<html><body>
Persistance has yielded the resale of the striking two-storey riverfront home, designed by Sydney-based architect Alex Popov, that sits on Cronin Island with 50-metre frontage onto the Nerang River.

It has been on and off the market since 2011, with its last auction on-sale not proceeding to settlement.
It's the much-marketed "Mark McIvor house", which was listed by Fulton Transport boss Gary Fulton, who paid $6.75 million just one year ago.
The former luxury abode of the Equititrust founder Mark McIvor had gone to<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/queensland/former-equititrust-boss-mark-mcivor-lists-popov-designed-gold-coast-home/2011081651176" target="_blank">September 2011 auction</a>, but did not <a href="/news">sell until early January 2012</a> when the price was undisclosed.
At its September 2011 auction Stacey McIvor, the wife of merchant banker and property investor Mark McIvor, wept when the five-bedroom riverfront home drew a top bid of $4.55 million.
At the time a disappointed Mark McIvor said the home  had been valued at $6.5 million and that the auction was "a demonstration of a very hard market".
Observers were then highly surprised at the strength of the very bullish $6.75 million price stated in the official DERM land registry paperwork after its January 2012 sale by then marketing agent Michael Kollosche.
The 1,736-square-metre block initially cost $1 million when McIvor bought it in 1994.
McIvor had founded the Gold Coast's own merchant bank, Equititrust, in 1993.
Equititrust, which became known for using a Roman voussoir arch as its marketing logo to suggest structural stability, was among the many unlisted mortgage funds to take a battering following the 2008 financial crisis.
In April 2011 Equititrust confirmed it had stopped paying income distributions to unit holders in two funds housing more than $300 million worth of assets as it accelerated its debt repayments.
Gary Fulton is a freight-traffic operative based in Kemps Creek, NSW.
He initially tried to sell in in August 2012 after just six months ownership.
As it failed to sell at August 2012 auction – passed in on a $5.5 million vendor bid by Coldwell Banker agent Alex Caraco – it was then scheduled for November 3 auction.
After the August auction Alex Caraco suggested interested parties were using the controversy attached to the property to try to get a bargain.
It then sold on a conditional contract in November to Sydney buyers at $5.5 million, with the finance condition being the trigger for the subsequent contract collapse.
So in January the Southern Cross Drive property was back on the market through Coldwell Banker at $5.5 million – "make an offer" is the owner's instructions.
The asking price was reduced more recently to $4.5 million...and its been sold at a yet to be disclosed price through Alex Caraco. Its sold unconditionally to ocal buyers, Property Observer understands.
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Alex Popov-designed McIvor home on Cronin Island house finally resells

<html><body>
The veteran Channel 7 weatherman David Brown has embarked on a new career in real estate.
He has his first listing at <a target="_blank" href="/news">Park Orchards</a>.
The meteorologist has signed on with Hoskins Real Estate in Melbourne's east having been replaced in his prime-time news slot by former Olympic swimmer Giaan Rooney.
He stays on at Seven as network meteorologist covering special weather events for shows including Sunrise, Sunday Night and Today Tonight.
The Hoskins director John Hoskins said the long-time Park Orchards resident had join <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hoskins.com.au/about/company-profile/">the sales team at the Donvale office</a>.
Brown is yet to be added to the sales team featured on the company office website, or website page, but has a page on <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.thehomepage.com.au/agent/david-brown/31540" target="_blank">thehomepage</a> website.
<img alt="davidbrownapril26one" height="346" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/04/davidbrownapril26one.jpg">
His listings include a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-park+orchards-113584487">Park Orchards house</a> with $740,000 plus hopes which he has described as a "hidden treasure" with "sturdy bones" that is "soaked in northern light" with a "heart warming ambience."
The house comes with split-system air-conditioner.

