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Perth’s median rent increased to $470 per week during the March quarter, a rise of 4.4%, despite the vacancy rate easing from 1.9% in December to around 2.3% in the March quarter.
Perth's rents are now up almost 12% on the same quarter last year, the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia said.
The median rent for a house stands at $480 and at $450 per week for a unit.
The REIWA president David Airey said the latest increase was surprising given that the number of properties available for lease increased by more than 50% in the six months leading up to March.
“Equally surprising was the rise in properties for lease through the March quarter itself because this is traditionally a period of high demand that usually causes a seasonal dip in the vacancy rate,” Mr Airey said.
The lift in asking rents during the March quarter was largely due to increases for flats, units, apartments and villas.
Perth's inner-city zone - within 10kms of the CBD - remains the dominant rental market as it includes about 85% of all multi-residential property in the metropolitan area, of which half is rental property.
The central sub-region saw a rise of $30 to a weekly median of $500.
The jump in the overall median for the central region and inner city area was largely driven by the western suburbs, City of Perth, Fremantle, Bayswater, Bassendean and south- east parts of the City of Stirling such as Tuart Hill, Yokine, Mount Lawley and Dianella, Mr Airey said.
The 9% increase in leases in the inner city areas was triggering a flight to outer suburbs by many tenants looking for more affordable accommodation, the REIWA suggested noting the south-east corridor through Gosnells had a 27% increase in demand which lifted rents 6% to $420 per week.
The REIWA analysis also suggested modest increase in demand for rentals across Perth was offset by properties being freed-up by first home buyers leaving the rental system for a home of their own.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Perth weekly rents rise to $480 for houses and $450 for units: REIWA

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A beach box in Brighton sold before its scheduled auction.
It was at an undisclosed figure believed to be around $200,000.
The <a href="https://www.rtedgar.com.au/?pagecall=property&amp;propertyID=2324647&amp;agentID=2634&amp;realestate=55_Beach_Box,_Esplanade_BRIGHTON_VIC_3186&amp;propertyStatus=SoldRented&amp;showGoBack=true" target="_blank">strikingly colourful bathing box </a>is known as 55 Beach Box near Dendy Street. Title Tattle understands the husband of the owner was a member of the Dendy Street Icebergers, so it served as defacto home to the Icebergers swimming club who are currently trying to get admitted to the Brighton life saving club further up the beach. They were once described as the crazy-brave swimmers who endure winter's seven-degree waters.
The bathing box was used as their change room, and also house the club trophies and was used for club functions over summer.
It was listed by RT Edgar agents Kellie Saddington and Greg Costello.
"It's one of the 82 tightly-held icons for which the beach is so renowned, located at the intersection of Dendy Street and the Esplanade which makes it easily accessible via a foot path.
"Decorated in purple and aqua-blue, the structure is fitted with split stable doors allowing the top half to remain open while the bottom half remains shut for protection during colder weather," the marketing said.
Beach bathing box 72 was Brighton beach's last offering when it failed to sell at its February auction.
The offer of $176,000 was short of its $190,000 reserve.
<a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/72-beach-box-brighton/Property-Details-buy-residential-4922749" target="_blank">It remains for sale</a> through Nick Johnstone agent David Urquhart.
Box 47 is also for sale, with an undisclosed asking price through Hodges.
The highest sale price was recorded in mid-2011 when the newest constructed Dendy Street bathing boxes sold for $221,000 and $260,000.
Set on one of the most photographed locales in Australia, they were newly built and sold by Bayside Council.
The dearer was 11 square metres, and the other nine square metres.
The 82 boxes area throwback to the 19th century, when the increasing popularity of sea bathing clashed with Victorian-era prudishness.
The first of the council's newly built weatherboard-clad structures with gabled roof offerings, reported to cost between $15,000 and $20,000 to build, fetched $215,000 at auction in December 2010.  
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Aqua blue Brighton bathing box sells

