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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/may18hambledonhills]}
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Hambledon Hill, the two-storey 30-room 1860s Hunter Valley residence (pictured above), has been listed for sale by artist Dale Frank. The sandstock brick homestead – typical of the transition period from the late Georgian to the Victorian era – has been listed by Franks through First National Max Bailey agent Scott Bailey. Frank is among Australia’s foremost contemporary painters, with a career spanning more than three decades. His works have been most recently exhibited at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney and Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne.  In 1983 his work was included in the exhibition Panorama della post – critica: critica ed arte at the Museo Palazzo Lanfranchi in Pisa and in 1984 he was included in the Aperto section of the Venice Biennale. Towards the late 1990s, Frank began experimenting with commercial varnishes and the chemical reactions that occur when certain pigments are added. He's added a studio to the property - blending with the orginal architecture - in 2008.
With views down the valley between the Brokenback and Barrington mountain ranges, the  property is nine kilometres from Singleton. It was built by an English merchant and horse breeder, Richard Dines, who hosted a seven-race St Patrick's Day race meeting to celebrate its completion in 1865. It sits in gardens including Queensland kauri, Morton Bay fig and Norfolk pine planted more than 140 years ago. An underground irrigation system fed from the Hunter River provides water for the gardens. Its previous owners include Edward Lloyd-Jones, a director of the David Jones retailing family, who bought the then 300-hectare property in 1914 and ran a cattle stud until he sold to a local dairy farmer, Bert Ball, in 1926. Upon his death, it was passed on to his son, James Ball, in 1982. In 1988 the property was bought by the Sydney publishers Kay and Garry Burke. Frank bought it from consultant to the airport industry Coralie Kelly who bought it in 1999. No price disclosure has been given, but it joins Neotsfield, another Hunter Valley homestead, that comes with $1.4 million plus hopes through Ray White Singleton. Ofcourse Neotsfield, once the Dangar pioneering family property, now sits on just nine hectares at Whittingham, and the Hambledon Hill property is 18 hectares and does come with indirect Melbourne Cup winning connections. Richard Dines had previously owned the 1868 Melbourne Cup winner, Glencoe. The district has produced at least 10 Melbourne Cup winners: Glencoe (1868), Lord Cardigan (1903), Poseidon (1906), Lord Nolan (1908), Prince Foote (1909), Piastre (1912), Nightwatch (1918), Poitrel (1920), and Peter Pan (1932 and (1934) which is buried at Baroona, another Dangar family homestead.
<img src="/images/stories/mitchellst.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Warringa, the 1880s McMahons Point residence (pictured above), comes with $5 million-plus hopes after failing to selling at its auction last weekend. The four-bedroom Mitchell Street house has been listed by the Marshman family with initial $5.5 million-plus hopes in March. It last sold at $2.4 million in 2000. They are the couple who've bought the Surry Hills warehouse recently sold by Neville and Beryl Miles for $5.71 million through McGrath agent Ben Collier inconjunction with Shannon Whitney at BresicWhitney.
<img src="/images/stories/wellingtonst1.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">
International sailing champion owner Jake Gunther is selling his Tuscan-style Brighton house (pictured above). The five-bedroom, six-bathroom house, designed by Edgard Pirrotta, has reported $4.9 million-plus hopes through Kate Strickland from Marshall White for its May 30 auction. Gunther, the president of the International Etchells Association, is the Australian champion of the Olympic Finn Class. He is also the owner of the bayside property development company Gunther Developments. Cameo, the Tuscan-styled 2002 Wellington Street house, comes with a rooftop terrace with bay views.
 
<img src="/images/stories/russellst1.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">The head of Credit Suisse’s global metals and mining equity research business, Paul  McTaggart, and wife Susan have listed their Vaucluse house with $3.3 million-plus hopes for its June 2 auction. It's a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house that has been refurbished since bought in 1998 for $1,156,000.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Cinematographer Steve Davis and his wife, personal stylist Kath Davis, have listed their Warrawee weatherboard set on a 1,839-square-metre block with veggie patch and chook run. The 100-year Findlay Road house originally a fruit picker’s cottage comes with $1.4 million plus hopes. It cost $1.3 million in 2010.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Artist Dale Frank lists his colonial Hunter Valley retreat: Title Tattle

