<html><body>
Former Split Enz drummer Mal Green has yet to sell his Castle Cove property.
It was listed with $2.1 million plus hopes through McGrath agent Grant Borley, which have been adjusted to $2 million plus.
The Neerim Road property was bought in 2004 for $1.83 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/castle-cove-march-14-two.jpg" alt="">
He installed something of a recording studio and separate control room and wine cellar.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/castle-cove-march-14-three.jpg" width="460" height="306">
<a href="https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house-castle-cove-nsw-2069/81438/?searchID=36883448" target="_blank">The four-bedroom home has north-facing water views</a>. 
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/castle-cove-march-14-four.jpg" alt="">
Another Castle Cove property scheduled for weekend auction, at 149 Deepwater Road, was passed in on a $2.2 million vendor bid at its McGrath auction.
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Split Enz Castle Cove offering with recording studio

<html><body>
The almost nondescript Concord cottage that was home to the young ones from the Packed to the Rafters clan on the Channel 7 series has been available for rent.
It came on at $1200 and was available at $1000 a week through Daniella Ianni at Time Realty Five Dock inconjunction with Alex Pattaro at LJ Hooker. The listing has since been removed from realestate.com.au
The three-bedroom Sydney inner-west house, which was leased for several years by Channel 7, passed in at its 2012 auction, but after a renovation behind its Californian bungalow facade, it sold recently at $1,535,000 to Chinese/Australian investors.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/Rafters-march-14-one.jpg" width="460" height="345">
It last sold for $1 million in 2006.
Of course Riverview Street, <a href="/news">Concord</a>, wasn't ever the equivalent of Melbourne's Ramsay Street, the Neighbours location in <a href="/news">Vermont South</a>'s Pin Oak Court.
Packed To The Rafters premiered on Channel Seven in August 2008 and was often the Tuesday night highest rating show.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/Rafters-march-14-two.jpg" width="460" height="345">
The series follows the lives and challenges confronting the Rafter family, headed  by the parents Julie (Rebecca Gibney) and Dave (Erik Thomson).
Ready to become "empty-nesters'' after 25 years of marriage, the couple were forced to put their plans on hold when their two eldest children – Rachel (Jessica Marais) and Nathan (Angus McLaren) – move home.
Their youngest son, Ben (Hugh Sheridan), rented the nominal home next door with housemates Nick (George Houvardas) and Melissa (Zoe Ventoura).
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/Rafters-march-14-three.jpg" width="460" height="345">
There where replicas of their houses at the Channel 7 production studios.
Seven initially took a three-year rental on the Rafter family home on Riverview Street and kept it vacant. Title Tattle recalls its 2008 asking rental was $600 a week.
</body></html>

Investor seeks tenants for Concord's Packed to the Rafters house

<html><body>
HE SAID: 

<img alt="" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/jc-silhouette-6.jpg" style="float: right;">

No – except in alpine regions where the design makes structural sense because the high-pitched roof line can handle a lot of snow without buckling under the stress.

While I appreciate the affordability of A-Frame houses, generally I think the designs are unattractive - especially when an extension is tacked on the side.

Often located in mountain and seaside locales, cartoonish looking A-Frame dwellings (mostly built during the 1950s, 60s and 70s) can be the least expensive houses for sale in a particular area due to their distinctive pyramid-shape design with limited buyer appeal.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5559]

Two weeks ago, a turquoise-blue painted <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-callala+beach-107224748" target="_blank">A-Frame house at Callala Beach</a> (on the NSW South Coast, pictured below) sold for $470,000 through Kelly Sprowles of Callala First National Callala Bay. Situated directly opposite the beach, the two-storey abode (with two bedrooms and two living areas) stands on an 803 square metre block.

<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he%20said%201.jpg" width="460"> 

In January, a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-duplex+semi+detached-qld-rainbow+beach-112164691">twin A-Frame dwelling at Queensland’s Rainbow Beach</a> (pictured below) sold for $310,000 through Rodney Gray of Rainbow Beach Realty.  Sold as a deceased estate, the Cooloola Drive property was marketed as a holiday home or an investment opportunity given both dwellings were tenanted.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he%20said%202.jpg" width="460">

At Hobart in Tasmania, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-fern+tree-112249295" target="_blank">a one-bedroom A-Frame home</a> (pictured below) sold for $240,000 last September through Mike Speakman of Petrusma Property Sandy Bay. Set on an elevated 1,955 square metre block in Fern Tree, the house has sweeping views to the ocean. With its huge glass walls, I think it looks like a hydroponic laboratory.

