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The Tamworth beef breeding station Goonoo Goonoo, the most historic of properties in the fertile NSW Peel Valley area, seems set for spring sale.
The Goodman family – who paid $25 million in 2006 for the then 5,400-hectare holding – are close to having accepted an undisclosed offer from farmer Tony Haggarty, a coal mining entreprenuer.
Best known for his outstanding santa gertrudis prize-winning cows, Haggarty has told The Land he plans to extend his black baldy breeding program at the farm, which dates back to 1830s, and is typically pronounced gunny gun-oo. Haggarty's major farming property has been Linton Station at Barraba.
From 1833 until 1985 the farm was the headquarters of the Australian Agricultural Company.
It was part of the original land grant by King George IV in the British Parliament.
The station homestead includes a historical mini-village, comprising the original 1830s chapel, post office and store.
The land reports Goonoo Goonoo was now set on 2,250 hectares with a 1,600-hectare eastern portion selling to Hagarty in 2009.
The NZ-based Goodman family headed by Greg and Anna Goodman purchased the property in 2006 from Colonial Pastoral Company.
By rural standards it’s had quick successive owners since the 1985 sale, when the then 5,000-hectare was bought for $5.2 million when Ray Lord outbid the then National Party Leader Ian Sinclair for the property.
The Sydney businessman Ray Lord, who headed Direct Acceptance Corp Ltd but was better known for his extensive international casino interests, sold it in 1990 to the Prudential Assurance Company for about $15 million.
Prudential's purchase was part of a combined $30 million deal involving Ray Lord's 154,000-hectare Queensland Central Highlands pastoral holdings.
The then 4,850-hectare Goonoo Goonoo, considered a pillar of the rural industry, was able to carry up to 5,000 head of cattle.
Photograph by S. Myers
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Historic Goonoo Goonoo cattle station close to sale

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The UK property market keeps splitting into two segments, with high-end property prices currently rising as the rest of the market declines.
Asking prices for prime properties – the top quarter of the market by value –increased by 0.5% in September, continuing a seven-month rally, according to the latest index from property website PrimeLocation.com.
Its monthly index reveals the asking price of a UK prime property is currently £472,340.
The general market – where asking prices fell 0.2% in September –comes with an average asking price of £219,943, reflecting a second consecutive monthly fall.
PrimeLocation notes it means the gap between the top end of the market and the general market is now wider than ever, with the average prime property on the market for 115% more than a typical UK home.
The gap between the two groups has been steadily rising since the index launched at the end of 2007.
The other widening gap is between north and south.
According to the Rightmove house price index average property prices in the south stand at £336,740 – which is more than double those in the north at £164,347.
It was the widest north/south price divide Rightmove has recorded.
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UK housing market divided along price and geographical lines

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/october24kewell]}
Soccer champion Harry Kewell has reportedly taken a $3,250 a week newly built Brighton rental property as his Melbourne base.
The Nicholas Day-designed property was briefly marketed by Hocking Stuart as the "finest fusion of style, space and quality", with a $3.3 million asking price.
But the three-level house has been withdrawn and reportedly the Kewell family will move into the rental residence, according to The Sunday Age.
It would reflect a 5% yield if the undisclosed, unconfirmed figures are correct.
The Brighton suburb was identified as the location in an earlier Herald Sun report.
Since his arrival last month to play for the Melbourne Victory, Kewell has been staying at Crown.
The couple, Kewell and his wife, the soap star Sheree Murphy, had inspected more than a dozen properties in exclusive neighbourhoods starting in Toorak and then in the bayside suburbs.
The neo-Georgian style house comes with a mix of the contemporary and classic elegance.
With three children and a fourth due in February, the couple will appreciate the four large living zones, plus four bedrooms, and huge retreat.
It was built by former St Kilda defender Max Hudghton's Maxton Constructions for a development syndicate headed by the former St Kilda champion Fraser Gehrig.
Buyers agent Mal James gave it a 604 rating out of 1,000 when he reviewed the property on its sale listing.
He noted it was the big, wide one of the recently built pair.
"The kitchen is grand and in logical possie for dining and outdoors,” James noted.
"The pool is in the smart position to get sun (south-facing rear) and allow entertainment.”
James noted it was of a high quality throughout but lacked a clothes line.
There is an excellent rear children's wing plus a good downstairs basement with big garage and additional entertainment rooms suitable for a home cinema.
James concluded that a lift would have taken it to the next price level.
It comes with a church spire in the background.
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Harry Kewell reportedly kicks off Brighton rental

