<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

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The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

Design

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The first Australian building designed by North American architect Frank Gehry has had some of its brickwork unwrapped at the University of Technology, Sydney. 
<a href="/expert-insights/building/frank-gehry-uts-building-unwrapped-as-lend-lease-wins-construction-rights">Billed as Sydney's most distinctive project since the Opera House</a>, it consists of 320,000 brown bricks, all laid by hand.
Likened to a crushed paper bag by some, though Property Observer's inspection yesterday didn't leave that initial or lasting impression, nor the supposed tree house likeness. More like an urban sandcastle.
The award winning architect also says they are buff coloured bricks.
"The east facing facade is made of a buff colored brick similar in color to the Sydney (heritage) sandstone," <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/city-campus-master-plan/projects-progress/dr-chau-chak-wing" target="_blank">Gehry advised on the project website</a>. 
"The form of this facade curves and folds like soft fabric. 
"The brick will be set in horizontal courses and will step or corbel to create the shape. 
"The texture of the surface will be rough and will emphasize the mass of the material. 
"The shape flattens as it wraps around the north and south corners.
"Large windows punch this facade."
The section on Mary Ann Street and Omnibus Lane, Ultimo has been exposed after recent work by the construction giant Lend Lease won the bid to build the landmark undulating building.
The initial Austral bricks were deliver to the site last August after being manufactured in Bowral by the Brickworks Ltd subsidiary. Austral, which dates back to 1908, custom-made five brick types for the building’s exterior. Master bricklayer Peter Favetti came out of retirement for the project, noting the Gehry building was the most difficult ever undertaken in Australia.
.The 12-storey building is being built on the former Dairy Farmers site between the ABC Ultimo Centre and the Powerhouse Museum.
<a href="/expert-insights/building/frank-gehry-s-first-australian-building-approved-for-university-of-technology-sydney">It will be named after Dr Chau Chak Wing</a>, a Hunters Hill, Australian-Chinese businessman who donated $20 million for its construction and $5 million for scholarships.
Its a $180 million project, according to the UTS vice-chancellor, Ross Milbourne. The new building is part of a UTS campus master plan, estimated to cost a total of $1 billion.
Most of the brick work is very intact, although Property Observer spotted where some rectification is required, but hardly worth making a headline out of it. 
The bricks sit on top of a steel substrate constructed according to Gehry's design.
The Gehry Partners LLP team worked with a local team, including architect Daryl Jackson Robin Dyke and façade contractor Sharvain. 
<img src="/images/stories/2012/11/gehr1.jpg">
It's a $180 million project, according to the UTS vice-chancellor, Ross Milbourne. The new building is part of a UTS campus master plan, estimated to cost a total of $1 billion.
Construction of the tower for around 1,300 students and more than 300 academic staff had an early 2014 completion timeline, but that seems pushed out to at least September.
The crumpled-looking 15,470 square metre building will be the university's new business school. But it will undoubtedly be an attraction to many passersby when then new pedestrian thoroughfare linking Darling Harbour and Central Station running through Pyrmont and Ultimo, the Goods Line is completed. The Goods Line is modelled on the now iconic High Line, which is one of the fun activities I enjoy when visiting New York.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/11/gehr2.jpg">
Gehry, who was reportedly unperturbed by the paper bag comparison, has described the building's internal structure as being like a "tree house", designed to encourage a sense of "creative play".
It will include parking for 177 bicycles and 20 cars, with onsite showers and lockers.
The new building will generate its own electricity with a gas-fired tri-generation plant, an initiative backed by the City of Sydney.
<img src="/images/stories/gehry.jpg">
"The design of this building is extremely complex," says the managing director of Lend Lease's project management and construction business in Australia, Murray Coleman.
"The result will be an exciting building, the likes of which has never been seen before in Sydney." 
He said they have used state-of-the-art construction methods including building information modelling to deliver the project.
Additional project team members included AW Edwards (early works contractor); AECOM (services engineer); Arup (structural engineer, transportation and traffic); RPS (statutory planner); Casey &amp; Lower (archaelogical consultant); Godden Mackay Logan (heritage assesssment); Morris Godding Accessibility (accessibility consultant); Wind Tech Consulting (wind assessment); and AECOM (ecologically sustainable development).
