ASX-listed developer Cedar Woods is progressing its plans for its Southbank arts precinct site.&nbsp;

The developer has filed plans, which are now with the&nbsp;Department of Transport and Planning, for a new 20-level tower at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/141-151-sturt-street-southbank-vic-3006">141–151 Sturt Street</a>, a 2,718 sqm block opposite the Habitat Filter sculpture.

The proposal seeks to demolish the two-level&nbsp;commercial building, including a small supermarket and medical tenancies, and create a new building with 180 apartments and a focus on an&nbsp;active public realm and arts integration.

&nbsp;

<img alt="Southbank site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="76a72db6-91ef-43ae-827d-a9cfa72893d2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Site.png?VersionId=DZgtB4K6BswVh0QtCs3iLjXaLp0CbcEb" />

&nbsp;

There will be a full mix of apartment configurations, including 28 studio apartments, 16 one-bedroom, 104 two-bedroom, and 32 three-bedroom units.

Retail, creative arts, and residential amenity functions are integrated across the lower levels. A food and drink tenancy is planned to front Dodds Street, while a retail tenancy fronting Sturt Street will be accessed via an elevated walkway. The first floor includes a substantial 734 sqm creative arts space, envisioned to support Melbourne’s growing cultural and digital industries.

Architecture firm <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has put together the plans. In their&nbsp;Urban Design Report they highlighted the project’s ambition to embed itself within Southbank’s evolving cultural fabric.

A central feature of the design is a through-block link connecting Sturt and Dodds Streets, landscaped with native plantings and embedded with universal access ramps.

“The ramp has been thoughtfully integrated as the primary access point, ensuring universal accessibility for all users,” the report noted, with the link offering “a direct response to the urban planning scheme of creating more green spaces within our communities”.

<img alt="Southbank podium" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4d24b1b2-d69c-4a11-a11d-ec6df432221c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/podium.png?VersionId=geWoJyZDmPSLODZ_.PNJ0LvpOmyyCdpo" />

The building’s podium form responds to the mandatory height limits along Dodds Street and maintains a fine-grain interface to adjoining developments. Above the podium, the tower is articulated with recessed balconies and a focus on views toward the CBD and surrounding arts institutions. A communal rooftop recreation deck and indoor lounge are positioned on level four, adjoining seven apartments and providing over 900 sqm of resident amenity space.

Vehicle access and loading will be provided via Dodds Street, with 155 resident car spaces located across two basement levels and the first three above-ground floors. Bicycle storage is more generous, with 226 spaces distributed across resident, staff and visitor needs.

Rothelowman describes the architecture as “humanist,” with ground-level interfaces designed to encourage social interaction and provide a dignified entry for both residents and passers-by. “All street interfaces are crafted to invite and nurture human connections,” the design report states. “The façade transitions to a human scale, providing an approachable and engaging streetscape”.

Cedar Woods, while well-known for its large communities it develops outside of Australia's capital cities, they have recently developed in Melbourne's inner-ring before. They are approaching completion at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/88-leveson-north-melbourne-88-leveson-street-north-melbourne-vic-3051">88 Leveson</a>, just 15 townhouses in the heart of North Melbourne.

Joel Robinson

Cedar Woods progresses with new apartment plans in Southbank arts precinct

Brisbane developers Core Property Partners and Vector Property Australia has teamed up for Brisbane's newest apartment development.

The duo identified <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/east-brisbane-qld-4169">East Brisbane</a> as their preferred suburb, on the fringe of the Gabba Precinct, where they've just revealed BANKSII, 72 apartments opposite Raymond Park.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5481]

The one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will sit in a glass-wrapped building that will also feature a rooftop with an&nbsp;infinity-edge pool, a BBQ area and alfresco dining spaces, sun lounges, and a sauna, as well as a resident-only gym and a ground-floor cafe.

Rhett Williams, Director of Vector Property Australia, said the project will lift the quality of the East Brisbane community and set a new benchmark.

"In Brisbane’s current property landscape, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/banksii-east-brisbane-169-wellington-road-east-brisbane-qld-4169">BANKSII</a> stands out through its emphasis on lifestyle-oriented living, connectivity and sophisticated design," Williams says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5479]

The 10-level building has been designed by MAS Architecture. Their designs were inspired by the native Banksia flower, with the architecture and interiors reflecting the organic symmetry of its namesake flora. MAS has interpreted this throughout the building’s curved form, façade detailing and interior palette.&nbsp;

The building’s flowing geometry and natural tones are complemented by large balconies and floor-to-ceiling glazing, maximising cross-breezes, daylight and views over the city, parklands and river.

