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Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has sold his newly built three-bedroom, three bathroom Malibu house for US$3.15 million. The two-storey contemporary had come on the market in June at $4,795,000.
Designed by Marmol Radziner, the indoor-outdoor home sits on 5,504 square metres with a pool and an outdoor fireplace.
The LA Times reports he bought the previous house on the site in 2002 for $2.55 million, but it burned in the 2007 Malibu fires. The musician owns another house in Malibu that cost US$9.98 million in 2006.
The Grammy-winning band’s 10th album, I'm With You" was recently released.
Sandro Dazzan and Irene Dazzan-Palmer of Coldwell Banker's Malibu Colony office were the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.redfin.com/CA/Malibu/6228-Sycamore-Meadows-Dr-90265/home/6855381" target="_blank">listing agents</a>. Jill Reeder of Levin Group represented the buyer.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea sells in Malibu

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Stand by for November 26 as Melbourne get its super Saturday 1,000-plus auction weekend this spring after all.
It looked like vendors had been frightened off by the low 50% auction clearance rates and bearish headlines, and as a result that the benchmark would go wanting in 2011.
Melbourne typically can have five or so 1,000-plus auction weekends each year, but November 26 will be the first this year. There were some 950-auction weekends during late autumn.
There are 1,045 auctions scheduled for the last weekend of the month, according to Robert Larocca at the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.
It’s well short of Melbourne's biggest auction day, with a record 1,400 properties, which was in March 2008.
Sydney will have a 630-plus weekend on the last Saturday of November, according to Clinton McNabb at Australian Property Monitors.
There will be fewer auctions that weekend than Sydney's record 779 weekend in November 2010, the biggest auction day in the state's history.
In the meantime Sydney’s weekend clearance rate was 57% this past weekend, which was the highest for two months.
Melbourne’s clearance rate on the weekend was 54% compared with 50% on each of the past two weekends.
Next weekend the REIV expects about 815 auctions in Melbourne and APM expects 530 in Sydney.
Melbourne’s last 1,000-plus flurry was the December 12 weekend last year, with 1,235 auctions and a clearance rate of 57%.
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Melbourne gets its super Saturday test after all

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november14hawkins]}
It was late September when model Jennifer Hawkins vacated her Coogee pad. But its sales marketing campaign only kicked off today. The décor stylists took just a little longer than planned given the model has such high standards when it comes to her presentation.
The model and her fiancé, Jake Wall, are building on Sydney’s northern beaches, and apparently are spending a little time staying at the Star casino precinct while they finish the Windy Dropdown gated estate project.
The 2003-built Coogee property has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It cost $2.27 million in late 2008.
Its December 10 auction is through McGrath listing agent Adrian Bo, who says the house is defined by bespoke luxury finishes and designer fittings. The property is expected to fetch $2.5 million plus. 
“This breathtaking contemporary home boasts a four-level layout and multiple alfresco living areas,” Bo says.
It also has a leafy outdoor oasis with pool and wide entertainer’s terrace. The main bedroom comes with ensuite, dressing room and terrace. One of its ultra-modern bathrooms has a Japanese agape spoon bath. Its third bedroom could be a home theatre or home office.
There’s a private rooftop terrace with ocean views as well as a cellar – all a stroll to Gordon’s Bay and Coogee and minutes to shops, cafes and transport.
Much of the house, including a feature wall of Florence Broadhurst-style wallpaper, pre-dates her 2008 purchase.
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Model Jennifer Hawkins' Coogee pad finally hits the market

