> 
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Tom Misner secures Byron Bay $8 million small acreage record sale

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Sydney’s seventh consecutive weekend with 80% or higher auction success rates was notched up this weekend, as the intensive four week countdown to the Easter break now tests the market depth.
Saturday's trophy listing, the penthouse in the Darlinghurst high-rise Horizon was withdrawn from auction given as yet uncompetitive buyer interest, with that black Mercedes van full of touring Chinese buyers remaining apocryphal.
The Ballard Property Group did however secure the day's highest notified sale which was $3.01 million in Maroubra. Auctioneer Damien Cooley from Cooley Auctions took a $2.3 million opening bid. Property Observer gleans a higher sale at about $3.35 million had been secured in undisclosed prior auction negotiations  through McGrath for the 1893 sandstone Hunters Hill house, Norwood.
The 81.8% strong clearance rate came from 413 results, although there were some 630 plus results expected in any final tally by Australian Property Monitors.
Last weekend's 82.4% came in at a revised 76.1%, a much larger than typical downward revision suggesting to Property Observer nascent signs of a slowing down from record-level pace.
The year's results are still well ahead of last year’s low 70% results and auction numbers are also significantly higher this autumn.
This weekend's 632 home offerings was around 38% higher than the 456 that were listed over the same weekend last year.
The inner west was the most active region for auctions this weekend in Sydney with 110 followed by the south with 87, then the upper north shore 73, the city and east with 70, the lower north 65 and the northern beaches with 55 auctions listed.
Mosman on the lower north shore is the most popular suburb for auctions with 12 listings, followed by Strathfield with 10, Blacktown and Greenacre with 9 each, and Erskineville with 8. APM reported four of the five Mosman results as sold. Three of the four Strathfield results were reported as sold. All six notified Blacktown results had sold. None of the three notified Greenacre results had found buyers.
"There's a dramatic increase to the number of properties coming on the market prior to the Easter period," one auctioneer told Property Observer.  
Melbourne’s weekend auction market bounced back this weekend to 73.9%, up from last weekend's 65%, which were first reported by APM as at 70% for the Moomba mini-pause last weekend.
That 65% - the lowest for the year so far - was interestingly not much higher than the 61% recorded around the same time a year ago, suggesting Melbourne fillip is on the wane.
The APM weekend's initial result in Melbourne came from 678 of the 930 auctions scheduled. Melbourne's volume is only just ahead of last year’s 832 over the same weekend.
The most popular region for auctions were the inner south with 157 auctions scheduled with the most popular suburbs for auctions being Reservoir with 19, followed by St Kilda with 16. Some 13 of the 16 notified Reservoir listings found buyers, and in St Kilda nine of the 10 notified results were sold.
Tasmania's gambling arts patron David Walsh had $16 million expectations for his full-floor penthouse atop the Harry Seidler-designed Horizon, Darlinghurst tower.
It was scheduled for March 15 auction <a href="https://www.ballardproperty.com.au/Buying/Search/residentialresult/residentialdetail.aspx?id=WOOLLAHRA%202012237&amp;wlid=57e94a53-15a1-4a6f-abe1-6c71d5563102" target="_blank">through Bill Bridges of Ballard Property Group.</a>
The proprietor of the much-admired MONA gallery and Moorilla Estate vineyard, was to include select artworks from his private collection, including a watercolour triptych on paper by John Olsen, to sweeten the property deal for the 43rd-floor penthouse.
It was bought from property developer Lang Walker in 2002 for $10 million through Bill Bridges and exceeded Sydney's then $8-million penthouse record. 
Walsh has recently had a Coco Republic custom furniture fitout with the aim of enhancing its appeal to Chinese buyers as a home and corporate home office suite, which would perhaps help on the annual strata levy deductability. 
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Nothing on David Walsh's Horizon, but Sydney's streetside weekend auctions yield 80% plus again

<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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<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. 
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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. 
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"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.

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"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."

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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. 
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"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. 
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"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."

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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. 
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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.

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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.

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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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The enduring appeal of Kew's tree-lined streets and village lifestyle

"For me, it's the location." That was the first thing Chris pointed to when reflecting on why he and his wife Marita decided to purchase at Candela Ivanhoe, the under-construction new apartment development by Salter Brothers in the heart of the north-eastern M​elb​ourne​ suburb. ​

"We've lived here before… everything is here," Chris said.

"Our doctor is around the corner, there's dentists, pilates, everything we need, restaurants, fast food places, two train stations, Ivanhoe and Darebin, both in walking distance. You don't need anything else."

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Just 10 kilometres from Melbo​urn​e's CBD, Ivanhoe combines direct city connectivity with the amenity of an established village community. Residents have access to highly regarded schools, expansive parklands, public transport, and a thriving retail and hospitality precinct centred around Upper Heidelberg Road, all within a neighbourhood that has retained its leafy character despite its proximity to the city.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/candela-ivanhoe-40-upper-heidelberg-road-ivanhoe-vic-3079">Candela Ivanhoe</a> sits within the heart of this established landscape, positioned just moments from Ivanhoe Village and within walking distance of many of the suburb's most sought-after amenities.

