<html><body>
<p class="p2">Recruitment boss <span class="s1">Phil Kerry</span> and his wife, 1984 Olympic Games gymnast <span class="s1">Anne-Maree,</span> have their next eastern suburbs renovation project.</p>
<p class="p2"><span>It follows their $6.25 million purchase of the Gant menswear store on Queen Street, Woollahra (pictured above), an 1870s double shopfront which will get a residence facing its laneway rear on the 400 sqm block.</span></p>
<p class="p2">It has been the much traded premises, selling three times in nine years, and going back in price too. The Kerry's have picked it up at its 2009 price. It sold inbetween at $5.6 million in 2015.</p>
<p class="p2">The couple are seeking $20 million for their historic Darling Point home Greenoaks Cottage, built in 1850 for industrialist <span class="s1">Thomas Mort to a delightful </span>design by colonial architect <span class="s1">Edmund Blacket</span>.</p>
<p class="p3">The Kerry's bought it from the <span class="s1">Haege family</span> in 2015 for $6.525 million and commissioned architect <span class="s1">Tanya Hancock.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1">This article was first published in the Saturday Telegraph.</span></p>
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Recruiter Phil Kerry buys Woollahra shoptop conversion

<html><body>
<p>The two sisters who previously owned and operated The Block Gatwick secured Courtney and Hans’ apartment for $2,770,000.</p>
<p>Hans and Courtney saw an opening $2.2 million offer from an absentee bid <a href="/news/the-block-st-kilda-apartment-to-use-online-auction-tool-gavl-on-finale-night">via the Gavl app.</a></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/2-34-fitzroy-street-st-kilda-vic-3182-2014552033" target="_blank">2/34 Fitzroy Street</a> offering came with a $2.4 million reserve adjusted to $2.36 million with five registered buyers.</p>
<p>Courtney and Hans’ whose apartment sold for $2,770,000, some $410,000 over reserve.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/29/Hans2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>It was their mother Vittoria Carbone or ‘Queen Vicky’, who is fondly remembered for her compassionate management of the hotel and her legacy was then carried on by her daughters Rose and Yvette.</p>
<p>"As this building has a significant value for the sisters, they were delighted to have been able to purchase this apartment as a beautiful piece of memorabilia," their buyers' agent Greville Pabst from PropertyDuo advised.</p>
<p>"The apartment will be leased out to struggling families, so in this way they’re able to keep the tradition alive of The Gatwick being a place helping the local community in need,"he added.</p>
<p> </p>
</body></html>

Gatwick sisters return to secure Hans and Courtney's Block apartment

<html><body>
<p>In the first of the five Block Gatwick auctions, Kerrie and Spence sold for $2.85 million to an Australian lawyer based in Singapore who is planning on leasing it out and then living there when he moves back to Melbourne.</p>
<p>The dream kitchen worth $250,000 is what PropertyDuo buyers' agent Greville Pabst found to be very alluring in the apartment. It scored a perfect 30/30 from the judges in kitchen week.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/29/spence2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/1-34-fitzroy-street-st-kilda-vic-3182-2014552025" target="_blank">1/34 Fitzroy Street, </a>offering had a $2.45 million formal reserve with a $15,000 adjustment based on a contestant winning discount which took the reserve to $2.435 million.</p>
<p>The formal price guidance had been $2.5 million to $2.7 million which attracted eight potential buyers who'd registered.</p>
<p>The opening bid at $2.4 million was taken by David Wood of Hocking Stuart with just the three competitive bidders.</p>
<p>Kerrie and Spence secured $415,000 in prize winnings above their reserve.</p>
</body></html>

Singapore based expat lawyer secures Kerrie and Spence's The Block Gatwick apartment

