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Nigerian scammers are now using fake ASIC stationery to implement their inheritance frauds.
The letter or email requests up-front payment and copies of personal documents in exchange for access to a substantial overseas inheritance.
ASIC commissioner Peter Kell says there have been a growing number of scams both in Australia and overseas where the operators pretend to be from government agencies as a way of gaining consumer trust.
“We are warning consumers about this fake correspondence, as ASIC never contacts the public requesting up-front payment in such circumstances,” Kell warns.
“Consumers who receive a request to transfer money in exchange for an inheritance, lottery win or other large windfall should treat it as a scam and report it to the ACCC.
“People should never send money or personal information to someone they don’t know,” says Kell.
For more information on Nigerian and other scams see the ACCC’s <a href="https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/MoneyTransferRequests" target="_blank">SCAMwatch webpage</a> about money transfer requests.
 
 
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Nigerian scammers using ASIC stationery in inheritance frauds

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Karin Upton Baker, the Sydney boss of highly profitable French luxury goods chain Hermes, has settled her $18 million dispute with her Perpetual Trustee Company mortgagees out of court.

She was due to take the stand at a three-week hearing due to start yesterday. But instead she’s back at her desk presiding over the recently expanded luxury goods store, which reported $32 million turnover and a $5.2 million profit in its most recent financial results. Such was its improvement on its previous result – $3.8 million profit on a $25 million turnover – that the Sydney office was able to send back a $6 million dividend to head office.

Upton Baker’s lawyers told the court there had been an in-principle settlement with the terms of the settlement not being revealed, according to the Australian Financial Review.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6798]

It’s not known if the legal settlement includes her husband, Gary Baker, the Sydney property developer, who’s been battling bankruptcy attempts by Perpetual Trustee.

Her husband’s next court appearance has been scheduled for February 10 next year, Justice Anna Katzmann determined last month, after a series of postponements since his notice of appeal was filed in May.

Upton Baker, the managing director of Hermes Australia and former Harper's Bazaar editor, had been entangled in the financial court case since 2009.

Upton Baker, who earns $360,000 a year, was sued by lender Challenger Managed Investments after she stopped repaying the mortgage she took out in December 2006.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7633]

It’s been an embarrassing saga played out in the courts with details of the couple’s personal finances and relationship made public over her alleged default on $18 million in property development loans, which had her Elizabeth Bay non-waterfront penthouse (pictured above) as collateral.

Her affidavits presented the argument that husband Gary Baker "enjoyed such an ascendancy over" her that she could not "make any worthwhile judgment", signing the $18 million worth of mortgages, according to Vanda Carson's Daily Telegraph report.

She claimed she was "reduced to tears at her husband's insistence she sign" mortgage documents "under threat that, if she did not do so, the family would 'lose everything'."

Gary Baker’s dream development was a project overlooking Bondi Beach that turned into a nightmare.

An examination by the liquidator of one of Gary Baker's companies heard that the couple borrowed more than $10 million in 2006 for the Maxwell Court, Bondi project.

They planned to use the funds to buy the eight apartments at 6 Notts Avenue, a rundown 1920s building with postcard views of Bondi Beach.

The Bakers spent $12.2 million on their six purchases over 20 months.

But the couple's plans were stymied when they were unable to get two of the owners in the building to sell – and left holding six apartments in the block.

Without ownership of the entire building, their development was unfeasible and they were stuck with a loan they could not repay or refinance.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=89516]

By late 2010 the overly ambitious Bondi Beach apartment block consolidation lost its foundations in resales.

The mortgagee sold the first one of the six prime Notts Avenue apartments for $1.5 million, having funded its $3.5 million purchase in early 2008.

The listing was the costliest of the purchases in the amalgamation attempt that began in late 2006 with a $1.1 million acquisition.

Each of the apartments had two bedrooms, one bathroom and a sunroom, totalling 103 square metres.

Challenger Managed Investments, which financed the other consolidated units, sold the five other apartments for $7.8 million last December.

The mortgagees, Perpetual and Challenger Managed Investments, sought vacant possession in February of the Elizabeth Bay penthouse.

For the past decade Upton Baker has headed the French house Hermes, which opened a new menswear department within its expanded Elizabeth Street store earlier this year.

