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

Joel Robinson

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

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

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

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

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

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

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

First look: Inca eyes Mona Vale with State Significant DA for Dawn apartments

Mount Macedon

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Falls House, the Mount Macedon home of the late radio personality Clive Stark and his partner, interior design company boss Geoffrey Stewardson, has been listed for sale.
<a href="http://www.keatings.com.au/view-property/?OID=12446424" target="_blank">The home</a> was built in 1999 by Englehart Homes as a purpose-built boutique guesthouse and conference centre.
It was originally known as the Blue Ridge Inn.
The property was bought by Stark and Stewardson for $1,725,000 in 2009.
They spent around $2.5 million renovating and extending the property with the help of architect Darren Overend.
Falls House now comprises six bedrooms, including two master suites with walk in robes and ensuites, a home theatre, library, music room, home office and a games room. 
Keatings Real Estate agent John Keating is asking $4.95 million.
Stark, who was a radio host on Melbourne's 3LO died in 2017, survived by his partner of five decades, Stewardson the former managing director of high end Melbourne interior designers Riddell Marley.
This article first appeared in The Weekend Australian. 
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Late radio star Clive Stark's former Mount Macedon home listed

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Mount Macedon has been known for its beautiful 19th-century gardens since Melbourne's wealthy took to the location for their inland summer retreats.
Set at the southern end of Victoria's Great Dividing Range, just 60km from Melbourne, its gardens often come with extravagant homes.
Cameron Lodge, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-vic-mount+macedon-7993890" target="_blank">one of the earliest hill station gardens</a>, has been listed for spring sale through Abercromby's Armadale agent Jock Langley.
Dating back to the 1880s, Cameron Lodge sits on just over four hectares with Turritable Creek frontage. 
The estate features an original summer pavilion, a Temple of Winds, designed by Joan Anderson in 1932, along with Roman baths in its lower garden.
Closer to the home are topiary gardens along with a mod-grass tennis court and pool.
During their ownership, the current vendors sought to simplify the garden with a focus on the traditional English arts and crafts style. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/18/lodge2.jpg" alt="">
The property has a main house of three bedrooms, each with a marble ensuite, a three-bedroom guest lodge and a three-bedroom cottage.
The Indian colonial-style cottage surrounded by wide verandahs fetches over $700 a night on Stayz.
Owners through the decades have included used car salesman, Kevin Dennis Gowing, rag traders Michael and Michelle Hiatt, the pair behind women's fashion chain Living Doll, the tech entrepreneur Roger May, supermarket retailer Stuart Stoneman, and the consultant Alan Carroll, co-founder of Australian Ratings, the local subsidiary of international corporate ratings agency, Standard &amp; Poors.
Its most famous occupant was Meryl Streep, the actress who stayed for six months at $2500 a week, when accompanied by her husband, sculptor Don Gummer, and children while filming of Evil Angels, the Azaria Chamberlain film in 1987.
Originally named Rahiri, Cameron Lodge was built in 1886 by Edward Woods, who had his city base in St Kilda at the now demolished Glenmore.
It was a time when the marketing for the district was pitched as "everyone knows distance lends enchantment to the view."
In 1916 William Cameron, a director of British American Tobacco, renamed it Cameron Lodge. His city home with wife Katy was Hammerdale in St Kilda.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/18/lodge3.jpg" alt="">
Cameron, who died in 1949 aged 80, was from a family who'd emigrated from Scotland to Virginia in the United States, and began exporting tobacco to Australia in the 1860s.
The family company, which built tobacco factories in Sydney, on Beckett Street in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, joined with the Dixson Tobacco Co in 1903 to form the British-Australasian Tobacco Co Ltd. The Australian companies supplied 75 percent of the manufactured tobacco for Australia and India.
His southern tobacco baron father George, was a gallant Confederate soldier who'd distinguished himself in the 1864 battle for Petersburgh.
The expatriate son was responsible for the cross erected in 1934 as a memorial to soldiers at Mount Macedon.
As a depression employment initiative, Cameron, who'd lost his son in World War I, constructed the massive 21m cross at the eastern lookout as a tribute to those who'd died in the war. 
It was dedicated by the Premier, Sir Stanley Argyle to the glory of God and to the memory of Australia's gallant soldiers.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/18/lodge4.jpg" alt="">
Soon after pictures of the cross, set among elegant gardens with views back to the city, featured on railway promotion posters, tourist postcards and brochures.
The £10,000 cost of the cross, plus the roadway, was paid by Cameron.
Constructed of Wunderlich terracotta tiles, it was hit by lightning in 1975 and damaged in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, which I saw when reporting for the Melbourne Herald. 
It was replaced in 1995 with the Grollo family key to its restoration.
The first European to climb the mountain was the NSW survey general Thomas Mitchell in 1836, who had king Philip II of Macedon in mind when naming it.
This article was first published in the Weekend Australian.
 