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Sydney just pipped Melbourne during the neck-and-neck auction clearance rate race, with a 56% weekend clearance rate compared with Melbourne's 55%. But both results are still with the stewards, given an unusually high rate of unreported results. There are 165 results yet to be notified to Australian Property Monitors, of the 399 scheduled auctions in Sydney. Melbourne awaits 114 results of its 740 scheduled tally by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, and initially the REIV had suggested there would be 875 auction results.
Even the reported Sydney results are seriously wanting because 64 of the published outcomes give no price outcome. Fair enough for the 14 withdrawn and/or no-bid auctions. But there were 34 passed-in results across Sydney where the agents have declined to give the passed-in price, and a further 16 sales where the price has been withheld from publication. And auctions are supposed to be an open transparent process?
Much attention was accorded to the $1 million-plus markets in both cities, especially after Melbourne buyers’ agent Mal James noted there were 150 in his bailiwick.
Given the Melbourne volumes were the highest since the pre-Easter rush, Saturday was dubbed Super Saturday. (Sydney's is next Saturday.)
But the superlatives didn't flow following the results, with indeed the headlines suggesting it was so-so, in a stupor or simply sucked.
James notes the Stonnington municipality had a 35% success rate above $1 million; the bayside suburbs were 45%; Port Phillip was 22% with the leafy east Boroondara the best-performing precinct at 65%.
There were only 20 known $1 million plus offerings in Sydney, and APM shows 16 selling.
The overall 56% Sydney clearance rate for houses and apartments mirrored the 56% of the same weekend last year.
But the 400 number was down by about 20% on last year, according to Australian Property Monitors research analyst Clinton McNabb.
Melbourne's clearance rate was well down on the 67% on the same October weekend last year, when 1,120 properties went to auction.
Melbourne volumes ease next weekend, given the spring racing carnival, to just 445 auctions.
But Sydney jumps to 600 plus for the last weekend in October. This falls short of Sydney's record 670 weekend in September 2009, the biggest auction day in the state's history. The 2009 record day was a combination of circumstances – the influx of early spring listings after inactivity for much of the previous 18 months after the global financial crisis; good weather; vendors getting in before the October long weekend and school holidays interruption, and also it was the last weekend before the First Home Owner Boost started to phase out.
Melbourne typically can have five or so 1,000-plus auction weekends but doesn't look like it will be getting one in 2011.
Melbourne's biggest auction day, with a record 1,400 properties, was in March 2008.
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Weekend auction wrap: Where the hammer fell