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/november14detroit]}
Deltroit Station at Wagga Wagga has been listed for sale.
It could fetch between $15 million and $18 million at its December 15 auction, according to Meares &amp; Associates listing agent Chris Meares.
It’s a 2,545-hectare property with high-performance perennial pastures, cropping areas on rich creek flats and sheep and cattle breeding farmland estimated to carry in excess of 30,000 dry sheep equivalent.
It’s set in Mundarlo, midway between Sydney (409 kilometres) and Melbourne (474 kilometres).
It comes with a 1903 Federation brick homestead designed by Sydney architect William Nixon, which was refurbished in 2000.
A stone-built, modernised four-bedroom Cobb &amp; Co. coaching inn, The Junction Hotel, dating from 1868 stands on Deltroit’s western boundary, along the Old Hume Highway, formerly the Port Phillip Road. Built by John Griffiths, a free settler from England who came to Australia in the Gold Rush, the hotel closed in 1916 and has been used as accommodation for Deltroit employees
Deltroit has been listed by Anthony Crichton-Brown, a former chairman of Lumley Insurance.
He also owns Tooronga in the Riverina and Humula Station near Yass.
The spring selling season started with the sale of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/rural/billabong-station-passed-in-at-auction/2011101651946">Billabong Station, a 1,875-hectare Wagga Wagga district cropping and pastoral property</a>, at around $8.8 million.
It was sold by the Sydney lawyer and property group director David Baffsky after 31 years as the family's farming enterprise.
There were seven registered bidders at the auction through Meares and Associates in conjunction with Bill Schulz at Landmark Harcourts Wagga Wagga.
Billabong is rated at 25,000 dry sheep equivalents, with up to 1,417 hectare sown to cash and fodder crops each year.
“Deltroit Station has always been regarded as one of the finest properties in eastern Australia,” Chris Meares says.
It was established in the 1860s when settled by free English migrant William Richardson, originally part of the famous run of nearby Yabtree.
Three generations of the Richardson family developed Deltroit over 100 years, creating a commercial Shorthorn herd and fine wool Merino flock.
In 1963 Robert Kleberg, president of US company King Ranch, who had long coveted the Deltroit Shorthorn that had won worldwide acclaim, purchased Deltroit and its entire herd for internationally renowned King Ranch Group.
With the death of Kleberg, King Ranch sold all its Australian properties, including Deltroit, in the late 1970s.
It was listed in early 1977 by King Ranch with a $1,185,000 asking price, but didn’t sell. Later in 1977 at an auction at Romano’s Hotel at Wagga Wagga, the buyers were offered extended settlement terms with the balance over four years with interest at 9.5%.
The listing agents were Pitt, Son &amp; Badgery in conjunction with Griffiths, King &amp; Rice of Melbourne. It was quickly relisted in 1978 by Ron Finemore and Kevin McMahon, this time with the auction at Wagga’s Commercial Club, when it sold at $890,000 to Tom Barr-Smith, reflecting $372 a hectare.
The property last traded in 1990. The property has a significant coverage of shade timber, including yellow and white box, kurrajong and wattle. About 130,000 natives have been planted and established since 1992.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Prized Wagga Wagga Deltroit Station hoped to round off spring selling season, bookending with Billabong sale

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Stockland has sold its Melbourne office tower Riverside Plaza to Dexus Wholesale Property Fund for $201.5 million.
The sale of the Flinders Street building is part of a program of divestments to fund the share buy-back and maintain low levels of debt.
Allowances for outstanding incentives totalling $7.9 million will be paid to the purchaser.
The $193.6 million net proceeds represent a premium of $11.6 million or 6.4% to the June 2011 book value of $182 million.
The 19-storey A-grade building has been popular with tenants since Grocon built it in the early 1990s for the State Electricity Commission, due largely to its extra-large floor plates and unobstructed view of the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay.
Stockland Trust Group bought the property after it took over APF in 2000.
In the last four years 60% of Riverside Plaza’s floors have been refurbished.
Upgrades to the main foyer, entrance and ground floor retail tenancies were completed this year.
The major tenants in the building include Sinclair Knight Merz  and Primus Telecommunications.
“This is an outstanding result, which reflects the quality of this building and the hard work that has gone into increasing the value of the asset in recent years,” Stockland commercial property chief John Schroder says.
 