“Having a strong narrative for a building helps us architecturally,” MAS noted. "We can choose colours that come off that species of flowers. The trunk and the trees and the flower elements all are now visible in our joinery on the inside and in our architectural finishes on the outside."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5485]

Apartments will feature timber floors, soft porcelain tiles, brushed bronze fittings, and stone benchtops with warm veining.&nbsp;

Kitchens feature premium SMEG appliances and generous storage, while bathrooms have been designed as calming retreats with curved cabinetry and twin sinks in the master ensuites.

The building will feature a suite of rooftop and wellness amenities. Residents will have access to an infinity-edge pool, BBQ and alfresco dining areas, sun lounges and a rooftop sauna.&nbsp;

A residents-only gym will be located on the podium level, while a ground-floor café and landscaped laneway will further activate the site and improve neighbourhood connectivity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5488]

BANKSII will rise from a prime Wellington Road site, with the building oriented to overlook the adjacent Raymond Park and take in extensive city views. It is also on the doorstep of key&nbsp;lifestyle infrastructure, including the future Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, The Gabba stadium, and the planned Brisbane Live arena.&nbsp;

Public transport options, including ferry, bus and rail - including the future Cross River Rail Woolloongabba station - are all nearby, supporting a car-optional lifestyle just minutes from the CBD.

Williams said the team spent over a year searching for the ideal site before securing this location.

"We were attracted to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/east-brisbane-qld-4169">East Brisbane</a> as it is a vibrant and growing community that offers a perfect balance of urban convenience and natural beauty with the parklands and river on our doorstep.”

The project is part of the broader Woolloongabba Games precinct, which is undergoing significant investment in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. This urban renewal, coupled with infrastructure upgrades, is expected to enhance long-term liveability and capital growth in the area.

Given the wide max of configurations, BANKSII is expected to suit everyone from first home buyers and investors to families and downsizers.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=136432]

BANKSII sales launch in booming East Brisbane apartment market

The Minns Labor Government will deliver Sydney’s first new heavy rail station in more than a decade – enabling up to 10,000 new homes by rezoning land around Woollahra and Edgecliff stations, right next to the CBD, to tackle the housing crisis and rebalance growth across the city.

Recent reports by the NSW Productivity Commission have warned that Sydney is losing twice as many young people as it is gaining, while also finding that Woollahra is the most feasible Local Government Area (LGA) in New South Wales to build new housing.

Despite this, housing approvals in Woollahra consistently lag well behind other LGAs, and the population has declined by 11 per cent over the past 50 years while Greater Sydney as a whole has grown by 74 per cent.

The new station that will be an eight-minute trip from Sydney CBD, will be located on the Eastern Suburbs train line in Woollahra, where a station build was started in the 1970s but never completed.

To enable the delivery of new homes the NSW Government will lead a rezoning of Woollahra and Edgecliff stations similar to other state led rezonings to allow additional homes to be built around the stations.

Affordable housing will also make up a proportion of development on the site with the final amount of affordable housing required, to be determined as part of the rezoning process.

The area surrounding the new station is within walking distance of major green and recreational space including Cooper, Trumper, Rushcutters Bay and Centennial Parks.

The Eastern Suburbs train line between Bondi Junction and Sydney CBD also has the lowest passenger usage rates during the AM peak of any line on the Sydney network, with only 43 per cent of operating capacity during the AM peak currently being utilised by passengers.

Sydney Water and Infrastructure NSW have confirmed there is capacity in the water and wastewater systems to accommodate the proposed 10,000 dwellings without major upgrades.

The rezoning is expected to take around two years and will further support the Government’s housing targets that rebalance the delivery of new homes around existing infrastructure.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Next stop Woollahra train station - delivering up to 10,000 new homes in the heart of Sydney

<section data-element_type="section" data-id="b086848">
Fresh off completing its mixed-use Malvern project Malvern Collective, Kokoda Property Group has acquired a prime site on Richmond's Bridge Road.

They are planning a mid-rise residential development with&nbsp;integrated wellness amenities and a vibrant ground-floor retail and dining offering.

