<html><body>
<p>The judge in the ongoing Mossgreen court hearings has made an order that the BDO administrators are justified in not returning the auction goods before the Full Court rules on the appeal of an earlier judgement on the fate of the valuable art and antiques currently caught up in the collapse of the auction house.</p>
<p>"I will make an order to that effect," Justice Perram said yesterday.</p>
<p>But the issue of the ongoing storage costs at the Armadale (pictured) and Clayton premises has become the centre of an unravelling legal embroglio.</p>
<p>His honour noted the issue was one of "spot fires' that had arisen during the voluntary administration.</p>
<p>BDO's James White had urgently sought by way of interlocutory application a series of directions to protect the besieged accountancy firm in terms of storage rental and insurance costs going forward.</p>
<div class="judgment_content">
<div id="content_div_544611">
<div id="judgment_div_544609" class="docx_judgment_content">
<p id="00840AD6375ad571bd02a51" class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"The effect of my decision is that the administrators, to the extent that they have been conducting the process of looking after and attempting to return by means of orderly stocktake the consigned goods to the consignors, have acted outside the functions which are conferred on an administrator and, accordingly, they are not entitled to indemnity or remuneration in respect of that," Federal Court judge Nye Perram noted yesterday.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"The consequence of that conclusion, so far as rent which has been paid in the past is concerned, is that the rent is the administrators’ cost," he noted.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">BDO are appealing an earlier judgement that ruled the fee-seeking administrators were "intermeddling" in other people's goods in circumstances "where they had not been invited to do so, were not performing their statuatory functions and had not been appointed receivers" when BDO sought to require the consignors to pay a levy for the return of their goods.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">There was a stocktake that cost more than $1 million which Federal Court judge Nye Perram noted could have been court approved if permission had been sought by BDO prior to its undertaking.</p>
<p id="00840AD6385ad571bd02b4e" class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"If the Full Court reverses my decision, then the administrators will be entitled to recover that rental and insurance cost by means of the equitable lien which will, by that time, have been reinstated," Federal Court judge Nye Perram noted.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"If they are unsuccessful in the appeal to the Full Court, then they will have no equitable lien and they will have no entitlement to be reimbursed in respect of the rent.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"The difficulty with the proposed interlocutory orders which are being sought is that, although couched, as Mr Foreman of counsel put it, as if it were an interim stay, they are not actually interim in effect.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"If I now make an order, as is sought, that the administrators are justified in causing the company to retain and to continue to pay the rent, then, even if the Full Court upholds my decision, at least for the period covered by that direction, the administrators will have been acting within their statutory remit.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"This is because I will have so held this afternoon, even though, on this hypothesis, I will have held in a final order that the administrators are not entitled and the Full Court will have upheld that.</p>
<p id="00840AD6395ad571bd02cb7" class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"That is not a situation which seems to me to be possible.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"I doubt whether I have the power to make the orders which are sought in relation to trying to put the administrators in a position where they can pay the rent and be sure that it has got to their account. </p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"Even if I do have the power, I would not, as a matter of discretion, exercise it for the reasons which I have given.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"I therefore refuse that aspect of the interlocutory application.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"On the other hand, the administrators are also concerned that, if consignors begin turning up at the premises in the next day or so before the Full Court appeal and demand their goods and the goods are returned to them, and if thereafter the administrators are successful in their Full Court appeal, they will have lost their lien because the goods will have been gone.</p>
<p id="00840AD6405ad571bd02db3" class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"This seems to me to be an unanswerable submission.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"I therefore accede to the suggestion that I should make an order that the administrators in substance would be justified in not returning the goods before the disposition of the Full Court appeal and I will make an order to that effect."</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">The auction house held a large quantity of goods belonging to other people, consisting of:</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">(a)  goods delivered to it to be auctioned but which had not yet been auctioned at the time the administrators were appointed;</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">(b)  goods delivered for auction but which had failed to sell and which were awaiting collection by their owners; and</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">(c)  goods which, although successfully sold at auction, had not yet been collected by the successful bidder.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">The judge noted a number of persons whose goods were successfully sold at auction by Mossgreen now claim that the money received by it from their respective purchasers is held on trust for them and is not, therefore, available for general creditors.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">The three-cornered contest between the administrators, the trust-asserting consignors and the secured creditor is to be determined by the court later this year.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">The judge noted the administrators have in the meantime two alternate interests in recovering the cost of the stocktake and related expenses from the consignors.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"On the one hand, if the secured creditor’s claim for $6 million and the trust claims are unsuccessful then the administrators will be entitled to recover the stocktake expense under their indemnity out of the company’s assets conferred by s 443D of the Act.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"However, this will significantly dilute the return to unsecured creditors as Mr White acknowledged.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"On the other hand, if the secured creditor is successful in asserting his security (or the trust claims succeed), then the administrators will bear the costs themselves since there will be no company property available from which their indemnity may be acquitted.</p>
<p class="00840AD6 ParaNumbering">"In either case, the administrators have a motive to seek to have the consignors meet the cost of the stocktake."</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Stored Mossgreen art and antique rental and insurance liability issue flares