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Stockland sells Melbourne Riverside Plaza office tower to Dexus for $201.5 million

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Veteran apartment builder Harry Triguboff expects interest rates will fall sharply and quickly – as much as one percentage point in four months – as cooling demand from China apartment buyers and Europe's crisis weaken the Australian economy.
Triguboff, founder and chairman of Meriton Apartments, which builds about 1,500 units a year in Sydney and southeast Queensland, described his outlook as bearish for the short term but bullish in the medium to longer term.
"I do not believe that the Reserve Bank will keep the high rates at present levels," he told The Australian.
"Already Westpac is constantly saying that interest rates will drop. I say they must drop. If rates don't drop, building activity will drop even further."
Apartment prices had fallen about 10% in the past six months but would rebound because very little was being built, he advised.
Weaker economic conditions and the lack of new building would have a flow-on effect, putting pressure on the share prices of industrial and building materials companies, he added.
Including the Reserve Bank's 25-basis-point drop in November, Triguboff believes the cash rate will fall one percentage point in this round of cuts, with half of that fall in the next two months.
Having visited China earlier this year, Trigboff suggested China's domestic demand was far softer than a year ago and weaker conditions had stemmed the flow of Chinese investors to Australia.
The sales of Meriton apartments to Chinese buyers had fallen from about 25 to 12 a week, according to The Australian report.
Last month Triguboff told Business Spectator’s Robert Gottliebsen that while the Chinese were still buying strongly a “significant minority” of Chinese buyers were paying a $3,000 holding deposit, but then not proceeding and asking for their $3,000 to be returned.
<a href="https://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Harry-Triguboff-China-apartment-property-interest--pd20111026-MYRRJ?opendocument&amp;src=rss">The Gottliebsen column</a> noted “Triguboff’s Meriton Group was selling about $500 million worth of apartments in inner Sydney to mainland Chinese – almost every inner Sydney apartment he erects”.
It noted where Triguboff builds apartments outside of the inner-Sydney areas the Chinese were not buyers, such as in his Brisbane apartment projects.
Triguboff estimated that he had about 25% of the Sydney market and believed that the total purchases in Sydney were therefore about $2 billion.
Triguboff does not build apartments in Melbourne, but he estimated Chinese buying in Melbourne would be about $1billion – a total of $3 billion in the two cities.
Meriton issued a press release after the last rate cut saying an increase in the demand for purchasing property as rates fall was imminent. 
“We are confident investors will turn their attention back into property where capital growth, secure income and increasing yields are a formality.
“Investors, some of which have had their money tied up in term bank deposits relying on rates to go up or those uncertain of a volatile share market will be first to react," it said.
“Another major factor that will put pressure on demand is strong population growth.“Many foreigners are lured by very low levels of unemployment compared to other developed countries as well as the large number of high quality educational institutions, which are operating at full capacity.
“As demand continues to outstrip supply, which cannot be rectified in the short term or by rate cuts, there can only be one outcome - higher prices,” the press release concluded.
Photo by Meriton 
 
 
 
 
 
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Harry Triguboff expects deep rate cuts fast, as cooling Chinese demand weakens economy