The first recorded use of the word "buff" to describe a colour was in the London Gazette of 1686, describing clothing. 
{module From what we can currently see, do you find Frank Gehry's building facade impressive?}
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Frank Gehry's Sydney UTS building bricks exposed: Buff, brown or crushed paper bag?

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Forget the pricey distant WaterWorld! Before the Indian summer wanes, here's Property Observer list of watersides that could be in your own back yard.
The best we have spotted was at <a href="https://www.homehound.com.au/listing/for-sale/nsw/sydney-region/hills/bella-vista-hills/16-brighton-drive-bella-vista-nsw-2153/" target="_blank">16 Brighton Drive, Bella Vista</a> (pictured above).
Take a look at its waterside which dominates the home landscape. Oh the home comes with $3.5 million plus hopes being marketed as an architectural masterpiece, taking two years to design.
Reckon its better than the one's Property Observer readers have shown (sadly without close-ups) at the homes of <a href="/news/nathan-tinkler-relists-pullenvale-acreage">Nathan Tinkler</a> (pictured below) and <a href="/news/vaughan-bullivant-secures-5-3-million-redcliffe-beachfront-trophy-home-sale">Vaughan Bullivant</a> in Queensland where the house easily outdoes the slide.
<img src="/images/2014/05/21/pullenvale_0000_1.jpg.jpg" alt="Nathan Tinkler relists Pullenvale acreage ">
The one at<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-kuluin-116403303" target="_blank"> 5 Cypress Street, Kuluin</a> (pitured below) has just sold at $525,000 with rock cliff style slide. It's hard to say how long it is.
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0011_kuluin%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
Property Central's photo of its <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-killarney+vale-113595523" target="_blank">$390,000 Killarney Vale sale</a> comes with one of the longer exposed ones.
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0007_killarney%20vale%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0010_killarney%20vale%20may%2023.jpg.jpg" alt="">
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The side at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nt-rosebery-113099187" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">17 Catchlove Street, Rosebery</a> (pictured below) drops into the pool with multi-coloured lighting. The Northern Territory offering also has a rock climbing wall at the place which was for sale at $689,000, but is now under offer.
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0008_roseberry%20may%2023%20two.jpg.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0009_roseberry%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
The one at Cobaki looks a tad makeshift. The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-cobaki-115201939" target="_blank">184 Cobaki Road</a> (pictured below) offering comes with pebble-crete saltwater pool with waterside.
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0005_cobaki%20may%2023%20two.jpg.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0006_cobaki%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
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The horse riding facilities are the main attraction at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-acreage+semi+rural-vic-red+hill-117055667" target="_blank">this Red Hill, Victoria listing</a> (pictured below), though it would great to get a quick cool off at the solar heated, self-cleaning pool with a waterside on the five acres estate. 
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0004_red%20hill%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
Sporting extras are also the go at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-maudsland-117009859" target="_blank">10 Burley Griffin Drive, Maudsland</a> (pictured below). Marketed as the "Perfect Family Acreage," there is also a flying fox and junior size AFL ground with goal posts at the Queensland property!
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0003_maudstad%20may%2023%20one.jpg.jpg" alt="">
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This one looks like Cape Canaveral almost. The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-burleigh+heads-117027359" target="_blank">5 Mathew Close, Burleigh Heads offering</a> (pictured below) is being marketed as 'Kid's heaven with its very own waterside!"
"With the owner liquidating all assets now is the time to purchase what you always thought you couldn't afford!" its Ray White listing agent Scott Campbell suggests. All for $549,000 or so.
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0000_burliegh%20heads%20may%2023%20two.jpg.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/05/23/waterslides_0001_burliegh%20heads%20may%2023.jpg.jpg" alt="">
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Home waterslides not just a Nathan Tinkler indulgence: Eight that stand out

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The Development of the Year in South Australia has been awarded to the University of Adelaide’s new building The Braggs. The Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall award was given to the development, which is the home to the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing headquarters.
