Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

Joel Robinson

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

<main data-perf-region="main">
Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
</main>

Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

A collection of just 25 large-format apartments and penthouses overlooking Goodwin Park is entering the Coolangatta market, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marea-residences-coolangatta-27-27a-dixon-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Maréa Residences</a> combining a low-density, residential-only approach with uninterrupted park and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

Located at 27 Dixon Street, Maréa comprises three and four-bedroom residences alongside a limited number of dual-level penthouses, with the project positioned between Goodwin Park and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/coolangatta-qld-4225">Coolangatta</a>’s coastal precinct.

Construction has commenced, with completion currently estimated for late 2027. Three-bedroom residences are priced from $1.8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374005]

The project has been designed around its northern outlook across the park, with the building’s architecture, landscaping and material palette intended to establish a connection with the neighbouring green space. The residences have been configured to maximise natural light and views across Goodwin Park towards the ocean.

Inside, the material palette incorporates timber, stone and brushed brass, complemented by curved detailing and ambient lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms carry the same natural material approach, while residences also include basement parking, storage and lift access.

Maréa’s penthouses are arranged over two levels and include private pools, adding another layer to the project’s focus on larger-format apartment living. Across the development, residences are configured with three or four bedrooms rather than the broader mix of smaller apartment types commonly found in larger projects.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374010]

Resident amenity is concentrated at rooftop level, where landscaped entertaining terraces and pools take advantage of elevated views across Coolangatta and the Pacific Ocean.

The project has so far been particularly well received by local owner-occupiers and downsizers, according to Urban Activation Property Sales and Marketing Director Matt George, with the residential-only format, construction quality and northern park outlook among the features resonating with purchasers.

“The uninterrupted northern aspect overlooking Goodwin Park has been a key point of difference, with buyers attracted to the sense of serenity and open space the park provides, while still enjoying easy access to the ocean and being within walking distance of the lifestyle and amenities Coolangatta has to offer,” George said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374002]

“The combination of high-quality construction, a residential-only building, park outlook and proximity to the beach has resonated strongly with the local downsizer market.”

The Dixon Street address is within walking distance of Coolangatta Beach and the broader southern Gold Coast coastline, including the surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra. Coolangatta’s cafés, restaurants and retail are nearby, while Gold Coast Airport is also within close proximity.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150999]

Maréa Residences brings parkside apartments to Coolangatta

Melbourne developer PDG has secured Victorian Government approval for its $1.5 billion Southbank development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-1-queens-bridge-street-southbank-vic-3006">The One</a>, clearing the way for the long-dormant riverfront site opposite Crown to finally be developed.

The Minister for Planning has approved the project at 1-29 Queens Bridge Street, with the Department of Transport and Planning issuing the planning permit following its assessment.

The approval will allow PDG to develop the prominent 5,059 sqm site with a major mixed-use tower comprising premium apartments, including branded residences, a luxury hotel and boutique office space.

PDG acquired the site in late 2024, with its position directly opposite Crown's main entrance and near Melbourne's Arts Precinct making it one of Southbank's most significant remaining development opportunities.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3933013e-6332-4386-b9be-089df05caf17" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sITIgBqDL0N3VNSMwWEmF5UA.uvcsRyu" />

Designed by COX in collaboration with ODO and PDG, the tower's architecture draws on the movement of the Yarra River, with six vertical pleats running the height of the sculpted facade.

The project will also see the heritage-listed Queens Bridge Hotel restored and incorporated into the development&nbsp;with new hospitality and public uses, including a rooftop venue.

A significant component of The One will be its residential amenity.

More than 5,000 sqm of resident facilities will be delivered across a single level, making it one of the largest consolidated residential amenity offerings proposed in an Australian apartment development.

The planning approval also incorporates a major upgrade of Queensbridge Square, which PDG will deliver in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73167fcd-1031-4b6f-a408-a064cfe45ed1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.17%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Pf1AEWxw6SNmBqR0zQW5lyEze.MtxgFp" />

The existing square will be revitalised as a new civic and pedestrian space along the Yarra River, strengthening the connection between the project, Southbank and the riverfront.

PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the approval represented a major milestone for a site which has remained largely underutilised for more than 15 years.

“This is the most significant Planning Permit approval Melbourne has seen in recent years,” Giuliano said.

