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

Joel Robinson

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

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

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

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

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

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

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

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

Residential Sale

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A family has put up for sale a three-home site in Sydney's Burwood spread over 1,833 square metres with approvals in place for a boutique residential development.
The <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-nsw-burwood-501732202" target="_blank">59 Park Road</a> site comprises three detached dwellings with development application approval. 
Zoned R3 Medium Density Residential, the approval allows for a residential complex comprising seven luxury four-bedroom townhouses directly opposite Burwood Park.
Selling agent Stuart Cox of Savills said price expectations are circa $5 million for its November 10 auction.
He expects significant interest from local developers with Sydney’s shortage of housing and rising prices, seeing demand for the inner west dramatically increasing.
Located within Sydney’s Inner West, Burwood is 10 kilometres to the Sydney CBD. 
Burwood Plaza Shopping Centre, Burwood Rail Station, Strathfield Railway Station and the sub-regional Burwood Westfield Shopping Centre are all within a 400 metre radius of the site.
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Family bands together to sell Burwood, Sydney home on large lot

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Anytime Fitness co-founder Jacinta McDonell, who oversees a gym empire of 420 clubs in Australia, has bought Ammamead, a Byron Bay hinterland retreat.
Its a charming classic white <a href="https://uniqueestates.com.au/listings/residential_sale-275066-federal/" target="_blank">Queenslander home</a> on a compact 9000 sqm holding at Federal.
It had been a holiday rental that had consistently yielded over 6% gross with 55% occupancy over the past few years.
But perhaps the clincher for the $2.1 million purchase through Unique Estates agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden was the separate studio which had just been renovated into a health and fitness area with bathroom. 
Ammamead, with an award-winning contemporary extension, was initially renovated around 2001 by architect Sharon Fraser and her builder partner, Steve Esson after the Queenslander had been transported to the property in the 1980s.
Recently refurbished into a luxurious yet relaxed retreat, it comes with a 16 metre salt water inground lap pool.
Jacinta McDonell and her co-founder brother, Justin, have always been involved in the fitness industry, having parents running fitness clubs.
It was in 1992 when they opened their first gym soon out of high school, launching the Anytime Fitness in Australia as master franchisors of the American fitness brand in 2008.
Anytime Fitness Australia has the largest group of clubs outside of the USA, starting with the first club in Gunnedah.
She was recently on Necker, Sir Richard Branson’s private island, as part of the Business Chicks Virgin Unite trip where she spent time with Marianne Williamson, the internationally acclaimed spiritual author.
She lives in Balmain in a cottage bought last spring for $3.3 million through McGrath agent Cindy Kennedy.
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Queenslander at Federal, Byron Bay hinterland sale

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Melbourne actor Brett Tucker has listed his home in St Kilda East.
The former McLeod’s Daughters and Neighbours star Brett Tucker has listed <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/4-1-hughenden-road-st-kilda-east/Property-Details-buy-residential-9554374" target="_blank">his unit on Hughenden Road</a>.
Set to start filming the fourth season of US drama Mistresses, Tucker intends to base himself permanently in Los Angeles.
It is in a charming historic block with seven flats. He paid around $293,000 in 2003.
Tucker’s renovated two bedroom apartment comes with separate living and dining rooms, an entrance hall and a lock-up garage.
It is offered through Gary Peer &amp; Associates agent Maxine Piekarski who is quoting between $500,000 and $550,000.
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Actor Brett Tucker lists St Kilda East apartment

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Apartments in Bondi Junction are securing a median gross yield of 4.1%, the latest data from propertyvalue.com.au shows.
The median selling price of units in the Sydney eastern suburb sits at $819,000, with a median price change up 18 percent annually.
The median apartment rental was $650 per week, placing the suburb at 40th across NSW.
Up for grabs currently is an executive <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-bondi+junction-120381681" target="_blank">apartment at 1003/80 Ebley Street</a> with a price tag of $895,000 through Stella Gankin and Marina Makhlin of R&amp;W.
The one-bedroom unit and study is currently used as a furnished executive rental averaging $1,000 per week with an occupancy between 80%-86% per year.
Median rentals in Bondi Junction have grown steadily over the last decade, nearly doubling from $330 in 2005. 
Over the last 12 months, 130 units have sold in the area averaging about 23 days on the market, data from <a href="/news">propertyvalue.com.au</a> shows.
Bondi Junction is spread over an area of nearly one square km and its population has grown at a rate of 7% over a five-year period from 2006 to 2011, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows. In 2011, it had a population of more than 8,600.
Owner-occupied homes in the suburb fell slightly to 46.4% in 2011 from 48 percent in 2006, the data showed.
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Bondi Junction apartment rentals yields investors $650 median a week

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A freestanding sandstone terrace in Woollahra listed with $2.7 plus million hopes through Simon Harrison at Belle Property sold at auction.
The <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/4-wallis-street-woollahra/Property-Details-buy-residential-9528754" target="_blank">4 Wallis Street </a>home sits on 280 square metres with a seven metre wide terrace.
"This is Sydney’s version of London’s Chelsea and Kensington, or New York’s Upper West and East Sides mingled," the marketing suggested.
The terrace has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one car space home is located moments to Queen Street and the Centennial Parklands.
The median price for a home in <a href="/news">Woollahra is $2,105,000</a>, according to CoreLogic RP Data.
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Freestanding Woollahra sandstone terrace sold

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The Hollywood-based actors Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg have splashed out $6.5 million on a Bronte home. 