<html><body>
<p class="wp-caption-text">A tent style home as 290 Tucks Road, Shoreham has been sold after a private auction following its listing with $2.3 million to $2.5 million price guidance.</p>
<p>The iron-sheeted Mornington Peninsula weekender was designed for clients by Adrian Bonomi. </p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-310929" src="https://www.realestate.com.au/blog/images/1600x1600-fit,progressive/2018/04/18060901/capi_cb3c8a064484298d23cf8d8a9dd8b9e4_6de8f9ae4deea1133e36cab62bd057a1.jpeg" alt="290 Tucks Road Shoreham, for Herald Sun realestate" data-capiid="6de8f9ae4deea1133e36cab62bd057a1"></p>
<p><em>Tucks Ridge House</em> at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-vic-shoreham-128006238" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">290 Tucks Road</a>, has a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a 2.9 hectare holding that last sold for $870,000 in 2015.</p>
<p>Its peninsula architect Adrian Bonomi endeavoured to “mimic the rolling hills the property overlooks” and “not interrupt the landscape”.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/18/tucks3.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Being almost self-sufficient with 28 solar panels, the architect wrote an idea that shaped the design to create a building was “visually no more complex than a tent, yet this simplicity allows the relationship between architecture and landscape to become profound”. </p>
<div class="wp-caption">
<p class="wp-caption-text">Bonomi wrote the roof that firmly meets the ground, "also leaps towards the sky.”</p>
<p class="wp-caption-text"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/18/tucks4.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p class="wp-caption-text"><span>An indigenous flora restoration project conducted by Wetland Wildlife Creations further honours the land that features a landscaped fire-pit entertaining area.</span></p>
</div>
<div id="outstream_holder_news">
<div class="celtra-ad-v3">
<div class="celtra-placement">
<div class="celtra-advertisement-message">His study of Australian rural architectural history informed the design, “leading to a richer analysis of the Australian shed vernacular … and the bark shelter vernacular of our Aboriginal people”, Mr Bonomi wrote on his website.</div>
<div class="celtra-advertisement-message"> </div>
<div class="celtra-advertisement-message">The Herald Sun wrote it sold just a week after being listed by Kay &amp; Burton Flinders agent Prue McLaughlin.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Adrian Bonomi's Mornington Peninsula-designed tent home sells at $2.5 million plus

<html><body>
<p>Archerfield Farm, the Hawkesbury River enterprise of entrepreneur CM Murphy, renowned for taking INXS from a Sydney pub band to the international stage, has an official $5 million asking price.</p>
<p>The marketing is now being conducted by the family.</p>
<p>Murphy bought the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-nsw-richmond+lowlands-7950970" target="_blank">Richmond Lowlands farm</a>, which dates to the 1820s, about 13 years ago. It is currently set up under Murphy's guidance as a polo horse breeding venture.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/11/27/Arch2.jpg"></p>
<p>He recently acquired Joe Curran's broodmares including the stallion, Hermitage, adding to Chris’s branded bloodlines.</p>
<p>Some of Murphy's current crop are playing under Australia’s best polo players.</p>
<p>Set over 16 hectares, the Edwards Road property comes with a charming four-bedroom, 1930s three-bedroom home with wraparound balcony.</p>
<p>There’s also a four-bedroom Queenslander, plus horse barn with six stables and 12 fenced horse paddocks.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/11/27/Arch3.jpg"></p>
<p>The grounds, with a 9 metre saltwater pool and cabana, come with a citrus orchard, fruit trees and an established rose garden.</p>
<p>Murphy, who grew up in Shellhabour, ran his late father’s theatrical booking agency with his mother in Wollongong before shifting his focus to rock music acts which included AC/DC, Marcia Hines, Cold Chisel, Skyhooks, Old 55 and The Angels.</p>
<p>Murphy, who first managed INXS from 1979 to 1995 and then returned in 2009, will retain his Ballina stud holding, Sugar Beach Station.</p>
<p><em>This article first appeared in </em>The Weekend Australian. </p>
</body></html>