It is located at the North Terrace campus, and Property Council executive director Richard Angove said that it is an innovative creation, that is a microcosm of ingenuity in the state.
The University of Adelaide own the building, and nominated it for the award. It features a 420 seat lecture theatre, teaching facilities and laboratories with a philosophy around research collaboration across disciplines.
The Braggs beat Adelaide Desalination Plant, Kauwi Interpretive Centre and the Materials and Minerals Sciences Research Building to the award.
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University of Adelaide campus wins Development of the Year title

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Brookfield Place Perth was named the Australian Development of the Year at the Property Council Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence awards last weekend.
The 45 storey office development also took home the SAS International Award for Best Office Development and S4B Studio Award for Best Heritage Development. Positioned in the centre of the Perth CBD, the development has about 74,500 square metres of premium grade commercial space, making it one of the country’s largest commercial office buildings.
Fitzpatrick + Partners in collaboration with Hassell Architects designed the project, which includes the refurbishment of five heritage buildings containing offices, restaurants, bars and fashion retailers. Construction of the development’s second tower is currently underway.
Other big winners at the gala dinner in Sydney on Saturday included the Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre, which received two awards. The $46.6 million Victorian recreation centre was awarded the Best Tourism and Leisure development by Ryan, while the City of Glen Eira took home the ISPT award for Government Leadership.
Meriton’s Soleil apartments won the Gough Recruitment Award for Best Residential Development. Another Brisbane development by Harry Triguboff's Meriton, the Infinity tower, was<a href="/expert-insights/buying/harry-triguboff-s-tallest-brisbane-creation-wins-best-high-rise-award"> recently named Australia’s best highrise development</a> at the Asia Pacific Property Awards.
The winners of this year’s Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation &amp; Excellence awards were drawn from 83 finalists across 16 categories.
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Brookfield Place Perth takes out top prize at Property Council of Australia awards

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The John Dalton Award for House of the Year 2014 was awarded late last week to Twofold Studio and Cox Rayner’s Highgate Hill House.
The modern house (pictured above) was commended for its bespoke, controlled garden and outdoor living zones sequence.
“A sublime piece of architecture, expressed through intricate detailing that is seamlessly engaged with an ironically humble brief. A visceral experience of occupation is manifest through a series of spatially modest but poetically executed rooms,” the jury explained.
An Enduring Architecture Prize was given to AH Job and RP Froud for the 1960s Torbreck (pictured below) – the first multi-storey home unit development seen in Queensland.
<img src="/images/2014/05/19/torback%20may%2019%20one.png" alt="">
Also in Highate Hill, the project was built by NA Kratzmann Pty Ltd, who were one of the largest building contractors in Queensland in the late 1950s.
It is an eight-storey garden block, and was created with a lift-slab technique – something previously never used in Queensland. This required pre-fabricating the roof and floors on the ground and then lifting them into position. It also includes a fourteen-storey tower block.
Gallery photos by Christopher Frederick Jones courtesy of Cox Rayner Architects in collaboration with Twofold Studio
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Peek inside Brisbane’s House of the Year and the first multi-storey project in Queensland

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Australia's CHRISTOU Design Group will go on to compete at the Asia Pacific Property Awards after being awarded the Best Public Service Interior for Perth’s St Hilda’s Performing Arts Centre at the Asia Pacific Property Awards.
It was the only Australian entrant to best its competition in the Asia Pacific at the awards last week.
 <img src="/images/2014/05/15/christou.JPG" alt="">
St Hilda's Performing Arts Centre 
Although they won’t go on to compete at the International Property Awards, a good number of Australian architects, interior designers and developers were given five star reviews by the 70 strong judging panel.
Among the Australian properties given five stars were Platinum Apartments, Redgen Mathieson’s Bondi House and Albert Park’s 88 Beaconsfield Parade.
The development at 88 Beaconsfield Parade, pictured below, won the award for best Australian Architecture for Multiple Residences for Omiros One Architecture.