<img alt="" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he-said-7.jpg">

In Queensland’s Toowoomba, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-east+toowoomba-114416147">a substantial A-Frame house</a> (on a 730 square metre block, pictured below) sold for $350,000 last September through Lynn Maclean of Real Point Property Toowoomba. Spanning three levels, it has been listed for sale through expressions of interest in the price range of  $365,000 to $390,000.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he%20said%204.jpg" width="460">

On the market in Victoria’s South Gippsland hamlet of Mirboo North (located 155 kilometres east of Melbourne), <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-mirboo+north-116249147" target="_blank">an A-Frame three-bedroom house</a> (pictured below) is for sale at $198,000 through Kaz Hughes of First National Real Estate Prom Country Mirboo North.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he%20said%205.jpg" width="460">

And at Lawson in the upper Blue Mountains of NSW, a two-bedroom A-Frame house <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-lawson-115249383" target="_blank">at 29 Vista Avenue</a> (pictured below) is for sale with price hopes of more than $319,000 through Gary Brown of First National Real Estate Mid-Mountains.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/he%20said%206.jpg" width="460">

 

SHE SAID:<img height="150" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/mb-silhouette-5.jpg" style="float: left;" width="100">

Yes – but I think A-Frame designs are only suited to coastal and mountain holiday houses.

I’m rather fond of the A-Frame shape with its minimalist modern style. Relaxed getaways and happy holidays are what the A-Frame is all about.  Ideal for simple living and relaxed entertaining, these houses are designed to take advantage of mountain, lakefront or ocean views from floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor decks.

Differing in size and style, A-Frame homes typically offer one-and-a-half to two or three levels of internal space with few vertical walls and an open-plan living area, sometimes with a fireplace or wood burning stove.

One such A-Frame that is ripe for a revamp is Wirreander at Mooney Mooney on the Hawkesbury River (pictured below). Owned by the same family for decades, it would be an idyllic weekender.

Set on 16.19 hectares and accessible only by boat, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-acreage+semi+rural-nsw-mooney+mooney-113587047" target="_blank">the property is being sold</a> with all the house furnishings as well as a single cylinder generator, lawn mower, a 14 foot boat (with 40 hp motor) and a trailer. 
For sale at $599,000 through Jeff Rudge of Hawkesbury River Real Estate Brooklyn, Wirreander is one of the priciest A-Frame holiday houses on the market near Sydney.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%201.jpg" width="460">

Characterized by a triangular roof, the A-Frame design was popularized from the mid-1950s to early 1970s by middle-class American families with money to spare on vacation cottages and second homes - and Australian families followed suit.

The first American A-Frame residence was a holiday house <a href="https://architecture.about.com/od/houses/ss/Schindlers-A-Frame.htm" target="_blank">designed in 1936 by modernist architect, Rudolph Schindler</a>, who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. Set in a resort community on the hills above Lake Arrowhead in California, it was built for Gisela Bennati, a costume designer, who wanted an inexpensive holiday cottage.

Of open-plan design, Schindler’s house (pictured below) with its glass gables and A-shaped roof almost reaching the ground, was well ahead of its time.

<img alt="" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she-said-10.jpg">

Photo courtesy of About.com. 

In 1951, John Carden Campbell, a San Francisco architect, received acclaim for his modernist A-Frame model (known as “Leisure House”) displayed at the Francisco Arts Festival. The following year, Campbell built his own “Leisure House” on a wooded hillside in Mill Valley, across from the Golden Gate Bridge. Featuring smooth plywood with all-white interiors, his simple and affordable A-frame designs spread nationwide via do-it-yourself kits and plans.

<img height="328" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%203.jpg" width="460">

Photo courtesy of <a href="https://aframehistory.com/book/leisurehouse.htm" target="_blank">aframehistory.com</a>

A-Frame holiday home designs propelled to prominence and took off like wildfire, after a house, designed by architect Andrew Geller, was featured in a 1957 edition of the New York Times. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/15502" target="_blank">Known as Elizabeth Reece house</a>, it was built in Sagaponack, New York.