INXS band manager slaps asking price on Archerfield Farm

<html><body>
<p>BDO, the besieged administrators for Mossgreen, are to appeal their recent Federal Court defeat, further delaying the return of art to clients of the collapsed auction house.</p>
<p>The accountancy firm lost their expensive court case last week seeking to charge clients for the return of their goods.</p>
<p>Weekly holding costs are ticking over at $44,000.</p>
<p>Clients, already furious at BDO's attempts to charge a $353 per lot to have their own property returned, are in the dark as to just when they will be able to collect their unsold or purchased lots.</p>
<p>But BDO claims to have incurred about $1,150,000 (including GST) of costs including the stocktaking and storing of auction lots. </p>
<p>BDO’s application argued a complete stocktake of vendor lots was required by the specialist firm, Tiger Asset Group.</p>
<p>"I am concerned about the risk the administrators will be personally liable for these costs and expenses," James advised the court in a hasty affidavit lodged after the recent court loss.</p>
<p>The court judgement savaged the accountancy firm when Federal Court judge Nye Perram ruled the fee-seeking administrators were "intermeddling" in other people's goods in circumstances "where they had not been invited to do so, were not performing their statuatory functions and had not been appointed receivers."</p>
<p>"Accordingly, they are not justified in requiring the consignors to pay a levy for the return of their goods," he ruled.</p>
<p>As part of the hearing, BDO Australia has asked the Federal Court to rule that all its court costs be paid out of Mossgreen's limited estate which, if agreed, will reduce the available funds for even secured creditors.</p>
<p>There has also been no ruling on allocating costs of the stocktaking.</p>
<div>
<p>BDO administrator James White had previously said the amount of the levy was "not negotiable".</p>
<p>"It is still a nightmare," the art collecting accountant Tom Lowenstein told Ross Greenwood's 2GB last week.</p>
<p>He said it was devastating for some of his art world clients yet to get their own property back.</p>
<p>BDO had not responded to a request for public comments, Ross Greenwood told his listeners. </p>
<p>There has still not been a second creditors meeting yet held, which is another source of bewilderment by the many auction house vendors.</p>
<p>"There's been deafening silence as to when the second creditors meeting will be held," one aggrieved collector noted.</p>
<p>It has been mooted BDO could potentially face a motion to be replaced at the meeting.</p>
<p>Toorak businessman Jack Gringlas​ remains the biggest secured creditor, being owed $6 million. </p>
<p>The administration came December 21 with the initially identified 330 creditors told no law required trust accounts for the auction proceeds.</p>
<div title="Page 5">
<div title="Page 5">
<p>The names of the creditors are a who's who from across Australia, ranging from passionate collectors, socialites, low key business tycoons to deceased estates.</p>
<p>The appointment of administrators has revealed that Mossgreen was insolvent to a significant extent.</p>
<p>One of its administrators, James White, gave evidence that as at March his investigations had revealed that it had $2.8 million of assets and $14.8 million of creditors including the secured creditor to the value of $6 million.</p>
<p>There is also the additional issue where a number of persons whose goods were successfully sold at auction by Mossgreen now claim that the money received by it from their respective purchasers is held on trust for them and is not, therefore, available for general creditors.</p>
<p>The three-cornered contest between the administrators, the trust-asserting consignors and the secured creditor is to be determined later this year.</p>
<p>Justice Perram noted if the outcome of that contest is that the secured creditor is entitled to rely upon his security, the return to general creditors will be nil.</p>
<p>Justice Perram noted "even if it is not, the return to them will be no more than 18.9 cents in the dollar (i.e. $2.8 million divided by $14.8 million) and even that is on the assumption that the trust claims fail.</p>
<p>Some of the present difficulty arises because Mossgreen did not conduct its inventory control systems competently despite the holding of other people’s goods being a central part of its business.</p>
<p>When the administrators were appointed there was uncertainty as to the status of some of the stock which was on hand, although Paul Sumner offered to work for free to assist the process.</p>
<p>The inventory system suggested that there were as many as 34,000 lots being held, but the limited staff (who were kept on for this purpose) thought there were between 8,000 and 12,000 lots.</p>
<p>"The Administrators have carefully considered Justice Perram’s judgment, as well as the options available to the Administrators to achieve an orderly resolution of the Company’s affairs," creditors were told today.</p>
<div title="Page 2">
<div>
<div>
<p>"The Administrators have decided to appeal Justice Perram’s decision to the Full Federal Court," White advised.</p>
<p>A notice of appeal was filed by the adminstrators on 12 April 2018, with accompanying submissions regarding the urgency of the appeal.</p>
<p>The Federal Court has confirmed that the appeal is due to be heard on an urgent basis on Tuesday, 17 April 2018 not before 12.00pm before a bench of three Judges.</p>
<p>The Administrators applied separately for orders preserving the status quo pending the urgent appeal.</p>
<p>At a case management hearing held on 13 April 2018, the Federal Court made the order that the administrators are justified in causing the company to retain possession of the consignor property until the determination of the notice of appeal.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Meddling BDO to appeal Federal Court Mossgreen loss