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Blackdown Farm, the Bathurst rural escape of artist Tim Storrier and his wife Janet, didn't sell at its recent auction being passed in on a $3 million vendor bid.
Set on 56 hectares, the seven-bedroom homestead comes with tennis court, pool, dressage arena, stables, along with a recently constructed artist's studio.
Blackdown cost $2.5 million in 2008 when bought from the haircare product pioneer Anton Starling, who had sought more than $3.5 million.
The Storrier's have reportedly spent more than $1.5 million on renovations and improvements. The estate remains listed through Meares and Associates and the Professionals Bathurst.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/tim-storrier-lists-blackdown-at-bathurst-with-%244-million-plus-hopes/2012100156900" target="_blank">There were $4 million price hopes when initially listed last year.</a>
The couple - who are going to base themselves at Bowral in the Southern Highlands - recently sold their Double Bay abode for $3.95 million through the LJ Hooker Double Bay agent Alain Waitsman.
In November last year, the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/fairfax-media-director-michael-anderson-sells-hopewood-house-in-southern-highlands/2012103157501" target="_blank">Storrier’s purchased Hopewood House</a> – a Southern Highlands mansion owned by Fairfax Media director Michael Anderson and his wife, Susie – for around $6 million on delayed settlement terms.
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Bathurst's Blackdown Farm passed in on $3 million vendor bid

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It was on the market at $1.75 million with Fortuna Villa then selling for $3 million at auction today.
Its an 1860s grand estate in Bendigo that was listed for the first time in 70 years.
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.tsfn.com.au/?pagecall=property&amp;propertyID=2199224">Fortuna Villa</a> was being sold by the Department of Defence with $3 million expectations through Tweed Sutherland First National.
The Bendigo Advertiser has speculated its been bought by interests associated with Spiros Kolaitis, a  Bendigo property developer. Kolaitis advised his bidding was on behalf of an anonymous buyer.
The town mayor Cr Lisa Ruffell said council failed to convince the Federal Government to withdrawn it from auction to ensure the community could have access to the site.
The three-storey Italianate-style mansion with 30 bedrooms was once owned by quartz king, George Lansell.
The mining entrepreneur was the director of 38 mines and had links to almost every mine in Bendigo.
He struck fortune with his purchase of the 180 mine, part of the New Chum Reef.
He remodelled the mansion in the late 1880 which was lavishly furnished with pieces collected from around the globe. He designed the spacious gardens with walks, lakes and imported plants.
He bought the property in 1871 from Theodore Ballerstedt, a mine operator who bought the site in 1857 from the Crown.
The Villa is built in a number of architectural styles - Victorian Italianate and Victorian Free Classical, with Federation influences.
The heritage listed rendered brick construction comes with seven bathrooms, cast-iron verandahs, a billiard room, a ballroom, a conservatory, a reception room and entrance hall.
It has a stained glass, cedar and blackwood staircase, a solid marble bath, extensive acid-etched glasswork.
The villa comes on 7.57 hectares and has 32 outbuildings. The Victorian gardens include a roman bath and a Pompeii fountain. There is also a tennis court, coach house and a large lake on the property. The lake was previously a tailings pond.
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.fortunavilla.net.au/inc/pdf/Draft%20Fortuna%20Phase%201%20Summary%20Report%20-%20Public%20Doc%20-%20final%20100709.pdf">The Department of Defence</a> occupied the site from 1942 and in 1957 it was compulsorily acquired for Army use. Since then the site has been occupied by the Army and other Defence organisations. Most recently it has been the home of the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation.
The department of defence built a number of modern buildings on the property including a mess hall, stores and accommodation.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/department-of-defence-selling-1860s-fortuna-villa-in-bendigo/2012110657656">The property had been listed last year</a> without success by public tender ending December 7.
An environmental survey of the property shows some soil contamination from previous mining activities and defence activities.
The report says that any buyer looking to build on the land would be required to undertake measures to avoid contamination.
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Fortuna Villa at Bendigo fetches $3 million