<img src="/images/2014/05/15/88%20beaconsfield.jpg" alt="">
The 27 apartments in the complex are set over five levels in Melbourne’s Albert Park, with a single corner retail space on the ground floor. Redgen Mathieson’s Bondi House, pictured below, was awarded Best Australian Architecture for a Single Residence.
<img src="/images/2014/05/15/bondi%20house.jpg" alt="">
The four level house sits on a narrow site on Bondi Beach. Designed by Redgen Mathieson in 2011, the home has easterly views of the ocean.
Melbourne’s Platinum Apartments, pictured below, garnered five stars for architects Squillace. Developed by the Salvo Property Group, Platinum won the award for best Australian Architecture for a High Rise Development. The Southbank high rise on City Road is Melbourne’s second tallest tower.
<img src="/images/2014/05/15/platinum.jpg" alt="">
Harry Triguboff was another big winner on the night, with his 81 storey Brisbane tower <a href="/expert-insights/buying/harry-triguboff-s-tallest-brisbane-creation-wins-best-high-rise-award">Infinity receiving the award for best Australian Residential High Rise development</a>. 
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Asia Pacific Property Awards winners announced

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The grandest of hinterland listings on the Gold Coast, Bellagio La Villa, is home with a symmetrical façade behind which is some 2,546-square-metres of living space.
<a href="/news/ridong-billionaire-riyu-li-buys-bellagio-la-villa-the-gold-coast-hinterland-mansion">The recent sale of the luxury home</a> got our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok thinking about symmetry in suburban housing design.
Some weekends see symmetry dominate the top seller lists, such as late March when eastern Melbourne estate agents secured the sale of three homes within close price and location proximity, at <a href="https://21monashavebalwyn.com.au" target="_blank">21 Monash Avenue, Balwyn</a>; <a href="https://www.30willsstreet-kew.com" target="_blank">30 Wills Street, Kew</a> and <a href="https://www.jelliscraig.com.au/property/HAWTHORN-EAST-4-Mt-Ida-Avenue/6761155/#.U23suVxK6qQ" target="_blank">4 Mt Ida Avenue, Hawthorn East</a>.
Ofcourse it doesn't have to be as flash as the Bellagio La Villa or other top sellers. 
Though symmetrical design in architecture is evident in landmark buildings around the globe including the Pantheon in Rome, the Taj Mahal in India, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Opera House in Sydney.
Symmetry (from the Greek συμμετρία symmetry) is all about "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement." There's also the accompanying vague sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance.
Here's a small range of houses with mirror image façade s.
HE SAID: YES, NO, YES<img src="/images/2014/03/28/jc-silhouette-7.jpg" alt="" style="float: right;">
<ul>
<li>The $450,000 timber Corinella bungalow comes with terrific symmetry.</li>
</ul>
It is an appealing <a href="https://www.alexscott.com.au/details.asp?internetid=23384&amp;OFFICE_ID=354" target="_blank">classic period home</a> in a quiet fishing village in Vicoria's Westernport Bay district.
The four-bedroom cottage (pictured below) sits on a block at 11 Walpole Street which ideally would be bigger from an aesthetics point of view
Inside there are high ornate ceilings with big ceiling roses. Upstairs is the large parents retreat upstairs comes with Bay and French Island glimpses and a new fabulous claw foot bath in the second bathroom, a second ensuite and a double spa.
The grounds have landscaped gardens, red brick paved walkways, Federation style carport and huge jarrah split level "u" shaped outdoor alfresco deck and entertaining area out the back.
It is for sale through Russ Williams at the Alex Scott &amp; Staff agency.
 <img src="/images/2014/05/09/corinella%20may%209%20one.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
The three-bedroom home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-camberwell-116575507" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">10 Outlook Drive Camberwell</a> (pictured below) recently sold for $1.282 million by Fletchers came with a symmetry which I'd suggest doesn't work.
</li>
</ul>
The three bedroom rendered 1945 brick residence sits on a limiting 650 square metre block which just doesn't do justice to the offering.
From <a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.848779,145.091329,3a,75y,272.2h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sVAf7PX7lKqJjhWEpAuEM_w!2e0" target="_blank">either side of the fence</a>.