<html><body>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center"><span style="text-align: left;">The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand is set to enter the Australian real estate market after a master franchise agreement was completed between the Realogy Holdings Corporation and CT Investment Holdings Pty Ltd.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center"><span style="text-align: left;">CT Investment Holdings chairman and owner is Charles Tarbey, who is also the chairman and owner of Century 21 Australasia.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center"><span style="text-align: left;">It operates in around 40 states across the USA.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNoSpacing">It is not the first time the publishing/real estate linkage has been tried in Australia as Belle magazine teamed up with a property syndicate to launch the Belle property group, which has had erratic progress following its 2000 launch headed by former politician John Hewson, estate agent Chris Meehan and Peter Hocking.</p>
<p>Supported by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Better Homes and Gardens<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>magazine, the company will provide lifestyle, styling, renovating and gardening content, as well as traditional real estate sales and leasing services.</p>
<p>The Better Homes and Gardens magazine’s multi-media lifestyle brand print edition is read by nearly 40 million people per month in the US and Australia.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">In Australia,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Better Homes and Gardens</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>magazine boasts a cross-platform reach of more than 3.5 million people across print, digital and social, with<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Better Homes and Gardens </em>being the most read magazine in Australia. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">Sherry Chris, the global President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, said the announcement marks a "momentous point in Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s strategic growth story."</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">“Better Homes and Gardens’ lifestyle magazine brand has an unparalleled scope and reputation in Australia, as it does in the United States.  These benefits pave a path of competitive advantage for the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand as it launches in Australia and New Zealand, and there is no better person to oversee the brand’s strategic growth and development than Charles, a seasoned and respected leader in the real estate market.”</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">There has been strong interest in the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate opportunity in Australia and New Zealand.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">Tarbey said that the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand will have a very different offering than other real estate brands throughout Australia and New Zealand and likely appeal to a very unique demographic.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">“The franchisees affiliated with the new business will not only offer traditional real estate services but also what I would describe as a ‘complete lifestyle experience’, that leverages lifestyle content that complements and relates to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Better Homes and Gardens</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>magazine.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">“Whether it is helping people prepare a home for sale or assisting them in their search for a new home, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand will enter Australia and New Zealand markets with an exclusive offering.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">"This offering, combined with the power of the media brand and the experienced real estate practitioners we expect to attract, gives us a high degree of confidence that the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand will succeed in real estate like it has in so many other domains,” said Charles Tarbey.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">The Editor in Chief of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Better Homes and Gardens</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>magazine in Australia, Julia Zaetta, welcomed the news.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">“We are very excited to have the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand in Australia. Better Homes and Gardens’ magazine media brand is a large, much loved and highly trusted multi-platform offering and it is great news that the real estate brand is expanding.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">“We are thrilled our wide audience will now be able to enjoy real estate services as they undertake some of the most important activities of their lives: buying, selling and renting their home.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Julia Zaetta paid $1.45 million for her Neutral Bay unit in 2016.</p>
<p>The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes more than 11,500 affiliated sales associates and hundreds of offices serving home buyers and sellers across the United States and Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">It is expected that the first Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate offices will open their doors in Australia towards the end of 2018 and in New Zealand in 2020.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal" align="center"> </p>
</body></html>