The site, at&nbsp;487–495 Bridge Road, spans&nbsp;1,650 sqm with 50 metres of dual frontage across Bridge Road and Palmer Street. It is currently leased to Adairs, and has a large retail building and 20 onsite car parks.
</section>

<section data-element_type="section" data-id="534a164">
Kokoda Property Group’s acquisition forms part of a broader phase of growth in Melbourne, building on momentum from the completion of Malvern Collective and the recent purchase of a Burnley Street site for the developer’s first commercial project.&nbsp;

Mark Stevens, Kokoda Property Group’s Founder and Managing Director, said that the company’s Bridge Road site acquisition signals confidence in a city that is re-accelerating.

“Melbourne is regaining momentum,"&nbsp;Stevens said.

"After a cautious period post-COVID, we’re seeing buyer sentiment stabilise and capital leaning back into well-located, quality projects. Victoria now benefits from deep builder capacity and competitive delivery pricing, creating a rare opportunity to bring design-led inner-city developments to market without compromising on craftsmanship.

“Richmond ticks all the boxes for us – connectivity, culture and everyday amenity – making Bridge Road the perfect address for an amenity-rich, multi-use development."

<img alt="Kokoda" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9a8de51d-8092-480a-8b7e-e081816692c2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-08-29%20at%208.54.27%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VRHpV5.6beOu2cieKHWrw3ErMPuVOAuj" />

Envisioned as an “urban lantern” the building will bring a distinctive new presence to Bridge Road with a sculptural retail frontage, designed to honour the street’s heritage character while contributing to its renewal.

Stevens said the acquisition reflects the developer’s commitment to design-led addresses in Melbourne’s inner city.

“Drawing on Richmond’s rich heritage and dynamic character, we’ve envisioned a contemporary building that respects the past while elevating the way people live today. With dual frontages, curated ground-floor spaces, and a focus on wellness, this project will contribute to the neighbourhood’s evolution, appealing to both downsizers and a new generation of professionals.”

Kokoda Property will now progress concept design ahead of a future planning process.
</section>

Mark Stevens, Kokoda Property Group’s Founder and Managing Director, said that the company’s Bridge Road site acquisition signals confidence in a city that is re-accelerating

First look: Kokoda secures Richmond site for new apartment development

Gold Coast developer Drew Group is fast approaching sell-out at its Main Beach apartment development, Lagoon Main Beach.

In the last nine months, Drew Group and sales partner Pezet Matheson have secured 31 sales totalling over $75 million, as the two-tower development advances towards completion under the expert eye of Hutchinson Builders.

“Today's buyers are more discerning than ever," Drew Group Managing Director Jon Drew says.

"It's essential to provide something truly unique that sets a development apart, and we believe Lagoon has achieved just that."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108747 project_image_fid=193023]

Just over 50 per cent of recent&nbsp;sales have been to local buyers, reflecting the deep trust and connection within the Gold Coast community that Drew Group has developed over the years.

Demand has been particularly robust at the top end, with two of the three exclusive penthouses already sold, alongside five sub-penthouses. Only seven apartments remain in Lagoon's Signature Series — one&nbsp;penthouse and six sub-penthouses.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108747 project_image_fid=284864]

Drew Group has also removed the much-maligned sunset clause from all contracts at Lagoon. The sunset clause — although rarely invoked, yet on occasion known to have been — allows developers to take back contracts on apartments should the building not be completed within the timeframe specified in the contract.

Pezet Matheson Co-Director Jayde Pezet says the fact Lagoon is&nbsp;within a year of completion, and has no sunset clause in contracts, provides certainty to buyers.

"This is paramount in the current market," Pezet says.

Drew Group has committed to providing the highest level of security inclusions — none more impressive than the Ubiquity Access Control System, a cutting-edge facial recognition technology that is one of the most state-of-the-art keyless entry systems on the market.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108747 project_image_fid=190743]

One of the biggest drawcards to Lagoon has been the size of the apartments.

"It is unlikely that any future new development in Main Beach will be able to offer such spacious living at this price point," Drew says.

"Today's buyers are more discerning than ever, carefully evaluating amenities like gyms, spas, workspaces, and beach lockers, along with quality finishes. It's essential to provide something truly unique that sets a development apart, and we believe Lagoon has achieved just that."