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/october24quinton]}
Quinton, the sheep and cattle grazing property with bluestone homestead situated between Bathurst and Orange in NSW, has been listed for sale for the first time in three decades.
The 586-hectare holding was originally part of the Glasson family’s pastoral operation, and then belonged to the Gordon family, before being purchased by the Bathurst Development Council.
The property was then purchased by the current owners 30 years ago.
The Mitchell Highway property is 32 kilometres from Bathurst and 22 kilometres from Orange, and about 3.5 hours’ drive from Sydney via the Blue Mountains.
The historic bluestone homestead, with stone quarried from the property, was completed in the 1870s as the vicarage for the minister of the Anglican Church north of the farm.
A sympathetic renovation and extension to the homestead was completed during 2008 under the guidance of local heritage architect Sue McGregor.
The original section of the homestead was designed by colonial architect William Gell in the Gothic Revival style.
Gell’s other buildings locally included St Stanislaus and the Bathurst Court House.
It comes with an established hedge maize – with its 1.5 kilometres trail of similar design to that of Hampton Court Hedge, UK.
Working improvements include the three-stand electric woolshed and two sets of sheep yards, steel cattle yards and several machine sheds and machinery sheds, plus three horse stables with run out yards.
There is a 20-hectare irrigated walnut plantation.
From a grazing standpoint, its Meares and Associates listing agent Sam Triggs estimated the property would carry between 6,000 and 6,500 dse (dry sheep equivalent).
It comes with 27 paddocks with a laneway system.
“Substantial investment in the homestead alone plus irrigation development create a modern working farm with an enviable homestead and gardens means that at $3.5 million plus, the buyer is enjoying a substantial discount from establishment costs,” Triggs says
“Furthermore, given the absolute size of the farm, there is substantial subdivision potential,” he says.
It’s listed for November 10 auction.
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Sheep and cattle property Quinton on the market for first time in 30 years

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Twynam Agriculture's Riverina holdings, Gundaline and Cobran, were passed in at recent auction without a bid.
The 14,928-hectare Gundaline at Carathool and the 17,201-hectare Cobran at Hay were expected to fetch more than $50 million.
Both properties are now for private sale at undisclosed price through Ray White Rural Sydney agent Bruce Gunning.
"Some interested corporate parties were unable to participate," Gunning told The Weekly Times.
The interested parties included both international and Australian companies, along with private individuals.
Both properties, part of the Kahlbetzer family’s rural portfolio, are expected to be sold in the next month.
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Two multimillion-dollar Riverina offerings passed in at auction

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/october16belgravia]}
Lowndes House, an imposing double-fronted white stucco freehold house located in Belgravia, London has been listed at £40 million through Savills. This freehold SW1X property handy for Harvey Nicholls and Harrods sits on 815 square metres. Its two rear mews houses comprise 286 square metres.
Set on Lowndes Place, the seven-bedroom house has classical interior design decorated by Stephane Boudin, the Parisian interior designer. It was the home of Lord Forte, regarded as Britain's greatest hotelier, who started his career as the owner of a London milk bar to become the head of a worldwide empire of hotels and restaurants, Trusthouse Forte. He retired from the position of chairman of THF in 1992 to be succeeded by his only son, Rocco, with the company takeover by Granada in 1996.
Charles Forte was born in 1908 in the small hillside village of Monforte, near Rome, and died in 2007. He was 18 when he entered the family business, running a restaurant, progressing through a series of seaside resorts. At 21 he was put in charge of a run-down seafront cafe, the Venetian Lounge in Brighton. He next bought his own milk bar in Upper Regent Street and by 1938 Forte owned five milk bars in London. In 1943 he married Irene Chierico, a Venetian, and during the post-war years expanded into tea rooms. It was not until 1958 he bought his first hotel, the Waldorf, according to the Daily Mail.
It was listed last month as his widow, Irene, Lady Forte of Ripley, much loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully at home on in September last year. Their first meeting before they married in 1943 was unpromising as he had come into the shop where she was working to ask for prosciutto and received the quick retort: “If I had any prosciutto I’d eat it myself! Don’t you know there is a war on?”
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Forte family's London residence for £40 million

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Kevin McCloud, the star of the increasingly popular TV series Grand Designs, fronted the decor home show Grand Designs Australia Live in Sydney today.
Crowds hovered as the cult television star cashed in on his international acclaim.
"I'm just a whinging Pom," he suggested, then spoke on what made great, rather than grand designs.
Judging unusual housing projects, Grand Designs first screened in Britain in 1999, airing in Australia on the LifeStyle Channel six years later, then on ABC1 a year later.
Earlier this month its 11th season premiered in the UK. Naturally the couple involved in the transformation of a derelict mill cottage in Northumberland, Stefan Lepkowski and Annia Shabowska, who began work in 2006, had a £250,000 budget, which was completely inadequate.
The series reportedly rates better in Australia than on Channel 4 in Britain.
McCloud told an Australian audience earlier this week that the biggest mistake people made renovating or building a home was "not planning enough" and "failure to work with good professionals."
McCloud said technology was making the home simpler, not more complicated.
McCloud admits his own house is typicall messy and says the kitchen is the centre of the home.
The exhibition space is filled with stalls highlighting interiors and home decor ideas for non-televised home grand designs.
It follows recent exhibitions that take place annually in London and Birmingham.
Grand Designs Australia Live will take place in Melbourne in September 2012.
While in Australia McCloud will catch up with one of his two brothers, who lives in northern NSW.
The show continues until Sunday. 
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Kevin McCloud talks grand designs in Sydney