New belle of the property ball...Better Homes and Gardens brand comes to real estate in Australia

<html><body>
<p>Despite a chronic shortage of affordable housing, Australian governments have been slow to experiment or support affordable housing provisions through the planning and development process.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see whether next month's Federal Budget from Scott Morrison advances the complex issue, and then whether further initiatives come from the State Budget.</p>
<p>To date NSW's mostly voluntary planning incentives have failed to deliver worthwhile numbers of affordable homes.</p>
<p>A recent study calculated the main affordable housing scheme had yielded only 2,000 affordable Sydney rental dwellings since 2009.</p>
<p>This is the equivalent to about one per cent of the city’s total supply.</p>
<div>The scheme typically offers a density bonus to NSW developers with increased floorspace to build in return for affordable rental housing that must be rented to eligible households at 20 percent market discount for 10 years.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Some 19 of proposals were by private sector developers, while six were by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) or not-for-profit organisations.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The policy lead in this important area has been South Australia where around 17 per cent of total dwelling approvals within major new residential development areas have been dedicated affordable homes. </div>
<div title="Page 40">
<div>
<div>
<p>The NSW approach has focused on affordable rental housing, while most dwellings secured through the South Australian model are offered for sale to eligible moderate income earners. </p>
<p>We clearly need better policy to improve the outcome.</p>
<p>When compared to international practice, even the South Australian schemes is modest, according to a recent study by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>In England and Scotland, the general expectation is for 20 percent to 40 per cent of new housing developments to be affordable housing. </p>
<p>Australia’s first pilot schemes emerged in the mid-1990s through the Federal Government’s Building Better Cities program which funded projects in Pyrmont and Ultimo.</p>
<p>The approach was extended to the major urban renewal precinct surrounding Green Square.</p>
<p>However, the NSW Government has been reluctant to allow local councils to impose mandatory requirements for affordable housing through the planning process.</p>
<p>At the Federal level, the primary focus has been seeking to address affordability through increasing overall land supply.</p>
<p>Indeed the the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) working party on housing supply and affordability expressed the view in 2012 that affordable inclusionary zoning would be counter-productive to overall supply efforts.</p>
<div title="Page 17">
<p>Since affordable housing requirements reduce the value of undeveloped land, incentives to developers will be needed should significant affordable housing outcomes are to be delivered.</p>
<div class="page" title="Page 16">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<p><span>It is also important governments, r</span><span>ather than seeking the highest and best use land </span><span>value in sales of government land, adopt a new approach with the price reflecting the housing needs that the development seeks to address</span><span>.</span></p>
<p>Given that affordable housing is a 30-year plus investment, it requires our governments that think shorter to embrace vision.</p>
<p>This article was first published in the Daily Telegraph.</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Affordable housing scheme not yielding results

