<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/capital-corporation">Capital Corporation</a> has announced that its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/lovedale-farm-1054-1184-wine-country-drive-lovedale-nsw-2325">Lovedale Farm</a> residential, resort and golf project has secured $24.6 million in sales in just three weeks since the opening of its display home, underscoring the appetite for premium lifestyle property in the Hunter Valley countryside.

The sales milestone has been driven by a diverse mix of buyers, including owner-occupiers and investors from Sydney, Newcastle and the local Hunter region, purchasing both land-only lots and house and land packages across the development.

<img alt="Lovedale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e173edc9-e60e-4f19-a060-9dc4421a3233" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/LovedaleFarm_20250215-1.jpg?VersionId=1LY6CvOaD.Dzrt8tWpWxXtPyfchixNIo" />

&nbsp;

The result builds on the momentum generated at the display home opening on 22 March, which attracted more than 460 attendees.

With house and land pricing from $1.14 million, Lovedale Farm continues to attract strong interest from buyers seeking a premium lifestyle offering at a compelling price point. The development’s vision, a championship golf course, future epicurean village and access to the Hunter Valley’s celebrated wine country, has resonated with a broad buyer profile, from first-time investors to those looking to make the move and call the Hunter Valley home.

<img alt="Lovedale Farm records $21.4 million in sales in three weeks" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b358e789-e1eb-40ed-8105-ed5c8297136f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/20260321LovedaleFarmDisplayHomeOpening--6.jpg?VersionId=6GUO8TNnxuELONrsM6n9imDB6oc82Bor" />

Jim Hunter, Managing Director of Capital Corporation said the response since opening the display home has been encouraging.

"To reach $24.6 million in sales in just three weeks speaks to the genuine demand for a lifestyle community of this calibre in the Hunter Valley," Hunter says.

"We’re seeing buyers from across the region and beyond, including investors who recognise the long-term value, and owner-occupiers who simply want to live somewhere truly special.

“Lovedale Farm is two decades in the making, and the market’s response is everything we hoped for. We’re excited to see these first buyers become part of the Lovedale Farm story from the very beginning."

<img alt="Lovedale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="54d985cf-2ac2-400b-ac02-4401f3421ac7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/20260321LovedaleFarmDisplayHomeOpening--5.jpg?VersionId=3866bPoqpLZsm.3ACg9EafAr1W3miC_f" />

&nbsp;

Spanning 240 hectares on Wine Country Drive in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/lovedale-nsw-2325">Lovedale</a>, the $1 billion development is expected to deliver around 1,250 jobs during construction and inject more than $300 million into the local economy. The first 200 homes and championship 18-hole golf course are anticipated for completion in late 2027.

Capital Corporation has also lodged development plans for the Lovedale Farm clubhouse, set to become a vibrant hub for residents and the wider Hunter Valley community. Further releases are planned for later this year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=14476]

Joel Robinson

Lovedale Farm display home opening triggers $24.6 million in sales in three weeks

Prominent Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/osk-property">OSK Property</a> has unveiled <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aura-at-melbourne-square-7-hoff-boulevard-southbank-vic-3006">Aura</a>, the next stage of its $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct in Southbank, continuing its push into wellness-led, amenity-rich apartment living.

The $800 million tower, planned for 7 Hoff Boulevard, will rise 67 storeys and deliver 673 apartments, with COX Architecture drawing on both Japanese design principles and Australia’s natural landscape to shape the building’s identity. A rectangular grid aesthetic defines the building’s exterior, with COX drawing design cues from New York high-rises and Tokyo’s skyline.

Aura builds on a growing trend in high-density living, where wellness is no longer an add-on but central to the product. The development is structured around four key pillars, combining calm, minimalist residences with layered communal spaces, landscaped gardens, and a suite of wellness amenities designed to support both physical and mental wellbeing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367465]

At the core of the project is what OSK describes as a vertical wellness ecosystem, a multi-level approach to amenity that integrates health, lifestyle, and social spaces throughout the building rather than confining them to a single level.

