Developer-builder <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/dasco-australia">DASCO</a> has pushed beyond the now-standard inclusions of rooftop pools and landscaped podiums at its recently launched new Epping project, Senso.

It has laid out over 4,000 sqm of resident-only amenity in a move designed to compete directly with low-density housing on livability, not just density. The result is a development that supports genuine daily use through purposeful spaces distributed across its five-building, 479-apartment precinct.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4396]

Two rooftop pools form the anchor of Senso. One is a 27-metre lap pool adjoining a heated spa, designed for everyday fitness rather than just summer leisure. The second sits on a lower podium, allowing different buildings to share in vertical access and reducing crowding during peak times.

It is the secondary spaces that start to distinguish Senso from other large-scale suburban projects. A rooftop cinema is integrated into a landscaped terrace, offering open-air screenings with natural ventilation and passive cooling.&nbsp;

The inclusion of a “sensory walk”, an elevated boardwalk that threads through the site, suggests a rare investment in non-commercial, non-essential amenity: space for quiet movement that doesn’t double as access or traffic circulation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4402]

The gym and wellness centre, often relegated to a small ground-floor room in many builds, takes on more substance here. Residents have access to a fully equipped gym, as well as outdoor yoga areas and meditative zones that integrate greenery and natural light.&nbsp;

The Club Lounge is similarly designed to support multiple use cases, with a private dining terrace, kitchenette, workspace, and lockable wine storage. These aren’t superficial additions; their scale and spatial allocation indicate serious intent for frequent resident use.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134954 project_image_fid=4391]

Importantly, Senso’s amenities are embedded within a site that spans more than 10,000 sqm, allowing for better separation between spaces and reduced noise spillover, a critical but often overlooked factor in high-density developments. This spatial generosity also enables multiple alfresco kitchens and communal terraces without compromising individual privacy or usable space.

While many developments make claims about lifestyle, few back it with this level of built infrastructure. Senso’s mix of dedicated fitness, wellness, social and passive green spaces suggests a conscious response to the post-pandemic shift in housing expectations, especially among owner-occupiers.&nbsp;

DASCO is one of several leading developers who have taken out Resilience Insurance's Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing buyers with a 10-year structural and waterproofing warranty, and giving them the ultimate peace of mind.

Senso is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134954]

Staff Writer

The outdoor amenities elevating life at Senso, Epping

Following the proposal by the Minns Labor Government to rezone Parramatta Road to create up to 8,000 new homes, prominent developer Ceerose has gone to the NSW Gov to increase the density of its new mixed-use residential building in Leichhardt.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/ceerose">Ceerose</a>, founded by Edward Doueihi nearly three decades ago, has filed plans for 154 apartments above ground-floor retail at 307-315 Parramatta Road, a key corner site near Norton Street, the main high street strip in Leichhardt.

It's an upsize from the previously approved scheme of 63 apartments across a seven-storey building.

<img alt="Ceerose" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ba1ae75b-5f08-43fb-b8d5-3de6d9f6ef71" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-04%20at%2010.31.39%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=yA3hBBLPH4ev7MsAE0_hieXeqiFqBUb7" />

The project is being advanced through the State Significant Development (SSD) pathway, with concurrent rezoning sought to facilitate the proposal. The 10-storey development would rise over a four-level basement and deliver two retail tenancies, one a larger-format offering and the other a smaller “hole in the wall” space, addressing the Parramatta Road frontage. 21 of the apartments are dedicated as affordable housing.

According to the Urban Design Report by Architecture AND, the scheme includes a podium and tower configuration, with a fine-grain, two-storey parapet street wall that references the traditional shopfront rhythm along the corridor. “An elegant tower form is proposed, combined with a characterful two storey frontage... articulating it as two related buildings, providing consistency with the rhythm and grain of Parramatta Road,” the report notes.

The residential component is split across two slender towers set back from the street edge, a design move aimed at preserving solar access and reducing perceived bulk. This massing strategy also seeks to improve residential amenity by focusing scale toward the quieter northern interface, away from Parramatta Road’s noise and pollution.

<img alt="Ceerose" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="347f2f8f-5d36-4388-b40a-2e77380b9c19" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-04%20at%2010.31.02%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=xvyUE2ujT1lzivXTo.mHBJFF4SmfgLtz" />

Architecture AND has worked with Ceerose on previous Inner West projects, and cites a deep familiarity with the local character. Their design draws heavily on context, heritage, and sunlight access considerations, and engages with the Inner West Council’s “Our Fairer Future” strategic planning framework.

The site spans 2,712 sqm and is located near key intersections with Catherine Street, Hay Street, and Redmond Street. It adjoins a public carpark to the north and is within walking distance of Stanmore and Petersham stations. It is also flagged in state and local planning strategies, including the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy, as a suitable candidate for increased density.

Ceerose recently completed The Alex Collective on McEvoy Street in Alexandria, Abbie's Lane in Annandale, and the award-winning Munro House in Elizabeth Bay.

The Parramatta Road corridor is coming to life with the proposed rezoning which is serviced by a significant number of bus, light rail and train routes.

Deicorp is progressing with its $1.8 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kings-bay-village-five-dock-53-75-queens-road-five-dock-nsw-2046">Kings Bay Village</a> precinct on Parramatta Road in Five Dock, as is <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/toga-to-push-on-with-five-dock-mixed-use-masterplan">TOGA further down the street</a>. Those two projects alone will bring nearly 2,000 new homes to Parramatta Road.