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/september9glynt]}
Demetri’s Castle, also known as the historic gothic Mount Martha mansion Glynt Manor, has been sold for $3,399,000 – a $900,000 loss in three years.
It was initially listed by hair and make-up artists Demetri and Lila Sideropoulos, who wanted $6.5 million for the nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion on its 2010 listing.
The Greek couple, whose celebrity clients have included Matt Damon, Russell Crowe, Bert Newton and the Pussycat Dolls, bought the 1914 house in July 2008 for $4.3 million from Michael Puttock and Diana Carr.
They then thoroughly renovated it into a family home and bed and breakfast on the SBS documentary Demetri’s Castle.
It sits on about 8,000 square metres, with views of Port Phillip Bay and the Melbourne lights in the distance. It was designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear as a single-storey farmhouse for the Henty family, descendants of Victoria's first European settlers.
It bears a similarity to another of his designs, Delgany at Portsea. Its later owners included the Buxton family from 1917 to 1983 when the then 31-hectare property featured sweeping lawns, orchards and farmlands that ran right to the edge of the bay.
In 1969 the family subdivided the property but retained the manor and two hectares of beautiful English- and French-inspired gardens.
In 1983 the property was sold to new owners, who restored the grand old manor and ran it as a tourism resort, naming it "Glynt By The Sea". It was again run as a bed and breakfast from the mid-1990s by the adventure travel pioneer Bill King.
Mark Callan and William Gilchrist bought the property in 1997 and commissioned Yarraville architect Hugh Basset to undertake some interior redesigns while the home's former gardener, Bob Barker, who started work at Glynt in the late 1920s, returned to restore the gardens.
The duo sold the property in 2000 for $2.35 million.
Last year the Sideropouloses indicated they were selling so they could pursue opportunities overseas, saying they didn't get attached to things. Geoff Smith from LJ Hooker Frankston sold earlier this month, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/demetri-s-castle-star-of-sbs-series-to-go-under-the-hammer/2011090951486">some four weeks after its scheduled October auction</a>.
ASIC documents indicate Smith was taking instructions from administrators of the holding company Mt Martha Landmark Pty Ltd.
 
 
 
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Demetri's Castle sells for $900,000 loss, not including its televised labour of love

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Brantwood Hall, a block of 13 apartments in Edgecliff, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, has fetched $5 million two weeks after being passed in at auction.
The New South Head Road listing sold under instructions from <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/sydney-eastern-suburbs-blocks-attract-strata-investor-interest/2011101351928">receivers had been tipped to fetch more than $5 million.</a>
The four-floor Art Deco block comes with 12 apartments with one bedroom, living room plus sunroom, totalling about 58 square metres each. There is also a three-bedroom penthouse with about 300 square metres of top-floor space including balcony.
It has individual strata sale potential, according to its Ray White Double Bay selling agent Craig Pontey.
“The gross annual rental could be improved,” says conjunctional Ray White agent Violet Farebrother
Its current gross annual return is $270,000. After renovations with new kitchens in 1986 it was $110,000, reflecting just 3.6% annual growth during the past 25 years.
 
 
 
 
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Sydney eastern suburbs block Brantwood Hall sells to investor for $5 million

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Property investment adviser Monique Sasson Wakelin says the latest RBA rate cut was too little, too late for any material impact this year on property markets.
The managing director of Wakelin Property Advisory says another rate cut is likely before February 2012.
“If that does happened I think this market is going to kick because a half a per cent has a much greater financial  impact on people’s financial affairs and commitments than a quarter per cent does.”
Wakelin expects any rate cut would energise the market in 2012, having sent the message that the upward cycle of interest rates is over.
Wakelin pointed out that Australia had endured 175 basis points increase in rates since April 2009, so the recent rate cut would shore up confidence in the economy.
She anticipates some renewed capital growth in 2012 – “probably around the middle of the year”.
She said there had been a welcome improvement in affordability, but not a slump in Melbourne, Wakelin told listeners to Hilary Harper’s 774 ABC program on Saturday.
 