They made the bullish off-market purchase of the recently completed three-bedroom contemporary home last month.

The couple have an apartment on the Ben Buckler peninsula overlooking Bondi Beach and a hide­away at Nashua, in the Byron Bay hinterland.

Before that they owned a Paddington terrace, which was sold in 2007 for $3.3 million.

They had paid $2.63 million for their Bondi bolthole, in an older-style block, in early 2014. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit has a staircase to a 135sq m rooftop terrace.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6201]

Ballina-raised Baker is known to enjoy a surf. Their new Bronte pad was designed to capture beach and ocean views, with approval from Waverley Council in late-2012.

The sale of the hillside 380sqm property with flat-roofed home is the highest price in Bronte since last October. The holding, close to Macpherson Rd village, had last sold in 2005 for just $3.1 million.

It is just a short distance to the fashionable Three Blue Ducks cafe.

The top Bronte sale sits at $16.5 million along the exclusive strip known as The Cutting on the ocean side of Bronte Rd overlooking the beach and ocean.

Baker, who recently undertook his first directorial job, is best known for his lead roles as Patrick Jane in TV series The Mentalist, and as Nicholas Fallin in The Guardian.

He has also promoted brands such as Givenchy and Longines and the ANZ Bank — but it seems in this case there was no need for any local mortgage financing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6798]

The couple relocated to the US in the mid-1990s.

Actors Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg married in 1998, having met in the early ’90s on the set of Aussie soap E Street in which their characters, Baker’s Constable Sam Farrell and Rigg’s Nurse Amy, were also a couple. Rigg stepped back from her acting career to raise the couple’s children Stella, Claude and Harry.

The couple weren’t sighted around Byron Bay on their recent trip home, perhaps because of their eastern suburbs home search.

But they typically escape­ the paparazzi by heading to their hinterland retreat, having paid $1.5 million for the 7ha property in 2009. The rambling homestead with pool and tennis court was once owned by Northern Rivers royalty, the Scarrabelotti family.

This article and photo first appeared in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Actor Simon Baker upsizes to $6.5 million Bronte trophy home from Bondi Beach apartment

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Art Deco home Bellevue, built in 1933 in Sydney's Dulwich Hill, has changed hands for the first time in 82 years.  
The home, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-dulwich+hill-120597205" target="_blank">37 Arlington Road Dulwich Hill</a>, sold 26 September for $1,950,000 through David Diamantopoulos of LJ Hooker Marrickville/Dulwich Hill.
It features recessed ceilings, Queensland maple timber detail, decorative plasterwork, and extensive use of both lead light and terrazzo culminate.
The median price for a home in <a href="/news">Dulwich Hill is $1,253,788</a> according to CoreLogic RP Data.
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Art Deco Dulwich Hill time capsule sells for $1.95 million

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Villa Moderna, two separate houses set across five levels, in Darlinghurst has hit the market again, this time with $6 million plus hopes through Langulin agent Louisa Jackson. 
It would set a <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/for-sale/villa-moderna-98-surrey-darlinghurst-nsw-2010-2012257418" target="_blank">new record terrace price</a> for the suburb when sold by the New Zealand born music industry entrepenuer Grant Thomas, whose company once managed Crowded House, The Rockmelons and Bardot, who bought it in 1999 for $855,000.
After a three year renovation, it is six bedrooms, five bathrooms, four car spaces with a total space of 556 sqm behind its 19th-Century Victorian terrace facade. 
The striking Dale Jones Evans-designed minimalist terrace is mostly concrete, sandstone and glass finishes. 
The marketing says the entirely new home has never been occupied, so is Federal Investment Review Board (FIRB) approved to a foreign buyer.
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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Villa Moderna lists with $6 million plus hopes

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Arts patrons Julian and Lizanne Knights have spent $7.4 million on the Elizabeth Bay trophy home, Oakburn.
It was Lizanne's $150,000 knockout bid which secured the Gunnis family, renovated Victorian era Italianate villa at auction <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house-elizabeth-bay-nsw-2011/229262" target="_blank">through McGrath agent Ben Collier</a>.
Julian Knights, founding partner of private equity group Ironbridge, have meanwhile sold their Macleay Street apartment off-market through Jason Boon at Richardson &amp; Wrench for $8 million.
The three bedroom, three bathroom Villard apartment had been bought in 2011 for $6.17 million when sold by the late car dealer Ray Lintott and his wife Penny, who had paid $7.4 million in 2008.
Villard was Ercole Palazetti's grand Parisian inspired 19 apartment block on Macleay Street.
Julian Knights has more than 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Elizabeth Bay's Oakburn bought by Julian and Lizanne Knights

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A Mediterranean-style Port Douglas home has been listed for sale.
La Casa Mirasol, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-port+douglas-120452961" target="_blank">10 Solander Boulevard</a>, has been listed with $4 million plus hopes through Nicolette van Wijngaarden at Unique Estates Australia.
The home stretches over two beachfront blocks totalling 1600 square metres, fronting Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. 
Built in 1995, La Casa Mirasol has bagged walls, exposed beams and Spanish-style tiled roof.
A 20 metre saltwater pool surrounds the property. 
The median price for a home in <a href="/news">Port Douglas </a>is $516,250, according to CoreLogic RP Data. 
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