<html><body>
<p>Sara and Hayden were the surprise top sellers of The Block series, after the Gatwick penthouse auctions performed poorly.</p>
<p>The luxury northwest facing apartment with 240 square metres of internal space was rare for the area.</p>
<p>Sara and Hayden secured a stellar $3.02 million sale for the <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/3-34-fitzroy-street-st-kilda-vic-3182-2014552048" target="_blank">3/34 Fitzroy Street</a> offering which had an official $2.5 million reserve, with the couple taking home a "life changing" $645,000 including the Season 14 prize money.</p>
<p>The McGrath price guidance had been $2.5 million to $2.7 million.</p>
<p>Their reserve had been adjusted to $2.475 million after they secured a discount during the competition.</p>
<p>With reportedly eight registered buyers, bidding opened at $2.5 million with the buyers' agent Nicole Jacobs who emerged as the top bidder. </p>
<p>Sara and Hayden took home the winnings above reserve of $545,000, plus the $100,000 prize.</p>
<p><span>Hayden and Sara shocked audiences when they won the first challenge of the year and opted to renovate Apartment 3 in the old Gatwick, bypassing the chance to build a brand-new, luxurious penthouse. </span></p>
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p>It was auctioned by McGrath chief auctioneer Scott Kennedy-Green, who returned to The Block after an eight-year break.</p>
<p>“Despite lower clearance rates and a slowdown in the Melbourne market, this is a testament that well-presented properties will always have the edge,” he concluded.</p>
<p><span>Over the years, McGrath Estate Agents has marketed five properties for The Block, all auctioned by Scott Kennedy-Green.</span></p>
<p><span>They have received the top price on three occasions and won the show twice; the first time with John and Neisha in 2010, who pocketed $305,000 as winners for a 2-bedroom ground floor apartment in Vaucluse, Sydney.</span></p>
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p><span>McGrath founder John McGrath noted </span><span>The Block had captivated the attention of all Australians for almost two decades.</span></p>
<p><span>"W</span><span>e’re </span><span>delighted to have represented Hayden and Sara to win this </span><span>year’s </span><span>event.</span></p>
<p><span>“</span><span>They did a great job renovating their apartment and fully deserve the win. </span></p>
<p><span>"And whilst it is a blockbuster TV show these are also real sales to real buyers, so we apply the same sales strategies to The Block as we apply to all sales. </span></p>
<p><span>"We are so proud of our St Kilda team for their extraordinary efforts.</span><span>”</span></p>
<p class="first-para"><span>The Block</span> winners Sara and Hayden were the show’s lowest-scoring winners, recording the poorest judges’ scores of the season and the highest number of room reveal losses since the weekly wins begun being awarded 11 seasons ago.</p>
<p>Across nine weeks of room judging, the couple won just one room – the master bedroom – and came last in the judging of the apartment’s main bathroom, first guest bedroom, master en suite, living and dining space and hallway, laundry and powder room.</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><span> </span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

McGrath secures surprise Block Gatwick top price

<html><body>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p>Rob Phillpot, the co-founder of construction software company Aconex, was the mystery buyer of both of the penthouse apartments in the The Block Gathwick for $5.85 million through PropertyDuo.</p>
<p>Using buyers' agent Greville Pabst, his first acquisition was when Norm and Jess sold their penthouse for $2,859,000 (top and below).</p>
<p><span>He had inspected the Gatwick only two nights before the auction.</span></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/4-34-fitzroy-street-st-kilda-vic-3182-2014552052" target="_blank">Fitzroy Street</a> penthouse offering came with a $2.65 million reserve with five registered buyers.</p>
<p>There was very cautious bidding after its $2.5 million opening bid from another buyers agent Frank Valentic.</p>
<p>Pabst thought the buy "was a very good value" for the south facing apartment with four-metre-high ceilings and massive terrace. Pabst indicated he was prepared to pay more, but there wasn’t competition.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/29/norm2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Norm and Jess took home $209,000 in prize money.</p>
<p>The next acquisition by Phillpot was the penthouse of Bianca and Carla (below) for $2,991,000, after a tense auction when the auctioneer refused to take a $2.7 million opening bid.</p>
<p>"This is worth $3.25 million," Damien Cooley suggested.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/5-34-fitzroy-street-st-kilda-vic-3182-2014552057" target="_blank">5/34 Fitzroy Street</a> penthouse, which doesn't face Fitzroy Street, had a $2.7 million reserve.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/29/bianc1.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The price guidance had been adjusted upwards during the campaign by The Agency to between $2.6 million to $2.8 million. </p>
<p>Bianca and Carla took home $301,000 in prize money.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/29/Bianc2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>It was in the late 1990s when Aconex was founded in a kitchen by the two Scotch College school friends, Phillpot and Leigh Jasper.</p>
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
<p>In a deal, announced in December 2017, the company was sold to the global tech giant Oracle.</p>
<p>The friends had started thinking about ways in which the internet could help companies deal with large amounts of data and information.</p>
<p>At the time Jasper was at McKinsey &amp; Company, working in CEO strategy, and Phillpot was a project manager at Multiplex Constructions and was facing the challenge of handling thousands of documents on construction projects.</p>
<p>The takeover deal was the largest ever achieved by a listed Australian tech company and saw Jasper and Philpott walk away with approximately $94 million and $88 million respectively.</p>
<p>Phillpot's home town is Warrnambool.</p>
<p>He had not watched any episodes of <span>The Block.</span></p>
<p>“I came and looked at the penthouses, and they were both amazing,” he said after the auctions.</p>
<p>“I couldn’t pick."</p>
<p><span>He had not yet decided if he would rent them to long-term tenants or look at short-stay options such as Airbnb. </span></p>
<p><span>Experts have tipped the penthouses could fetch between $2000 and $2500 a night on Airbnb.</span></p>
</div>
</body></html>