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From Candela, residents can access cafés, grocers, wine bars, restaurants and essential services on foot, while Ivanhoe Station and Darebin Station provide direct connectivity across Mel​bour​ne. The development is also surrounded by some of the suburb's best-known lifestyle destinations, including Pinkie, Laurent, Enni, Docasa and Woodfire Pizza e Cucina, alongside Ivanhoe Plaza, Woolworths, pharmacies and specialty retailers.

Green space is another defining feature of the suburb. Darebin Parklands, Ivanhoe Park, Nellie Ibbot Park and the Yarra River trail network provide extensive opportunities for recreation, while Ivanhoe Golf Course and Ivanhoe Tennis Club continue to underpin the area's long-established lifestyle appeal.

The suburb's education offering further strengthens demand. Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Mary Immaculate Primary School and Ivanhoe Primary School have helped establish the area as one of Melbou​​rne's most sought-after schooling precincts, attracting families and downsizers alike who want to remain connected to the area.

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While location was the priority for Marita and Chris, the project itself also needed to meet their expectations.

"Whilst location was paramount, I was also looking at design of the environment and Candela ticked every box," Marita said.

"We're just thrilled with our choice."

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Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/salter-brothers">Salter Brothers</a>, Candela Ivanhoe has been designed to complement its village setting, with an emphasis on generous floorplans, natural light and practical everyday living.

Residents will have access to a range of shared amenities, including a communal rooftop garden and dedicated residential lounge, complemented by a ground-floor café and lifestyle wellbeing centre, helping foster the sense of community already emerging among future owners.

That approach has resonated strongly with the market. More than 90 per cent of purchasers at Candela Ivanhoe are owner-occupiers, with buyers ranging from downsizers and second-home buyers to young families and first home buyers, creating a genuinely multi-generational community of grandparents, parents and children. It reflects a broader shift across Melbo​​urne's apartment market, where buyers are increasingly prioritising neighbourhood quality, lifestyle amenity and long-term liveability.

Currently under construction by Ironside, Candela Ivanhoe comprises 58 apartments. Candela Ivanhoe is scheduled for completion in the coming months, and residents can move in from September. One to four bedroom residences, prices from $649,000 and limited opportunities remaining.

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Location and lifestyle drive demand at Candela Ivanhoe

As apartment buyers increasingly look beyond the four walls of their residence, the quality and depth of shared amenity has become a defining factor in how developments are designed and experienced, particularly in the high-rise, new apartment development space.

In Southbank, where high-density living continues to evolve, developers are placing greater emphasis on creating environments that support wellbeing, connection, and convenience as part of everyday life.

That approach sits at the heart of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aura-at-melbourne-square-7-hoff-boulevard-southbank-vic-3006">AURA</a>, the latest residential tower in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/osk-property">OSK Property</a>’s $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct. Rising 67 storeys above Hoff Boulevard, the 673-apartment development has been conceived around what OSK describes as a “vertical wellness ecosystem”, a layered collection of amenities that extends throughout the building rather than being confined to a single podium level.

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The amenity offering begins on the seventh level within the AURA Club, a dedicated resident hub focused on health, relaxation, and daily convenience. Here, residents will have access to an indoor swimming pool, cold plunge, spa, sauna, and steam room, alongside a fully equipped gym, reformer Pilates studio, and yoga room.

The wellness facilities are complemented by a range of spaces that acknowledge the changing ways people live and work. Work-from-home lounges and co-working areas sit alongside a library, music room, games room, cinema facilities, and open-air terrace spaces, providing residents with flexible environments that can adapt throughout the day.

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Beyond the internal amenity, AURA introduces a series of Japanese-inspired gardens that form a quieter counterpoint to the tower’s social spaces.

Landscaped retreats feature curated outdoor dining, tranquil courtyard seating, fire pit, and a tea house pavilion. Rather than functioning as simple recreational areas, the gardens have been designed as places for reflection and informal gathering, drawing on principles of balance, nature, and calm that underpin the project's broader design philosophy.

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The social amenity continues to evolve as residents move higher through the building. Levels 49 and 50 house the Meridian Club, where a lounge bar, conservatory spaces, and private dining rooms take advantage of elevated city views. At the summit of the tower, the exclusive Cumulus Club spans Levels 66 and 67, offering additional lounges, private dining, and meditation and treatment rooms positioned above Melbourne’s skyline.

For OSK Property, the extensive amenity offering reflects a broader focus on wellbeing as a core component of apartment living rather than an added feature.

“Aura stands tall as an exemplar of holistic wellness – its focus on social, physical and mental health culminate in a building that is calming, restorative and relaxing, where residents will have their own sanctuary within the well-connected and sought-after Southbank,” says OSK Property CEO Chong Boon Woon.

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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.

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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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