Lagoon is set to complete construction in mid-2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108747]

Lagoon Main Beach approaches sell-out as local buyers drive $75m in sales

Oxford Street

<html><body>
Four adjoining buildings on Oxford Street in Sydney's Paddington have been listed for sale.
Last traded for $3.98 million in 2014, the four street front shops and above office at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-nsw-paddington-502738310" target="_blank">30-36 Oxford Street</a> yield a fully leased gross income of $470,000 per annum.
They are currently leased to home goods store Utopia Goods, graphic designer Deuce Design, fashion accessory store Tradition Textiles and jewellery store South West Trader.
Tax consultant Drummond Tax currently utilise the upstairs offices.
The properties, with 16 metre frontage to Oxford Street sit on 700 sqm and have parking for eight cars at the rear of the property that is zoned B4 Mixed Use.
Oxford Agency Darlinghurst agents Ralph Garofano and Steffan Ippolito are marketing the properties.
The last single retail sale on Oxford Street came last month when <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-nsw-paddington-503128082" target="_blank">383 Oxford</a>, toward the north end of the retail strip, sold for $2 million.
The home of USA Nails was being sold for the first time in five decades.
There have been four sales of retail premises on Oxford Street this year.
</body></html>

jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Four Oxford Street shops to be offered in one line

<html><body>
The local strip retail market has gone through an evolution over the past 10 years, and Oxford Street in Paddington has been a part of that change, according to Ray White's latest Between the Lines report. 
Ray White Commercial Eastern Suburbs director Grant Whiteman said destination strips like Oxford Street have had to reposition.   “This is off the back of local development, e-commerce, demographics, and spending habits, which have all changed the way individuals interact with local shopping,” Mr Whiteman said.   “While tenant mixes have seen some movement, rental rates and vacancies do continue to fluctuate.   “However, enquiry levels remain elevated for investment, with yields achievable in the 5-5.5 per cent range.”   Ray White head of research Vanessa Rader said Ray White Commercial Eastern Suburbs had surveyed the Oxford Street retail strip in January 2019 to determine tenancy mix and vacancies.   “Results have been encouraging, with vacancies of approximately 8.85 per cent recorded. Our last survey conducted in early 2015 saw vacancies at 11.81 per cent,” Ms Rader said.
Click here <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2019/3/27/OX1.jpg" target="_blank">to enlarge</a>.
<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/2019/3/27/OX1.jpg" alt=""> 
“This period in 2015 was difficult for the region given the vacation of larger multinational tenants and the uncertain identity for this area. “Oxford Street enjoys high foot traffic and a heavy reliance on the clothing and soft good sector.   “Known as a fashion strip, this location also had a strong weighting towards furniture and homeware retailing to cater for the fashion-conscious home owner, however this has reduced over the last few years to just 2.46 per cent of the strip.   “While other retail locations favour food retailing, Oxford Street only represents 13.92 per cent of combined specialised food, café and restaurant retailing.   “Many retail centres and strip locations have favoured food retailing, and given the increase in retail spending habits geared towards food, this segment is somewhat immune to the internet shopping phenomenon that has changed the face of retail over the last ten years.   “While this may be below rates achieved in other locations, this has shown a swift upward movement since our last survey, where this accounted for less than 10 per cent of the total floorspace.   “While some owners have invested into capital expenditure and repurposing spaces, others have not, which results in a range of quality in tenants, with rental rates in a wide range between $350 to $900/sq m gross.   “This is down from the prime range of $900 to $1,500/sq m achieved in our 2015 analysis, and the highs of pre-Westfield Bondi Junction, upwards of $1,200/sq m.”   
</body></html>

jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Paddington's Oxford Street seeing encouraging signs: Ray White