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Curraghbeena House, the 1905 Mosman harbourfront home of the Alliance Aviation Services chairman Steve Padgett and his wife, Lorraine has been listed with $7 million-plus hopes at its May 30 auction through Kingsley Yates of Ray White Lower North Shore.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom house is set at the tip of Curraghbeena Point, between Mosman Bay and Little Sirius Cove with landscaped terraced gardens and a staircase leading down to a sandstone-wall harbourside pool.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/04/april12mosman]}
Title Tattle reckons the highlight is its rare Chinese-style timber boatshed, one of only two on Sydney Harbour influenced by the late Victorian fashion for the East and oriental design.
The other is at the Point Piper home of Warren Daly, the big band performer and his wife, Karen Daly, the successful author of the Fats &amp; Figures range of books.
<a href="https://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=169818" target="_blank">Curraghbeena House </a>has unobstructed views to the city skyline even from the boatshed.
The property's restoration was overseen by architects Gary Barnes and Mike Blakeney after the house had been split into three apartments until purchased by the couple between 1996 and 2004 for a total of $2.29 million. The three-level building had three acquistions starting with $475,000 in 1996, then $520,000 in 2001 and finished of with a $1.3 million acquistion in 2004.  
The boatshed is a rare surviving example of the fashion for oriental architecture often seen in follies attached to grand houses, according to NSW Heritage. It is the earlier and possibly most intact of the two examples on Sydney Harbour and being on a prominent headland it gives it landmark status in the Harbour. The Mosman boatshed (pictured below) appears pre-renovation on the NSW Heritage website.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/04/chineseboatshedapril12two.jpg" width="470" height="304" alt="chineseboatshedapril12two">
NSW Heritage says its one of the finest small boatsheds on the harbour despite the structure being very simple while relying on the decorative oriental design elements for its form and charm. The roof is upswept simulating Chinese roof design and the building has a raised lantern section with matching roof, exposed eaves and rafters. The roof is malthoid over timber. Fenestration is simple with two windows on each side and a pair of doors leading onto a small cantilevered landing that is of recent origin. The building sits on stone piers and does not have sliprails. 
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" width="25" height="34" alt="flagtitletat" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 5px; float: left;">
 
The other Chinese-style heritage listed boatshed (pictured below) at the northern end of Seven Shillings Beach in Point Piper has a colourful history.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/04/chineseboatshed.jpg" width="470" height="259" alt="chineseboatshed">
The boatshed was part of the property once owned by W. G. "Knockout" Smith, a millionaire industrialist and horse owner-breeder whose mansion Danmark was at the top of the ridge, but Knockout preferred to spend most of his time in his one-room shed, allegedly because he couldn't stand his wife.
The founder of the glassmaking giant Australian Consolidated Industries was noted for having a glass of champagne for breakfast, on doctor's orders, and swimming daily, summer and winter, in the harbour. Smith made a reputation selling upper Hunter horses to Hollywood bigwigs including the movie mogul, Louis Mayer, of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The horse Shannon left Smith's stable after being bought in 1947 for $54,600, an then Australian record. Smith raced him briefly before selling him for $62,500 to US owners who when racing him as a  seven-year-old - won the San Francisco County Handicap, in a time of 1m:55.6s for the nine-and-a-half furlongs (1,900m) which was 0.2s faster than the record established by US legend Sea Biscuit in 1936.
Apparently Knockout Smith he was easy to spot swimming because of his bather's cap. It last sold when retailer John David secured $7.75 million in 1997 when bought by Daly's wife, Karen Alice Peerless.
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Curraghbeena House, the Mosman harbourfront mansion with Chinese oriental boatshed, listed with $7 million hopes

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Port Bouvard Limited has entered a trading halt on the ASX today pending an announcement in relation to a potential project acquisition and placement of new ordinary shares in the company.
The company has suggested a recommencement in trading by Monday April 15.
Earlier this month the FKP-appointed Port Bouvard board member Winson Chow was named non-executive chairman of the developer.
The appointment came after interests associated with FKP executive chairman Lee Seng Huang, the Malaysian business tycoon, took control of the ASX-listed developer in a discounted $23.8 million capital raising during January.
In February the beleaguered property group posted a $4 million first-half loss with revenue down 97% to $877,000 after a restructuring to the Perth-based company.
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Perth's Port Bouvard eyes project acquisition