“For more than 15 years, this site has remained underutilised. This approval enables us to deliver a project that will contribute meaningfully to the revitalisation of Southbank, restore and reactivate an important heritage building, and create a new civic and hospitality destination for Melbourne.”

The latest approval follows an earlier planning permit issued by the City of Melbourne covering demolition works across part of the site at 9-29 Queens Bridge Street. Those demolition and early works are already underway.

PDG has also started generating early interest in the residential component from owner-occupiers ahead of a planned public launch in early 2027.

PDG secures approval for $1.5bn Southbank apartment development, The One

Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

First look: Harridan plans Burke Street transformation beside Boggo Road transport hub

International

<html><body>
A 37 year old Manhattan resident has converted his apartment into a gamer’s paradise.
Chris Kooluris told <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/turned-apartment-arcade-article-1.1816727" target="_blank">The New York Daily News</a> that he decided to indulge his nostalgia after reading Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, a novel about 1980s gamer culture. He’s spent US $26,000 on his interiors renovation, including a number of vintage arcade games and a leather fold out bed (complete with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bed linen).
The senior vice president of a global public relations firm, Kooluris reportedly custom built a four-player arcade console, where he can play thousands of games, including Street Fighter II. Thousands of dollars have gone towards first-edition Transformers action figures.
But it seems that nurturing Kooluris’ inner child has come at a loss – he told The New York Daily News that in the process of building his arcade, his fiancée left him.
In truth, it seems that Kooluris’ extreme renovation makeover was inspired by more than just a book. After moving in with his fiancée, his apartment failed to sell and he reportedly began feeling uncomfortable in his new surroundings.
"This is the extreme reaction of someone who isn't surrounded by his own stuff," he told The New York Daily News. But while Koolouris and his friends reportedly love his arcade-apartment hybrid, it seems that Koolouris might have taken a tiger uppercut to the heart.
"Now that my fiancée and I are no longer together, it's hard to enjoy the room as much as I want to," he explained to The New York Daily News.  "I always end up thinking about her."
</body></html>

jrichardson-uRX5hFdKfN

Fantasy renovation: Manhattan gamer turns his apartment into a video game arcade

<html><body>
Madrid and Dublin have been heralded as 2013’s standout recovery markets in Knight Frank’s European Cities Review that looks at luxury markets and “Tier-2” cities across Europe.
Below, is how much space €1 millions will buy you.
<img src="/images/2014/06/11/kf%20june%2011%20one.png" alt="">
Source: Knight Frank Residential Research
Here are the nationalities purchasing in these cities:
<img src="/images/2014/06/11/kf-june-11-two.jpg" alt="">
Source: Knight Frank Residential Research
Head of international research at Knight Frank, Kate Everett-Allen, said that even among the first tier cities in Europe, there is considerable disparity.
With luxury prices in Paris oscillating around €12,000 to €15,000 per square metre, property here is looking good value, especially when compared to London or Monaco where prime prices are closer to €30,000 or €55,000 per square metre respectively – even taking President Hollande’s tax ruminations into consideration,” Allen explained.
“As economic indicators improve, the safe haven effect may not be uppermost in luxury buyers’ minds. Instead, lifestyle, proximity to schools or universities and security considerations may be increasingly influential.”
The performance of prime property, in fact, is influenced by the pattern of capital flows and the priorities of the world’s wealthy, she said.
Below are some examples of the reasoning across Europe (click to open in new window).
<a href="/images/2014/06/11/Infographic_Europe%20in%20numbers.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/06/11/Infographic_Europe%20in%20numbers.jpg" alt=""></a>
Source: Knight Frank Residential Research, Oxford Economics.
Nicholas Holt, Knight Frank head of research for Asia Pacific, said that the critical question is whether prevailing wealth flows will alter now the worst of the Eurozone crisis is over.
 “As economic indicators improve, the safe haven effect may not be uppermost in luxury buyers’ minds.  Instead, lifestyle, proximity to schools or universities and security considerations may be increasingly influential,” said Holt.
“Although wealth creation is forecast to be strongest in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, the appeal of Europe’s luxury bricks and mortar will – due to its history, diverse cultures, architecture and climate – mean it will remain the location of choice for the world’s wealthy.”
</body></html>