Joel Robinson

First look: Ceerose plots mixed-use Leichhardt development on Parramatta Road

North Sydney's landmark 'SBS Building' on Alfred Street is set to be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use residential tower in the booming North Sydney.

Commercial property group FiveX is behind the plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/275-alfred-street-north-north-sydney-nsw-2060">39-storey tower</a>, the latest project to advance under the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

They are proposing 184 apartments above retail spaces, which will replace the existing 20-storey commercial building. FiveX was set up more than five decades ago by Joshua and Marko Berger. It is currently led by Joshua's son Lesli.&nbsp;

<img alt="First look: Fivex plans 39-storey residential tower at 275 Alfred Street, North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2efa0980-53fa-4cca-9f9e-9c3c845d4746" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29%20%281%29_0.png?VersionId=y_YyPMq3NQLfYRs84pP4os9UgWiMLp75" />

According to the Architectural Design Report by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fjc-studio">FJC Studio</a>, the slender tower form has been deliberately designed to respect the site's transitional setting at the southern gateway to the North Sydney CBD, where high-rise towers give way to lower-scale residential precincts.

"The slender tower form and articulated podium establish a respectful relationship with nearby heritage and low rise buildings, including the Whaling Road Heritage Conservation Area,” the architecture firm noted, adding that the tower “completes a missing link in the urban fabric” while enhancing the Alfred Street streetscape.

The proposed building will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with 15 percent of the gross residential floor area allocated as affordable housing. There is an agreement already in place that those apartments will be managed by Evolve Housing.

The project aligns with broader state housing objectives, including the National Housing Accord target of delivering 1.2 million new homes by 2029. The Scoping Report filed with the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) suggests the site "presents no impediments to rapid delivery,” with construction able to commence within 12 months of receiving consent.

North Sydney has been one of the most popular suburbs in Sydney for new and off the plan apartment development, but hasn't had the supply to keep up with demand, until recently.

AURA by Aqualand was, for a long time, the only off the plan apartment building on the market. That completed last year, and has sold the majority of its 386 luxury apartments. Recently ALAND launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-walden-173-179-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The Walden</a> on the same street, selling over $100 million within just a few hours of its launch, while developer CASA also launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-mclaren-north-sydney-45-mclaren-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The McLaren</a>&nbsp;in the same precinct.

First look: Fivex plans 39-storey residential tower in booming North Sydney

Kokoda Property Group has announced the Sydney-based Versatile Construction as the builder for its landmark $1.5 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> precinct.

Construction of the 17,612 sqm site is scheduled to commence in December 2025 and is expected to be delivered in stages from 2028. Once complete, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> will comprise 212 residences across four architecturally distinct buildings, alongside Brisbane’s first Kimpton Hotel, extensive retail, hospitality, and wellness amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139896 project_image_fid=295098]

Kokoda Property Group Founder and Managing Director, Mark Stevens, said appointing Versatile Construction marks a significant milestone for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>.

“Partnering with Versatile Construction gives us confidence in delivering a precinct that sets a new benchmark for luxury living, curated experiences and vibrant riverfront activation," Stevens said.

"Together, we will bring the vision for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a> to life, creating a destination that residents and visitors will enjoy for generations."

Throughout the construction phase, more than 2,000 jobs will be created, supporting hundreds of local contractors and suppliers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=139896 project_image_fid=352274]

Marco Fahd, Chairman &amp; CEO at Versatile Group, said the company is looking forward to&nbsp;expanding their footprint in the state, taking on their inaugural project in Brisbane.

"We are proud of the unwavering commitment our team of experts have to quality and certainty in delivery and are excited to work with Kokoda to bring their vision for this unique project to life," Fahd says.

Sales reached $285 million on the launch of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>, with sales momentum continuing to "exceed all expectations."

Stevens says the overwhelming response from buyers validated the group’s vision for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/teneriffe-banks-17-27-skyring-terrace-teneriffe-qld-4005">Teneriffe Banks</a>.

“The demand for a luxury product in this enclave has been extraordinary, we’ve never seen anything like it before. It reinforces everything we’re doing around quality, design, and creating genuine lifestyle precincts. Buyers are recognising the enduring value of Brisbane’s riverfront and are responding to the opportunity to live within a world-class destination that celebrates both place and lifestyle.”

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=139896]

Kokoda appoints builder for $1.5 billion Teneriffe Banks waterfront precinct

Castle Hill’s booming development market is set for another boost, with builder-developer Buildex proposing a new mid-rise apartment building near Castle Towers.

Buildex has submitted plans to The Hills Shire Council for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/197-old-northern-road-castle-hill-nsw-2154">nine-storey building comprising 57 apartments</a> on Old Northern Road. The company acquired two adjoining sites earlier this year, totalling more than 2,683 sqm.

Texco Design has prepared the scheme, which includes five one-bed plus study apartments, 37 two-bedrooms, and 15 three-bedrooms.

Castle Hill has become a hotspot for developers in recent years, undergoing significant transformation driven by the opening of the Hills Showground Precinct to development and the introduction of two metro stations servicing the suburb.

Developers including Deicorp and Kassis Homes have already completed projects, and are progressing future developments, while Meriton, Arada, and Ellipse are currently delivering new projects in the rapidly evolving area.

First look: Buildex plans 57 apartments near Castle Towers

Oxford Street

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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.
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Four Oxford Street shops to be offered in one line

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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.”   
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Paddington's Oxford Street seeing encouraging signs: Ray White

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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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Prime Oxford Street retail sits on market as more stores listed

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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.
 
 
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

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

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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>.
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Why big city gaybourhoods matter: Scott McKinnon

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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."
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