</body></html>

David Brown set to find that property prices can be almost as unpredictable as the weather

<html><body>
The veteran rural property agent Lex Heinemann has made a surprise return as Landmark Harcourt’s director of rural growth, responsible for the Queensland/NT region.
Lex Heinemann, now aged 71, will return to the company - then operating under the Dalgety - where he had his early rural sales successes from the 1970s onwards.
He left Dalgety Winchcombe in 1994 to launch a specialist rural property division for the Ray White property group. Mr Heinemann sold his shares in the Ray White Rural property business in 2009, but maintained an ongoing consultancy role.
Heinemann was involved in many benchmark ruralcattle farm sales including King Ranch and Sherwin dispersals. He was also a director of the Queensland Turf Club.
Mr Heinemann will report to Landmark Harcourt’s national chief executive, Darren Cole.
</body></html>

Veteran Lex Heinemann returns to rural sales scene

<html><body>
Rawbelle, the Central Queensland breeding property, sold this week for $4.5 million.
Representing $225/ac bare, Tim and Gina Fairfax's highly-regarded 8228 hectare Biloela freehold EU-accredited grazing station went to auction through Moura agent Gary Bishop Hourn &amp; Bishop.
The buyers were Eidsvold beef producers Paul and Ingrid Hatton and their sons, Adam and Brett. The Hatton’s own Old Delargum, another property not far from Rawbelle, the beefcentral website reported.
There were four bidding with the $4.5 million result achieved soon after being passed in for $4 million.
The property was sold bare, but will comfortably run 1500 breeders.
The Fairfax family has held Rawbelle as their home-base rural property over the past four decades, but decided to sell to consolidate their pastoral holdings in Central and Central Western Queensland.
Tim Fairfax has concentrated on his patroral empire since he, and his brother John B Fairfax, sold their half stake in printer and magazine publisher IPMG to joint owners the Hannan family, in 2003.
<div> </div>
</body></html>

Tim Fairfax sells Rawbelle Station in Central Queensland

<html><body>
<div>
The legendary outback filmmaker Alby Mangels has listed his 110 hectare Meningie, South Australia retreat.
</div>
The Princes Highway property sits on the Coorong lagoon ecosystem.
Trevor Rasheed of Raine &amp; Horne Meningie has the property listing for $1.2 million.
Alby Mangels has owned <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PRtUiytvu3MJ:www.realestate.com.au/property-other-sa-meningie-113637427+alby+mangels+miningie&amp;cd=4&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=fr" target="_blank">the three bedroom house with light plane airstrip on the property </a>for more than two decades.
He built the two storey home from mostly recycled stone, timber and iron materials in the mid-1990s including the old wool stores in Port Adelaide.
Known for his World Safari adventure conservation travel documentaries in the 1970s and 1980s, Mangels is selling the property because he is contemplating a move closer to Adelaide.
His <a href="https://www.theneedles.com.au/?call" target="_blank">2010 documentary, Call of the Coorong</a> was done on the <a href="https://www.theneedles.com.au/?gallery" target="_blank">property</a>.
 
<div>
 
</div>
</body></html>

On the Coorong, outback filmaker Alby Mangels lists rustic Meningie, SA property

<html><body>
The Vizard family have bought in South Yarra, some six months after selling in St Kilda.
Its a late 1970s Caroline Street Graeme Dunn-designed architectural landmark bought from the Redlich family. Its selling agent Tim Derham at Abercromby's Armadale marketed it as "significant for the integrity of its design, irresistible for the family success of its spaces – deserving of its landmark status."
Its living, dining and entertaining spaces come with natural light from northerly aspects along with having a study/library with a courtyard and a separate kitchen/dining domain that has some contemporary elements introduced after the 1978-design of the home that sits on 584 square metres.
Title Tattle recalls the property last traded at $70,000 in 1977 when bought by the late lawyer Peter Redlich and his wife, Sally. Then shortly after its completion it appeared in a 1980 Australian Home Beautiful under the heading, "A No-frills Lifestyle".
Last October the former TV personality turned broadcasting entreprenuer Steve Vizard and wife Sarah sold their St Kilda mansion, Clendore, a three-storey Italianate Victorian with 17 rooms and a rooftop pool for around $8 million.
It was been bought by former champion skateboarder and streetwear fashion entrepreneur Peter Hill, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/globe-international-co-founder-peter-hill-sells-hawthorn-s-invergowrie-for-likely-%2420-million/2013042460697">who recently sold Invergowrie, the 1.1 hectare Hawthorn estate for an estimated $20 million</a>, as reported by Property Observer.
Vizard and wife Sarah, who renovated the seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom home after paying $3.96 million in 2004, took a year to sell the Fitzroy Street property, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/melbourne-businessman-steve-vizard-sticks-with-%248-million-plus-hopes-for-st-kilda-mansion-clendore/2012070855470">which was listed with $8 million-plus hopes</a>. It came with 15-person lift.
Title Tattle can't quite get an accurate sale price indication on the South Yarra house which sold earlier this month following a $3.8 million price expectation, but the last house sale on Caroline Street was a double-fronted Victorian with its Peter Carmichael redesign sold by the Liberman family.
Set on an 895-square-metre block, it sold through Darren Lewenberg and Gowan Stubbings at Kay &amp; Burton for $3.625 million late last year to the Harris family.
The modern home behind its Victorian façade had been briefly listed in mid-2011 with $4 million-plus hopes, which were revised to $3.75 million plus.
Graeme Gunn was the head of the School of Architecture and Building at RMIT University (1972–1977) then foundation Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Building at RMIT University (1977–1982).
He has received a number of architectural awards for his design and practice including the RAIA Victorian chapter president’s award for Lifetime Contribution to Victorian Architecture (2001) and in 2011 he was awarded the Gold Medal for his lifelong contribution to architecture by the Australian Institute of Architects.
He is currently a Director of Gunn Dyring Architecture and Urban Design along with Sophie Dyring.
In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms?page=15324">an AIA 2011 recollection</a> Gunn noted the Redlich house was among his seminal courtyard houses where he explored the integration of useable open space as an adjunct to those spaces within buildings. Gunn is mooted to be commissioned to modernise the home for the Vizards.
</body></html>