jduke-EHk3XBmHkn

The overseas luxury market: What €1 million buys and who is buying where

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
Some 33 kilometres outside of Paris, in the town of Poissy, sits a true “design classic”, Villa Savoye. The work of seminal Swiss architect Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye is a constructed experiment, a manifesto to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-modernism-24534" target="_blank">modernism</a>.
Designed and built between 1929 and 1931, the house represents one of the first constructions of modern architecture, redefining classical elements to respond to technological advances and the changing needs of the 20th century. It was a complete departure from the traditional architecture of the time.
This house is more than simply a modern take on a French country house – it was an opportunity to apply a standardised design system which would ultimately produce what Le Corbusier defined as a “Machine for Living”. Like a car and its parts, where each component is necessary to its function, the house would work as efficiently as possible.
In 1926, Le Corbusier published a manifesto entitled <a href="https://www.learn.columbia.edu/courses/arch20/pdf/art_hum_reading_52.pdf" target="_blank">Five Points Towards a New Architecture</a> in which he defined a set of universal principles that could standardise an architectural approach, allowing for a model of architecture that could be reformulated to respond to different requirements such as location and climate.
Villa Savoye became the first test site for these principles.
Le Corbusier’s five points of architecture
The first principle, a grid of “pilotis”, French for a post or column, replaced the typical load-bearing wall which produced a “free plan”; the second principle, allowing for flexibility in wall placement. A “free façade,” the third principle, separated the structure (the pilotis) from the façade of the building, allowing for a continuous, uninterrupted horizontal “ribbon window,” principle four. The fifth principle, a “roof garden” enclosed by a screen, framed the landscape while allowing light to enter the house.
These five principles, which have since become part of a universal architectural language, were reinterpreted and defined by the context. In the case of Villa Savoye, this included a meadow enclosed by trees with views orientating north and west.
A white cubic volume, stripped of any unnecessary ornamentation, is elevated over the centre of the meadow as if an alien ship is about to land. The domestic activities are literally lifted off the ground, separated from the outside world.
The ground level is organised with machine precision, determined by the turning capability of a car, which carves out the ground’s interior volume. This space is arranged to control the sequence of movements through the house; a stair that creates direct vertical connections and a ramp generating a gradual unfolding procession into the house which synthesises the three levels of the villa and produces direct relationships between inside and outside.
Ribbon windows frame views, almost like a camera obscura, bringing the outside context of the house inside. A roof garden, which replaces the exterior space taken over by the mass of the building, allows light to penetrate all spaces of the house.
Article continues on next page. Please click. below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
A trailblazer
Distinctly ahead of its time, Villa Savoye has become great inspiration for architects and designers and many of the ideas and concepts have evolved and been imitated by others. Le Corbusier foresaw material innovation with the introduction of industrial materials. Previously, houses were perceived as solid and heavy structures where stone, timber and bricks were commonly used.
Conversely, Le Corbusier drew influence from the machine age, inspired by his fascination with steamships. He introduced steel, glass and reinforced concrete, a shift away from what he saw as impractical materials and methods of the time. Villa Savoye is constructed from reinforced concrete and masonry units. White plaster unifies the house and hides the fact that individual pre-fabricated parts were used to construct the villa.
The assembly of standard components saw a progressive rise for pre-fabrication in architecture, which still has major influence on the practice today. The move towards a more standardised process of forming and making has been further informed by current technological advances, including laser cutters, 3D printers and robots.
These technologies have facilitated the evolution of pre-fabrication, from furniture to building scale. Le Corbusier’s ideas have endured, still influencing efficiency and innovation in the 21st century.
Villa Savoye represents one of the most significant architectural projects constructed. The people at LEGO, one of the world’s most successful brands agree, adding it to their “<a href="https://theconversation.com/block-party-how-architecture-helped-rebuild-lego-18604" target="_blank">architecture series</a>”, in good company with the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water and 14 other iconic buildings around the world.
Villa Savoye’s basic principles transcend time and scale. They have been incorporated into a single family home, as demonstrated by the villa, but have been just as easily applied to large-scale residential buildings such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit%C3%A9_d'Habitation" target="_blank">Unité d'Habitation</a> in Marseille, France.
Even after 85 years, this timeless icon of architecture is a model that is still central to architectural and spatial thinking.
William Feuerman is course director (B Des Arch), senior lecturer, school of architecture at University of Technology, Sydney.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">The Conversation</a>. 
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
</body></html>