<html><body>
The slump in retail commercial property continues as even stores fronting Paddington's pricey Oxford Street can't attract buyers.
It's the stock at the city end of Oxford Street which is struggling to sell.
The longest on the market has been four mixed use buildings at <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/30-36-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021-2014233230">30-36 Oxford Street</a> (above) which are described in the marketing an "undeniably the best shop fronts in Oxford Street."
They last sold for $3.98 million in 2014.
The buildings, to be sold in one line across 700 sqm, are currently configured as four retail shops with a first floor residence or office.
Steffan Ippolito at Oxford Agency advised that fully leased the potential gross income per annum is $470,000 plus.
The properties that have over 400 sqm of floor area have been on the market since March.
Another shop front sat idly on the market since April is at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-nsw-paddington-502777006" target="_blank">56 Oxford Street</a>, the home of womens clothing store Rodeo Show (below).
<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/2018/10/23/Oxford2.jpg" alt="">
The freehold shop and first floor office with rear lane access is being offered with vacant possession by Richardson &amp; Wrench Commercial.
It last traded for $1,815,000 in 2005.
Continuing up the road to the Woollahra end of Oxford Street, a shop at <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/90-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021-2013673205" target="_blank">90 Oxford Street</a> on 110 sqm was listed for $2.3 million late last year.
Its re-listing is expected to see a similar guide, which puts it only a few hundred thousand up on its $2 million trade some 15 years ago.
The shop had 50 sqm of internal space over each of its three levels where there's also a one bedroom apartment.
The ground level tenancy expired late last year, and the residential tenancy expired earlier this year.
There are two new listings on the street which has been renowned for retailers and designers over the years.
Opposite Paddington Town Hall just listed is a mixed use retail commercial property on 200 sqm with a six metre frontage to Oxford Street.
The three level building at <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/244-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021-2014696321" target="_blank">244 Oxford Street</a> (below) has three separate tenancies.
<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/2018/10/23/Oxford3.jpg" alt="">
It comprises a 115 sqm retail component on the ground floor, currently vacant, and a second 35 sqm ground floor tenancy at the rear of the property that opens to Begg Lane. That's leased to hair salon Papillion Hair.
Levels one and two are occupied by a DA approved erotic massage parlour.
The Oxford Street retail has an estimated income of $115,500 per annum, while the rear hair salon pays $36,500 per annum. They have a new three year lease.
Levels one and two have a passing income of $70,191 per annum, with a 10 plus 10 year lease.
The property last traded for $3,635,000 in 2011 when it had a guide of $4 million.
The latest commercial premises isn't solely retail. It is being marketed as suiting a variety of uses, including a gym, real estate office, art gallery or corporate HQ.
The underdeveloped site at <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/345-347-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021-2014719004" target="_blank">345-347 Oxford Street</a> sits next to a Mitre 10 and William Street carpark with frontages to Oxford Street and Regent Lane.
It has flexible B4 mixed use zoning and last sold in 2013 when it fetched $5.5 million.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
</body></html>

Prime Oxford Street retail sits on market as more stores listed

<html><body>
The Greek Orthodox Community NSW, owners of 1-11 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst/Paddington are sounding out the City of Sydney with hopes for a hotel conversion.
The church community has been long criticised for the mostly dormant premises over the past decade or so.
The initial hopes are for a six story hotel, which would sit behind its historic three storey facade.
The council has received a pre-development application approach.
The hotel would be welcomed by landlords who have nearby retail, the relatives of those hospitalised nearby, and attendees at events at the SCG.
<a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/1-11-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021-12206319" target="_blank">Two years leases</a>are being currently offered through Gunnings for the empty historic building which was once known as the Grand Pacific Blue Room
<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/2018/6/27/greek5.jpg" alt="">
It sits on one of Sydney's best known and busiest intersections, the point where Oxford Street meets South Dowling Street, Victoria Street and Barcom Avenue.
The precinct is known by locals as Three Saints Square, a five-way intersection on Oxford Street that covers two suburbs, Paddington and Darlinghurst and it is controlled by two councils, the City of Sydney and Woollahra Municipality.
The building included the former Academy Twin premises which operated between 1974 to 2010.
It reportedly opened with Roman Polanski's Macbeth and quickly became one of Sydney's best-loved arthouse cinemas.
It was closed by Palace Cinemas in June 2010 when it was unable to reach a new lease agreement with the building's owner, the Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney.
 
 
</body></html>

j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Greek Orthodox Community seek hotel conversion of Oxford Street, Paddington landmark building