<img height="360" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%204.jpg" width="460">

Elizabeth Reese House, 1955, Sagaponack, New York, Courtesy of Jake Gorst/archpaper.com 

After peaking in popularity during the 1960s, the enthusiasm for A-Frame vacation homes waned in the 1970s when people opted to build bigger holiday houses or buy holiday apartments in beachside areas.

Throughout Australia, A-Frame holiday houses often are listed for sale in beautiful coastal and mountain villages. An ideal weekender which traded recently is <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-st+andrews+beach-113668995" target="_blank">an A-Frame home at St Andrews Beach</a> on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula (pictured below). Sold for $451,ooo in December through Michael Christodoulou and Mal McInnes of Hocking Stuart Blairgowrie, it stands on a 856 square metre block in Sandy Road, just a few minutes walk from Rye Ocean Beach.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%205.jpg" width="460">

At Recherche, a beautiful bay on the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, the price of a substantial A-Frame holiday house recently was reduced by $73,000. For sale at $452,000,<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-recherche-105759205" target="_blank"> the Cockle Creek Road property</a> (pictured below) is only 40 metres from the beach.

With beautiful water views across Recherche Bay to the Southern Ocean, the three-level A-Frame House is a self-sufficient home with solar power and a back-up generator. Also on the property is a separate two-bedroom wood heated unit. With a registered mooring in the bay, the property is located in a protected Wilderness and State Forest area with excellent fishing and magnificent bushwalking on the doorstep.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%206.jpg" width="460">

Also in Tasmania, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-sisters+beach-115754023" target="_blank">an A-Frame holiday cottage at Sisters Beach is for sale</a> (with all its goods and chattels on a “walk-in walk-out” basis, pictured below) with price hopes of more than $200,000 through Dennis Wragg of Roberts Real Estate Wynyard. Near Rocky Cape National Park on the island’s north-west coast, Sisters Beach is renowned for its long sandy beach, fishing, boating and bushwalking on tracks through the National Park.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%207.jpg" width="460">

For Victorian ski enthusiasts, a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-dinner+plain-111441039" target="_blank">modern A-Frame holiday house at Dinner Plain</a> (13 kilometres from Mount Hotham) is for sale at $520,000 through Lee Rourke of John H Castran Pty Ltd Melbourne. With five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sauna and two storerooms, the vast snow chalet (pictured below) could be used in summer as well as during the season for Dinner Plain offers a wide range of summer activities including bush walking, horse riding, mountain biking and tennis.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%208.jpg" width="460">

While Jonathan and I don’t agree about most things A-Frame, we do concur the style of A-Frame houses with a chopped-off roof is a hideous. Examples of this style can be seen in the NSW Snowy Mountains town of East Jindabyne where <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-east+jindabyne-106068521" target="_blank">a two-level A-Frame house</a> sold for $225,ooo four years ago.

Marketed as the cheapest freestanding house in East Jindabyne or Jindabyne, it was built in the early 1960s as a fishing and skiing getaway. This A-frame shape was typical of many holiday homes built in East Jindabyne at that time.

<img height="345" src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/she%20said%209.jpg" width="460">
</body></html>

A-Frame houses, do they work? He Said/She Said

<html><body>
Singer Delta Goodrem has sold her apartment in the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo.
While her parents remained in Sydney's Hills District, Goodrem moved out of home in 2003.
She bought the three-bedroom apartment in the Woolloomooloo Wharf complex for $1.41 million.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/13/10.jpg" width="460">
She secured $1.7 million in the recent sale of the 170 square metre unfurnished apartment which was briefly up for $1,450 a week rental in January this year.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/13/2.jpg" width="460">
The Finger Wharf was a $200 million redevelopment by Walker Group and Multiplex, with 345 luxury apartments, a boutique hotel, restaurants and 63-berth marina, pioneered wharf-side living in the city.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/14/woolloomooloo%208.jpg" width="460"> 
</body></html>

Singer Delta Goodrem sells Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf apartment