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It was like any other Toorak property auction.
Indeed five of the attendees drove off in silver Mercedes.
But as Justice Tim Ginnane noted, the occurrence had considerably greater significance than of merely displaying the buying patterns of particular prestige property consumers.
Bidding had stopped at $2.1 million at the RT Edgar onsite auction, with a $2.6 million vendors' reserve.
The top unsuccessful bid had been placed by an undisclosed associated party of the Toorak plastic surgeon and neighbour Dr Chris Moss and his wife, Andrea John.
The couple also had another undisclosed associated party, who sought to make post-auction offers.
The underbidder who resided opposite on Toorak Road, Tom Kartel, had also hovered after the auction, having had his pre-auction $2 million offer declined.
There was much toing and froing by the agent, Greg Herman, with discussions with interested parties and the vendors.
After the auction, Herman went and spoke to Kartel, who was standing next to his silver Mercedes. Kartel indicated he wasn’t prepared to go higher and at $2.35 million not at all.
A bid was made on behalf of the doctor at $2.4 million.
The agent then advised he had already received an offer of $2.6 million. Pressed, he said it was from the underbidder who'd been seen driving a silver Mercedes.
Herman gave evidence that John asked him many times what the bidder’s name was. She placed him under considerable pressure. He said that he was reluctant to give the bidder’s name, because of privacy considerations. Herman gave evidence that he eventually plucked the name “Tom” at random, because John was screaming. He could have selected “Dick” or “Harry”. He said that Tom was driving a silver Mercedes, because that was a common car in Toorak.
Moss was advised that “Tom” the underbidder wearing a pink shirt, had been through the property many times and was thought to be a property developer. Herman told Moss that he had received the offer from “Tom” after the auction by a telephone call received on his mobile telephone.
Herman stated that if Moss did not buy the property, “Tom” would.
John showed Herman a photograph of Kartel on her iPhone and said, “Is this Tom in the pink shirt?”
Herman said, on his evidence to placate her, either “yes, it could be” or “yes”.
She asked him, “Is this his car”? and again he said, “yes” or “it could be”.
Herman said that he was colour-blind and did not recognise pink.
The doctor then offered $2.7 million, which was accepted.
Moss then attempted to write into the special conditions that “you’ve had an offer from the guy in the silver Mercedes” in the contract, but Herman stopped him, stating “Don’t do that. The lawyers won’t like it that, we can’t alter contracts.”
Moss told the court he said to Herman: “Greg, do you give me your absolute word that you received an offer of $2.6 million.” Herman said that he did.
As Ginnane noted,  "the outcome of the auction may well have ended there had not events intervened."
By chance, the doctor’s wife saw the underbidder driving past the property in a silver Mercedes a short time after the contracts had been signed.
She flagged him down then knocked on the window.
She asked him how much his final offer was, and he told her that it was $2.2 million.
She stated that “we’ve been told that you’re a Greek developer and you offered the property of $2.6 million”.
Kartel denied that that was the case.
And then it was on with proceedings started in March 2010.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/plastic-surgeon-wins-court-case-against-deceptive-toorak-estate-agent/2011102052011">It ended up in a 14-day trial in the Victorian County Court with Ginnane ruling the property was only worth $2.5 million and he awarded Moss the $200,000 difference.</a> The couple had claimed damages of $475,000.
The purchasers won their claim that they were misled and deceived into bidding $2.7 million by a representation that a person identified as “Tom” had made a post-auction offer of $2.6 million, when in fact that was not the case.
The vendors submitted that they had not themselves engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct, which Ginnane accepted.
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Deceptive Toorak auction aftermath - and the silver Mercedes that almost got away