Melbourne construction digital entrepreneur Rob Phillpot scores both Block Gatwick penthouses

<html><body>
<p>The Bobolas family’s notorious Bondi hoarder house is set for November 22 auction, the third attempt by the NSW sheriff to forcibly sell the property. </p>
<p>The Californian bungalow last sold to Mary Bobolas in 1973 for $15,000.</p>
<p>There were $2 million hopes the last time it was listed.</p>
<p>Ric Serrao, of Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay, has been enlisted again to sell the 550 square metre property, but without any public buyers’ guide.</p>
<p>The Boonara Avenue property was offered to buyers in mid-2016 but the auction was cancelled at the last minute when the family produced enough funds to pay off part of their debt to council for their continual clean-ups.</p>
<p>The property offers proximity to the beach, cafes, restaurants, shops and public transport.</p>
<p>No inspections of the home are scheduled given safety issues.</p>
<p>The buyer will be responsible for securing vacant possession and the rubbish removal, Serrao told <em>The Daily Telegraph</em>.</p>
<p>There have been periodic night time sightings of family members at the property.</p>
<p>When it was listed in 2015, around 63 contracts were issued, but the Bobolas family again managed to come up with the money just hours before the auction.</p>
<p>There are currently five writs on title, totalling more than $248,000 worth of council clean-up charges and legal fees.</p>
<p>A 2008 study by John Snowdon, professor of psychological medicine at the University of Sydney, showed a increasing prevalence of cases of severe domestic squalor.</p>
<p><em>This article was first published in</em> The Daily Telegraph.</p>
</body></html>

Bondi hoarders house up for auction for third time

<html><body>
<p>The founder of Unique Estates, Nicolette van Wijngaarden, faces up to 10 years jail if found guilty of the fraud charges following the collapse of her national estate agency.</p>
<p>The 15 charges were laid after an investigation by forensic accountants.</p>
<p>The NSW Department of Finance told The Echo, her local Byron Bay newspaper, that Ms van Wijngaarden, 44, was currently on bail, due to appear for mention in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on November 8.</p>
<p>It was front page news today in the town newspaper.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/25/echo.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The 44-year-old faces five counts under section 211(2) of the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002, allegations that relate to fraudulently converting money from a business for a person’s own individual use.</p>
<p>Ms Winjgaarden is also facing 10 charges of fraud under the NSW Crimes Act 1900.</p>
<p>The Department of Finance said the total quantum of money involved in all charges alleged is in excess of $3.5 million.</p>
<p>Unique Estates was founded by Ms van Wijngaarden in Byron Bay in 2009 as a boutique agency dealing with luxury properties.</p>
<p>It expanded significantly in the ensuing years to include offices in Albert Park, Double Bay, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Hong Kong.</p>
<p>The agency published the magazine Unique Luxury, which was distributed in Qantas lounges across the country.</p>
<p>The agency collapsed in February.</p>
<p>The ATO emerged among the biggest creditors.</p>
<p>"Bank accounts are frozen and there are no funds," was the blunt message to staff as McGrath Nicol was appointed joint managers by the NSW Department of Fair Trading</p>
<p>The agency had won a string of awards over the years including the Best Real Estate Agency Website for Asia Pacific 2017-2018 at the International Property Awards Grand Final Ceremony held in London.</p>
<p><span>It is not the first time a high-flying Byron agent has been caught up in trust account issues.</span></p>
<p><span>The now defunct Byron Bay real estate agency Belle Property was the subject of an earlier investigation by the Department of Fair Trading.</span></p>
</body></html>