Click to enlarge

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Karin Upton Baker and Gary Baker start untangling their financial knots

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The Knox Street, Double Bay retail premises with the ANZ Bank as its major tenant since the late 1980s has been listed for sale.
It’s been listed by the executors of Louis Kennedy, the entrepreneurial jeweller who sold diamonds to the Packers and watches to the Rivkins, some three years after his death in 2008 aged 83.
Once known as Kennedy House, it has two shops and six commercial suites.
Its current net annual passing incoming is given as $767,000.
There is a net letable area of 784 square metres on its 474-square-metre holding.
Tony Anderson and Lindsay Sturrock from Cushman &amp; Wakefield have it listed for November 29 auction with $8 million plus hopes.
For many years it served as the retail headquarters of L.K. Jewellery, which proudly introduced glomesh handbags to Australia.
In 1978 the property was leased to Mark Foys Pty Ltd. The ANZ lease began in 1988 at $420,000 a year.
The premises are owned by Kennedy Holdings and Property Management Pty Ltd in partnership with Andale Nominees Pty Ltd, which took equity in 1988.
A 2010 Supreme Court dispute indicated the estate of Louis Kennedy was worth $5.5 million, and after deduction of the costs of the court proceedings, about $5 million.
It suggested the major assets of the estate were a half-share in a commercial property and a share in a jewellery business.
L.K. Jewellery’s former retail space was an elegant little establishment fitted out in black lacquer and bird's-eye maple.
Its premises had a brazen robbery during a busy Saturday in 1994.
There was a stolen car double-parked outside LK Jewellery and three men leapt out, brandishing an axe and a couple of tomahawks.
The thieves, who smashed the window with the axe, made off with eight Rolexes, two bracelets and two rings – a haul worth about $135,000.
L.K. Jewellery still has an office upstairs in the premises.
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Opportunity Knox for prime Double Bay retail space listed for first time in 25 years

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A national approach to thwart Nigerian property scammers is on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of state real estate institute chief executives.
Leading the push is chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia Anne Arnold, given there have been two cases in her state in recent times where homes have been sold without the owner’s knowledge by scammers.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/western-australia/absentee-investor-alert-nigerian-scammers-sell-%24410000-house-they-didnt-own/2011081751195">Since the owners of two properties in Perth lost their properties</a>, the WA government has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/new-laws-to-help-protect-property-owners-from-nigerian-scammers/2011091351531">introduced 100-point identity checks</a>.
"We think if they can do it here, there is every chance they will try somewhere else,” Arnold says.
"I understand that the WA Department of Commerce has been communicating with their counterparts in other states and in fact I'm in Canberra for a meeting with my counterparts of other real estate institutes and it is one thing that I'll be raising with them."
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/nigerian-property-scammers-move-to-sydney-after-succeeding-in-perth/2011090851484">Nigerian scammers also attempted to sell a Sydney house they did not own</a>, less than a month after the same scam was successfully carried out in Perth.
She says estate agents were finding that the new identity checks for people selling property have been well received by the public.
“The two Nigerian property scams that have occurred in WA in recent times have been possible because identity checks have not previously been a requirement as part of the listing process when selling a home.
“However, as technology has advanced it has become possible for scammers to fake an identity and present themselves to a real estate agent as the legitimate owner of a property they don’t in fact own,” Arnold says.
In both Nigerian property scams that occurred in Perth, con artists were able to convince the agent, the settlement agent, the banks and Landgate that they were the title holder and could sell the property.
Once the transfers had occurred and the sales settled it became apparent that everyone had been duped, including the legitimate owners of the houses.
The WA state government has since implemented a system whereby the seller of a property must produce evidence of identity in much the same way as bank customers must when opening an account.
“Some agents were concerned this new onus on sellers might meet with some resistance, especially from long term and repeat clients well known to the agent, but I’m pleased to report that generally sellers understand this new requirement and endorse it,” Arnold says.
When sellers are unable to be with the agent at the time of listing their property they must have their identity documents sighted by a suitable witness such as JP, doctor, police officer, pharmacist, etc.
“We understand that this is probably inconvenient for sellers and agents, but most people would agree that it’s a small price to avoid another such incident.”
 