Steve Vizard buys into "no frills" South Yarra after selling in St Kilda to Peter Hill: Title Tattle

<html><body>
The residential developer AVJennings has unveiled a $41.2 million equity raising to strengthen its balance sheet after hefty property project writedowns early this year.
The new equity will be used to reduce debt facilities, to fund growth objectives and for working capital requirements for its land sites and also the settlement payments for several previous land acquisitions due during the current financial year, including Elysium, The Ponds, Doreen, Eyre and St Clair.
AVJ currently has a significant portfolio of some 10,500 lots under control with many projects now in advanced stages and ready for build-out and development.


<div title="Page 9">
<div>
AVJ says they will selectively fund investment in built form at the following projects:
• New South Wales: The Ridges Elderslie, Ravensworth Heights Goulburn, The Ponds Kellyville, Charterwood Wadalba, Arcadian Hills Cobbitty
• Victoria: Arena Officer, Lyndarum Epping/Wollert
• Queensland: Glenrowan Mackay, Essington Rise Leichardt, Villaggio Richlands, Creekwood Caloundra
• South Australia: Eyre at Penfield
<div>
• New Zealand: Hobsonville Point
</div>
</div>
</div>
The developer’s gearing is scheduled to reduce from 23.8% to 15.5%, following the raising with its consolidated net debt to reduce from $111.9 million to $72.7 million on a pro-forma basis as at 31 December.
AVJ has received credit approved term sheets to renew its existing club facility to 30 September 2015.
The well-known Melbourne-based developer, dual-listed on the ASX and Singapore exchanges, has advised that the chairman, Simon Cheong, will take up his full share of the offer.
The remainder - almost half the register - is to be underwritten by brokers, Bell Potter Securities.
The raising will be through a two for five, non-renounceable rights offer at a price of 37.5¢, which is significantly at a discount to the developer’s net tangible asset per security of 90¢. and a 1.3% discount to AVJ’s closing price on the last day of trading prior to the announcement of the offer.
“This capital raising will provide AVJennings with a stronger balance sheet to build on its diversified project pipeline and position the business for growth in the following years,” managing director Peter Summers said.
</body></html>

With acquisitions due at Elysium, The Ponds, Doreen, Eyre and St Clair, AVJennings seeks $41 million equity raising after hefty project writedowns 