Unique Estates founder Nicolette van Wijngaarden faces 15 fraud charges

<html><body>
<p>The McGrath share price is going to be 32 cents in a year's time, reflecting no change from its current lows, according to Bell Potter, the stockbroker who helped float the estate agency at $2.10 in late 2015.</p>
<p>The forecast came after McGrath updated the ASX on the deteriorating property market conditions.</p>
<p>McGrath provided a trading update that highlighted a number of factors which are negatively impacting the operating performance of the company.</p>
<p>Click here <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2018/10/24/mcgrath1.jpg" target="_blank">to enlarge.</a></p>
<p><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/2018/10/24/mcgrath1.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>McGrath did not provide any guidance for FY19 but did say it expects a much better result in 2HFY19 and “at least a breakeven position on an EBITDA basis” for the full year.</p>
<p>Bell Potter accordingly downgraded its FY19 EBITDA forecast from $5.1 million – which was consistent with underlying FY18 EBITDA – to a modest loss of $0.5 million which is below the company’s general guidance of at least a breakeven result.</p>
<p>It also downgraded its FY20 and FY21 EBITDA forecasts by 58% and 44% but continue to forecast positive EBITDA in both these periods and some improvement in market conditions.</p>
<p>"Our downgraded EBITDA forecasts mean we now expect a net loss in FY20 and a modest net profit in FY21," the stockbroker advised.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/24/Mcgrath3.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>"The net result is a 16% decrease in our PT to $0.32 which is close to the current share price and so we maintain the HOLD recommendation.</p>
<p>"We note our PT is now modestly lower than the $0.33 valuation we apply to the annuity businesses but we do not see this valuation as the key driver of the share price as we do not expect these businesses to be sold."</p>
<p>The broker advised shareholders it "no longer forecasts a resumption of dividends in FY20 given we now forecast a net loss in the period".</p>
<p>Click here <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2018/10/24/McGrath2.jpg" target="_blank">to enlarge.</a></p>
<p><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/2018/10/24/McGrath2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Its determination of the price target for McGrath was base on its core DCF (discounted cash flow) and the valuation of the annuity businesses.</p>
<p>"McGrath has two annuity businesses – property management and mortgage broking – which generate recurring revenue and so a relatively reliable or dependable valuation can be applied to each.</p>
<p>"We value both businesses at b/w $55 - 60m which equates to b/w $0.33 - 0.36 per share and so provides some valuation support for the share price."</p>
</body></html>

McGrath share price supported by property management and mortgage commissions: Bell Potter

<html><body>
<div dir="ltr">Lady Mary Fairfax, the last owner of the Fairwater harbourfront estate at Double Bay once boasted she was enrolled at Harrington Park, her country estate on the outskirts of Sydney, because her vote mattered more there.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The longtime society doyenne died last year, with her executors recently securing a record setting $100 million.
</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The property had cost £5,350 when bought by her media dynasty forebears in 1901, when the Federation saw the first conservative party local member.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The electoral pendulum has swung from the ruling Liberal Party representation, but its pricey property has been near endlessly on the rise.</div>
<p>With Sydney house prices having a $980,000 median price, there are almost no opportunities to buy houses at this level across the electorate.</p>
<div dir="ltr">It has the highest valued residential property in the country, given its proximity to the harbour and the coast.</div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The residential land value alone - before improvements - of the Woollahra municipality sits at $37 billion.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">It is $29 billion in the Waverley municipality.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The Wentworth electorate has more haves than have nots among its 103,810 electors.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Indeed the AFR columnist Christopher Joye speculated before the poll that the affluent Wentworth voters "might inflict massive financial losses on themselves in what is one of Australia's most investment-orientated electorates."</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">
<div dir="ltr">Celebrities aplenty, longtime society page doyennes and newbie A-listers, plus even a few rogues call the eastern Sydney suburbs home.</div>
<p>The local estate agents who get around in flash cars, are constantly setting record prices, albeit amid rising homelessness. </p>
<p>The famed Bondi Pavilion on the iconic beach has provided shelter for rough sleepers under its arches.</p>
</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Just across the water, the retailer Mark McInnes recently sold his uninhabitable North Bondi penthouse for $11.5 million to aged care provider Mark Moran who intends a Tobias Architects fit out.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">TV star Larry Emdur sold last year on the cliff at Dover Heights for a record $11.5 million to accountant Anthony Bell.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The Lowy family picked up a neighbouring beachfront at Camp Cove for $14.2 million taking their holding to three blocks.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Coastal Tamarama has seen prices hit $13 million when DJ Annie Conley bought the home of pioneering fashion retailer Robbie Ingham.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The local Tama Surf Living Saving Club president was the Labor candidate Tim Murray.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">At nearby Bronte, which got the $2 million Federal Government grant during the campaign, a record $16.5 million was paid several years ago by a former Keating Government staffer, Seamus Dawes who is now a merchant banker.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Former state and federal Labor politicians had something of an inland retirement village around Woollahra with the likes of Paul Keating, Graham Richardson and Neville Wran, all owning there at times.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The departing local member Malcolm Turnbull, with wife Lucy, bought their house, once known as Le Gai Soliel for $5.4 million in 1994, and its likely to be worth $60 million, being on the electorate’s priciest peninsular where prices have hit $61.8 million.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Centennial Park saw a recent record $16.5 million when tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and wife Kim sold Braelin, their renovated 1918 home to art gallery owner Gene Sherman and her husband Brian.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">The Atlassian co-founder went on to buy Fairwater, topping the national price record by nearly $30 million on the $71 million just next door on Seven Shillings Beach, which has now been nicknamed Atlassian Cove.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">An active climate change advocate, Cannon-Brookes tweeted Saturday night that he'd happily fund the mooted independent, Jane Caro's challenge against former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Warringah.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Double Bay was one of the 12 booth's won by Liberal candidate Dave Sharma among the electorate's 35 booths.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">Kerryn Phelps is the local doctor, who resides not far away in Potts Point. Her large medical practice has seen patients through the years including former Channel Nine boss Eddie McGuire. Liberal senator Trent Zimmerman declared he ranked among the practice's current clients.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">High profile publicist Roxy Jacenko and husband Oliver Curtis recently spent $6.5 million on a Vaucluse home having previously been renting a luxury Bondi Beach apartment block developed by film maker Rebel Penfold Russell, where Hugh Jackman stays in his trips down under.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr">Bar baron Justin Hemmes lives in The Hermitage at Vaucluse which the hotelier family have owned since paying $500,000 in the 1970s recession.</div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr">Tycoon James Packer has sold out completely, though his mum, Ros, who attended a Dave Sharma fundraiser, remains at Cairnton, the longheld 2,450 sqm family estate at Bellevue Hill while his ex wife, Jodee Meares, owns at Watsons Bay.</div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div>John Ibrahim has owned for over two decades at Dover Heights having paid $1,165,000 in 1997.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There was a brief stay at Vaucluse by Salim Mehajer who rented a mansion overlooking Diamond Bay, before he was forced to vacate last year after owing $18,000 in rent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><span>Of occupied private dwellings in Wentworth around 17 percent are freestanding houses, with 20 percent semi-detached, row or terrace houses, and ortownhouses.</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div>
<span><span>Some 61 percent of the dwellings are apartments, making </span></span>Wentworth the most densely populated electorate in the country.</div>
<div><span style="color: #333333;"><span> </span></span></div>
<div><span><span style="color: #333333;">All up some 70,000 privately owned dwellings.</span></span></div>
<div><span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span></div>
<div><span><span style="color: #333333;">Around 44 percent of the dwellings are rented, at a $610 a week median, well </span>up on the $380 NSW median, according to the 2016 Census.</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #333333;"><span> </span></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #333333;"><span>For owners, the median monthly $3000 mortgage payments is well up on the $2000 NSW median mortgage. </span></span></div>
<div> </div>
<div>The are declining numbers of boarding houses along with not enough crisis refuges. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Social housing is available, but sparsely so in the east. <span>Anglicare recently estimated less than one per cent of private rental properties in Wentworth's are affordable for low-income earners.</span>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There are NSW Housing Department flats on Neild Avenue, Paddington in the cosmopolitan heartland of the electorate, plus pricey Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi.</div>
<div>
<div class="page" title="Page 5">
<div class="section">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p><span>Bridge Housing, an organisation that owns properties and manages properties owned by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC), the public housing authority within the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), has 213 dwellings available in the Waverley municipality and 16 in the Woollahra municipality.</span></p>
<div>The cheapest recent sales have include a $491,700 Bondi Beach studio apartment, a $607,000 one bedder in Bellevue Hill and a $640,000 one bedroom apartment in Vaucluse.</div>
<div>  </div>
<div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">A one bedroom with views of iconic Bondi Beach might set you back $2.8 million.</div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p"> </div>
<div class="m_-1140009158435937648gmail-m_-5445150200022835211gmail-p">And a car space needs an extra $300,000, but good luck finding one. </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Baton change in political outlook from Fairwater, on Double Bay's Seven Shillings Beach, aka Atlassian Cove