 
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Mount Macedon garden estate Cameron Lodge hits the market

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Dallwallinu, one of the few properties on Mount Macedon with Turritable Creek meandering through the title, has been listed for sale.
The four bedroom 1980s home, privately set within a 3.6 hectare English garden, comes with a $1,755,000 asking price.
The Childers Road oasis adjoins the Mount Macedon Golf Course.
It has been listed through Lisa Fowler and Lindsay Hill at Lindsay Hill Real Estate.  
The price guidance was based on three comparables. 
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1. 37 Douglas Road, Mt Macedon (1 acre approx.)
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$1,270,000
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<td>
April 2018
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2. 77 Douglas Road, Mt Macedon (1 acre approx.)
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<td>
$1,700,000
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April 2018
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3. 640 Mt Macedon Road, Mount Macedon (9 acres approx.)
</td>
<td>
$3,250,000
</td>
<td>
Oct 2017
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</tbody>
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There have been a dozen acreages with homes sold in the Victorian weekender locality so far this year with prices between $890,000 for Aldershot and $2.75 million for the 2006-built Camelot. 
Camelot dates back to the 1880s when the original house, Hohe Warte, was built by the honorary consul for Austria-Hungary, importer Carl Ludwig Pinschof and his wife, the opera singer Elise Wiedermann. 
The property was renamed by its next owners, the Slutzkin family.
This article first appeared in The Weekend Australian. 
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Mount Macedon trophy home Dallwallinu listed

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Little known Queensland developer Troy Daffy of Silverstone Development has emerged as the mystery buyer of Macedon House, the Gisborne three bedroom house which is noted on the Victorian Heritage Register.
It was recently sold for $1.36 million by mortgagees through Jason Kennedy from Kennedy &amp; Hunt Gisborne.
Daffy told the Great Gisborne Gazette he would carry out repairs to Macedon House as ordered by the State Government.
“I may live in Brisbane, but at heart I am still a Gisborne boy,” he told the local paper.
Built circa 1847, Macedon House at 1 Kilmore Road operated for some time as the Mount Macedon Hotel, then functioned as a boarding and guest house for many years from 1887.
Since then, the building on 5.17 acres has been used as a private house, restaurant, reception centre, bowling clubhouse and kindergarten.
Specified works have been outlined by Heritage Victoria that needs to be actioned to prevent further deterioration of the structure.
It was last sold at $250,100 in 1998.
<a href="https://freshlyworded.com/2018/06/12/macedon-house-the-old-and-new-history-of-a-gisborne-ruin/" target="_blank">A local blogger</a> noted Macedon House had been bought for $190,000 in 1995 by the Gisborne Bowling Club who sold it for $250,000 in 1998 to Mainpoint, the family company of Eduard “Ted” Sent.
In 2014 Melbourne developer Brian Forshaw, who has been a business partner of Sent acquired Macedon House for $770,000.
Forshaw had hoped he'd struck a deal to sell Macedon House to a company called Nuline Consulting, ultimately owned by Grace Sent, Ted Sent’s wife.
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Silverstone Group's Troy Daffy buys Macedon House, Gisborne