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Real estate institutes to tackle Nigerian property scams

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november21garner]}
A Fitzroy North house that has links to within Helen Garner’s late 1970s novel Monkey Grip has been listed for December auction. Located opposite Edwardes Reserve parklands, the restored early 1900s residence contains elements of Victorian, Art Nouveau and Federation design features.
“Helen Garner wrote the iconic Australian novel Monkey Grip while abiding under this roof,” Nelson Alexander listing agent Arch Staver <a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-fitzroy+north-108712416">says in its marketing material</a>.
“The original owner was a pattern maker and his fondness for artistic flourish is immediately evident.
“More recent occupation testifies to the creative atmosphere, with musicians and writers among the long-term residents,” Staver adds.
More than $2.85 million is tipped for its December 10 auction.
Garner’s seminal Australian novel Monkey Grip starts with the line, "In the old brown house on the corner, a mile from the middle of the city, we ate bacon every morning of our lives."
It’s been suggested it referred to a Victorian residence at 27 Falconer Street.
Garner was credited by Good Weekend writer David Laser as being the strongest post-1960s feminist voice in Australian writing following her account of communal living, drug use and single mothers caught in the chemical reactions of their own love affairs in inner-urban Melbourne.
Garner may be famous in Melbourne for her portrayal of Fitzroy, but her most recently reported home was in Flemington in the inner west.
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Fitzroy North house linked to late '70s Helen Garner novel Monkey Grip listed for sale

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november21bathampton]}
Bathampton Villa, an 1874 homestead designed by the colonial architect Edward Gell in Bathurst in regional NSW, has been sold. The seven-bedroom residence, which sits on a 317-hectare holding, sold shortly after its asking price was adjusted to $2.35 million.
The farm, which has been in the Gilmour family since 1856, had initial $2.5 million hopes last October.
John Newell Gilmour, who arrived in the colony from Ireland in 1832 aged 13, moved there from his Bulgandramine station at Bogan with his wife, Emma. Building the house cost £3000. The couple had 10 children, including Mary, who married James Rutherford, the eldest son of James Rutherford of Cobb &amp; Co at Bathampton in 1890.
The homestead comes with the original brick kitchen and strangers' room. There is also the 1870s coach house with cobblestone floor and an 1820 era convict-built brick barn.
It was listed through Meares &amp; Associates Rural agents Chris Meares and Sam Triggs in conjunction with Allan Aylward at Landmark.
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Bathurst rural property Bathampton sells for about $2.35 million

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november10melton]}
Storm Financial founders Emmanuel and Julie Cassimatis are prepared to sell their Townsville abode for almost half their initial expectations.
It was passed in at weekend auction at $1.35 million, with Ferry Property auctioneer Garry Byrne having a $2 million reserve.
The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/auctions/cassimatis-property-for-auction-three-years-after-storm-collapse/2011110952290">eight-bedroom house with views over Townsville towards Magnetic Island </a>was initially listed for $3.85 million in 2006.
The land was bought for $280,000 in 1997 and built 11 years ago.
It’s been empty for about 18 months, having been home to the couple until they left Townsville following Storm's collapse.
About 50 people attended the auction with four registered bidders, according to the Townville Bulletin.
The Melton Terrace house attracted just three bids – $1.2 million from a phone bidder, a $1.3 million vendor bid and the $1.35 million bid by a local buyer also via telephone.
The couple’s financial advisory company, Storm Financial Services, collapsed in 2008, unable to pay its debts, leaving hundreds of clients out of pocket.
ASIC has commenced civil penalty proceedings against Emmanuel and Julie Cassimatis as directors of Storm in relation to alleged contraventions of their duties as directors.
It is alleged they caused and permitted Storm to be exposed to legal liability arising from the implementation of a financial services business model that involved providing commoditised financial advice to investors that failed to take into account the personal circumstances of individual investors.
ASIC's investigations into the collapse of Storm continues. The proceedings are contested.
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Storm Financial founders' Townsville property passed in at auction with a half-price hit in the making