<html><body>
<div>Melbourne was the only capital city to see an increase in the number of homes taken to weekend auction, as weakening clearance rates, along with school holidays, impact on April auction activity.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>Melbourne had a subdued 64 per cent success rate across 874 auctions, down from 68 per cent across 723 auctions last weekend. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Melbourne's top sale was a renovation opportunity in Fitzroy North.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The <a id="LPlnk524450" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-fitzroy+north-127790186" target="_blank">25 McKean Street double fronted brick Victorian era offering</a> (top) fetched $3.84 million, contested by four bidders in the rain.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Last sold around six decades ago, the home with a classic façade featured soaring ceilings, original cornices, architraves, rosettes and open fireplaces.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Boasting three street frontages, with access also from Jamieson Street and Alfred Crescent, the home sits on a 600 sq m block.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Domain advised the vendors inherited the home in the Edinburgh Gardens precinct after their elderly aunt passed away last year.  </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The weekend sale price was $220,000 above reserve with Jobe Watson, the former Essendon captain turned buyer’s advocate, the underbidder for his unsuccessful clients.</div>
<div>
<p>The four bedroom, one bathroom house which had $3.1 million to $3.4 million price guidance was instead sold to a young couple with a baby from Carlton North. </p>
</div>
<div>The former Essendon star secured his first buy for a client last month in his new role as a Melbourne real estate buyer’s agent.</div>
<div>
<p>It was when the Infolio Property Advisors director nabbed a two-bedroom Kensington house for interstate clients at $1.03 million.</p>
<p>Watson, whose passion for property saw him initially a client of Infolio, then did some work experience for the group.</p>
<p>He purchased equity in the company in 2016 and began as a buyer’s advocate after his 220-game AFL career came to an end last season.</p>
<div>
<div>Canberra recorded the nation's highest preliminary clearance rate this week with a 74.3 per cent success rate from its 78 auctions.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Prices ranged from $405,000 at Palmerston to $2.95 million at Red Hill.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The <a id="LPlnk794066" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-act-red+hill-127917522" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">131 Mugga Way, Red Hill home</a> was a five bedroom Gary Williamson-built home with courtyards on 1255 sq m sold through Luton Properties (below).</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/16/mugga.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>The official land value was $1,291,000.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The national capital's clearance rate was next followed by Adelaide's 70.6 per cent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Prices in Adelaide ranged between $385,000 at Bowden and $1,005,000 at Semaphore.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The Harcourt Williams sale at <a id="LPlnk656387" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-bowden-127881982" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">121 Gibson St, Bowden</a> was a basic three bedroom 1900 cottage on 292 sqm.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The Housing Safety Authority had declared the Bowden property to be substandard with a<span class="x_f"> </span>Housing Improvement Order on the property.</div>
<div> </div>
There were 1,890 homes taken to auction across the capital cities this week, with preliminary results showing a 64.5 per cent success rate, according to CoreLogic.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Click here <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2018/4/16/resultscorelogic.jpg" target="_blank">to enlarge.</a>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/16/resultscorelogic.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div> </div>
<div>By comparison, 1,839 auctions were held last week with a final clearance rate at 62.8 per cent.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Over the same week last year, auction volumes were lower due to the 2017 Easter weekend.</div>
<p>Sydney had the top result around the capitals with a pre-auction sale in Killara at $5.7 million through McGrath agents Neo Wang and Glenn Curran (below).</p>
</div>
<div>It last traded at $2.95 million in 2003. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/16/killara.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div>
<div> </div>
<div>The four-bedroom manor at <a id="LPlnk484501" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-killara-127672690" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">28 Wattle Street</a> with sandstone and double-brick fac­ade sits in gardens designed by Peter Fudge, featured in his first book.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The gardens come with pool with Moroccan-style mosaics and a sandstone pavilion.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It was initial listed with $6 million hopes last last year.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Sydney was host to 774 auctions this week, with preliminary results showing a 64.9 per cent success rate, up from 62.9 per cent across 795 auctions last week</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Brisbane reported 45 per cent clearance of 56 scheduled auctions.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Its cheapest result was $620,000 at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The single story home on 733 sqm at <a id="LPlnk293891" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-deception+bay-127849170" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">91 Esplanade</a> was a waterfront reserve knockdown.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It sold at $480,000 in 2003.</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Fitzroy North and Killara top subdued weekend auction results

<html><body>
<p>Blue Sky's cotton farm Gundaline Station has been sold for around $65 million.</p>
<p>The price has not been revealed, but in an announcement to the ASX on Friday, ASX-listed Blue Sky Alternatives Access Fund confirmed the price was "in line with the Alternatives Fund carrying value for the investment".</p>
<div>
<div id="article-inline-ad">"We anticipate this investment will be completed in the third quarter of 2018, following FIRB approval and the completion of the current cotton harvest and ginning," BAF said</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The trouble fund manager held around a third of the rural asset.</div>
</div>
<p>It was listed for sale late last spring through Kidder Williams.</p>
<p>The sale to an offshore European party was close to being finalised, The Australian first reported mid-last week, with contracts exchanged last week.</p>
<p>The asset sits within Blue Sky's Real Estate Assets division. </p>
<p>The farm, at at Carrathool off the Sturt Highway, isn one of Australia’s largest irrigation properties.</p>
<p>Gundaline Station is located in the highly regarded Southern Riverina region of NSW. </p>
<div>
<p>Dutch-based Optifarm, a fund backed by high net worth European investors, bought it from Blue Sky, the Dutch government pension fund ABP and Singapore-based asset manager Duxton.</p>
<p>Optifarm's acquisition of Gundaline Station followed its earlier purchases this month of Jemalong Station and Jemalong Citrus at Forbes in the NSW Central West region from the Kahlbetzer family's Twynam Agricultural Group.</p>
</div>
<p>Fronting the Murrumbidgee River in NSW, the 15,000 hectare Gundaline property suited to growing a combination of irrigated cotton, cereals/oilseeds/legumes and permanent crops such as almonds was last sold in 2014 to the institutional investor consortium.</p>
<p>Over the past four years, they have more than doubled the land area under irrigation, significantly expanded and improved the water storages and irrigation infrastructure, as well as upgrading the existing irrigation land. </p>
<p>The property consists of more than 6,000 hectares of highly developed furrow irrigation (over 3,500 hectares of new development), with the balance comprising land suitable for development to permanent plantings and additional furrow irrigation, and grazing land. </p>
<p>The holding benefits from significant water entitlements.</p>
<p>The Australian Financial Review indicated Optifarm's directors are listed as Jelle Rienk Elzinga, managing director of Dutch-based securities trader Optiver and Michael Wheeler, a finance manager at Australian agribusiness firm Landmark.</p>
</body></html>