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Vienna Woods, the Mount Macedon trophy home on Mount Macedon Road, has been listed for sale.
Set behind an iron gateway and ornate fencing on 5.5 hectares, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-mount+macedon-127144122" target="_blank">Vienna Woods</a> comprises two dwellings on its parcel.
The construction was closely scrutinised by master craftsman builder Ewald Jeske.
The main residence has four bedrooms, a formal dining room, grand lounge and a billiard room with wet bar.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/12/8/vienna2.jpg" alt="">
A one bedroom cottage sits amid the established gardens near the tennis court.
Gisborne Real Estate agent Janis Paul is marketing the property with a $3.2 million to $3.5 million price guide.
 
 
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Mount Macedon estate Vienna Woods for sale

Grand View in Mount Macedon is being marketed as the first property in Victoria ready to accept 100 percent Bitcoin as payment by Unique Estates agent Dominic Romeo.

Unique Estates have yet to respond as to whether Bitcoin can be used for a deposit. Grandview is up for $2.5 million, which is around 208 Bitcoin.

Their current valuation is around $12,000 per Bitcoin.

The six bedroom home spanning 480 sqm sits high on Mount Macedon in nearly four acres of historic gardens.

<img alt="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/11/29/Grandview2.jpg" />

The seller of the home approached Unique Estates with the idea. &ldquo;The kids are getting bigger and we won&#39;t be needing all this room let&#39;s sell Grand View for Bitcoin.&rdquo;

Unique Estate&#39;s Dominic Romeo said that when he first heard the proposal to sell for Bitcoin I saw it as a great opportunity to try something new.

&quot;A good agent is always ready to listen to a vendor and negotiate the right terms,&quot; said Romeo.

When being explained Bitcoin, Romeo said the owner put him through a crash course and &quot;he even sent me $10 in Bitcoin.&quot;

The property is of course also for sale with &#39;real money&#39;.

Property listings accepting the virtual currency have been popular in the last week.

At the start of the week the vendor for a home in The Basin in Victoria was accepting a part Bitcoin payment.

The vendor of Wooroonooran Falls, a Far North Queensland home, is prepared to accept a full Bitcoin payment for the $1.2 million property.&nbsp;

Bitcoin was invented in 2009 and has risen over 1000 percent in the last 12 months.

Grand View in Mount Macedon another property offering to accept Bitcoin payment

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A 16 hectare equestrian estate, described as a horse haven in its marketing, has been listed for sale.
Set in the Kerrie Valley on "drought proof land", <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-vic-kerrie-7929630" target="_blank">the property</a> features facilities including a 70x30 arena, 800 metre sand track and polo-day yards.
There is stabling for seven horses, a tack room and wash bays.
A four bedroom homestead with outlooks from every room sits on the parcel.
Abercrombys agents Jock Langley and Emma Pierson have set a November 19 auction.
The property last traded for $1 million in 2000.
 
 
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Equestrian estate near Mount Macedon listed 

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The historic garden estate Sefton at Mount Macedon has finally been sold by Gribbles Pathology founder Wallace Cameron and wife Joan.
There's been no price nor buyer disclosure, however the word is the keenest offer came from interests associated with Tait's Warrnambool lawyer turned Thomas Lindsey.
It's last marketing had the home expecting close to $7 million, through JP Dixon in conjunction with John Keating at Keatings Real Estate.
Cameron paid $8,175,000 in 2005.
They asked for $12 million when they listed in 2010.
It had been on and off the market since last year, with its latest marketing campaign spanning over 250 days.
Built by the Baillieu family as a summer holiday home in the early 1900s, the 8.8 hectare English garden was laid out with obvious influences of the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens directors Baron von Mueller and W. R. Guilfoyle.
The main 910 sqm homestead is a Tudor-style mansion with seven bedrooms and is complete with billiard room, glass atrium sitting room and a former ballroom.
Among the Sefton grounds is a nine-tree gold course, tennis court and croquet lawn along with a heated outdoor swimming pool and helipad.
This article first appeared in the Weekend Australian Mansion Australian section. 
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