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november16naringal]}
Historic Naringal Station in the Western District of Victoria has been sold after 170 years in the same family. The 1,328-hectare cropping and grazing property at Wallinduc, southeast of Ballarat, has been sold to a Melbourne businessman.
The price was undisclosed, but in June it was tipped to fetch $7.5 million plus, including crops.
Naringal Station was taken up by William Rowe in 1841 as part of Naringal Run. The seven-bedroom, 837-square-metre double-brick 1904 homestead was totally renovated in 1945 after a fire. It is set in 1950s Edna Walling-designed gardens and surrounded by its own woods.
It is located 45 kilometres from Ballarat – Victoria’s largest sheep saleyards – and 160 kilometres from Melbourne.
The Rowe family arrived in Australia in 1841 and took up the then 12,000-acre (4,856-hectare) run later that year. The pre-emptive right of 640 acres (260 hectares), upon which the homestead is built, was granted in 1857.
The original slab hut has been rebuilt and remains a landmark today. The family cemetery was first used in 1860s and will remain with the family.
The sale of Naringal represents the sale of one of Victoria’s longest-held rural holdings, its conjunctional agent Chris Meares of Meares and Associates notes.
Charles Stewart conjunctional selling agent Anthony McDonald describes the sale as a "very satisfactory result".
Naringal is estimated to carry about 13,100 dry sheep equivalents and has carried up to 14,000 fine wool sheep, including 4,000 breeding ewes on a self-replacing flock basis.
About 800 hectares is sown to winter crops this year on a share-farming basis, with the balance used for grazing.
About 80% of the property has also been cropped in the past.
The Melbourne businessman will employ a manager and continue to operate the property as a mixed farm operation.
 
 
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Historic Victorian Naringal Station sold after 170 years of family ownership

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Computer software entrepreneur Simon Clausen’s Balmoral Slopes large residential development site is set to be broken up.
It is understood a sale for two of the four building lots may have been achieved.
Tenders were due November 9 through McGrath Mosman agent Nigel Mukhi, who listed four allotments to be sold separately or in one line totalling 2,560 square metres.
The individual block sizes were 620 square metres, 638 square metres, 664 square metres and 638 square metres.
There are now just two allotments listed on the McGrath website.
The software entrepreneur, who debuted on the 2009 BRW Rich List with a $180 million fortune after selling his software company, abandoned construction plans for an expansive three-level residence on the site earlier this year.
The high-flyer spent $31 million in 2008 and 2009 on adjoining properties with direct views out towards Sydney Heads. It included a since demolished new home that was offloaded by developer Albert Bertini, onetime star of The Secret Millioniare.
After demolition works, and the decision not to proceed with construction, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/trophy-homes/new-south-wales/tech-millionaire-abandons-balmoral-slopes-dream-home-construction/2011082451279">the 2,560-square-metre vacant block was listed for sale. </a>
The vacant block cost $19 million, with the remaining $12 million spent on an adjoining heritage-listed house on the corner of Upper Almora Street which has not been listed for sale.
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Software entreprenuer Simon Clausen seems to have sold some of his abandoned vacant Mosman mansion site