It previously traded in 2008 at $780,000. It comes with the prospect of adding a second-storey which would maximise city views and change its proportions. The house was marketed as having great bones, but its exterior doesn't currently work for me. A compact garden with more than the stand alone fountain would assist, I'd suggest.
Ofcourse it can also be on many hectares, like Bellagio La Villa on the Gold Coast hinterland, and still not work.  
 <img src="/images/2014/05/09/camberwell%20may%209.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>I especially love the pool house at The Palladio (pictured below), a secluded wonderland at Arcadia listed through Darren Curtis at Christies International.</li>
</ul>
With 30 acres, <a href="https://www.christiesrealestate.com/eng/sales/detail/170-l-86-f1305091616707252/the-palladio-a-private-and-secluded-wonderland-arcadia-sw-2159" target="_blank">it is being advertised</a> as one of North Western Sydney’s most significant and impressive private estates with beautifully manicured gardens and rolling lawns. It comes complete with a tennis court and landscaped pool that showcases the classic yet simple Palladian-style architecture style. 
The outdoor area includes an 82-foot swimming pool with a glass mosaic finish in classically inspired gardens. Its outside walls are rendered to look like what you would see in Italy, that's been there for 100 years. The <a href="https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303978304579474621736157640#13" target="_blank">two sphinxes</a> in front of the pool house are vintage reproductions. Owner Tim Higgins, a furniture retailer, told the Wall Street Journal when it featured as dream home of the day recently that he purchased a 33-acre plot of bare bush land in Arcadia in 1987 for $175,000.
The pool house mimics the main home (top image) which is more columned perhaps than necessary. It is for sale at $3,950,000. Higgins advised the Palladian-style home was built in the extravagant 1980s.There are only two bedrooms in the 4,305-square-foot main house. 
<img src="/images/2014/05/09/arcadia%20may%209%20tweo.jpg" alt="">
 
<img src="/images/2014/03/28/mb-silhouette-6.jpg" alt="" style="float: left;">SHE SAID: YES, YES, YES
There’s no denying the symmetrical façade of this Melbourne mansion gives stature and importance - it makes a very bold statement indeed. Set in Toorak’s Maxwell Court, one of the suburb’s most coveted addresses, the grand two-storey house (pictured below) is for sale at $5,695,000 through Marshall White Armadale agents, Marcus Chiminello and Nicole French. With its highly ornate façade featuring classic columns and arches, the European-inspired luxury residence is surrounded by beautiful Paul Bangay designed gardens with a lap pool. With this property, the symmetry extends into the front garden and plantings with rows of potted plants and hedges framing the entrance. A stone path, which forms a centre line leading to the front door, draws the eye to the centre of the building and reinforces its symmetrical pattern.
<img src="/images/2014/05/09/toorak%20may%209.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
In the South Australian suburb of Norwood, this imposing Georgian inspired mansion has a mirror image façade showcasing classic symmetry and the grandeur of a bygone era.
</li>
</ul>
To my mind, its striking façade  establishes elegance and significance before you step past the front door. Built in 2000, the two-storey residence <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-norwood-115077871" target="_blank">was listed for sale</a> at $2.45 million through Ennis Partners North Adelaide, but it’s now under contract.
Of impressive proportions, it has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, formal and informal living and dining areas and a loggia, multiple courtyards, cellars and a six-car garage. 
<img src="/images/2014/05/09/norwood-may-9.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>Set for auction tomorrow <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-stanmore-116581919" target="_blank">through McGrath agent Shad Hassen</a>, this three-bedroom Victorian house has a perfectly symmetrical and original front façade with a centered front door and windows evenly spaced. Set in the Sydney suburb of Stanmore, it also features a symmetrically designed modern extension at the rear.</li>
</ul>
With tremendous street appeal, this Corunna Road home evidences a tried and true design solution to create balance, both externally and internally. Built in the late 19th century, the house has been enhanced and enlarged with the new extension reinforcing the original symmetrical layout.
<img src="/images/2014/05/09/stanmore%20may%209.jpg" alt="">
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Does symmetry work as a feature in home façade designs? He Said/She Said

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A recent suggestion from Turf Australia president Anthony Muscat is for developers to offer a landscaping package or rebate to their home buyers. Is this something that you would look for?