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<img src="/images/stories/dutruc.jpg">
<img style="float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Silverton, the freestanding 1884 Italianate residence at Randwick in Sydney’s east (pictured above), has been listed for November 5 auction by the fashion designer Lisa Ho. The four-bedroom Dutruc Street property, with elegant French provincial adornments, was bought for $4 million from the interior designer Ros Palmer early last year. Palmer paid $266,000 in 1985.
Ho has undertaken some renovations, although the stately English oak-panelled living room remains. There is also a detached teenagers' retreat on the 630-square-metre holding. It's one of three original homes known collectively as the judges' houses in Randwick's sought-after northern precinct. It’s been listed through Pauline Goodyer at GoodyerDonnelly in conjunction with Alain Waitsman from LJ Hooker Double Bay. The street's last comparable sale was when Earlswood, the 1891 residence, was sold in September last year for $4.3 million.
<img src="/images/stories/putney.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Channel Seven television host Kylie Gillies and her husband, Tony Gillies, editor-in-chief of AAP, have sold their Putney residence (pictured above) for $1,325,000 through McGrath Hunters Hills agent John Paranchi. More than $1.15 million had been expected for the 696-square-metre property, which the couple bought for $315,000 in 1996. It’s a single-storey brick residence and has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a formal sitting room and an open-plan kitchen and family living zone.
It now means both Kylie and her Morning Show co-host Larry Emdur are on the move. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/larry-edmur-says-good-morning-to-breathtaking-cliff-top-property/2011090251402" target="_blank">Emdur of course recently splashed out $6.8 million on a huge, modern clifftop mansion at Dover Heights</a>. No words yet on where the Gillies are off to.
<img src="/images/stories/keppos.jpg">
<img style="float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Peter Everett, who was the ebullient host of Ready Steady Cook, the Channel Ten afternoon cooking show, has yet to sell his East Redfern residence (pictured above and below). The Kepos Street terrace comes with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. About $1.4 million is now being sought through Pauline Goodyer and Brighid Fitzsimons at GoodyerDonnelley.
<img src="/images/stories/keposstredfern2.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial;">
The stately Victorian terrace retains its original façade, but the interior of the house has been completely rebuilt by a master builder in 2008. The house is set on a deep dual access block with rear off-street parking.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/october17sammitchell]}
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">The West Hawthorn home (pictured above) of former Hawthorn AFL premiership captain Sam Mitchell remains listed at $1.25 million, having been passed in at its weekend auction. The onsite auction concluded with a $1.15 vendor bid through Jellis Craig agent Peter Vigano. Mitchell paid $920,000 in early 2007, a year before his engagement to long-time girlfriend Lyndall Degenhardt. The couple now have three children. Mitchell did not attend the auction.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/october19inxs]}
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">The Potts Point investment apartment (pictured above) of actor Russell Crowe has been listed for sale after being withdrawn from recent auction. More than $2 million is being sought for the top-floor apartment with Harbour Bridge and Opera House views through lattice-framed balconies accessed through three french doors. It’s in a walk-up strata-titled triplex terrace on leafy Victoria Street. There’s secure parking with the two-level apartment, which has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s been listed by Jason Boon at Richardson &amp; Wrench Elizabeth Bay and Hamish Robertson at McGrath Estate Agents.
It was bought in 2001 from the theatre director Jim Sharman, who had bought it in 1984 for $310,000. In early 2011 after a four-year search, Crowe and his wife, Danielle Spencer, spent $10 million on a Rose Bay property, Te Puke, a 1909 house updated with a 1927 Arts and Crafts-style additions. They have kept his substantial Woolloomooloo apartment.
<img src="/images/stories/bentbrook1.jpg">
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">The former Collingwood Magpies wingman Graham Wright has sold his Mont Albert North house (pictured above. The price of the two-storey, four-bedroom, three-bathroom house hasn't been revealed, but Tim Picken of Kay &amp; Burton expected more than $1 million. Wright played 200 games for Collingwood from 1988 to 1998 and missed out on the Brownlow Medal by a single vote in 1990. The property was renovated three years ago.