The main resident hub, the Aura Club on level seven, will include a pool, cold plunge, spa, gym, Pilates and yoga studios, alongside more lifestyle-driven inclusions like a golf simulator, music rooms, library, and work-from-home spaces. Above, a series of higher-level amenity zones, including the Meridian Club and Cumulus Club, introduce more refined, social and retreat-style environments, with private dining, lounges, and premium wellness spaces positioned to take advantage of city views.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367467]

The residences themselves will largely include balconies, a key design move in a market increasingly focused on natural light, airflow, and connection to the outdoors. Views will extend across the CBD, the Arts Precinct, Royal Botanic Gardens, and beyond.

Aura also introduces approximately 1,600 sqm of retail across the lower levels, further activating the Melbourne Square precinct, which already includes Kennedy Park, a Woolworths, childcare, and a growing mix of hospitality operators.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367474]

“Aura stands tall as an exemplar of holistic wellness – its focus on social, physical and mental health culminate in a building that is calming, restorative and relaxing, where residents will have their own sanctuary within the well-connected and sought-after <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>," says&nbsp;OSK Property CEO Chong Boon Woon.

“We have been very encouraged by the market’s response to the BLVD offering, and we know there is a strong demand for the level of amenity, service and design that the Melbourne Square precinct is known for.

“Complemented by work-from-home lounges for professionals, family friendly outdoor garden spaces, and state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facilities, Aura will continue our focus on maximising physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing,” he said.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367475]

The project follows the strong performance of BLVD, which is now around 80 per cent sold, and reinforces OSK Property’s long-term commitment to Melbourne Square as a fully integrated, mixed-use precinct.

Construction is expected to commence in late 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151921]

OSK unveils AURA, the latest stage in Southbank's $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct

National developer Time &amp; Place appears to have settled on a design for its long-anticipated Potts Point project.

After several years of back and forth with local council and the NSW Government, the developer, which has spent seven years targeting the former The Chimes site on Macleay Street, has now progressed its plans.

Following a concept design submission last year by SJB, Time &amp; Place has lodged a full State Significant Development Application with the NSW Government, this time for a scheme designed by Kerry Hill Architects.

<img alt="Time &amp; Place" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="504d2a27-d65f-4227-8189-1e35e3376e62" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-04-20%20at%209.38.24%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=_XqFKATYHF30KnVByPxhaI9UBzmkmfn7" />

The 16-storey proposal includes 44 apartments, 21 of which will be build-to-sell. These will comprise 19 three-bedroom apartments and two four-bedroom units.

More than 50 per cent of the development will be dedicated to affordable housing, with 23 studio apartments to be delivered in line with the NSW Government’s Housing SEPP.

Kerry Hill Architects said the proposal is driven by a strong response to place.

“Our proposal for a new residential building for Potts Point in Sydney is driven by a deep consideration of place,” the practice said in its submission.

“This operates on multiple levels, including a landscape approach that reinstates endemic flora of the Sydney peninsula and provides a ground-floor garden for residents, reconnecting the site to its pre-European history. A brick podium further strengthens this relationship to context, integrating planting and fine bronze detailing that references the predominant material language of Macleay Street.”

The three-level podium will be topped by a communal resident space, featuring a covered pool designed to receive direct afternoon sun in winter, a neighbouring reflection pool, dining and event areas oriented to maximise sunset views, and an outdoor exercise zone.

<img alt="Time &amp; Place" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8d3eedc1-babb-44a3-bd96-d8a42f3adf1f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-04-20%20at%209.37.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Ii7.4dvqNatu5GQi6bhqNjAswrMB998." />

The design also incorporates highly crafted shopfronts and a clearly defined residential entry to activate the street. Juliette balconies to the podium residences will provide passive surveillance and a strong sense of habitation.

Above, the larger apartments are housed within a light-coloured masonry and bronze tower.

“The tower steps back in a series of gently curved volumes that reference the rich Art Deco context of Macleay Street,” the architects said. “Carefully calibrated vertical fins frame the views while providing privacy and a sense of refuge.”

<img alt="Time &amp; Place" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6fab60f4-3140-4469-b47a-48c781e0a30b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-04-20%20at%209.28.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=e5XxrM3kzdASdKlcIACHAHbOSZhSKC9O" />

Time &amp; Place has been one of the most active developers nationally in the last 12 to 24 months. Late last year they completed&nbsp;The Queensbridge in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, a mixed-use tower with 353 apartments and a hotel. They are currently selling Park Modern, 246 apartments near the famous Botanic Gardens in South Melbourne.