<html><body>
In London, there is Soho; in New York, Chelsea and Greenwich Village; and in San Francisco, there is the Castro. In <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/gay-sydney/" target="_blank">Sydney</a>, there is Darlinghurst and, more specifically, Oxford Street. These are neighbourhoods of large cities that have, since at least the 1950s and often earlier, developed a reputation as queer spaces.
In more recent years, those reputations have <a href="http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2015/04/mckinnon" target="_blank">begun to fade</a> and the enduring meanings of the “gaybourhood” have come into question.
But what each of these places represents is the centrality of urban space to the emergence of visible, “out and proud” lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identities and communities.
Queer Sydney in the ‘Golden Mile’ era
The peak years of Oxford Street’s queer life extended from the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s. In the years after the second world war, many gay men in Sydney socialised in CBD hotels, including the <a href="https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/hotel_australia">Hotel Australia</a>.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215505/original/file-20180419-163971-8935d7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215505/original/file-20180419-163971-8935d7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
A guide to the ‘Golden Mile’ published in the Oxford Weekender News, one of many ‘bar rag’ newspapers that circulated the 1980s queer scene. Author provided
The first LGBTQ clubs on Oxford Street were Ivy’s Birdcage and Capriccio’s, which both opened in 1969. By the beginning of the 1980s, Oxford Street was home to a string of bars, clubs, saunas and cafes and had become known as Sydney’s gay “Golden Mile”.
The emergence of this gay heartland represents extraordinary social change. Male homosexuality remained illegal in New South Wales until 1984. The homosexual men socialising in 1950s CBD hotels were required to do so with discretion – the consequences of discovery could be devastating.
In contrast, the queerness of a venue like <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://dictionaryofsydney.org/media/1500" target="_blank">Capriccio’s</a> was defiantly visible and undeniable. As more venues were opened along the Golden Mile, the street itself became a gay space, as did the surrounding neighbourhoods where LGBTQ people – particularly gay men – made homes in the terraces and apartments of Darlinghurst and Paddington.
A simple walk along the street became an act of participation in an emerging community.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215348/original/file-20180418-163971-eb8b44.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Ivy’s Birdcage at 191 Oxford Street was one of Darlinghurst’s first drag bars. <a class="source" href="http://www.camp.org.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Pride History Group</a>, Author provided
Members of a marginalised social group were thus using urban space to resist oppression and build a community. For some, this produced a kind of utopia. In an interview with Sydney’s <a href="http://www.camp.org.au/" target="_blank">Pride History Group</a>, DJ Stephen Allkins described his first visit to the Oxford Street disco Patch’s as a teenager in 1976. He remembers:
I was home. That was it. It was the most fabulous place I’d ever been in my life … It’s full of gay people and they’re all dressed to the nines. They’re not hiding under a rock … They’re expressing and happy.
<h2>Finding a place in the queer community</h2>
But these feelings of joy at having found such a space can be complicated by a range of factors. The gay community was certainly not free from sexism, racism and transphobia, meaning that some within the LGBTQ community were granted far easier access to these spaces than others.
<iframe src="https://public.tableau.com/views/NSWSameSexCouplesbyPostcode/SamesexcouplesinNSWbypostcode?:showVizHome=no&amp;:embed=true%22" width="100%" height="450"></iframe>
Indeed, although Golden Mile-era Oxford Street included venues popular with lesbians, including the women-only bar Ruby Reds, the surrounding neighbourhood was more identifiably gay than <a href="http://www.publishing.monash.edu/books/ud-9781922235701" target="_blank">lesbian</a>.
<audio width="300" height="32" preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="103" data-image="" data-title="Katy O'Rourke recalls her first visit in the 1970s to queer venue Chez Ivy in Bondi Junction." data-size="1646383" data-source="Sydney Pride History Group" data-source-url="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices" data-license="Author provided" data-license-url=""><source src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/1141/090829-kor-chez-ivy.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"></source></audio>
<div class="audio-player-caption">Katy O'Rourke recalls her first visit in the 1970s to queer venue Chez Ivy in Bondi Junction. <a class="source" href="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sydney Pride History Group</a>, Author provided
</div>
<h4>Source: <a href="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices">Sydney Pride History Grouop</a>
</h4>
Inner-west suburbs including Leichhardt and Petersham were far more significant urban spaces in the lives of many queer women. Lesbian share-houses in these neighbourhoods became central sites of feminist politics, activism, sex and romance.
Penny Gulliver, a resident of legendary 1970s share-house “Crystal Street”, has remembered that women “who were just coming out, because there was nothing like a counselling service then, they’d come to Crystal Street”.
Into the new millennium, Oxford Street’s place as the gay heart of Sydney became less certain. As LGBTQ businesses failed and venues closed, questions emerged as to whether a community now more a part of the mainstream still needed its own spaces.
<audio width="300" height="32" preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="116" data-image="" data-title="Angela Crimmon talks about the ongoing importance of queer spaces in Sydney's west." data-size="1852034" data-source="Pride History Group" data-source-url="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices" data-license="Author provided" data-license-url=""><source src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/1137/080225-ac-lesbian-friendly-suburbs.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"></source></audio>
<div class="audio-player-caption">Angela Crimmon talks about the ongoing importance of queer spaces in Sydney’s west. <a class="source" href="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pride History Group</a>, Author provided 
</div>
<h4>Source: <a href="http://www.camp.org.au/sphg-home/35-100-voices-tabs/178-100-voices" target="_blank">Sydney Pride History Group</a>
</h4>
For a time, King Street in <a href="http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0607/04-gorman-murray.php" target="_blank">Newtown</a> dominated as a queer alternative. In 1983 gay publican Barry Cecchini took over the Milton Hotel on Newtown’s King Street, renamed it Cecchini’s and launched it as the area’s first gay venue. Shortly after, the Newtown Hotel, just across the road, also became a gay pub. Cecchini told the Sydney Morning Herald in 1984 that gays were leaving “the scene” of Oxford Street looking for a “more cosmopolitan mix” in Newtown.
Through the following decades, venues including The Imperial in Erskineville (made famous as the site from which three drag queens launched their adventures in a bus named <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/australia-culture-blog/2014/may/09/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-rewatching-classic-australian-films">Priscilla</a>) and the Sly Fox in Enmore, home to a popular lesbian night, further developed the area’s queer reputation.
<h2>Protecting queer space</h2>
In recent years, however, a range of factors, including changes to licensing laws, have produced significant challenges for <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/CICrimJust/2016/16" target="_blank">queer socialising</a> in that neighbourhood.
Newtown sits outside the zone of the so-called “lockout laws”. Late-night partiers who might once have ventured to Kings Cross are instead heading to pubs along King Street, and reports of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-14/violence-increasing-newtown-alleged-homophobic-attack-victim/7328142" target="_blank">anti-LGBTQ abuse and violence</a> have increased.
In response, a campaign called “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/zn7zp8/people-are-protesting-to-keep-newtown-weird-and-safe" target="_blank">Keep Newtown Weird and Safe</a>” has attempted to maintain the queer meanings of this urban space.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KIJEGdCw_is?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" width="440" height="260"></iframe>
Keep Newtown Weird and Safe is an annual community festival that began in 2016 in response to homophobic and transphobic violence.
Despite changes in Oxford and King streets, efforts to keep Newtown “weird” highlight the continued value of urban space to LGBTQ communities. Indeed, among a younger generation, new forms of queer identity continue to inspire the search for spaces in which to celebrate difference.
In pockets of the inner west, for example, young queer, transgender and <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-genderqueer-48596" target="_blank">genderqueer</a> people are creating spaces of activism, partying, performance and everyday life. This new generation is exploring the fresh possibilities of queer identity and developing their community. Access to urban space remains central to this.
Like the city itself, the LGBTQ community continues to be less a fixed entity than a process of <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/d14012" target="_blank">movement</a>, adaptation and change.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/scott-mckinnon-137550" target="_blank">Scott McKinnon</a>, Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711" target="_blank">University of Wollongong</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-city-gaybourhoods-where-they-come-from-and-why-they-still-matter-93956" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Why big city gaybourhoods matter: Scott McKinnon