<html><body>
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="section">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p>A turreted beachfront terrace on Port Phillip Bay topped the nation's weekend auction sales, as clearance rates tumbled across the capital cities.</p>
<p>Sydney's weekend clearance rate dropped to 44 percent according to Domain, with Melbourne not faring too much better at 48 percent.</p>
<p>The deterioration had market watchers anticipate auction clearance rates dipping into the 30s. </p>
<p><img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/10/22/CL%20OCT%2020%20Auctions.JPG" alt=""></p>
<p>SQM's Louis Christopher noted three previous times when Sydney auction clearance rates sunk into the 30s.</p>
<p>"That was in October/November 2008 during the GFC, May 2004 after the NSW vendor stamp duty was introduced and July 1989 when the cash rate hit 17 percent."</p>
<p>Domain chief analyst Nicola Powell said the trend suggested there would not be any improvement before the year is out.</p>
<p data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1">"I think this is what we are going to see for Sydney for the rest of the year," she told Fairfax Media.</p>
<p data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1"><span>Dr Andrew Wilson at My Housing Market advised the marketed had "plunged to new depths" on Saturday in the toughest market conditions since the economic shock of the GFC.</span></p>
<p data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-7770372_137="3385" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-7770372_137="4000" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-7770372_137="1"><span>"<span>A rising crisis of confidence is now gripping markets with buyer and seller wariness," he noted.</span></span></p>
<p>CoreLogic noted there had been increase in auction volumes with 2,119 homes taken to auction across the capital cities, up from 1,851 over the previous week.</p>
<p>But it was still lower than the same time last year when 2,519 auctions were listed.</p>
<p>Preliminary CoreLogic results showed a clearance rate of 49.8 per cent across the capital cities, considerably lower than the 64.7 percent in mid-october last year.</p>
<p>"It marked the fourth consecutive week where the clearance rate has been below 50 per cent," Kevin Brogan noted.</p>
<p><span>Melbourne was host to 1,088 auctions</span>.</p>
<p>The most expensive home sold in Melbourne was a four-bedroom terrace house with rooftop turrets at <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/real-estate/213-beaconsfield-parade-middle-park-vic/property-details-buy-residential-12112349/" target="_blank">213 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park</a> (top) for $5.3 million after a $5.1 million opening vendor bid which was matched by a bidder.</p>
<p><span>Two other parties had flagged interest, but chose not to bid, and, after post auction negotiations, the sole bidder raised the offer by $200,000.</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>The iconic beachfront home has a distinct heritage facade with a castle-like top providing the crowning glory to the traditional terrace.</p>
<p>There was only one bidder for the restored Victorian era residence with a contemporary B.E Architecture update on its 319 sqm lot.</p>
<p><span><span><span>There had been $5 million to $5.5 million price guidance of the once once owned in the early 1990s by the</span></span></span> IVF pioneer Professor Carl Wood who had paid $465,000 in 1990.</p>
<p><span><span><a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/real-estate/33-35-mount-street-eaglemont-vic/property-details-buy-residential-12126177/" target="_blank">St Clair</a> (below), a landmark 1934 Eaglemont offering did not sell.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><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/2018/10/22/Eagle.jpg" alt=""></span></span></p>
<p>The lofty 2261-square-metre offering atop Mount Eagle now comes with a $3.9 million asking price through Nelson Alexander agent Gordon Hope who had initial $3.8 million to $4 million price guidance.</p>
<p>The house at 33-35 Mount Street last sold in 1994 at $620,000.</p>
<p>In the race to auction pre-Cup Day, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria are expecting more than 1600 homes on Saturday, including the five apartment in The Block Gatwick renovation in St Kilda. </p>
<p>There were 659 auctions held in Sydney on the weekend.</p>
<p>"It is interesting to note that fewer Sydney properties sold prior to auction," CoreLogic's Kevin Brogan said, reflecting on "the softening market."</p>
<p>Sydney's highest sale was <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-pymble-129382210" target="_blank">19 Bannockburn Road, Pymble</a> (below), which sold for $3.35 million.</p>
<p><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/2018/10/22/Pymble.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The 1940s house had been extended and renovated over the years into a single level four bedroom, three bathroom offering.</p>
<p>The nation's cheapest result was $105,000 for a three bedroom house in Adelaide, according to Domain.</p>
<p><span>The <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/real-estate/6-redcliffe-street-davoren-park-sa/property-details-buy-residential-12128932/" target="_blank">6 Redcliff Street, Davoren Park offering</a> was a mortgagee sale.</span></p>
<p><span>It had sold at $105,000 in 2007.</span></p>
<p><span>In 2013 it was a $210 a week rental.</span></p>
</body></html>