The developer has approval for The Burke, a mixed-use project in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/glen-iris-vic-3146">Glen Iris</a>&nbsp;being delivered in partnership with Woolworths. The 60 apartments, positioned above a new Woolworths supermarket, are expected to launch in the coming months. Time &amp; Place is also progressing plans for the redevelopment of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/northcote-vic-3070">Northcote</a>&nbsp;Plaza, and have recently submitted plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/vic/time-place-unveils-plans-22-storey-south-melbourne-tower">22-storey tower</a>, another in South Melbourne.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/sydney-nsw">Sydney</a>, the developer has two projects in Manly: Two Tides, which is currently under construction, and an ultra high-end building on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/shoreline-manly-beach-89-90-north-steyne-manly">North Steyne</a>, fronting the beach. It is also continuing to work through the redevelopment of The Chimes building on Macleay Street in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/potts-point-nsw-2011">Potts Point</a>, as well as Marlborough House, the redevelopment of the original David Jones warehouse building in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/surry-hills-nsw-2010">Surry Hills</a>.

First look: Time & Place settles on design for The Chimes, Potts Point redevelopment

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/develotek">Develotek</a> is joining the likes of TOGA, Deicorp, and One Global Capital, betting on a boom in Five Dock ahead of the 2032 mooted opening of the Five Dock Metro Station.

Develotek, which is currently developing Bianca on the Drummoyne waterfront and has plans approved for a tower in Chatswood, has filed a State Significant Development Application for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/79-81-queens-road-five-dock-nsw-2046">two-building project in the evolving Kings Bay precinct</a>.

The buildings, one more boutique just five storeys and the other 26 storeys, will rise from an 3,158 sqm site across&nbsp;79–81 Queens Road and 2–8 Spencer Street, will home 134 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, above ground-floor retail and five basement levels of parking.

A key component of the proposal is the inclusion of 15 per cent of residential floor space as in-fill affordable housing, unlocking additional height and density under the Housing SEPP.

<img alt="First Look: Develotek lodges State Significant shop top housing project in Five Dock precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3ee31bf7-75ba-4bc5-b190-49885193219f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/podium_2.png?VersionId=730UbrduuwK3C1sO28RHjiLPUPqXqjkh" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a>, the scheme adopts a podium-and-tower configuration, with a five-storey street wall along Queens Road transitioning to a 26-storey tower set deeper into the site. The ground plane prioritises activation and permeability, with retail frontages and a new through-site link connecting Queens Road to Spencer Street.

At the upper levels, the tower façade has been conceived using a modular system to support prefabrication and reduce construction waste, while improving build efficiency. The splayed form draws on the geometry of surrounding industrial rooftops, reinterpreting the area’s heritage in a contemporary expression while also helping to reduce solar heat gain to east and west-facing apartments.

“This project aspires to transform a former industrial site into a connected, resilient and people-focused urban community, grounded in Country, shaped by history, and designed to enrich everyday life within the evolving Kings Bay Precinct,” said John Walsh, Principal at Plus Studio.

The proposal reflects the broader transformation of the Kings Bay Precinct under the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy, marking a shift from its industrial past to a higher-density, mixed-use urban neighbourhood.

<img alt="First Look: Develotek lodges State Significant shop top housing project in Five Dock precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abde734c-1e31-4a97-a1d2-fa9bcf31c380" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/building%20podium.png?VersionId=fNUupP6u146yEytQT31kKVRxwtACgPpP" />

Develotek is emerging as an active participant in the state’s affordable housing-led uplift pathway. The developer recently secured approval for a 34-storey mixed-use tower in Chatswood, where it similarly leveraged the in-fill affordable housing provisions to increase scale and deliver a 101-unit scheme with dedicated affordable apartments.