<img src="/images/stories/forbes.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">The Darlinghurst terrace (pictured above) of Jon Hutchison, the recently appointed chairman of the Business Events Council of Australia, and his wife Jill, the proprietor of Ruby and Min, a Woollahra fashion boutique, has been sold at an undisclosed price through the BresicWhitney agent William Phillips. Last traded for $550,000 in 1997, the three-bedroom terrace, with city views, on 82 square metres had been expected to sell for more than $1.4 million.  Jon is an adjunct professor, School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism, Faculty of Business at University of Technology Sydney.
<img src="/images/stories/lucretia.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;">The 1923 Longueville home (pictured above) of Windeyer family has now been listed with a $2.6 million plus asking price after failing to sell at its scheduled auction last weekend. Last traded for $770,000 in 1995, the four-bedroom house set high above Woodford Bay had been the childhood home of the artist Brett Whiteley. Whiteley's parents owned it between in 1941 and 1960. It’s listed through Scott Henry of Holgate First National.
<img src="/images/stories/nundah.jpg">
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">The Lane Cove home of the artist Liz Cuming is now listed with $1.3 million plus hopes through Hamilton &amp; Co, which had initial $1.5 million plus hopes for the custom-built three-bedroom home. It comes with a huge 150-square-metre studio with bushland outlook.
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">The designing inventor Sally Dominguez, who was a regular panellist on the recently axed ABC television show The New Inventors, and her husband, Simon Dominguez, want $1.5 million for their home at Edgecliff because they want to develop their American design business. Now living in San Francisco, the couple have listed the three-level house, which has been marketed as a fusion of sleek contemporary design and sustainable architecture. They initially had hoped their Di Jones agent Ann Ramsey-Arkins could have secured $1.6 million plus for the freestanding, three-bedroom residence.  Sally’s modular rainwater tank was featured on The New Inventors in 2005. Her original prototype rainwater tanks are still installed at the Edgecliff property, which the couple bought for $635,000 in 2000. Sally's multi-award-winning Nest high chair, which is sold worldwide, is held in Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.
<img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin: 5px;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Title Tattle aims to tell you as soon as we know – often before it happens – and we keep hearing rumours from the southern highlands. It's a reputed $8 million farm sale in the sleepy hamlet of Sutton Forest, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/new-south-wales/coal-mine-anxiety-for-nicole-kidman-s-sutton-forest-property/2011062150555" target="_blank">close to the retreat of actor Nicole Kidman</a>. The only issue is that the buyer of the 425-hectare holding is reputedly linked to the ever-encroaching coal miners. Locals say the purchasing company is linked back to Sydney solicitors who represent coal interests. "It will create havoc if it's been bought by the coal company," one agent suggested.
Settlement is due later this month. The Canyonleigh selling agent Beat Schwarzenbach told Title Tattle that he could not speak about the sale. “It's not finalised... it's exchanged but not settled," he said.
 
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Whispers that coal miners boring into Nicole Kidman's NSW rural neighbourhood: 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."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351024]

As Stage 2 enters the market, that lived experience may be one of the project's strongest selling points. Buyers are not purchasing into an untested concept or a future promise. They are joining a community that is already taking shape.

Ongoing investment in transport, retail, healthcare and public open space continues to strengthen the appeal of Syd​ney's north-west growth corridor, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a>'s established first stage provides buyers with a tangible sense of the community's future direction.

For a limited time, buyer can secure a new home at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> with just a $10,000.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149637]

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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