<html><body>
Peter Hill, the skateboarding Globe International co-founder and his wife, Angela have sold the colonial-gothic style mansion, Invergowrie Estate, on 1.1 hectares in Hawthorn.
The hush hush sale of the Coppin Grove home - once a finishing school for the city's young ladies - has probably fallen short of setting a record price for the Melbourne market.
The sale estimates are $20 million plus, possibly in two separate sales. It cost $10.75 million in 2002. The buyers are undisclosed using solicitors, Arnold Bloch Leibler as their intermediaries.
The first president of the Legislative Assembly, Sir John Palmer, began building the estate in 1846 which comes with a tennis court, fountain, botanic gardens and a sweeping driveway.
There were five buildings on the estate, including a free-standing hall, an annexe, stables of convict-mined bluestone converted into a guest house when last sold.
The $24 million sale in 2010 of the former Baillieu family estate on St Georges Road, Toorak to the soft-drink magnate Harry Stamoulis ranks as the Melbourne bigtime sale from January 2010. The title of Victoria's most expensive residential property is currently held by clifftop Portsea mansion Ilyuka, which sold for $25 million in December 2010.
Invergowrie (pictured below) is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/stories/2013/04/invergowrieapril24one.jpg" alt="invergowrieapril24one" width="470" height="303">
At one time it was owned by theatrical entrepreneur George Coppin, who is said to have tried to demolish it. The building was saved when businessman Sir William McPherson bought it. Sir William (pictured below) rose to political heights as premier of Victoria in 1928.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/stories/2013/04/invergowrieapril24two.jpg" alt="invergowrieapril24two" width="250" height="347">
On his death, the property was handed over to the Association of Headmistresses of Independent Schools when it became the Invergowrie Homecraft Hostel and was later headquarters of the Victorian Post Secondary Education Commission.
It was bought by the Coogi knitwear entrepreneur Jacky Taranto in 1992 for $2.7 million who sold in 2002 to the Hills.
It was last October when the Hill's boght in St Kilda from the former TV personality Steve Vizard who sold his St Kilda mansion, Clendore.
The three-storey Italianate Victorian with 17 rooms and a rooftop pool was sold by Vizard and wife Sarah who had renovated the seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom home after paying $3.96 million in 2004.
There is a rooftop Paul Bangay-designed garden above the grand colonnaded building, which sits on a 782-square-metre Fitzroy Street block.
The mansion has a 15-person Schindler commercial double-door lift that connects all four floors.
One of the original three adjoining terraces was the home of Sir Graham Berry, the distinguished radical politician, for several years.
Images courtesy of the State Library of Victoria and The Invergowrie Foundation.
</body></html>

Globe International co-founder Peter Hill sells Hawthorn's Invergowrie for likely $20 million

<html><body>
A New South Head Road Double Bay retail offering sold at its recent auction for $4.425 million to a local investor.
It last sold at $1.585 million in 1992 to the South Australian Investment Corporation, a trustee company directed by Jennifer Pridmore, John Hugo, Victor Hugo and Allan Farrer.
Its represented 5% annual growth over the 21 years.
<img alt="doublebayapril18one" src="/images/stories/2013/04/doublebayapril18one.jpg" width="470" height="305">
Close to the much anticipated $110 million Kiaora Lands redevelopment, it was offered vacant possession. The 425 square metre site has a 520 square metre nla.
The building has been occupied by Double Bay Clothing Warehouse for 23 years, according to the marketing. 
Its been on and off the market since 2010.
"This is the perfect time and opportunity to capitalise on this significant adjoining development and rare freehold opportunity in the heart of Double Bay," the marketing by Miron Solomons and Warren Duncan from City Commercial Property said.
</body></html>

Double Bay $4.425 million retail sale after three years trying

<html><body>
The RBA says housing price growth will be slower in future than in the past three 30 years.
But the central bank doesn't have a strong view about whether the ratio of prices to income should be mildly rising, falling or constant.
But they do think it is very unlikely to rise rapidly once again.
"Nor would we want to see another boom like the one a decade ago,"Luci Ellis, the RBA's head of its financial stability department told the Citibank Property Conference.
She suggested if the bank's analysis was correct Australia was facing the ‘new normal’, which implied additional changes to future outcomes.
"A second implication is that, if housing price growth is now cycling around a lower average, there will be more periods when prices are falling (a little) in absolute terms.
"This has implications for the loss given default (LGD) in mortgage portfolios.
"In my view, this vindicates APRA's decision to require a higher LGD floor than the 10 per cent minimum built into the Basel rules for banks using their own models.
"It also vindicates its decision to require higher risk weights for non-standard and high loan-to-valuation loans for lenders that do not use their own models.
"This has obvious implications for the rate of growth of bank balance sheets and profits.
"We have been making this point for a while," she said.
"Financial stability requires that the owners of banks accept that domestic balance sheet growth will be slower from here than it was in the previous 20 years or so.
"We would not want banks to ease their lending standards to make more loans and bring back the boom times.
"Nor would we want them to cut costs in a way that impinges on their risk-management capabilities."
</body></html>

RBA says expect slower housing price growth and tells banks they mustn't lower lending standards to bring back the boom

ASX-listed developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/stockland">Stockland</a>&nbsp;is continuing its push back into the new apartment market, filing plans for a prominent gateway site between Collingwood and East Melbourne.