Their entry into Five Dock places them alongside a growing list of developers targeting the suburb ahead of its anticipated transport uplift, with Sydney Metro set to extend into the area. Major players including TOGA, Deicorp, and One Global Capital are all progressing large-scale precinct-style developments nearby, collectively reshaping the low-rise industrial fabric into a higher-density mixed-use corridor.

The Five Dock site sits within the Kings Bay Precinct, a key renewal area under the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy, where planning controls support significant uplift tied to affordable housing delivery. The consolidated 3,158 sqm site is currently occupied by low-rise industrial uses, including warehouses and vehicle workshops, earmarked for transition.

First Look: Develotek joins in Five Dock apartment boom

Ascot’s Racecourse Road continues to be a hive of activity for Brisbane developers.

Following Fortis and GRAYA, which are both preparing new projects along the key strip connecting Kingsford Smith Drive and Eagle Farm Racecourse, local developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/skyhold">Skyhold</a> is the latest to lodge plans for its own development.

The group is proposing One One Two Residences, a boutique project comprising just seven apartments, named after its address at 112 Racecourse Road.

The proposal outlines a five-storey building on an 810 sqm site. The built form slightly exceeds the four-storey expectation under the neighbourhood plan, aligning instead with the emerging character of the strip. As the planning report notes, “the locality is characterised by a transition toward medium-rise residential development, with a number of recent developments… above the stipulated height limits.”

<img alt="First Look: Skyhold lodges plans for boutique Ascot apartments as Racecourse Road revival gathers pace" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ec577631-8c51-4163-960e-e7b3a77d655b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Ascot.png?VersionId=iAzQ46D4Uu1UqiS0mVnlcy9jeFKBpJIj" />

Designed by 111 with landscape architecture by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/paul-bangay-garden-design">Paul Bangay Studio</a>, the scheme adopts a layered architectural approach with strong articulation and a subtropical response. Deep balconies, integrated planters, and a mix of masonry and textured finishes define the façade, while upper-level setbacks reduce perceived bulk. The architectural statement describes “a series of horizontally expressed layers, defined by deep balconies and a consistent robust material palette,” aimed at delivering a refined streetscape presence.

Apartments are configured as large-format residences, including multiple three-bedroom layouts and a full-floor penthouse, supported by ground-level parking. A rooftop terrace will provide communal amenities including a pool and landscaped recreation areas. The design prioritises privacy, natural ventilation, and greenery, with planting integrated across all levels to soften the building form and contribute to the public realm.

<img alt="First Look: Skyhold lodges plans for boutique Ascot apartments as Racecourse Road revival gathers pace" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1e1219bd-b45a-4d7f-bbc7-7207d7b2fc94" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Ascot%20entry.png?VersionId=JIoUOLMgQ5xWpEF0etEI3ffIoIVjD7gO" />

The proposal sits within the Racecourse Road precinct, a key mixed-use spine in Ascot that continues to attract renewed development interest.

Later this year national developer Fortis will launch its own boutique development, which, pending council approvals, will be 16 apartments designed by Koichi Takada Architects, just down the street.

“Racecourse Road is going through a massive revitalisation and we’re proud to be a part of that transformation,” said Fortis's QLD General Manager, Dan Boman.

Nearby, GRAYA is advancing its larger-scale The Gallery, a mixed-use shop-top housing project designed to act as a “catalytic project for Racecourse Road.”

First Look: Racecourse Road, Hamilton revitalization to continue as Skyhold joins the party

Nicolette Van Wijngaarden

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Nicolette van Wijngaarden, 45, the founder of the boutique estate agency Unique Estates, has been sentenced to more than three years in jail for trust fund account fraud.
<div>
Van Wijngaarden was charged after she went to NSW Fair Trading who then calculated she misused $3.69 million between 2016 and early 2018.
Van Wijngaarden was sentenced to three years and six months jail by Judge John Pickering on Thursday, with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
Van Wijngaarden – whose main offices where in Byron Bay, Sydney and Melbourne – told the court she made “the very stupid mistake” when taking money from the trust account out of desperation not to let anyone down.
Judge Pickering noted he wanted the real estate industry to know that those committing trust account offences would not escape jail time. 
Her amount was the biggest real estate fraud in New South Wales real estate history.
"There has to be conformity before the law and there has to be general deterrence," Judge Pickering said.
Her clients included Chris Hemsworth and Collette Dinnigan, who was among the victims.
Unique Estates was started in 2009.
Van Wijngaarden will be eligible for parole on August 20, 2021.
“I stupidly thought I could pay it back,” she told the court in September.
She faced up to 10 years in jail.
Thinking the cash flow issues were short-term and seasonal, she claimed any lavish expenses, including the cars, flowers and travel were tied to the business.
“I’m completely devastated that I’m sitting here today, horrified that people have been let down,” she said.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Nicolette van Wijngaarden jailed for trust fund account fraud