Following the lead of large-scale developers Lend Lease, Peet and Newland Developers, who offer rebates for the inclusion of turf in their home developments, Muscat said that a high return on investment for the environment and as a purchase is the driving factor behind the inclusion of lawn.
Mirvac and Stockland are among those who encourage the installation of lawn.
While<a href="/news/vic/analysis-can-laying-turf-really-increase-your-property-s-value-by-75-000"> Property Observer has previously examined the questionable added value achievable by adding turf</a>, the concept of a rebate may make the idea more attractive to home buyers.
“More people should be taking advantage of these landscaping rebates. The value of turf is starting to be reflected more in the home development and real estate industry – and rightly so, when you consider how much it gives back to the environment, not to mention the value it can add to your home,” Muscat said.
“The natural benefits of turf are exceptional – it helps reduce soil erosion; improves drainage assistance; helps reduce ambient noise, heat and pollution, including a reduction of the ‘heat island’ effect around built up urban areas. Turf also adds aesthetic value, quality of living and provides a great space for family."
According to the director of national landscaping company The Gardenmakers, David Bambridge, those who offer this rebate can save homebuyers 30% to 40% in landscaping fees.
"I’ve found that there is an increasing demand by consumers for well designed and installed turf and green spaces in larger developments - particularly in commercial and civil projects. This demand is also at a high level in medium and high-density residential projects that I’ve worked on,” Bambridge said.
Developers can minimise the price and the effort required, due to the nature of buying in bulk for lawn and turf, and the requirement of bringing in a landscaper individually.
Landscape NSW &amp; ACT Association representative Joanne Auilina noted that they also encourage home and landscaping developers to incorporate appropriate lawns for the climate - something that individual home owners don't always consider.
“We’re seeing that more developers are recognising the wide range of landscaping benefits that turf offers and it’s becoming more of a front-of-mind consideration, especially with residential property developers. Landscapers at the LNA are strong advocates of the movement,” she said.
{module Do you think developers should offer a rebate for landscaping?}
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Do you think developers should offer a rebate for landscaping?

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A striking Alex Popov-designed Hunters Hill riverfront house last traded in 2007 for $3.55 million has been listed for sale.
The split-level home was built for then Vogue chief financial officer Aye-Ling Koh set on its 1,114 square metre holding.
There is floor-to-ceiling glass and wrap-around decking.
It was built in 2000 after the block was bought in 1995 for $550,000 with the home designed based around a central pavilion with a wing on each side.
Popov had the main pavilion with the kitchen and a dining area overlooking the living room.
In the eastern wing Popov placed the main bedroom with ensuite, walk-in dressing room and northerly views across the river. The level below had another bedroom with an ensuite.
The western wing had two bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry and sauna.
With expansive Lane Cove River views, the contemporary, three-level Bonnefin Road residence comes with plunge pool and sauna.
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom property, to be auctioned 31 May through <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-hunters+hill-116789471" target="_blank">Savills agents Adam Ross and Shayne Harris </a>in conjunction with BresicWhitney, sits in landscaped native gardens.
The last known Alex Popov-designed waterfront house sale was last August when $3.75 million was secured in North Sydney, having passed in at its March auction.
It originally had price hopes of $4.5 million.
Located at 6 Adderstone Avenue, the property is a sequence of inter-connected pavilions down to the water.
The home features three bedrooms, three bathrooms and an internal courtyard and pond.
The home boasts French limestone floors throughout and a separate guest pavilion with a wet bar.
<a href="https://www.raywhite.com/nsw/north-sydney/1058724/" target="_blank">The property also includes a jetty, deepwater moorning and it’s own private beach</a>.
The Sydney Morning Herald once featured it as one of Sydney’s top 100 houses.
It last traded for $950,000 in 1995 before the house was built.
Megan Thomas and Kingsley Yates of Ray White Lower North Shore had the listing.
Popov is a Wilkinson and Robin Boyd awards winner for the early 1990s Griffin house at Castlecrag.