<html><body>
The next Channel 9 series of The Block is set for the busy cosmopolitan High Street, Prahran having overcome initial objections.
Stonnington Council has granted a permit for The Block <a href="/news">Prahran</a> project with the six objectors having 21 days to lodge an appeal with Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
But as no appeal was lodged council is then instructed by VCAT to issue the permit, the council's website advises.
The proposal, which will see six split-level atrium apartments above two restaurants in a converted Prahran office block, sought to waive council retail car parking requirements.
The production company, Watercress spent $8.25 million on the 1980s office building near trendy Chapel Street and opposite Swinburne University's Prahran campus last August, which was subsequently revealed by Marc Pallisco in the commercial property pages of The Age.
The $2.5 million Brenchley Architects infill works schedule for <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/2010600795/for-sale/vic/prahran/offices" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the three-storey 3540-square-metre building</a> (pictured abpve) will be mostly internally, but sought car parking dispensation and a waiver of loading and unloading requirements in association with the food and drink premises.
Property Observer wrote earlier this year it is <a href="/news">proposed to have a strong green influence through the recycling of the older building along with the provision of planter boxes on busy High Street</a>.
"There will be no significant increase in the scale of the building, rather facade changes to accommodate the new internal layout," the development application said.
The shop-top dwelling application proposes to convert the existing office building into a mixed use development, comprising six three-bedroom dwellings along with two roof terraces for two of the apartments, along with a pergola in the front setback.
A total of 14 parking spaces will be provided to the dwellings at the rear of the ground floor with access from Percy Street.
The current office space is proposed as two food and drink premises totalling 254 square metres, the ARG Planning submission noted.
Citing the proximity to public transport, the development application sought the waiver from the council requirements for two cars spaces for every three bedroom apartment, one visitor car space for every five apartments and for four spaces for each 100 square metres of the food and drink space, i.e. a total 24 cars spaces.
The 1,289-square-metre holding at 121-127 High Street Prahran had been listed for sale through Vinci Carbone Property. It had been occupied by communications technology company Vixtel.
RP Data puts the median <a href="/news">Prahran</a> apartment price at around $513,000, up around 10% over the past year.
It's been quite an active commercial property market. Late last year <a href="/news/vic/prahran-post-office-on-the-block-with-10-million-expectations">the transformed 2010 former Prahran Post Office luxury mixed-use complex</a> on its 740 square metre holding was sold for $9.1 million. It previously traded in 2004 at around $3.4 million. 
The yield on the mid-1850s freestanding building at 168 Greville Street was 6.8% based on the asset's annual rental return of $620,000 through CBRE selling agents Josh Rutman, Mark Wizel and Tom Tuxworth.
About $10 million had been tipped for the 1890-square-metre, historic complex on the corner of Greville and Macquarie streets, near Chapel Street, which includes six upper-level office suites leased to four tenants.
A ground-floor area is leased to the Zucca Rossa Italian restaurant.
</body></html>

The Block shifting to High Street, Prahran after objectors fail to lodge VCAT appeal

<html><body>
Kippilaw, the colonial Breadalbane homestead, has been sold for $4.2 million via online auction.
The online Meares &amp; Associates offering, where bids where to be placed between March 10 and March 12, sold to bidder 10 when offers closed this afternoon.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2012/09/sept27outkipp]}
The opening online bid was at $3.75 million, with a $4 million vendor bid placed for the trophy holding with a restored homestead - a two-storey, six-bedroom stone house comprising four separate wings with a central courtyard.
Its history stretches back 180 years to when James Chisholm and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to the NSW southern tablelands district, taking up a grant of 1,280 acres (518 hectares) given to her as a marriage portion from Governor Ralph Darling , a custom begun by Governor Lachlan Macquarie for settlers on their marriage.
Elizabeth named their 1837 Georgian residence after her birthplace in Scotland, Kippilaw, near Melrose Abbey.
Its meaning comes from "Kippi" which is Pictish for "little", and "law",which is Saxon for "hill". 
The restored house comes with views of the Wollondilly River and gardens in the Italian manner.
Agent Chris Meares also oversaw the last sale when in 1997 Janet and Graham Webb sold the farm to businessman Robert Rich and his late wife Helen in 1997 for about $2.6 million.
Kippilaw is a viable working farm with 400 acres (about 160 hectares) of quality breeding and fattening country, which have been well fertilised and pasture improved over the years. It grazes and fattens 160 cattle on the pastured acres, supplemented by winter grazing crops.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2012/09/sept27inkippilaw]}
The Kippilaw gardens comes with oak trees line as old as the house that line the driveway.
The gardens comes with tennis court and nearby in-ground swimming pool with small pool house.
There's the sunken garden built by one of the Chisholm boys during WWI and the historic rose garden, supplemented by carpets of daffodils, jonquils, iris, peonies and roses with a spectacular wisteria and rose archway.
The Meares agency sale improves its online success to date with auctionsworkonline, with now the sale of two of its past seven listings. Last December it secured the $2.25 million sale of 3370 Sturt Highway, Wagga Wagga, a flood irrigation/grazing holding called, Kabinga.
<a href="mailto:news@propertyobserver.com.au" target="_blank">news@propertyobserver.com.au</a>
</body></html>