Spring auctions could slump into the 30s

<p>One of North Sydney's best-known commercial buildings could become hundreds of new homes, with insurance giant Zurich Australia lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to transform 5 Blue Street into a mixed-use residential development above North Sydney Station.</p>

<p>Rather than demolishing the existing building and starting again, Zurich is proposing an adaptive reuse project that would convert the landmark office building into a 15-level residential development delivering 62 apartments, 86 affordable co-living dwellings, activated retail and significant upgrades to the Blue Street Plaza.</p>

<p>The proposal reflects a growing trend of commercial property owners repositioning ageing office assets into residential housing as Sydney grapples with housing supply shortages and changing workplace demand.</p>

<p><img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0bba7d12-06dc-4375-aad7-238c94b21ac5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.42.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=NJl5oLAEBDGuPmY3RnyliKODjMc8lvRh" /></p>

<p>Located directly above North Sydney Metro and train station, the 3,051 sqm site occupies one of the most strategically positioned parcels of land on Sydney's Lower North Shore.</p>

<p>Designed by fjcstudio, the proposal seeks to retain and adapt much of the existing structure while creating a contemporary residential address that better connects with the public domain surrounding North Sydney Station.</p>

<p>The application proposes two basement levels, ground floor retail, affordable co-living accommodation across the podium levels, and apartments above, while preserving and enhancing the publicly accessible Blue Street Plaza.</p>

<p>Rather than pursuing maximum apartment numbers, Zurich has opted for a housing mix heavily weighted towards larger owner-occupier residences.</p>