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Alex Popov-designed Hunters Hill house listing

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Home buyers prepared to take a leap of faith in their pursuit of unconventional housing could find a converted church is the answer to their prayers. This Easter week our property contrarians, Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok, discuss recent sales and listings of blessed buildings.
Converting a church to a residence allows for enormous creative flair within a hallowed space ripe for residential resurrection - especially if it retains original ecclesiastical features including high vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows and timber arches. But they might need smart heating strategies.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-fitzroy-114936195" target="_blank">Fitzroy, Victoria</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/fitzroy%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
One such property is the Bible Christian Church at 278 Gore Street, Fitzroy in Melbourne. The handsome circa 1860 building was sold for $3 million last October by Sydney shopping centre heiress, Betty Saunders-Klimenko, through Nelson Alexander Real Estate. 
Bought by the Matear family, it is constructed of bluestone with tall brick-embellished Georgian windows and a wide Greek-Revival style façade added in 1911.
With vast living spaces and soaring ceilings, it has a splendidly proportioned dining area with a faded painted banner, proclaiming “Holiness Becomes Thy House”, which testifies to the building’s provenance.
Converted 10 years ago into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a six-car garage, the converted Fitzroy church was sold at a loss by Saunders-Klimenko who purchased the property for $3.41 million in June 2012. It previously traded at $684,000 in 2001, and at $15,500 in 1976. Earlier this month News Ltd papers reported Betty Saunders-Klimenko she was forced to take out a personal bank loan, of about $10 million, after spending a staggering $40 million on the motor racing team that had made her one of Australia’s most popular female sporting figures.
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/fitzroy%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/fitzroy%20april%2017%20three.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/fitzroy%20april%2017%20four.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/fitzroy%20april%2017%20five.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-st+kilda-116341371" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">St Kilda, Victoria</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/st%20kilda%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
Also in Melbourne, an apartment in a former Wesleyan church at St Kilda sold for $1,175,000 two weeks ago through Hocking Stuart agent, Kehren Eade. 
At the rear of the circa 1858 church in Fitzroy Street, the two-bedroom apartment incorporates the original church vestry which is converted to a splendid formal sitting room. It also features vaulted original timber ceilings, ornate cedar support beams and leadlight windows. 
Situated in idyllic seaside surrounds, and directly opposite Albert Park Lake, the landmark bluestone church is the focal point of Alameda, a residential complex also incorporating a new modern apartment building. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/st%20kilda%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.reviewproperty.com.au/property/for-sale/rural/wa/parkerville/?adid=2011053898" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Parkerville, Western Australia</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/parkerville%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
At Parkerville near Perth in Western Australia, a lavish 35-hectare estate featuring a private chapel within its grounds, is for sale at $12.95 million through Cam Marron of Marron Real Estate.
Built by a previous owner of the property, the chapel has views across a pictureque lake set at the rear of a grand two-storey Georgian style mansion decorated with gold leaf, ornate plasterwork and six Waterford chandeliers. 
Named Lilybrook, the property also features a tree-lined driveway, a guest cottage, a summer cabana and BBQ area, a swimming pool, floodlit tennis court, horse paddocks, stables, macadamia tree plantation, storage sheds and 650,000 litres of rainwater tanks. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/parkerville%20april%2017%20four.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/parkerville%20april%2017%20three.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/parkerville%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-kojonup-114276583" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Maradup, Western Australia</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/kojonup%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
At the other end of the price scale is a converted church in the tiny township of Muradup, situated 18 kilometres west of Kojonup (between Albany and Perth) in Western Australia. 
For sale at $260,000 through Michael Scott of Ray White Crofts &amp; Associates, 
the circa 1957 double brick and tile church has been converted to a two-bedroom home with a large open-plan living area featuring original polished jarrah floors and stained glass windows.
Featuring its original signage, “Mary Help of Christians”, on the front wall adjacent to tall portico entrance, the air-conditioned church stands on a 2,848 square metre block (in Blackwood Road) with lawns, a vegetable garden and satellite dishes for internet and digital television.