Colonial Kippilaw near Goulburn sells for $4.2 million in pioneering online auction

<html><body>
The Singaporean Ng family has certainly taken a shine to Sydney property.
They first came to my attention last November when Philip Ng <a href="/news/singaporean-billionaire-philip-ng-buys-yamba-scotland-islands-finest-heritage-home">bought Yamba, the idyllic Pittwater retreat</a> (pictured above), for $7 million after Foreign Investment Review Board approval.
He leads the Singaporean based property development company, Far East Organization which is owned by Singapore's richest family. Philip Ng, with his brother Robert have an estimated US$10 billion net worth, according to the most recent Forbes Rich List.
The prized Scotland Island trophy property was signalled as set to be be used as a retreat for the Far East family following the companies' expansion into Sydney via the $72 million October 2013 purchase of prime commercial property, the Clocktower Square complex in Sydney as part of its growth and diversification strategy.
Since then the Far East organisation has spent $425 million, bringing their total Australian acquisitions to $710 million.
Last week it was the Ausgrid property at 570 George Street sold by the NSW government for $151.8 million.
The 20,000 square metre building opposite Sydney Town Hall and St Andrew's Cathedral is a prime location for conversion to a residential tower with a hotel and retail component.
In February Far East Consortium paid about $130 million for the Kyko Group's 50-58 Park Street.
Late last year Far East paid $143 million for Valad Property Group’s 1976 office block at 227 Elizabeth Street, a 24-storey building with development approval for 114 units.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/elizabethstjuly17one.jpg" alt="elizabethstjuly17one" width="460" height="245">
At 24 levels high above Sydney's Hyde Park there could be two remarkable penthouse apartments soon boasting panoramic views towards St Marys Cathedral and Sydney Harbour from their amazing infinity pool (pictured above) atop the luxury 114 apartment residential tower designed by PTW Architects at 227 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/07/july19elizabeth]}
Sydney City Council is yet to give approval for the probable conversion of the existing office building to residential. Vacant possession is likely to occur between April 2015 and June 2016 for the building which sits on Elizabeth Street and boundaries Bathurst and Castlereagh streets.
Built as the Aetna Life tower, the building’s design architect was Sir Roy Grounds, Australia’s most celebrated architect of the mid-20th century, best known for his National Gallery of Victoria and Victorian Performing Arts Centre in Melbourne and the Academy of Science in Canberra.
The existing building has an unusual concept designed to maximize the views over Hyde Park and to minimize late-afternoon heat load. 
<img src="/images/stories/2013/07/elizabethstjuly17verticle.jpg" alt="elizabethstjuly17verticle" width="460" height="564">
Far East Organization also bought last year a 13.7 hectare site in St Helena, Greensborough, Melbourne with plans to develop into an integrated residential community and is buying the Harbour Town Centre in Perth for $205 million.
<div class="page" title="Page 3">
<div class="section">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
Since its 1960s establishment by Philip Ng's father, Ng Teng Fong, the Far East Organization has developed nine sites on Orchard Road into major shopping malls, the most recent being Orchard Central, along with hotel and health care interests.
Over the 53 years, the Far East Organization has undertaken more than 730 developments in the residential, hospitality, retail, commercial, and industrial sectors, including 44,000 or one in six private homes in Singapore. The developer of hotels and malls in Singapore and Hong Kong is reported to have annual revenues of US$5.5 billion.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Accessible only by boat, Yamba, the 7,463-square-metre Scotland Island property has three separate waterfront titles, with two residences, a cabin and a vacant parcel of waterfront land.
Regarded as one of Pittwater's most significant landholdings, set on the north-western side of the island, Yamba was built for the Robertson family of Angus &amp; Robertson bookstores, with later owners including the Moran healthcare family.
Yamba's 1915 renovated and extended five-bedroom house flows onto level lawns, a sandy beach where there are two boat sheds and two deepwater jetties.
The Ng's are known to view Australia as an attractive property investment market driven by a stable economy and well-regulated business environment.
</body></html>