<html><body>
The Colombian Hotel on Sydney's Oxford Street has been listed for sale through Andrew Jolliffe and Joel Fisher of Ray White Hotels Australia in conjunction with Gerry Quinlan of Manenti Quinlan &amp; Associates.
The three level former Westpac Bank building is on the Corner of Oxford and Crown Streets, Darlinghurst. It has been listed by hotelier David McHugh with $20 million hopes.
Co-agent and Gerry Quinlan said the property has consistent and reliable annual revenue as well as 30 high performing poker machines, will attract strong interest from a broad range of hotel and property investors.
“It is a unique property that attracts strong patronage across a range of operating time frames, as well as enjoying formidable revenue from gaming operations; consistently ranked highly in the State’s Top 200 gaming venues quarterly” he said.
“We have seen a resurgence in commercial property values in Oxford St after a period of suppression given development in other areas, however what is clear to astute investors is that the various infrastructure investment strategies being deployed at both State and Federal level will have a significant impact on the value of commercial property in the Oxford St precinct."
</body></html>

Oxford Street

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

The latest real estate & off the plan properties & news, delivered to your inbox.

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

The latest real estate & off the plan properties & news, delivered to your inbox.

Oxford Street

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

The latest real estate & off the plan properties & news, delivered to your inbox.

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

The latest real estate & off the plan properties & news, delivered to your inbox.