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<div class="storysegment2 segmentContentFull">
Estate agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden told her pre-sentence hearing last Friday that an unnamed Byron Bay billionaire had pulled out of his proposed bailout of her boutique agency just days before its February 2018 collapse.
Van Wijngaarden has pleaded guilty to trust account fraud, with the Crown saying she misused $3.69 million of client funds from May 2016 to February 2018.
“I stupidly thought I could pay it back,” she told the court. She will be sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court in late November, when she faces up to 10 years in jail.
Thinking the cash flow issues were short-term and seasonal, she claimed any lavish expenses, including the cars, flowers and travel were tied to the business.
“I’m completely devastated that I’m sitting here today, horrified that people have been let down,” she said.
Fashion designer Collette Dinnigan was one of van Wijngaarden’s clients who was caught up in the agency’s collapse, with the deposit on the sale of her South Coast property not in the trust fund when the NSW Fair Trading Department stepped in.
Van Wijngaarden told the court she only paid herself $12,000 in commissions in the nine years after founded Unique Estates in 2009.
She was entitled to commission from 94 of the company’s 115 sales over the following years, she told her barrister Frank Coyne.
He said van Wijngaarden had made every effort to address the shortfalls; forgoing commission – she estimates she kept only $12,000 commission over almost nine years – seeking bank loans and equity from investors.
When she could not fix the problem she reported herself to NSW Fair Trading and assisted the authorities. The court also heard the ordeal had ruined her marriage and any lavish expenses were tied to the business.
She told the court the billionaire had backed out of the $4 million bailout after speaking to his solicitor.
The global businessman, who had been a client of the estate agent and then a friend, had also been hesitant as he had been subject to his own issues with the ATO.
The estate agency had a $5 million turnover in its final year, the court was told.
Van Wijngaarden’s is the largest case of real estate trust fraud in NSW history, with victims including property sellers and rental property landlords — who have since received their entitlements from the NSW taxpayer-funded compensation fund.
Her trust account fraud - being an real estate agent - was not as serious breach of trust as that committed by lawyers and accountants, the court heard from her barrister.
</div>
Her barrister made a submission to his honour that it was not as "clear cut" as other frauds.
Coyle argued the case “was one of those rare occasions where greed was never the motivation.”
“Greed takes all forms,” Judge John Pickering responded quickly.
"A motivating factor was a continuation of her business … it wasn’t as if there was no benefit to her,” his honour said.
“It’s not the worst form of greed you see in some of these fraud matter but there is still an aspect of self-gratification to it all,” he said, noting there was a certain level of "ego" being the head of a boutique high-end real estate agency.
"It's a complex matter and I do agree it has some unusual features to it as she [Ms van Wijngaarden] isn't the classic single-minded fraudster," said Judge John Pickering in the Sydney district court.
"But when you sell or buy Sydney homes, an extraordinary amount of money is put in the trust of real estate agents and for most people never in their lives would they trust that much money to anyone ... so I wonder why a breach of trust by a solicitor is more serious than a breach of trust by a real estate agent?"
Judge Pickering noted the NSW taxpayers had to pay for the lost funds.
The prosecution noted that every dollar van Wijngaarden took from the trust funds was “a dollar she needn’t have considered spending from her own pocket”.
Ms van Wijngaarden's lawyer said she used trust deposits between 2016 and 2018 to "save" her cash-strapped business and had every intention of repaying the money by raising funds through investors.
Ms van Wijngaarden said she turned herself in, then assisted with investigations and tried to sell the business' assets, including a $1.2 million luxury holiday home rent roll, an act that should reduce her sentence, her lawyer said.
She alleged the administrators scuppered attempt to sell the rent roll, and the sales business, which she through had a $2 million value.
The Crown solicitor said Ms van Wijngaarden had turned herself in only to save herself from being sued by angry buyers whose deposits had disappeared.
She gave evidence that her actions were a desperate attempt not to let staff and clients down.
“I made the very stupid mistake of taking money from the trust but I genuinely felt I was going to be able to put that back,” she told the court. “It was out of pure desperation to not let anyone down,” she later said.
“Everything I’ve ever done I’ve done for other people,” she said.
After she turned to the trust fund in May 2016, she avoided having the business audited.
“When I first did it I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I thought I’d be able to put it back,” she said.
But “it snowballed”.
The prosecution emphasised that the agent knew what was the right thing to do having seen her first business endeavour, a marketing company collapse after her main client failed to pay its account.
 