The Ngs, Singapore's richest family, spend $425 million on Sydney trophy property

<html><body>
AFL premiership player Darren Jolly and his wife Deanne have listed their self-renovated Edwardian era Surrey Hills home.
It was apparently done by the ruckman on days off and after training, along with his wife.
The house has been scheduled for March 29 auction as the pair step into the development industry.
Paul Richards, the Bekdon Richards listing agent, has described the three bedroom cottage's renovation as one of the best he’d seen in 13 years in real estate.
The 1910 property at <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/17-empress-road-surrey-hills/Property-Details-buy-residential-6761041" target="_blank">17 Empress Road</a> has period features including high ceilings, stained glass and original fireplaces as well as for contemporary comforts such as refrigerated cooling and ducted heating. 
The couple will get a good indicator of their likely selling price as two doors along - another 1910 cottage - goes to March 15 auction through Marshall White agent Michael Wood.
The former Collingwood, Sydney and Melbourne ruck man, a reluctant 2013 AFL retiree, is St Kilda's part-time ruck coach.
</body></html>

Off-field top marks for retired ruck man Darren Jolly in renovated Surrey Hills cottage

<html><body>
Julia Zemiro secured $910,000 for her Fitzroy apartment at weekend auction with plans to move back to Sydney.
The French-born Zemiro, host of RocKwiz and Eurovision commentator, has shifted back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne over the year, making the somewhat move permanent about 10 years ago.
Her top floor apartment at 14/144 Rose Street cost $455,000 in 2007, and its since been refurbished including the kitchen and bathroom with the aid of interior designer Chelsea Hing.
Bidding opened on the two-bedroom apartment, in a former 1930s Abrahams &amp; Sons paper merchant's warehouse, at $771,000. 
Marek Olech, of Nelson Alexander, who had given an initial $700,000 to $770,000 price range, which was raised during marketing to $720,000 to $800,000, announced at $800,000 that the property was on the market.
It sold to the sixth bidder after around 36 bids were posted.
The apartment had open-plan living and dining, an al-fresco dining area, a single basement car park and a storage cage.
Flat 10, a three bedroom, had sold for $793,500 earlier this year having been listed through Roland Patterson at Nelson Alexander at a $799,000 asking price.
There had been an $820,000 sale in 2012 of another top floor apartment which had sold at $460,000 in 2006.
Title Tattle is not aware of any purchase yet made, but the last purchase she co-owned was a Plumer Road, Rose Bay apartment that sold in 2006 at $510,000.
There was a prior Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill apartment and a Bay Street, Ultimo apartment. 
 
</body></html>

Julia Zemiro taking $910,000 back to Sydney

<html><body>
Forget that supposed over-crowded black Mercedes van carrying around would-be Chinese buyers to prestige Sydney open for inspections.
An Australian expat has snapped up the grand 1904 Mosman merchant home, Rona (pictured above) for $8 million plus ahead of this weekend's Belle Property auction.
Some 60 parties had inspected Rona which sits on a 1,445 square metre Bradleys Head Road block.
The Miller family bought the property back in 1987 for about $2.1 million with the subsequent restoration and modernisation by architect Michael Suttor.
The founder of Millers Self Storage, who sold the business in 1999, now plan spend more time at their beef cattle property near Jugiong.
As I wrote last week, those expatriates are beginning to capitalise on the lower Australian dollar, especially when they are experts in the currency rollercoaster. 
ANZ Singapore based Eddie Listorti recently spent $6.55 million at Palm Beach, for a Sydney northern beaches holiday home. 
Designed by architect Michael Fountain, the three level house (pictured below) comes with 18 metre infinity pool with a floating observation terrace. Positioned on the beach side of Northview Road, with views that span the length of Palm Beach - north to the Lighthouse, south to the rock pool - it was sold by the Doughman family through LJ Hooker Palm Beach agents David Edwards and Amethyst McKee. 
<a href="https://palmbeach.ljhooker.com.au/2JZF6Z" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">It was listed</a> at $7.25 million last October.
<img src="/images/stories/2014/03/11/palm-beach-march-11-breakout.jpg" width="460">
In 2010 Eddie Listorti, former global head of fixed income, currencies and commodities at Dresdner Kleinwort, took the job as head foreign exchange and commodities at ANZ. His title is now ANZ's co-head of fixed income, currencies and commodities in Singapore. 
In 2010 he spent $6.5 million on a Mosman home,  Melleray, the Federation home situated on a 1,975 square metre block a few minutes from Mosman village. 
</body></html>