jake-cSmGT7VXVf

Sublime design: Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye

Australia in global house price growth top 10, but affordability improves

<html><body>
This week's property quiz will test the brains of movie buffs and property nerds alike. 
Here are ten homes that have secured their places in cinema history. Can you guess where they made their film debuts?
<ol>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/St_Patricks_Seminary_Sydney_front_view.jpg" alt=""> The former inhabitants of St Patrick's Seminary in Sydney would surely disapprove of the parties thrown inside its walls for this film.</li>
<li>
<img src="/images/2014/05/30/ferris-bueller-house-for-sale-cameron-12.jpg" alt=""> Wagging school never seemed so glamorous.</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/the%20godfather.jpg" alt=""> This sprawling estate has enough room for a horse - or part of one, anyway. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/a%20single%20man.jpg" alt=""> This fashionable home made its movie debut at the same time as its fashionable director.</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/dude_0000_0726lebowski1.jpg.jpg" alt=""> "Well sir, it's this rug I had. It really tied the room together."</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/Home%20alone%20house.jpg" alt=""> Be careful with the doorknob, and the steps, and the iron, and the stairs...and the spider. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/1200px-Ennis_House_front_view_2005.jpg" alt=""> Do androids dream of Frank Lloyd Wright homes? 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/Twilight-New-Moon-House-Sale000.jpg" alt=""> Perfect for swanning around in with your pale beau. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/scarface-mansion-sale.jpg" alt=""> Say 'hello' to this $35 million mansion. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/elrod.JPG" alt=""> A certain man with a license to kill almost met his match in this mansion.</li>
</ol>
For the films that made these homes famous, click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
 THE ANSWERS
<ol>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/St_Patricks_Seminary_Sydney_front_view.jpg" alt=""> Australian Catherine Martin won the Oscar for Best Production Design after picking this former Sydney seminary for the exterior of Jay Gatsby's mansion in The Great Gatsby. 
</li>
<li>
<img src="/images/2014/05/30/ferris-bueller-house-for-sale-cameron-12.jpg" alt=""> Bueller? Bueller? Cameron's dad's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off was sold for US$1.25 million earlier this year, down from its initial asking price of US$2.5 million. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/the%20godfather.jpg" alt=""> The Beverley House was the home of The Godfather's Jack Woltz. It's now listed for sale through Hilton Hyland for US $135 million. Thankfully, this estate only provided exterior shots for the movie, so you won't be haunted by any visions of beheaded horses. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/a%20single%20man.jpg" alt=""> The Schaffer Residence was Colin Firth's home in A Single Man, the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford. The house sold in December 2012 after four long years on the market, for US $1.395 million to an English television ad director.</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/dude_0000_0726lebowski1.jpg.jpg" alt=""> This cottage was the home (and unfortunate site of many beatings) of the Dude of The Big Lebowski. <a href="/news/big-lebowski-house-for-sale">It was listed for sale in 2011</a>. </li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/Home%20alone%20house.jpg" alt=""> Kevin! The abandoned McCallister pretty much tried to murder two robbers in this home in Home Alone. The house was sold by Coldwell Banker real estate for US $1.585 million in 2012. 
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/1200px-Ennis_House_front_view_2005.jpg" alt=""> Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House was made famous in the 1982 science fiction classic, Blade Runner.
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/Twilight-New-Moon-House-Sale000.jpg" alt=""> This West Vancouver house was home to the Cullens in Twilight. It was advertised for sale by Jason Soprovich in late 2009 for CAD $3.298 million.  
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/scarface-mansion-sale.jpg" alt=""> California's El Fureidis estate was the mansion in Scarface. It's currently on the market for US $35 million.  
</li>
<li>
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/elrod.JPG" alt=""> Another John Lautner stunner on the list. The Elrod House seems to attract a bad crowd, with villains from Diamonds Are Forever, Lethal Weapon 2 and Charlie's Angels all calling the mansion home. 
</li>
</ol>
How did you do? For homes that made it big on the small screen, click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
So now you've seen the houses that earned the spotlight on the silver screen. But what about their more humble cousins on our televisions?
 <img src="/images/2014/05/30/aplacetocallhomeapril29flicker.jpg" alt="">
Camelot at Camden, pictured below, was the location for Channel 7's post war drama A Place to Call Home. 
<img src="/images/2014/05/30/placetocallhomemay9one.jpg" alt=""> 
<a href="/news/camelot-at-camden-is-captivating-as-a-place-to-call-home-location-on-channel-7s-new-1950s-drama-series">Known as Ash Park in the series</a>, the fairy tale home has 55 rooms.  Late last year, the house of one Toadie 'Toadfish' Ribecchi <a href="/news/vic/neighbours-ramsay-street-home-sells-127-000-over-reserve-wins-award">sold for $127,000 above its reserve price</a>. The '30 Ramsay Street' house from Neighbours went for $827,000.  <img src="/images/2014/05/30/ramsay.jpg" alt="">
In late 2012, the Concord cottage (pictured below) that housed the sprawling Rafter clan in Channel 7's Packed to the Rafters <a href="/news/nsw/concords-packed-to-the-rafters-house-fails-to-sell">was </a><a href="/news/nsw/concords-packed-to-the-rafters-house-fails-to-sell">passed in at auction</a>, after selling for $1 million in 2006. <img src="/images/2014/05/30/l_rafters.jpg" alt="">
 You might also be interested in this story: <a href="/news/sa/infamous-snowtown-bank-sells">Infamous Snowtown bank sells </a>
</body></html>