The development giant, which moved back into the new apartment space when it announced Stanton Place in Sydney's Rosebery and have since filed plans for a 50-storey tower, are jumping into the off the plan Melbourne market.

They are hoping to create a mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/79-81-victoria-parade-collingwood-vic-3066">79-81 Victoria Parade</a>, replacing an existing commercial building with a scheme by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/john-wardle-architects">Wardle</a>&nbsp;for 478 apartments,&nbsp;ground-floor retail, new public open spaces and a publicly accessible pedestrian laneway.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="72dbbca9-3918-4073-afad-a0c0c35be8e7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%20pers.png?VersionId=bzMVUKKxvwuNK1m0v_td126Rgct32uk_" />

The design report identifies the public realm as a central driver of the proposal.

"Collingwood has limited access to high-quality parks and public open space, and the proposal delivers valuable new areas for respite, social interaction and fine-grain retail activity."

The development would deliver a diverse mix of housing, including studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments alongside townhouse-style residences. Two basement levels are proposed beneath the development, providing resident and retail parking as well as extensive bicycle facilities.

Wardle's design draws heavily on Collingwood's industrial character, using articulated building forms, brickwork and robust materials inspired by the suburb's warehouse and manufacturing heritage. The built form has been broken into a series of smaller volumes to better respond to the surrounding streetscape while extensive communal gardens, rooftop amenities and shared resident spaces are integrated throughout the project.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7b2135ed-65df-4253-ad53-f216f06bd467" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%20podium.png?VersionId=l1B6Hqn8zs772VxH6L1fDPg0KHshan9v" />

The planning documents describe the existing office building as offering little engagement with the public realm, with the redevelopment intended to create a more permeable and active neighbourhood destination.

"The proposed scheme presents a significant opportunity to deliver a vibrant retail plaza and a local neighbourhood hub serving both existing and future Collingwood residents."

The 79–81 Victoria Parade site occupies a strategic location about 1.5 kilometres east of Melbourne's CBD, at the threshold between Collingwood and East Melbourne. It is well served by tram services along Victoria Parade and sits within walking distance of St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy Gardens, the Fitzroy activity centre and a broad range of employment, retail and hospitality destinations.

Joel Robinson

Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site

An 1880s timber cottage that has survived Kangaroo Point's transformation from riverside suburb to high-density apartment precinct is set to become the centrepiece of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/zephyr">Zephyr Group</a>'s proposed Banksia development.

Rather than see the locally heritage-listed Alpha Cottage as an obstacle to navigate, plans integrate the landmark home into a new 18-storey residential tower, giving one of the suburb's oldest surviving residences a new role as the project's communal hub.

The development application covers a 1,177 sqm amalgamated site at 127-133 Lambert Street and 30 Shafston Avenue, where Zephyr Group plans to deliver 64 apartments above three basement levels. Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/joe-adsett-architects">Joe Adsett Architects</a>, the proposal carefully weaves the retained heritage cottage into a contemporary residential scheme, with the tower elevated above the historic building to preserve its presence within the Lambert Street streetscape.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f9dc5bdb-d691-4c60-bf2b-c3ed405a3e75" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Banksia.png?VersionId=Jh4bjlewU.o8HXWt0V4KaFA_lPcF7KWM" />

Named after the native Australian Banksia flower, the project draws inspiration from its distinctive form through curved balconies, sculpted planter boxes and cascading subtropical landscaping that soften the building's profile.

As the design report explains: "The tower's identity is defined by its feature facade, drawing direct inspiration from the Banksia wildflower. The building departs from traditional rigidity through the use of elegant, GRC-moulded planter boxes that appear as if shaped by the breeze."