Expats emerging from hibernation as Mosman's Rona sold pre-auction for $8 million plus

<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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362240] 
&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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=364553]

From Candela, residents can access cafés, grocers, wine bars, restaurants and essential services on foot, while Ivanhoe Station and Darebin Station provide direct connectivity across Mel​bour​ne. The development is also surrounded by some of the suburb's best-known lifestyle destinations, including Pinkie, Laurent, Enni, Docasa and Woodfire Pizza e Cucina, alongside Ivanhoe Plaza, Woolworths, pharmacies and specialty retailers.

Green space is another defining feature of the suburb. Darebin Parklands, Ivanhoe Park, Nellie Ibbot Park and the Yarra River trail network provide extensive opportunities for recreation, while Ivanhoe Golf Course and Ivanhoe Tennis Club continue to underpin the area's long-established lifestyle appeal.

The suburb's education offering further strengthens demand. Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Mary Immaculate Primary School and Ivanhoe Primary School have helped establish the area as one of Melbou​​rne's most sought-after schooling precincts, attracting families and downsizers alike who want to remain connected to the area.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=357510]

While location was the priority for Marita and Chris, the project itself also needed to meet their expectations.

"Whilst location was paramount, I was also looking at design of the environment and Candela ticked every box," Marita said.

"We're just thrilled with our choice."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=336455]

Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/salter-brothers">Salter Brothers</a>, Candela Ivanhoe has been designed to complement its village setting, with an emphasis on generous floorplans, natural light and practical everyday living.

Residents will have access to a range of shared amenities, including a communal rooftop garden and dedicated residential lounge, complemented by a ground-floor café and lifestyle wellbeing centre, helping foster the sense of community already emerging among future owners.

That approach has resonated strongly with the market. More than 90 per cent of purchasers at Candela Ivanhoe are owner-occupiers, with buyers ranging from downsizers and second-home buyers to young families and first home buyers, creating a genuinely multi-generational community of grandparents, parents and children. It reflects a broader shift across Melbo​​urne's apartment market, where buyers are increasingly prioritising neighbourhood quality, lifestyle amenity and long-term liveability.

Currently under construction by Ironside, Candela Ivanhoe comprises 58 apartments. Candela Ivanhoe is scheduled for completion in the coming months, and residents can move in from September. One to four bedroom residences, prices from $649,000 and limited opportunities remaining.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=342]

Location and lifestyle drive demand at Candela Ivanhoe

As apartment buyers increasingly look beyond the four walls of their residence, the quality and depth of shared amenity has become a defining factor in how developments are designed and experienced, particularly in the high-rise, new apartment development space.

In Southbank, where high-density living continues to evolve, developers are placing greater emphasis on creating environments that support wellbeing, connection, and convenience as part of everyday life.

That approach sits at the heart of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aura-at-melbourne-square-7-hoff-boulevard-southbank-vic-3006">AURA</a>, the latest residential tower in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/osk-property">OSK Property</a>’s $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct. Rising 67 storeys above Hoff Boulevard, the 673-apartment development has been conceived around what OSK describes as a “vertical wellness ecosystem”, a layered collection of amenities that extends throughout the building rather than being confined to a single podium level.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370263]

The amenity offering begins on the seventh level within the AURA Club, a dedicated resident hub focused on health, relaxation, and daily convenience. Here, residents will have access to an indoor swimming pool, cold plunge, spa, sauna, and steam room, alongside a fully equipped gym, reformer Pilates studio, and yoga room.

The wellness facilities are complemented by a range of spaces that acknowledge the changing ways people live and work. Work-from-home lounges and co-working areas sit alongside a library, music room, games room, cinema facilities, and open-air terrace spaces, providing residents with flexible environments that can adapt throughout the day.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367468]

Beyond the internal amenity, AURA introduces a series of Japanese-inspired gardens that form a quieter counterpoint to the tower’s social spaces.