Friday trivia: Can you guess which films made these homes famous?

<html><body>
The celebrity chef Bill Granger - who retains two restaurants in Sydney, along with four in Japan, and in London's Notting Hill and Clerkenwell - has opened Bills Sydney in Hawaii. And his next outlet opening will be Seoul in June.
<a href="https://www.billshawaii.com" target="_blank">It is a rustic-chic beach house in Waikiki</a> that opened last month.
The trademark creamy scrambled eggs that put him on the culinary map are available at 280 Beachwalk Avenue.
It's between the Hilton and Westin in low-level contemporary <a href="https://www.thebeallcorporation.com/projects/280_beach_walk/BW_1_DSC_1495" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">building</a> (pictured above) that also houses the Hard Rock Cafe in the two-story 30,519 square foot retail building.
Located at Waikiki’s west side, Honu Group’s retail development is close to the Fort DeRussy Reservation.
<a href="https://www.thebeallcorporation.com/pdfs/280_beach_walk-brochure.pdf" target="_blank">2006 stats showed a daily US$202 expenditure by Oceania visitors</a> which Bills will be seeking some of the spend especially from those who know of his fare.
"I only open where I’m inspired; something about the place and lifestyle needs to speak to me," he recently said.
"Honolulu is my favourite type of beach town - urban.
"I had no idea how vibrant the food scene was; I’ve been inspired by the tropical produce and fusion of Vietnamese, Japanese and indigenous cuisines (with a bit of Brooklyn thrown in).
"The menu includes nods to these local dishes, plus all the bills classics and pizzas piled with fresh healthy toppings," he says.
He is not the only Australian in the complex as CBRE's Andrew Starn secured <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2013/06/12/pacific/search/results?q=Andrew%20Starn" style="line-height: 1.3em;"></a>tenants including Le Blanc Art with the Australian-born artist Shane Bowden. The other tenants include Akakura, a high-end shoe store, 24 Karat, a Japanese surf shop and the Rome-based women’s clothing and accessories boutique Brandy Melville.
Title Tattle recalls Bill Granger got his training at the iconic La Passion du Fruit on Paddington's Oxford Street after hailing from Melbourne.
Granger opened the original bills in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst in 1993, when he was 22.
His Queens Court, Woollahra restaurant recently closed, replaced by the vibrant Luxe.
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Bills of Sydney rides wave of international success to Waikiki, Hawaii