Plans propose 64 apartments, comprising 32 two-bedroom and 32 three-bedroom residences, across an 18-storey tower. Residents would have access to rooftop amenities including a swimming pool, spa, gym, sauna, private cinema, dining spaces and landscaped recreation areas, while more than half the site is dedicated to planting and open space.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="16041b5f-033e-47fa-8fbe-9886e072c1f2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pool.png?VersionId=kpx5w4EbLx0_TdWfDoD1vrSs0_cZ5Ao1" />

The heritage component is the defining feature of the proposal. Constructed in the early 1880s and occupied from at least 1883, Alpha Cottage is recognised by Brisbane City Council as an important surviving example of Kangaroo Point's nineteenth-century residential development and as a representative transverse-gable timber cottage. Despite extensive redevelopment across the peninsula, the building has retained a high degree of its original form and internal fabric.

As part of the redevelopment, the cottage will be carefully relocated a short distance within its original allotment to facilitate construction before being returned to a prominent position along Lambert Street. Original verandah elements will be dismantled, catalogued and reinstated, while significant internal features, including timber flooring, wall linings, joinery, doors, windows and hardware, will be retained. Later additions, including the enclosed rear verandah, will be removed to better reveal the building's original form.

Once restored, Alpha Cottage will accommodate the building manager's office, mail room and parcel facilities, providing an active everyday use that supports its long-term conservation rather than preserving it as a static display. The heritage strategy also maintains landscaped space around the building, allowing it to remain visually distinct beneath the new tower.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="43b027e1-576e-4624-a66c-7cc54ea8b7be" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/banksia%20tower.png?VersionId=2W6E2yfkj2AQlWlLeV986grA5zB9f817" />

The Heritage Impact Assessment concludes that "the proposal secures the ongoing occupation, maintenance and conservation of Alpha Cottage," finding the development would result in "no more than a minor impact on the cultural heritage significance" of the building while ensuring its long-term future.

Joe Adsett Architects have designed the tower to sit above the heritage building rather than overwhelm it, creating a clear visual separation between old and new. The development's flowing balconies, integrated planting and organic façade respond to Brisbane's subtropical climate while complementing the restored cottage below.

Banksia occupies a prominent corner in Kangaroo Point within walking distance of the Kangaroo Point Bridge, Brisbane River, ferry services, QUT, the CBD and the Woolloongabba precinct. The site also benefits from direct access to active transport infrastructure and sits within an area earmarked for continued higher-density residential growth.

Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage

Buying into a masterplanned community often means committing to a vision still years from taking shape. At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a>, that vision is already visible.

Residents have moved into the completed first stage, landscaped spaces are established, and the next chapter is now underway. Stage 1 has been completed and settled, with Stage 2 now selling off-the-plan.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/pbd-architects">PBD Architects</a>, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> combines attainable apartment living with sustainability initiatives rarely seen at this price point, including rooftop solar, battery storage and a resident EV-sharing program.

<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/6RNt3AvtBpI?si=JUhuCV2ZRXsYaoJZ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Located on Schofi​elds Road, just moments from Tal​lawong Metro Station and Schof​ields Train Station, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been designed to appeal to a broad mix of buyers, from first-home purchasers looking for a foothold in Sy​dney's property market to downsizers seeking a connected, low-maintenance lifestyle.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been conceived as a thoughtfully planned masterplanned community that will evolve over multiple stages, with buyers now able to secure one, two and three-bedroom apartments within a neighbourhood that is already beginning to establish its identity.

One of the project's defining features is its focus on sustainability. Solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure have been incorporated throughout the development, reflecting a long-term approach to both environmental performance and everyday convenience.

Sustainability sits at the centre of the development's vision, with solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure integrated throughout the community.

That emphasis on future-ready living extends beyond the technology. Landscaped communal gardens, outdoor gathering spaces and plans for a future retail precinct aim to create a neighbourhood where residents can access daily conveniences without travelling far from home.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351027]

The apartments themselves have been designed with liveability front of mind. Rather than chasing maximum density, the focus has been placed on creating practical homes with generous natural light, usable layouts and strong connections to outdoor space.

Importantly, these design principles have been applied consistently across the one, two and three-bedroom apartment offerings.

The appeal of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> is also closely linked to its location within Syd​ney's rapidly evolving north-west growth corridor. Over the past decade, major infrastructure investment has transformed the area, with new transport links, business precincts and community facilities reshaping suburbs like Talla​wong and Schofiel​ds.

The agent says buyers are increasingly recognising the area's long-term potential.

"Typical buyers that we're finding across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> especially are your first-home buyers, your investors, your upsizers as well as your downsizers," Hawes says.