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A $28 a day dog boarding kennel, located between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast has been sold for $1.7?million.
The Pines Pet Resort on Rutters Road, Caboolture was bought by a couple from Cairns who have experience in the boarding kennel industry.
It last sold at $600,000 in 2004 and at $220,000 in 1997.
The 10,500-square-metre site includes a five-bedroom residence, pool and gazebo.
The pet resort included secure exercise yards and two catteries.
It was billed as offering “five-star” standard with sheep skins for winter and feather filled pillows.
"Of course all of our guests enjoy relaxing piped music," the site said.
Ray White Commercial Caloundra’s Len Greedy and Alan Gray sold the property on behalf of Glenn and Jenelle Wagner, who secured the resort in 2004.
It has the capacity to accomodate 120 guest pets.
"We stock a range of foods to tempt fussy dogs to eat – including VIP roll, homemade chicken casserole (chicken, pasta, rice, vegetables, garlic) and when everything else fails we will offer fresh warm BBQ chicken.
"All our feline friends are also offered pedigree advance premium quality dry food," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thepinespetresort.com.au/index.htm">the site says</a>.
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Dog lovers spend $1.7 million on Queensland dog boarding kennel

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The idyllic Greek island where Aristotle Onassis married Jackie Kennedy has reportedly been sold  for £100 million.
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The shipping magnate's granddaughter, 28-year-old Athina Onassis Roussel, has agreed to sell the island of Skorpios, a jewel in the Ionian Sea, according to Greek media.
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The identity of the Russian businessman who has supposedly bought the island has not been disclosed. Nor has there been confirmation of its actual sale.
Aristotle is buried there, as is his daughter, Christina and his son, Alexander.
Contracts for the purchase of the island are being drawn up by law firms in Athens and Geneva, according to the Greek reports.
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The forested island, off the western coast of Greece, was bought by Aristotle Onassis in 1962 for around 3.5 million drachmas, the equivalent of about £10,000, The Telegraph reports.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/04/onassisapril11one.jpg" width="470" height="276" alt="onassisapril11one">
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Six years later it hosted his wedding to Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of the late President John F Kennedy.
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On the 1975 death of the Greek shipping tycoon, Skorpios passed to his daughter Christina, who died of a heart attack aged 37 in 1988, and then to Athina. 
Skorpios is heavily wooded with trees that Aristotle Onassis planted.
He also shipped in sand from a nearby island to create an artificial beach. The beach is reportedly available under Greek law for public access including on privately owned islands.
It features in the <a href="https://www.privateislandsmag.com/2008/09/aristotle-onassis-skorpios-island-greece/" target="_blank">list of private islands </a>compiled by the Private Islands magazine.
A 2009 British newspaper report claimed without any confirmation that the island had been put up for sale and subsequent reports wrongly suggested Giorgio Armani had bought it.
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Skorpios, the Ionian Sea island where Aristotle Onassis married Jackie Kennedy, reportedly sold for £100 million

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The residential developer, land syndicator and funds manager, Peet Limited has made a $76 million takeover bid for CIC Australia, which would open it to markets in South Australia, Northern Territory and the ACT.
CIC is a listed residential property developer with seven active projects across the ACT, NSW, SA and NT with over 500 exchanged contracts worth $148 million.
Peet Limited is a leading national property group that has been operating for more than 115 years concentrating on its home base in Western Australia, along with Victoria and Queensland and a small presence in New South Wales. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.peet.com.au/About%20Peet.aspx">Its the third largest of any ASX listed property group </a>with some 70 owned, syndicated and joint venture residential estates across the country.
Peet agreed to acquire a 19.9% stake in CIC, either through the bid, or otherwise through direct acquisition, from CIC’s major shareholder, Guinness Peat Group.
Peet announced today that it had successfully completed the $116 million institutional component of the equity raising to facilitate the acquisition of CIC Australia Limited.
The Peet managing director Brendan Gore commented that the institutional placements were heavily oversubscribed, requiring significant scaling back.
The institutional placements were fully underwritten by Merrill Lynch.
The Peet Chairman, Mr Tony Lennon, is strongly supportive of the proposed transaction and equity raising and from the beginning of discussions with CIC has committed to subscribe for approximately 7.0 million shares which requires shareholder approval, given Mr Lennon’s position as chairman of Peet ("Chairman Placement").
In addition to the institutional placements and the chairman placement, if the takeover offer is successful, Peet intends to offer all eligible retail shareholders, the opportunity to subscribe for up to $15,000 of additional Peet shares under a Share Purchase Plan ("SPP"), with the total raising under the SPP capped at $8 million.
Shares under the SPP will be offered at the same price as the institutional placements and chairman placement ($1.15 per share).
Peet reserves the right (in its absolute discretion) to scale back the maximum participation amount per shareholder if total demand exceeds $8 million. The SPP will not be undertaken if the takeover offer is unsuccessful.
 