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/kojonup%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/kojonup%20april%2017%20three.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/kojonup%20april%2017%20four.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-dingee-116189895" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Dingee, Victoria</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/dingee%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
One of the cheapest churches on the market is in the peaceful township of Dingee, situated about 50 kilometres from Bendigo in Victoria. For sale at $169,000 through Greg Fathers of Expert Real Estate, it stands on 8100 square metre block in Church Road.
Known as the Yallook church, the circa 1920s church building is ideal for use as a weekender. Substantially renovated into a residence, it has an attractive brick façade, a small vestry portico and original soaring ceilings with timber beams.  Electric power is from a petrol generator and a small solar system, while the kitchen stove uses bottled gas. Outside are water tanks and a small garden shed. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/dingee%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-talbot-112124919" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Talbot, Victoria</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/talbot%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
Also in Victoria, historic St Andrews Church at Talbot is for sale at $385,000 through Julie Powell and Tash Martin at PRD Ballarat. 
About one hour’s drive from Melbourne, Talbot is in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields, and at the edge of the Pyrenees wine region. From the property, it’s a 15 minute drive to the townships of Maryborough and Clunes, and 25 minutes drive to Avoca and its surrounding wineries.
Built 150 years ago as a Presbyterian church, the building has been converted into a residence with all the modern conveniences. Set on a 2140 square metre block landscaped with native plants and an outdoor eating area, the rendered double brick building has an insulated roof, a wood heater and overhead gas heating for winter warmth. 
Operated as self-contained holiday accommodation, it has been reviewed in the The Age, Channel 7’s Coxy's Big Break, and Channel 9’s Postcards program.
Two minute’s stroll from the church are the town’s swimming pool, tennis courts, pub, restaurant/cafe and monthly farmers market. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/talbot%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-dooralong-115935967" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Dooralong, New South Wales</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/dooralong%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
In NSW, a rustic church at Dooralong, near Wyong on the Central Coast, is sale at $430,000 through Darin Butcher of Wiseberry Heritage. 
One of the most iconic buildings in the Valley, this old rustic church has been converted into a tasteful two bedroom cottage with original features including leadlight windows. 
Brimming with character, the heritage-listed timber building stands on a 2,000 square metres with lawns and a beautiful outlook.  
Featuring wide outdoor deck, it has a large living area, timber country-style kitchen, a main bedroom (with an en-suite bathroom), a second bedroom and a main bathroom.
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<li><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-kangaroo+valley-116709947" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales</a></li>
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In the Kangaroo Valley, between Berry and the Southern Highlands in NSW, an 1889 church is for sale sale at more than $480,000 through Sandra Knight of Raine &amp; Horne Berry. 
On a 1288 square metre block in Moss Vale Road, the converted church stands on the side of a hill near the edge of the village and opposite Kangaroo Valley showground. 
Remodelled in 1966, and recently converted to a stylish residence, it has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open-plan living room with a five-metre high ceiling, a stained glass window, a prayer cupboard and a pulpit incorporated into the kitchen.
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HE SAID:<img src="/images/2014/03/28/jc-silhouette-7.jpg" alt="" style="float: right;">
Churches converted to residences can look wonderful from the outside, but I really don’t think the interiors work well, especially if everything is put within the existing space. An extension is typically required. For someone like me who’s fond of standing on a soapbox, I especially find the adaptive reuse of the pulpit to be a problem. 
Therefore, of the churches listed above, I’d choose the converted church in Kangaroo Valley (below) where the pulpit is cleverly merged with the kitchen island joinery, so I could stand at the bench and preach to my dinner guests.  
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<img src="/images/2014/03/28/mb-silhouette-6.jpg" alt="" style="float: left;">SHE SAID:
For me, it’s the historic St Andrews Church at Talbot in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields, and close to the Pyrenees wine district. Not only do I think it would be a terrific weekender, but also I rather fancy the regular jaunts to Redbank Winery at Avoca to stock up on award winning Sally’s Paddock wines.
While stripped of its altar and pews, St Andrews (pictured below) is a converted church with tremendous character and beautiful original features including its windows and timber lined ceiling.  The overhead gas heating for winter warmth also is a winner. 
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