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The 1902 Fremantle landmark the Elder Building has been listed for sale at $5 million with an adjoining separate vacant block available at $2 million. The block would be suitable for a four-storey building, according to the listing agent.
The stately Federation Free Classical offering had a $9.5 million asking price in 2010.
The building with a limestone façade and Melbourne bluestone is topped off with a copper-clad, domed turret designed for the merchants and shipping agents Dalgety &amp; Co by Western Australian architect J.J Talbot Hobbs.
The land had been purchased from George Shenton, the Perth lord mayor between 1886 and 1888.
The ship lookout at the top on the top of the tower is 21 metres above the pavement.
Costing £40,000 and then representing the largest contract let privately in the state for a building, it is highly representative of 19th-century shipping offices with the grand business hall.
Frederick Gonnerman Dalgety had arrived in Sydney in 1834 before moving to Melbourne in 1842 as manager of the new firm. Dalgety prospered especially during the Victorian gold rush in the early 1850s, returning to England in 1854 to establish the headquarters of a metropolitan-colonial enterprise dealing mainly with Victorian pastoral companies. Dalgety &amp; Co. continued to grow after the founder died in 1894.
Its ownership was transferred in 1927 to the agribusiness Elder Smith &amp; Co and became known as the Elder Building.
During WWII it was requisitioned by the Australian Navy as its administration and intelligence headquarters.
It housed the Norwegian shipping company, Wilhelmsen Line, for 23 years and more recently Challenger TAFE. Ale Nominees sold it to the current investment syndicate in 2002.
A mixed-use residential and commercial development would be possible, says listing agent Fleur Barrett at O'Byrne Estate Agents Fremantle.
The 1,700-square-metre building on a 1,484-square-metre site could be refurbished as a private residence, converted to a boutique hotel, or made into an art gallery with artists' studios and accommodation for artists in residence.
It’s set at the corner of Phillimore and Cliff Streets.
Another 1902 Talbot Hobbs designed Cliff Street building, the Samson Bond store building, was converted into 13 luxury apartments in 2007.
 
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Fremantle’s 1902 Elder Building listed with $5 million hopes

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The 1970s Bayview home of the late American psychoanalyst and sailing enthusiast Victor Himmelwright has been listed for sale. It’s a Hollywood Hills-style home on sprawling hilltop bushland on Sydney’s northern beaches.
It was Himmelwright’s Australian summer pad since he split his time between the US and Australia. It’s not been touched since built, so it comes with the original shagpile carpets, wallpaper and colour scheme. The 14-bedroom, 13-bathroom Captain Hunter Road house comes with eight living rooms cross three levels.
It’s set on a 17,000-square-metre block with a pool and parking for 12 cars. Cunninghams Property agent James Haywood expects more than $3?million.
“It’s a classic playboy mansion, which would make the perfect set for a 1970s movie,” he says, adding it was also suit a medical facility, a holistic wellness centre, a rehabilitation clinic, educational institution or even the headquarters of a religious  group.
Himmelwright’s father was the famed pioneering engineer Abraham Lincoln Artman Himmelwright, with the house design modelled on his famous fireproof house concept in the US. His first and second names were given to him by his parents to honour the slain president, assassinated the year Himmelwright was born in 1865. In most of the works he authored he went by the name "ALA Himmelwright". Wikipedia noted as an expert on the danger of fire, he published one of the many books on fireproof construction including, <a href="https://userwww.sfsu.edu/~szwald/bibliography.htm" target="_blank">The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire : A Brief History of the Disaster ; A Presentation of Facts and Resulting Phenomena, With Special Reference to the Efficiency of Building Materials, Lessons of the Disaster.</a>
Himmelwright set out to test the merits of fireproof construction, adding to his thinking a philosophy of environmental engineering, sustainable building and permaculture by purchased 47 acres (19 hectares) outside New York, where he completed the construction of what he called a "Model Fireproof Farm House". It included a state-of-the-art wood-fired water system, which pumped spring water to a third-floor holding tank and a coal-fired furnace with radiators in each room for heat. With walls of granite, and floors and ceilings of poured concrete with steel reinforcement, and its roof lined with copper, Himmelwright estimated its lifespan at 400 to 500 years.
 
 
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Victor Himmelwright’s Hollywood Hills-style fireproof ’70s Bayview home listed: Title Tattle

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Building products group CSR says Australia's housing construction industry will remain in the doldrums for the year ahead.
It’s estimated total housing starts in Australia will fall to about 140,000 in the year to March 2013, down from the 148,300 in 2012.
The company made the comments on Wednesday as it announced its net profit fell to $76.3 million in the year to March 31 from $503.4 million the previous year.
Trading revenue fell to $1.8 billion from $1.9 billion.
"Excluding the global financial crisis and the introduction of the GST, this represents the lowest level of housing activity in the past 15 years," CSR said in a statement.
Click to enlarge
<a title="Click to enlarge" rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/csr.gif"><img src="/images/stories/csrthumb.gif"></a>
CSR said it expected total private detached commencements to remain steady around 90,000, with multi-residential starts expected to fall by about 10% to 50,000.
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Australian housing construction to remain in the doldrums for next year: CSR