Connectivity remains one of the project's strongest drawcards. Residents have access to both Tallaw​ong Metro Station and Schofi​elds Train Station, providing links to the Sydn​ey CBD, Norw​est Business Park, Macquari​e Park and other major employment hubs. Retail centres including Rous​e Hill Town Centre and Sch​ofields Village are also nearby, alongside schools, parks and future healthcare infrastructure.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351031]

For Stage 1 resident Roji, it is the balance between convenience and comfort that has defined the experience of living at Kew.

"For me, it's a balance of quality and convenience," she says. "Everything I need is right here."

"If I wanted to catch the train, Scho​fields Station is just around the corner. Tallaw​ong Metro connects me to the city."

More importantly, she says, the development has delivered something that cannot be measured in floorplans or specifications.

"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> feels like home."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351024]

As Stage 2 enters the market, that lived experience may be one of the project's strongest selling points. Buyers are not purchasing into an untested concept or a future promise. They are joining a community that is already taking shape.

Ongoing investment in transport, retail, healthcare and public open space continues to strengthen the appeal of Syd​ney's north-west growth corridor, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a>'s established first stage provides buyers with a tangible sense of the community's future direction.

For a limited time, buyer can secure a new home at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> with just a $10,000.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149637]

Kew Tallawong: A growing community taking shape in Sydney's north-west

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/freecity">Freecity</a> has received development approval for its 51-storey mixed-use tower at 153-157 Walker Street, North Sydney, set to be one of the tallest mixed-use residential-led buildings in one of Sydney’s most sought-after commercial and residential addresses.

Lodged as a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) through the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) pathway and approved by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure following a comprehensive public exhibition and submissions process, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/153-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">the project</a> will deliver 296 apartments, alongside a 170-room, luxury hotel, activated retail and significant public domain improvements.

Situated just 200 metres from Victoria Cross Metro Station, on one of the largest developable sites in North Sydney, the development will rise to 234 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the suburb. With an end value of approximately $1.5 billion, the project responds directly to the NSW Government’s mandate to accelerate housing delivery in well-located, transit-connected areas.

<img alt="Freecity gets green light for mixed-use residential and hotel tower in North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="192ec455-94bf-4e01-83ef-922b1b269d67" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Freecity%20-%20Walker%20Street%20North%20Sydney%201%20RESIZED%20.jpg?VersionId=Bzqp0SBHCDvLAHjA4QXkjuGoOEIh73Jl" />

The apartment mix will cater to a broad range of buyers, with 65 studio and one-bedroom apartments, 139 two-bedroom residences, 35 three-bedroom apartments, 48 four-bedroom homes, and nine penthouses. Residents will have access to a dedicated amenity level on Level 33, featuring a swimming pool with views towards the Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and North Sydney CBD, as well as a gym, library, shared kitchen, lounge and outdoor entertaining areas.

The hotel will occupy the lower six levels of the building and include meeting and function spaces, a wellness centre with gym, yoga studio, swimming pool and sauna, further strengthening North Sydney's growing hospitality offering.

At ground level, the development has been designed to improve pedestrian connections through the precinct. More than 700 sqm of retail space will activate the street frontage, while a landscaped through-site link connecting Walker Street, Little Walker Street and Doris Fitton Park will provide new public open space with seating, paving and extensive native landscaping.

Freecity Group Co-Founder and Joint CEO Tony Sun said the project represents one of the most significant development opportunities currently available in North Sydney.

"This is one of the most significant development sites in North Sydney and it comes at a pivotal moment for the precinct," Sun said.

"North Sydney is undergoing a genuine transformation, and this project will contribute housing the city urgently needs while creating a landmark destination."

Executive Director of Development Michael Romano said demand for both residential and hotel accommodation would continue to strengthen as the Metro precinct matures.

"The structural demand for high-quality housing and hotel accommodation in North Sydney is compelling, and will only grow as the precinct continues to evolve around the new Metro station," Romano said.

Architectus has designed the tower, orientating the apartments to maximise views towards Sydney Harbour while introducing a sculpted façade intended to respond to light, wind and the surrounding skyline.

Architectus Principal Marko Damic said the design sought to create a tower that contributes to the public realm as much as the skyline.

"We wanted to design a tower that doesn't just sit in the skyline but actively participates and contributes to city life," Damic said.

First look: Freecity gets green light for mixed-use apartment and hotel tower in North Sydney

<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]

Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News