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Peet seeks expansion into more states

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Wall Street trader Martin Zweig, who purchased the penthouse apartment in New York City’s Pierre Hotel for a record $US21.5 million in 1999, has died, so the penthouse has now been officially listed at $US125 million through Sotheby's.
It's the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.sothebyshomes.com/nyc/sales/0018837">triplex penthouse</a> decked out by our own Double Bay chatelaine, Lady (Mary) Fairfax as a project undertaken after the 1987 death of her husband, Sir Warwick Fairfax, the media mogul.
The new images of the internals show some decor changes although the dominate ballroom feature remains the imposing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4065">14-foot, 90- year-old chandelier </a>saved from Sydney's now demolished Prince Edward Theatre.
The penthouse sits some 150 metres above Central Park in what was a 714 room highrise built at an estimated $US15 million cost in 1930 by a syndicate including Wall Street investors including E.F. Hutton and Walter P. Chrysler and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pierre">Charles Pierre Casalasco</a>, the son of a Corsican restaurateur.
Ever since the world's first celebrity chef, Auguste Escoffier, prepared the gala dinner for the opening celebrations, its been the hotel and then home for the international social set. High dining continues to this day with the Italian Sirio Ristorante – helmed by Sirio Maccione, of Le Cirque fame – opening in late 2012.
After the 1930s depression, the complex was bought by John Paul Getty for around $US2.5 million. Then in the late 1950s, some 75 apartments within the hotel were sold as private residences. It still has elevator attendants in white gloves. The hotel contains 189 guest accommodations, including forty suites, and thirteen grand suites.
The penthouse has been for sale on and over recent years though never finding a buyer, with Title Tattle recalling it may have had something to do with extraordinary co-op owner's quarterly levies.
Title Tattle had the honour of visiting the penthouse in 1994 at the kind invitation of Lady Fairfax.
Set underneath the Pierre's distinctive mansard roof, it had been the talk of the town given the long-abandoned ballroom had been painstakingly restored after being bought in 1989. It had previously been little more than the dumping ground for the hotel's spare mattresses for two decades.
I wrote that its renovation left guests in wondrous awe.
Its four-passenger lifts dropped them off to the 41st floor foyer where Rodin's The Walking Man formed the centrepiece.
There was the Fairfax family crest and motto Lucem Fer Fax (Oh torch, bear light), displayed on the mosaic ceramic floor.
It was up the divided black Belgium marble staircase, past the magnificent Rothschild chest, to the ballroom. According to Lady Fairfax, the chest was one of five in the world, and she said she owned three at the time.
Overhead the imposing 14-foot chandelier saved from Sydney's now demolished Prince Edward Theatre dominated the 80-foot-long, 45- foot-wide ballroom.
It has 28-foot-high vaulted ceilings and 15-foot arched windows.
I recall that despite the hectic pace of the New York street life below, only the six cockatiels twitting in the 18th Century Victorian birdcage broke the silence. And when excited they sent bird feathers fluttering throughout the room.
Through the ballroom, and past the sandstone French provincial fireplace, were the elevators to the bedroom wing, where the master bedroom suite came complete with fireside spa-bath and shag pile carpet. Lady Fairfax had trumped Ivana! Then there are the guest rooms, kitchens and staff quarters.
Lady Fairfax bought the 41st, 42nd and 43rd floors of the 1929 hotel for around $US12 million and spent an estimated further $US5 million decorating the space. The apartment decor was the work of Sydney decorator Frank Grill, who had collaborated with Martyn Cook.
Zweig died in February this year at his South Florida home, on Fisher Island, aged 70. He had very different tastes to Lady Fairfax. Last year, he hired a crane to install a yellow, 1934 Packard convertible in their fifth-floor Fisher Island living room.
His <a target="_blank" href="https://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/27/3255430_p2/coral-gables-native-martin-zweig#storylink=cpy">Miami Herald obituary</a> said his memorabilia collection includes the dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
The Sotheby's listing agents are Elizabeth Sample, Serena Boardman and Brenda Powers.
 
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Sotheby's snares US$125 million Pierre Hotel New York penthouse listing

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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