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The Mark, the third residential stage at the $2 billion Central Park development in Sydney’s Chippendale by Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House Australia, has been unveiled.
The developers of Central Park are releasing The Mark simultaneously in Sydney and Singapore this weekend in a marketing move they say reflects the global nature of the development and anticipated strong international demand.
It is a 412-apartment glass tower designed by architects Johnson Pilton Walker – but apartment buyers will be able to craft their own interiors.
<img src="/images/stories/themark2.jpg">
Buyers of the apartments up to level 19 will have the opportunity to “make their own mark” and customise their apartments through the use of 24 possible colour combinations – rather than the conventional three- or four-colour palette option.
It contains a mix of one bedroom suites, one bedders, two bedders, dual-key apartments and penthouses.
The prices start at $480,000.
<img src="/images/stories/themark3.jpg">
With views across Chippendale Green and east to the city skyline, at 27 stories it will be the second-tallest building at Central Park.
The apartments will come with Central Park’s signature loggias feature, with floor to ceiling glass bi-fold or sliding doors, serve as a natural extension to the living areas and bedrooms.
Positioned in the south-eastern corner of the Central Park precinct, The Mark is under construction with an intended early 2014 completion.
“As a global company, Frasers has been keen to launch Central Park offshore, but strong local demand has quickly absorbed most of our first two stages,” says Guy Pahor, the chief of Frasers Property Australia.
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Central Park’s third stage The Mark unveiled, with $480,000-plus Chippendale buyers to customise their interiors

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A four-townhouse complex at Robina – with an estimated $3 million worth and estimated $148,000 net annual return – is this year's RSL Art Union's annual Golden Treasure $10 lottery prize.
Ticket sales close on May 22, before the draw on May 30. The total number of tickets available for $10 each is 1.4 million.
"That will be a life-changing moment for someone,'' RSL Chief Executive Chris McHugh says.
"Some may choose to retire, living in the main residence while renting out the remaining three.
“You can rent out all of them and earn close to $150,000 per year, sell them each off individually or keep one or two for the extended family.
“It will set you up for life,'' McHugh says.
The main townhouse has four bedrooms each with en-suite, a study, two living areas, a gourmet kitchen, a pool and barbeque and a lift to reach all four levels.
The remaining buildings have three bedrooms plus a study, two bathrooms and another toilet. They all share a pool and barbecue.
The entire townhouse complex has an estimated $3 million value, plus $312,955 in furniture.
The RSL provides services for war veterans including housing, respite accommodation and a range of pension, advocacy and welfare services.
It paid $900,000 in early 2010 for the 2,300-square-metre holding.
Just along Andromeda Parade, it also bought a 2,300-square-metre vacant lot in early 2010 for $820,000, which will presumably be a future prize.
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RSL Art Union lottery prize turns Gold Coast Robina foursome townhouses into investor gold 

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Actress Toni Collette and her musician husband, Dave Galafassi, have accepted an undisclosed offer for the sale of their Hollywood Los Angeles pied a terre.
The 1924 Los Angeles house <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/overseas/toni-collettes-property-fickleness-spreads-to-hollywood/2012040354155" target="_blank">was on the market with a $1,325,000 asking price</a>.
<img src="/images/stories/toniimpression2.jpg">
It cost the entertainment industry couple $1.33 million in late 2010.
The walled, gated Spanish-styled house sits on a 198-square metre block between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue.
It has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, along with a detached pool house.
The LA property was is for sale through Steve Sanders at Coldwell Banker.
The sale pending advice on the Redfin website indicates the sellers have accepted an offer that is now pending or under contract.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/toni-collette-back-to-court-in-june-over-paddo-property-deal-as-she-settles-bronte-house-swap-title-tattle/2012042554424" target="_blank">Collette is yet to unravel her Paddington property situation.</a>
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Toni Collette comes close to settling one property episode in Hollywood, but Paddo still pending: Title Tattle