<p>The proposal includes 62 build-to-sell apartments comprising 12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom apartments and two premium penthouses. It also incorporates 86 affordable co-living dwellings, which would be managed in perpetuity by a Community Housing Provider.</p>

<p>That balance between traditional apartments and affordable housing reflects the NSW Government's push to increase housing diversity around major transport infrastructure.</p>

<p>The proposal has been lodged concurrently with a rezoning application, with Zurich arguing the site is ideally positioned to support additional housing given its immediate proximity to public transport, employment and services.</p>

<p>"The proposal aims to respond to the housing challenges facing Sydney through the delivery of diverse housing types in a highly accessible location," the design report by fjcstudio states. It also seeks to improve pedestrian amenity through upgrades to Blue Street Plaza while creating a high-performing residential building that responds to the surrounding context.</p>

<p><img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36082e15-c636-4481-bb68-5a5f6443fe39" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.41.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=5P6VD.fvmqjQfIG3TWWMRXxQWiQBjeFB" /></p>

<p>Rather than replacing the commercial building, fjcstudio has developed a design that works with the existing structural framework above the rail corridor, an approach that significantly reduces demolition while allowing the site to be repositioned as a mixed-use residential precinct.</p>

<p>The existing structural constraints have informed much of the building's design, including its relationship with Blue Street and surrounding public spaces.</p>

<p>The building has been designed as a slender tower rising above a clearly defined podium, with vertically expressed façades intended to reduce the perceived bulk while reinforcing North Sydney's emerging skyline.</p>

<p>According to fjcstudio, the architectural language responds directly to the surrounding commercial towers while maintaining a finer grain expression more closely aligned with the neighbouring Lavender Bay streetscape.</p>

<p>The tower incorporates articulated façade elements, landscaped podium edges and recessed upper levels to soften its appearance and improve pedestrian amenity below.</p>

<p>A significant component of the proposal is the revitalisation of Blue Street Plaza.</p>

<p>The existing public space has long served as one of the primary pedestrian connections between North Sydney Station, Greenwood Plaza and Blue Street, yet its role is expected to become even more important following the opening of Sydney Metro.</p>

<p>Zurich's proposal seeks to strengthen that role by improving landscaping, introducing new retail frontages, enhancing pedestrian permeability and creating more active edges throughout the day and evening.</p>

<p>Ground floor retail would wrap the plaza, while separate residential and co-living entries have been designed to improve wayfinding without reducing street activation.</p>

<p>Landscape design has been integrated throughout the podium and public realm, softening what is currently one of the most heavily urbanised parts of North Sydney.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>fjcstudio has carefully oriented apartments towards Sydney Harbour and the CBD while using privacy blades and articulated façades to minimise overlooking between neighbouring buildings.</p>

<p>Large framed openings along the western elevation maximise harbour outlooks, while the eastern apartments have been angled towards the south-east to improve privacy from neighbouring development.</p>

<p>The project forms part of the continuing transformation of North Sydney from a predominantly commercial CBD into a genuine mixed-use city centre.</p>

<p>Since the completion of Victoria Cross Metro Station, developers have increasingly shifted their attention towards residential projects capable of leveraging the area's unparalleled transport connectivity.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>FiveX recently lodged plans for a 61-storey, 490-apartment tower that would become one of the tallest residential buildings in North Sydney if approved.</p>

<p>Aqualand continues to expand its Lower North Shore presence following the completion of AURA on Walker Street and its recent St Leonards and Roseville proposals.</p>

<p>Developers are also progressing projects throughout Walker Street, Miller Street and the Victoria Cross precinct as demand for well-located owner-occupier apartments continues to strengthen.</p>


Joel Robinson

First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station

<p>Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.</p>

<p>The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.</p>

<p>The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.</p>

<p>The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.</p>

<p><img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" /></p>

<p>The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;</p>

<p>PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.</p>

<p>The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.</p>

<p>Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.</p>

<p>"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.</p>

<p>Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.</p>

<p>A major focus of the design has been the public domain.</p>

<p>The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.</p>

<p>The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.</p>

<p data-end="239" data-start="66">Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.</p>

<p data-end="442" data-start="241">Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.</p>

<p data-end="661" data-start="444">Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.</p>

<p data-end="909" data-start="663">Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.</p>

<p><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a></em></p>

<p data-end="1339" data-start="1019">Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.</p>

<p data-end="1339" data-start="1019">[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]</p>

<p data-end="1398" data-start="1341">It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.</p>

<p data-end="1805" data-start="1400">Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.</p>

<p data-end="1805" data-start="1400">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]</p>

<p data-end="1991" data-start="1807">The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.</p>

<p data-end="2303" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="1993">Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.</p>