Landscaped retreats feature curated outdoor dining, tranquil courtyard seating, fire pit, and a tea house pavilion. Rather than functioning as simple recreational areas, the gardens have been designed as places for reflection and informal gathering, drawing on principles of balance, nature, and calm that underpin the project's broader design philosophy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367810]

The social amenity continues to evolve as residents move higher through the building. Levels 49 and 50 house the Meridian Club, where a lounge bar, conservatory spaces, and private dining rooms take advantage of elevated city views. At the summit of the tower, the exclusive Cumulus Club spans Levels 66 and 67, offering additional lounges, private dining, and meditation and treatment rooms positioned above Melbourne’s skyline.

For OSK Property, the extensive amenity offering reflects a broader focus on wellbeing as a core component of apartment living rather than an added feature.

“Aura stands tall as an exemplar of holistic wellness – its focus on social, physical and mental health culminate in a building that is calming, restorative and relaxing, where residents will have their own sanctuary within the well-connected and sought-after Southbank,” says OSK Property CEO Chong Boon Woon.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367796]

AURA’s amenity strategy extends beyond the tower itself through its integration with the wider Melbourne Square precinct.

Residents will have direct access to Kennedy Park, Southbank’s 3,745 sqm landscaped public park, alongside a full-line Woolworths supermarket, childcare centre, hospitality venues, and approximately 1,600 sqm of additional retail planned within AURA’s lower levels. Together, these elements create a highly connected residential environment where daily needs, recreation, and wellness are woven into the fabric of the community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370253]

As Melbourne’s apartment market continues to mature, developments are increasingly judged by the lifestyle they provide beyond individual residences.

Through its combination of wellness facilities, landscaped retreats, social clubs, and precinct-wide amenity, AURA represents a shift toward a more comprehensive model of vertical living, one where shared spaces play as significant a role as the homes themselves.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151921]

AURA elevates amenity living at Melbourne Square

Builder-developer Scion is the latest to target Sydney's booming Hills Showground Metro precinct, filing plans for more than 100 apartments within walking distance of the station.

Scion has lodged a concurrent rezoning and State Significant Development Application for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/27-33-middleton-avenue-castle-hill-nsw-2154">27–33 Middleton Avenue</a>, where it plans to replace four existing homes with an 11 and 14-storey mixed-use development comprising 109 apartments, six affordable housing dwellings, and a ground-floor café.

Designed by BHK Architects, the proposal includes three levels of basement parking with 174 spaces, more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space, and extensive landscaping across the 3,791 sqm site.

The development has been designed as two buildings connected by a recessed wintergarden spine, with the 14-storey building positioned to the south and the 11-storey building to the north.

<img alt="Scion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="64dc359d-736b-43b8-87a8-70a8285cab47" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-25%20at%208.47.01%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=PXh.m8id_aevBPHEckPf88wQ2RQThPos" />

The apartment mix has been weighted towards owner-occupiers, with 13 one-bedroom apartments, 55 two-bedroom residences, 31 three-bedroom apartments, six three-bedroom lofts, and four four-bedroom homes. Six apartments will be dedicated as affordable housing in line with the NSW Housing SEPP.

According to the Architectural Design Report by BKH, the proposal seeks to create "a place-responsive architecture" inspired by the natural landscape surrounding Cattai Creek, while strengthening the public domain through landscaping, active frontages and a neighbourhood café.

Atlas Urban, in its Urban Design Report, says the proposal takes a different approach to increasing density around Hills Showground Station by favouring a more slender, vertically articulated built form over a conventional mid-rise outcome. The report argues this allows for greater deep soil planting, improved solar access and a better public domain outcome, while still delivering additional housing close to rapid public transport.

The site sits around 500 metres from Hills Showground Metro Station, within a precinct earmarked for significant residential intensification following the opening of the Sydney Metro Northwest line. Planning documents accompanying the application note that Greater Sydney's population has grown by more than one million people since planning for the precinct first began, reinforcing the need to accelerate housing delivery around existing transport infrastructure.

Scion is expanding its development pipeline which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/chatham-west-ryde-2-6-chatham-road-west-ryde-nsw-2114">Chatham in West Ryde</a>, 62 apartments which are approaching completion. They also have a State Significant Development Application with the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/96-anzac-avenue-west-ryde-nsw-2114">145 apartments on Anzac Avenue</a>, also in West Ryde.

Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News