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<img src="/images/stories/stafford.jpg">
<img style="float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Peter Hall, from Hunter Hall, has decided he’s staying in London for the time being, and won’t take up residence in his 1860 Customs House, Double Bay purchase (pictured above). It cost him $5.65 million when it was bought in 2010 from the director of Trent Nathan, Shane Barr, and his wife, Catherine, who had paid $2.1 million in 1998. No doubt the savvy but realistic investor has told Ray White Double Bay agent Ashley Bierman to get as close as possible to the 2010 purchase price at its December 5 auction, and Hall would then content himself with some successful currency play. Hall, the chairman of an Australian investment management company, is part-owner of Prospect and Monocle magazines. He was once a cadet journalist with The Canberra Times. It seems his family have decided it's not quite the right time to return to Australia.
<img src="/images/stories/kenley.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">Buyers' agent David Morrell isn’t saying. But he’s behind the $12 million plus purchase of Toorak’s latest pricey deal. Set on over 1 ,858 square metres, the Georgian- inspired Michael Munckton classic (pictured above) sits in gardens, designed by John Patrick and Andre Girjoff from the Perennial Garden. The four-bedroom house with traditional period details comes with cellar, pool and spa, large underground water-tank, and five car garage. It was sold by Stephen and Kate Shelmerdine. He’s the grandson of Sidney Myer and the former president of the Wine Makers' Federation of Australia. The listing agent was Michael Gibson at Kay and Burton. Title Tattle well recalls it $3.475 million sale in 1999 after an earlier offer on the home fell through at the last minute. It initial 1999 buyer had identified himself as Rafael Certi Meritt. But the deal fell through when Interpol swooped on Carlos Cabal Peniche, the fugitive Mexican banker wanted over a $2 billion fraud.  Long known as Heathfield, the property stands on part of a larger estate once owned by the Baillieu and Murdoch families.
<img src="/images/stories/calder.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">Author Brendan Gullifer and wife Robyn, a stylist, are selling their two-bedroom Smeaton cottage (pictured above) just outside of Daylesford in Victoria. Gullifer is well known among estate agents having written the 2009 published novel SOLD, which lifted the lid on life in a Melbourne estate agency. Apparently it’s been optioned for television by Cabbage Films, the team behind Wilfred (SBS) and Lowdown (ABC Television.) His current writing project, a novel about a move to the country, has just been signed up by Melbourne publishers Sleepers. “People keep asking me if it’s set here in Smeaton, but they will have to wait until the book comes out to find out,” Gullifer tells Title Tattle. Robyn has worked at Lyn Gardener’s Empire Vintage in Albert Park and has helped manage The White House in Daylesford. The restored two-bedroom cottage is set in half an acre of flower beds, lawns and fruit trees. The property used to be a permaculture farm, so the soil is amazing. The couple is moving to Sydney to be closer to family. The two-bedroom Calder Street cottage is for sale through Hocking Stuart Daylesford agent Glenda Rozen with $370,000 hopes.
<img src="/images/stories/thornton.jpg">
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">At Darling Point, the Retford Hall penthouse (pictured above) of the late arts philanthropist Mollie Gowing was passed in without bid at its recent auction through Peter Blacket of Blacket and Glasgow. Occupying the entire 18th level of the Thornton Street high-rise tower, the four-bedroom penthouse had been expected to fetch more than $7 million. On the market for the first time in 30 years, it has about 260 square metres of indoor-outdoor living space with harbour views.
<img src="/images/stories/nicholsonst.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">Things of Stone and Wood frontman Greg Arnold and wife Helen Durham, the inspiration for the band's 1992 hit song Happy Birthday Helen, have sold their 1920s cottage in Carlton North (pictured above). The couple’s two-bedroom Art Deco house comes with a European-style extension designed and built by Hamish Knox. It features "Eltham" mudbrick rendering and exposed wood beams. Ben Williams at Hocking Stuart was quoting the Nicholson Street property at $680,000 plus.
<img src="/images/stories/tulloch.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">On the NSW south coast, Ian Barker, QC, and his wife, Penny, have yet to sell their 14-hectare retreat (pictured above). It was listed for auction last weekend through Adam Guthrie at Adam Guthrie Lifestyle Property with expectations of $1.8 million plus. The property has sweeping coastal views stretching from Seven Mile Beach to Pigeon House Mountain near Ulladulla. Since the property last traded for $750,000 in June 1999, the Barkers have renovated the two-level timber house. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library, office and open-plan living and dining areas opening to a deck. In the quiet precinct of Broughton Vale, the Tullouch Road property is five minutes' drive from Berry. The Barkers are returning to Sydney.
<img src="/images/stories/beswick.jpg">
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Marshall White agent auctioneer Justin Long drilled his five bidders sufficiently to secure a $5.22 million sale when Beswicke (pictured above pre-renovation), a grand Toorak Victorian boom era mansion designed by John Beswicke went under the hammer last weekend. It had been listed with $5 million plus hopes after architects Jackson Clements Burrows had restored and modernised the 1880s building into a stunning family house (pictured below, post-renovation)for the Ebsworth family.
<img src="/images/stories/toorakreno.jpg">
The interiors come with American oak floors, ornate ceilings and marble fireplaces. The main bedroom has city views from its private balcony and parking won’t be a problem given its five-car basement garage. For almost five decades until 2008 it was the Australian Dental Association headquarters. Set on a 735-square-metre Mathoura Road block, it was briefly owned by developer Walton Property Developments, which sold in 2009 at $3.1 million to Rod and Andrea Ebsworth. The association moved to 10 Yarra Street in nearby South Yarra, to an office building developed by Craig Walton. Marshall White's James Redfern has been the marketing agent for its past two sales.
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Title Tattle likes to tell readers of interesting property deals as soon as they happen – if not before – so the words from Paradise Point on the Gold Coast is that Clive Palmer has spent $1.75 million for another house in his portfolio. The seller, who wanted $4.5 million in 2009, was Fred Taplin, who headed Gold Coast Galaxy's tilt at an A-League franchise, which lost out to Palmer's Gold Coast United.
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">And don’t say that Title Tattle told you, but Eileen Bond really wanted to buy her neighbouring Gladswood Gardens, Double Bay apartment, which came up for the first time in almost three decades. She didn't secure it, and although some considerable mystery surrounds the sale of the two-level 450-square-metre apartment in a 1930s Art Deco block, it went to an expat, who no doubt will shortly introduce himself to the effervescent owner in the block. It was being sold under instructions of The Trust Company through McGrath agent Peter Starr in conjunction with Harriet France. Title Tattle gathers it fetched close to $4.7 million, but we are not sure to whom. It last sold for $780,000 in 1982. Eileen “Red” Bond paid $1.22 million in 1986 for the top floor and then paid $675,000 in 1987 for the middle apartment in the triplex.
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Global ethical investor Peter Hall decides to stay in London and lists Double Bay's historic Customs House: Title Tattle