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
The Australasian real estate industry is as mature as any on the planet. We compete against our peers globally and do it well.
Within the global brand I’m associated with, RE/MAX, with its presence in 95 countries, Australia currently has an impressive 13 of the top 20 international teams.
The Australasian real estate industry and Australasian real estate agent practices stand up very well against other nations, and I’d go so far as to say may often beat many international peers hands down when it comes to skills, characteristics and methodologies such as multiple marketing options including the auction system. It is indicative too that real estate is more widely perceived as a career than in many other countries.
In comparison, for example, with the US and Canada, the Australasian real estate industry is not of the same scale. We don’t come close to the huge numbers of offices and agents involved there… yet! I have no doubt that Australian and New Zealand real estate offices will continue to grow both in numbers of agents and services provided by an office.
On my recent trip to Canada, for example, where RE/MAX has 36% market share, I saw some massive operations. I spent time in one real estate business, Richard Pilarski’s RE/MAX Realtron Realty. He has eight offices in Toronto with in excess of 700 sales associates. One office alone has 300 sales associates.
Will Australia and New Zealand follow down the path of creating real estate operations to that scale?
There are offices with 100-plus agents in Australia already; and while we may not see offices with 300-to-400-agents or greater being commonplace in the short term, there’s every possibility we’ll see 30-to-50–strong sales forces on the rise.
For instance, in Canada and the US, no more than approximately 30 per cent in the real estate industry work from an office, and that is a growing trend here in Australia.
With ever-expanding technology, there is a lot more capacity for people to work remotely; so we can expect that real estate businesses will expand without us necessarily seeing bigger physical premises where sales, property management and financial specialists gather and work. RE/MAX AIRR is one such existing example - where portals and databases are more important, and more widely used, than desks and office car parks.
Michael Davoren is managing director of RE/MAX AUSTRALIA and RE/MAX NEW ZEALAND.
</body></html>

mdavoren-BoeuVwusdi

Will the Australasian real estate industry blow out in size?

<html><body>
Prime residential prices in key cities worldwide rose by 0.8% on average in the first quarter of 2014, the slowest rate of growth since Q3 2012.
The Knight Frank Prime Global Cities Index tracks the price performance of 32 luxury residential markets.
Closer analysis shows the first quarter of the year has been the index’s weakest performing quarter in two years.
The first quarter, for many European and US cities, corresponds to the winter months where sales activity is sluggish and price movements slower.
The report noted in much of Asia it also marks a traditional low season as Chinese New Year sees sales activity decline.
In addition, tax changes (CGT, VAT etc) often take effect at the end of December leading to a spike in sales in the fourth quarter as buyers and vendors look to take advantage of lower rates e.g. fiscal cliff in New York in 2012.
Despite the slower quarterly rate of growth, the Prime Global Cities Index rose by 6.1% on an annual basis, up from 4.8% a year ago suggesting the overall trend for luxury prices continues to follow an upward trajectory.
Jakarta tops the rankings but Dublin saw the second highest rate of quarterly growth, with prime prices ending the first quarter 5.6% higher.
Last year marked a turning point for Dublin’s upmarket residential areas such as Dalkey and Ballsbridge. Since then luxury prices have risen around 24% but prices remain 35-45% below their pre-crisis peak.
<a href="https://www.knightfrankblog.com/global-briefing/files/2014/05/Prime-Price-By-City-to-Q1-2014.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3309" src="https://www.knightfrankblog.com/global-briefing/files/2014/05/Prime-Price-By-City-to-Q1-2014.jpg" alt="" width="285" height="413"></a>
The full rankings and analysis is at <a href="https://my.knightfrank.com/research-reports/prime-global-cities-index.aspx" target="_blank" title="Prime Global Cities Index" style="line-height: 1.3em;">The Prime Global Cities Index</a>.
</body></html>

Sydney squeezed in-between London and Vancouver price growth: Knight Frank global cities index