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Estate agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden explains her trust fund fraud

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The luxury real estate agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden has pleaded guilty to real estate trust fund fraud.
She will be sentenced next month at the Sydney Downing Centre.
Van Wijngaarden founded Unique Estates in 2009 which specialized in luxury property, particularly around Byron Bay, before the boutique agency expanded across the country.
Fashion designer Collette Dinnigan was caught up in the messy February 2018 collapse of the Unique Estates Australia agency following the sale of her NSW South Coast property.
The 5 percent deposit for Dinnigan's Milton $2.1 million was unaccounted for, with the NSW Fair Trading Department stepped in cover the $105,000 deposit that Vaucluse buyers had paid into the trust fund.
All NSW vendors are covered by the Property Services Compensation Fund.
After the company collapsed in February 2018, van Wijngaarden faced charges following an investigation by forensic accountants.
She faces up to 10 years in prison having allegedly misused $3.69 million.
Her bail included her surrendering her two passports under strict bail conditions.
The agency published the magazine Unique Luxury, which was distributed in Qantas lounges across the country.  
<div>
The agency collapsed with restructuring specialists McGrathNicol app­ointed as joint managers by the NSW Department of Fair Trading.
NSW Fair Trading and McGrathNicol reported to creditors that there were "insufficient funds to pay amounts outstanding and in these circumstances there is a statutory compensation fund that may cover your outstanding claims.”
This article was first published in the Daily Telegraph.
 
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Estate agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden pleads guilty to trust fund fraud

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The founder of Unique Estates, Nicolette van Wijngaarden, faces up to 10 years jail if found guilty of the fraud charges following the collapse of her national estate agency.
The 15 charges were laid after an investigation by forensic accountants.
The NSW Department of Finance told The Echo, her local Byron Bay newspaper, that Ms van Wijngaarden, 44, was currently on bail, due to appear for mention in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on November 8.
It was front page news today in the town newspaper.
<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/2018/10/25/echo.jpg" alt="">
The 44-year-old faces five counts under section 211(2) of the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002, allegations that relate to fraudulently converting money from a business for a person’s own individual use.
Ms Winjgaarden is also facing 10 charges of fraud under the NSW Crimes Act 1900.
The Department of Finance said the total quantum of money involved in all charges alleged is in excess of $3.5 million.
Unique Estates was founded by Ms van Wijngaarden in Byron Bay in 2009 as a boutique agency dealing with luxury properties.
It expanded significantly in the ensuing years to include offices in Albert Park, Double Bay, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Hong Kong.
The agency published the magazine Unique Luxury, which was distributed in Qantas lounges across the country.
The agency collapsed in February.
The ATO emerged among the biggest creditors.
"Bank accounts are frozen and there are no funds," was the blunt message to staff as McGrath Nicol was appointed joint managers by the NSW Department of Fair Trading
The agency had won a string of awards over the years including the Best Real Estate Agency Website for Asia Pacific 2017-2018 at the International Property Awards Grand Final Ceremony held in London.
It is not the first time a high-flying Byron agent has been caught up in trust account issues.
The now defunct Byron Bay real estate agency Belle Property was the subject of an earlier investigation by the Department of Fair Trading.
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Nicolette Van Wijngaarden

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Nicolette Van Wijngaarden

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Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

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