Blue Sky offloads Gundaline Station in the Riverina 

<html><body>
<p>Tarramia, the NSW Riverina estate that was farmed by one of Melbourne's leading businessmen, Sir Clive McPherson, has been sold.</p>
<p>The Mulwala holding has been in the family for over six decades. The buyers are whispered to be Andrew Bouchier and his wife, Ann Marie.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">As neighbouring properties were subdivided, McPherson, the prominent agriculturalist, began buying up during the interwar year the local farms, with Tarramia forming a significant part of his land holdings.</span></p>
<p>Macpherson sat on the board of the pastoral house, Younghusband Ltd, the National Bank, the Commonwealth Bank, Australian Wheat Board and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The McPhersons regularly entertained at the home. Guests included Prime Minister Robert Menzies and his wife, Dame Patty Menzies and the Governor General Sir William and Lady Slim and the Governor of Victoria Sir Dallas Brooks and Lady Brooks.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The local picnic races each year were the occasion for Sir Clive and Marion to entertain a large house party.</span></p>
<p class="p1">The near 2,000 hectare property was expected to sell for $10 million plus. </p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/3/28/mulwala%202.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>Tarramia South comprises 601 hectares with the original lakeside three bedroom homestead.</p>
<p>Tarramia North spans 1,393 hectares. H<span>e died in 1958 having his daughter, the <span>late Marion Orme Page</span> retain the property. Her South Yarra estate sold for $33 million in 2016.</span></p>
<p>Matt Childs at Pat Rice &amp; Hawkins was marketing the property in conjunction with Elders Real Estate. Offers closed April 4.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Much of the infrastructure on the property, including the homestead and adjoining cottage, has been renewed in recent years, after being in the direct path of a tornado in 2013.</span></p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
</body></html>

Luxury Riverina estate Tarramia sells

<html><body>
<p>A country Victoria property complete with what was a Philip Cox-designed home, has hit the market.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-cropping-vic-kilmore-7959182" target="_blank">1995-built Kilmore home</a>, set 60 kilometres north of Melbourne, has only had two owners.</p>
<p>It has been listed by the relocating Exell family, who refurbished the homestead since paying $1.05 million in 2004.</p>
<p>Cox designed the home property as a personal friend of the previous owners, the Holdaway family.</p>
<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/16/kilmore2.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>The eight bedroom, 540 sqm home features a distinctive Colorbond steel roof and is timber framed with western red cedar cladding.</p>
<p>The design brief was of an Australian farmhouse style homestead that comprises a series of three pods, all interlinked by circulation and flow areas.</p>
<p>Pat Rice Hawkins agent Bart O'Sullivan has the listing.</p>
<p>This article was first published in The Weekend Australian property section.</p>
</body></html>

Philip Cox-designed 1995 Kilmore home listed

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


Joel Robinson

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

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


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

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


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

<p>Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.</p>

<p>Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.</p>

<p>Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.</p>

<p>Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.</p>

<p>Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.</p>

<p>For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.</p>

<p>Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.</p>

<p>Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.</p>

<p>The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.</p>

<p>That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.</p>

<p>Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.</p>

<p>It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.</p>

<p>For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.</p>

<p>Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.</p>


Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

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


Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News