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Cotchford Farm, the East Sussex childhood home of Christopher Robin Milne and setting for the Winnie the Pooh stories, has been listed for sale through Savills UK. The author A A Milne lived there on and off from 1924 with his wife, Dorothy and son, Christopher Robin.
<img src="/images/stories/cr1.jpg">
It’s the first time in over four decades the 16th-century house has been offered for sale.
The house in the Ashdown Forest, Sussex, was the Milne family home for over three decades.
It was the inspiration for many of the poems and stories written by AA Milne featuring his young son and the most famous teddy bear in the world. Nearby are the "100 Aker Wood", "the six pine trees" and the Poohsticks Bridge. The bridge was rebuilt about 10 years ago to accommodate the Winnie the Pooh fans who flock to the district, and strip the surrounding trees and then watch their twigs float in races downstream.
<img src="/images/stories/cr2.jpg">
A statue of Christopher Robin as a child and a sundial carved with Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit and Owl – both commissioned by Dorothy Milne for her husband – still stand in the Hartfield garden she created .
<img src="/images/stories/cr3.jpg">
The six-bedroom house sits on nine acres.
<img src="/images/stories/cr4.jpg">
In 1968 Brian Jones, the founding member of The Rolling Stones, bought Cotchford Farm for £35,000, dying a year later at the age of 27. In the 1960s and 1970s all the Rolling Stones acquired country mansions with Mick Jagger buying Elizabethan Stargroves in East End, Newbury, Berkshire, which had been owned by Oliver Cromwell. Charlie Watts bought Peckhams, a property in West Sussex from Lord Shawcross; Bill Wyman acquired a property in Suffolk; and Keith Richards bought Redlands in West Wittering, West Sussex.
<img src="/images/stories/cr5.jpg">
Cotchford Farm last sold in 1970 when bought by Alastair Johns, a property developer, and his wife, Harriet.
Savills is stating a guide price of £2 million for the freehold.
Its original section dates back to about 1580 but the next four centuries brought with them numerous modifications.
Robert Jacobs of <a target="_blank" href="https://residentialsearch.savills.co.uk/property-detail/291154/list">Savills Tunbridge Wells</a> office is handling the sale.
“This is the most idyllic house in an exquisite setting and captivates everyone who sees it," he says.
"It is easy to understand why Christopher Robin Milne says in his autobiography The Enchanted Places: ‘Cotchford was different... Cotchford was ours and on an autumn morning in 1925 we ... drove down to take possession. No, I have got it wrong. It was Cotchford that took possession of us’."
 
 
 
 
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Christopher Robin’s 16th-century East Sussex childhood home (on nine, not 100 acres) on the market

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Fair Work Ombudsman inspectors will audit 125 Queensland real estate businesses over the next three months to check that they have lodged written agreements for their staff with the Queensland Property Industry Registry (QPIR).
Last year, the Fair Work Ombudsman audited 156 real estate agents throughout Queensland and found that 81 had failed to lodge agreements.
Inspectors will now revisit those employers who had failed to lodge agreements as well as randomly selecting additional businesses among the state’s 2,000 businesses for scrutiny.
The follow-up campaign will focus on real estate agents, business and hotel brokers, strata and community title management businesses, stock and station agents, buyers’ agencies and real estate valuation agents.
Fair Work inspectors will audit employers throughout Brisbane and the Sunshine and Gold coasts.
It will also visit regional areas including Ipswich, Loganholme, Cairns, Mount Isa, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay, Gladstone, Gympie, Toowoomba, Gatton, Stanthorpe, Charters Towers, Kilcoy, Maryborough, Roma and Longreach.
It is a requirement under the Real Estate Industry Award 2010 for employers to lodge a written agreement with the QPIR for all staff classified as property/strata management or property sales employees.
The agreements must state how the employees will be paid – commission-only, part-commission or as per the rates listed in the Modern Award.
Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson says employers who fail to lodge agreements are at greater risk of underpaying their employees.
“We are conducting this follow-up campaign because we have identified that many of the underpayment complaints we receive from real estate industry workers in Queensland are against employers who have not lodged pay agreements with the QPIR,” Wilson says.
 
 
 
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Fair Work to re-audit Queensland real estate businesses after more than half were found lacking last year

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The infamous ultra-modern “Pamela Anderson” house in St Kilda West has been listed for $1,500 a week rent.
Dividing locals on its merits, the large glass mural façade on noisy Canterbury Road has been a source of controversy ever since it was unveiled a decade ago.
The three-storey, three-bedroom house comes with a gourmet kitchen, a north-facing terrace with lap pool, a private courtyard with pond and a two-car garage.
Recent tenants behind the internationally renowned façade have included Hollywood glitterati, according to its leasing agent Simon Saint-John at Saint John Estate Agents St Kilda.
James Scarff of Marshall White <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/pamela-anderson-house-built-for-sam-newman-on-the-market/2011103052125">had listed the property last November</a> but it appears no sale has eventuated at its desired $1.62 million asking price.
Designed by architect Cassandra Fahey in 2000, it won a Royal Australian Institute of Architects award, making news around the world given the Baywatch beauty’s appearance on the facade.
The former Geelong footballer and football commentator Sam Newman built the house at the height of his playboy notoriety, but never lived in it before he sold it for $1.1 million in mid-2002 to financial adviser Sean Patrick Taylor through a company called Canterbury Park Pty Ltd.
It changed hands again at $1.5 million in November 2007. Newman had paid $150,000 in 1995 for the 175-square-metre holding.
 
 
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Infamous 'Pamela Anderson house' built for Sam Newman hits rental market

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."

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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.

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&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.

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&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."

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&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."

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&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.

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Jonathan Chancellor

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