<html><body><div class="richlistContainer">
<div class="infoBarOneLine">
Jon Aisbitt, the London-based former Goldman Sachs Australia boss, sits in equal last place on the latest Sunday Times Richest 1000 list. 
His net worth was down £40 million.
Aisbtt was in equal 989th place this year with an £85 million worth.
Aisbitt was in 631st place last year. The list, now in its 26th year, was released on Sunday.
Aisbitt, 57, made £50 million from Goldman Sachs' 1999 float, and £15 million from share sales until he left the merchant bank in 2002.
It was also 2002 when the London-bound departing Goldman Sachs co-chairman, Jon Aisbitt, and his wife, Julie, secured $13.5 million for their Wunulla Road house, Point Piper harbour front house.
It was renovated after its $9.6 million sale in 1999 by the architect Luigi Rosselli. The house was built for the Rose family in the early 1960s by architect Adrian Snodgrass, who was influenced by the Wrightian style of the Sydney School of Architecture.
Aisbitt, ranked 368 in The Sunday Times' 2002 Rich List with a £98 million net worth.
The Sunday Times doesn't explain the drop in his net worth, but says Aisbitt's investments in Ocean Rig, the deepwater drilling operator, and broker Redburn Partners netted him £55 million.
 He has a £1.8 million holding in the Man hedge fund business that he chairs. 
In this role, Aisbitt oversees the operation's own charitable arm, the Man Group plc Charitable Trust which supports disadvantaged children through community projects, literacy and numeracy support and university scholarships, as well as supporting causes tackling domestic violence, homelessness, mental health and the environment. 
Last year, it gave £1.85m and received another £1.115m in donations and other income for future spending. 
Back in 1999 I wrote the $10 billion Goldman Sachs employee goodwill bonus - given when the company listed on the New York stock exchange in April 1999 - had been a goldmine for Point Piperites, the Goldman co-chairman Jon Aisbitt having only recently arrived, temporarily drawing the drapes at his Wiversfield, Sussex, residence, Launces Hall Church.
Aisbitt bought in Point Piper right opposite his short-lived Goldman co-chairman Malcolm Turnbull, whose Australian outfit had then reported a 70% jump in its annual operating revenue to $15.2 million.
Title Tattle recalls proximity to Goldman co-chairman Malcolm Turnbull's mansion, Le Gai Soleil hadn't been a priority, given co-chairmanship inevitably is a role that can lead to the odd tension.
</div>
</div></body></html>

Jon Aisbitt almost drops off latest Sunday Times Richest 1000 list

<html><body>
Seumas Dawes, the London-based Australian merchant banker, sits in equal 739th place with a £124 million net worth on the latest Sunday Times Richest 1000 list. His net worth was up £34 million.
Dawes was in 859th place last year and 821st in the 2012 list. The list, now in its 26th year, was released on Sunday.
Dawes, currently the chairman of the investment committee at Pepper Investment Management, has been the long time senior funds manager at Ashmore, and before that at Paribas and ANX Investment.
It was previously reported that Dawes, 56, sold £17 million of Ashmore shares and retained a stake worth £75 million in 2006.
Dawes has also held a number of positions in the Australian public sector including three years as a senior advisor to Paul Keating, the then treasurer of Australia.
Last month, the non-bank lender Pepper raised the equivalent of $500 million through the sale of non-conforming residential mortgage-backed bonds, the largest deal of its kind since the financial crisis. Non-conforming loans are the Australian equivalent of sub-prime loans.
The Australian Financial Review reported that Pepper paid just 1.10 percentage points over the bank rate for the $136 million of AAA-rated A1 notes and 0.35 of a percentage point above the London interbank offered rate to place $US200 million of short-term notes with US and European money investors. Seven international and 14 domestic investors bought the bonds with low levels of Australian defaults supporting the sale of residential mortgage backed securities.
<a href="/news/a-cut-above-the-rest-the-era-of-sydney-mega-mansions-far-from-over-title-tattle">Property Observer reported in February last year</a> that Dawes had poured some of his net worth into a serious Bronte acquisition.
The funds manager and his wife Rosemary initially spent $12.3 million for a large, modern three-storey residence in 2006.
Unquestionably one of the most expensive coastal suburbs in Sydney's east, the <a href="/developments/bronte-nsw-2024">Bronte </a>property sits along the exclusive strip known as The Cutting.
<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/stories/2013/02/bronte1.jpg" alt="bronte1">
It was a modern five-bedroom residence on the ocean side of Bronte Road overlooking the beach and ocean.
Then last year, the couple splashed out with the $16.5 million purchase of the neighbouring house (pictured below), which they're set to bulldoze to expand their garden and garaging in grounds prepared by Formed Gardens.
The new works, which include gym and cabana, improve the neighbouring contemporary houses's north eastern aspect. Apparently it's only going to cost $846,000, which will take the spend to $29.6 million.
<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/stories/2013/02/bronte3.jpg" alt="bronte3">
Dawes once had an abode in Potts Point's landmark complex, Wyldefel Gardens.
</body></html>

International

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

International

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News