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Single rate cut not enough: Monique Sasson Wakelin

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Dunmore Station, a 3,800-hectare rural property at Manilla in north-west NSW with a six-bedroom 1902 Federation era homestead, is going to auction on December 16.
<img src="/images/stories/dunmore2.jpg"> 
Its been listed with $5 million plus hopes by the Breckwoldt family, who bought it from the Stokes family. It was 1990 when Harry M. Miller and his ex-wife, Wendy, sold the farm. Miller, a theatrical entrepreneur, bought the Manilla property in the 1970s and with the purchase of pedigree German Simmental cattle from New Zealand made Dunmore the largest producer of the breed in Australia.
Situated at Halls Creek, 70 kilometres from Tamworth, Dunmore has five kilometres of river frontage on the Namoi, with a carrying capacity of 18,000 dry-sheep equivalent, which has been steady for decades.
<img src="/images/stories/dunmore3.jpg">
It’s capable of being developed into a well-diversified and productive property. It has cropping land, irrigation and a range of grazing lands running from valley floors, to steeper hill country. It comprises about one-third cropping country, one-third valley country and one-third hill grazing.
“Over $1 million spent on infrastructure since 2004,” the marketing brochure says, mainly in irrigation and water reticulation plus fencing.
Dunmore is being marketed through Landmark Harcourts agents Charlie Hart and Ken Tydd.
It is first to be offered as a whole, and if not sold it will be offered as three blocks: Dunmore, Suttors and Horsely.
The property was established in 1902 by Mungo Park, with Miller only the second of the families to have lived and worked it. Miller unsuccessfully tried in the late 1980s to sell it with a <a href="https://www.livestocksale.com.au/livestock-sale-articles/1989/3/21/harry-miller-property-for-sale-with-leaseback/%20leaseback">leaseback</a>.
According to the current listings agents its current operation has “an excellent cash flow business that is now well-established with a continuing high profile client.” It says this “business began last July on a trial basis and Dunmore has now been incorporated fully into a large-scale backgrounding program and shares an excellent relationship with its strategic business alliance”.
Under the program up to 1,860 cattle are fattened at average rates of up to 1.5 kilograms per day during spring and summer on pasture and lick alone with similar dryland crop-assisted gains during winter.
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Dunmore Station in Manilla, NSW on the 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.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6RNt3AvtBpI?si=JUhuCV2ZRXsYaoJZ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Located on Schofi​elds Road, just moments from Tal​lawong Metro Station and Schof​ields Train Station, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been designed to appeal to a broad mix of buyers, from first-home purchasers looking for a foothold in Sy​dney's property market to downsizers seeking a connected, low-maintenance lifestyle.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been conceived as a thoughtfully planned masterplanned community that will evolve over multiple stages, with buyers now able to secure one, two and three-bedroom apartments within a neighbourhood that is already beginning to establish its identity.

One of the project's defining features is its focus on sustainability. Solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure have been incorporated throughout the development, reflecting a long-term approach to both environmental performance and everyday convenience.

Sustainability sits at the centre of the development's vision, with solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure integrated throughout the community.

That emphasis on future-ready living extends beyond the technology. Landscaped communal gardens, outdoor gathering spaces and plans for a future retail precinct aim to create a neighbourhood where residents can access daily conveniences without travelling far from home.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351027]

The apartments themselves have been designed with liveability front of mind. Rather than chasing maximum density, the focus has been placed on creating practical homes with generous natural light, usable layouts and strong connections to outdoor space.

Importantly, these design principles have been applied consistently across the one, two and three-bedroom apartment offerings.

The appeal of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> is also closely linked to its location within Syd​ney's rapidly evolving north-west growth corridor. Over the past decade, major infrastructure investment has transformed the area, with new transport links, business precincts and community facilities reshaping suburbs like Talla​wong and Schofiel​ds.

The agent says buyers are increasingly recognising the area's long-term potential.

"Typical buyers that we're finding across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> especially are your first-home buyers, your investors, your upsizers as well as your downsizers," Hawes says.

Connectivity remains one of the project's strongest drawcards. Residents have access to both Tallaw​ong Metro Station and Schofi​elds Train Station, providing links to the Sydn​ey CBD, Norw​est Business Park, Macquari​e Park and other major employment hubs. Retail centres including Rous​e Hill Town Centre and Sch​ofields Village are also nearby, alongside schools, parks and future healthcare infrastructure.

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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."

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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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