<p><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a></em></p>

<p><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a></em><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

<p data-end="492" data-start="327">Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.</p>

<p data-end="843" data-start="497">At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.</p>

<p data-end="1109" data-start="848">The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.</p>

<p data-end="1109" data-start="848">[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]</p>

<p>Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.</p>

<p>The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.</p>

<p>"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]</p>

<p>The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.</p>

<p>The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]</p>

<p>Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.</p>

<p>Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]</p>

<p>The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.</p>

<p>The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.</p>

<p>The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.</p>

<p>"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.</p>

<p>"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."</p>

<p>Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]</p>


Otello launches wellness-focused Flowe Bowden with Adelaide-first mass timber apartment design

<p>Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.</p>

<p>Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.</p>

<p>Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.</p>

<p>Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.</p>

<p>Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.</p>

<p>For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.</p>

<p>Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.</p>

<p>Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.</p>

<p><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/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.</p>

<p>The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.</p>

<p>That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.</p>

<p>Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.</p>

<p>It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.</p>

<p>For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.</p>

<p>Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.</p>


Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

<p data-end="471" data-start="164">Inca Property Group has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Dawn, a 53-apartment oceanfront development overlooking Mona Vale Beach.</p>

<p data-end="777" data-start="473">The proposal, at 35-39 Darley Street East, would replace an existing 18-apartment strata building with a new owner-occupier-focused development comprising 53 two and three-bedroom apartments, including nine affordable built-to-rent residences delivered under the State's infill affordable housing scheme.</p>

<p data-end="976" data-start="779">Positioned on a 2,679 sqm elevated site around 280 metres from Mona Vale Beach, the development has been designed to maximise panoramic ocean views while responding to the site's sloping topography.</p>

<p data-end="1119" data-start="978"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/inca-property-group">Inca Property Group</a> Managing Director Josh Thompson said the State Significant pathway provided greater certainty for projects of this scale.</p>

<p data-end="1399" data-start="1121">"This State Significant pathway gives the team real certainty to progress <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dawn-35-39-darley-street-east-mona-vale-nsw-2103">Dawn</a> through to completion," Thompson said.</p>

<p data-end="1399" data-start="1121">"It allows us to acquire a one-off site, design it carefully and deliver the right offering for the suburb, assessed by the NSW Government's planning department."</p>

<p data-end="1605" data-start="1401">The project is one of the first developments in the area to be assessed under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, with the site sitting on the edge of the policy's designated inner area.</p>

<p data-end="1852" data-start="1607">The proposal includes three basement levels providing 124 car spaces, alongside a range of resident amenities including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, wellness facilities and private plunge pools for selected ground-floor and penthouse apartments.</p>

<p data-end="1852" data-start="1607"><img alt="Dawn" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc1a1daf-0ce4-4f12-9076-b1fa553c7a91" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-21%20at%208.42.11%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4GZ9h.gpNkTljbxyAET8Jfhv51XUamDm" /></p>

<p data-end="2031" data-start="1854">Thompson said Dawn had been designed specifically for owner-occupiers and downsizers, a buyer profile that has driven demand across Inca's recent Upper North Shore developments.</p>

<p data-end="2299" data-start="2033">"The majority of buyers in our recent North Shore projects have been downsizers, and we are learning exactly what this market is looking for. Beyond the location itself, we have included resort-style amenities to deliver a genuine lifestyle offering," Thompson said.</p>

<p data-end="2588" data-start="2301">Located within walking distance of Mona Vale Beach, the town centre, Mona Vale Golf Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Dawn represents Inca's first Northern Beaches project following the sell-out of Tara on Park in Waitara and Ellis Residences, currently under construction in St Ives.</p>

<p data-end="4143" data-start="3991">Construction will be undertaken by Inca's in-house construction arm, GOP Constructions.</p>

<p data-end="593" data-start="417">Dawn is the latest major apartment proposal for Mona Vale, with the suburb emerging as one of the key beneficiaries of the NSW Government's new Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy.</p>

<p data-end="789" data-start="598">New developer One Living, led by industry veteran Joseph Scuderi, recently secured a site on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, where it is planning around 140 apartments.</p>

<p data-end="1053" data-start="794">IPM is also planning its third project in Mona Vale, significantly increasing the scale of its previous developments with an 82-apartment proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/159-167-darley-street-west-mona-vale-nsw-2103">159-167 Darley Street West</a>, opposite Bayview Golf Course and less than 800 metres from Mona Vale town centre.</p>

<p data-end="4143" data-start="3991"><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/one-living-enters-sydneys-new-apartment-market-with-northern-beaches-site-acquisition">One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition</a></em></p>

<p data-end="4143" data-start="3991"><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-ipm-plans-third-mona-vale-project">First look: IPM plans third Mona Vale project</a></em></p>


Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News