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362240] 
&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will deliver a mix of waterfront residences and terraces, complemented by a private 36-berth marina, waterfront dining opportunities and a revitalised foreshore designed to reconnect the community with the river's edge. 
&nbsp; 
Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said the project represented a rare opportunity to create the next chapter in Sydn​ey's long history of successful waterfront precincts. 
&nbsp; 
"Throughout Sydney, some of the city's most sought-after addresses have emerged from carefully considered waterfront precincts such as Woolloom​ooloo Wharf, Walsh Bay and Breakfast Point," Brown said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362566] 
&nbsp; 
"What makes these places so successful is that they become much more than residential developments," Brown said.

"They bring together homes, hospitality, marina facilities, public spaces and a strong sense of community in locations where future supply is incredibly limited."

Brown has long described absolute waterfront land in Sy​dney as "finite."

"Once these opportunities are developed, they are rarely replicated. That's why Syd​ney's waterfront precincts have consistently demonstrated strong demand and long-term value growth over many decades. 
&nbsp; 
"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is one of the few remaining opportunities to secure a residence within a masterplanned waterfront community that combines direct water access, marina ownership opportunities and a genuine village lifestyle just moments from the Sy​dney CBD."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362564] 
&nbsp; 
PERIFA Founder and Managing Director Fabrizio Perilli said the project reflected a shared commitment to delivering exceptional places that create long-term value for residents and the broader community. 
&nbsp; 
"The topping out milestone is a significant achievement for the Versatile Group and a testament to the collaboration between all project partners, consultants and contractors involved," Perilli said. 
&nbsp; 
"Beyond the residences themselves, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will establish a new waterfront destination that celebrates the history, character and lifestyle of this unique location while creating a lasting legacy for future generations."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=291195] 
&nbsp; 
Construction is being delivered by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/versatile">Versatile Construction</a>, with structural works now substantially complete across the precinct. Attention will progressively shift to the construction of the waterview terraces, apartment façades, services and interior fit-out works over the coming months. 
&nbsp; 
With limited residences and marina berths remaining, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> continues to attract strong interest from owner occupiers and downsizers seeking a premium waterfront lifestyle within close proximity to Putne​y Village, Rh​odes, Top Ry​de and the Syd​ney CBD. 
&nbsp; 
As one of the last opportunities to secure a residence within a new masterplanned waterfront community on Sy​dney Harbour, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is expected to remain a highly sought-after address for years to come.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=13962]

Jonathan Chancellor

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