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.

Joel Robinson

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

Seasoned Victorian apartment developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-equity">Central Equity</a> has logged more than $400 million in sales in its luxury apartment project Palmera Residences at Northcliffe on the Gold Coast.&nbsp;

Central Equity Director Karl Kutner said the sales result reflected a combination of location, product quality and delivery certainty with the project already under construction by building powerhouse Multiplex.&nbsp;

"Surpassing $400 million in sales since launch is a significant milestone and an outstanding endorsement of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/palmera-residences-gold-coast-18-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Palmera Residences</a>,” he said.&nbsp;

"We believe one of the key reasons for this strong result is the confidence purchasers have in knowing the project is under construction with Multiplex. Buyers are increasingly looking for certainty. They want to know that the project they commit to today will be delivered by an experienced team with a proven track record."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365782]

Kutner said it was clear there was still high demand for luxury projects that offered certainty of delivery.&nbsp;

“We are in a market where many residential developments have faced delays due to rising construction costs, labour shortages and financing challenges,” said Kutner.&nbsp;

"But having construction underway has provided our buyers with resounding confidence backed by more than 40 years of development delivery by Central Equity combined with construction by one of Australia's most respected construction companies."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365785]

Central Equity is one of Australia's most experienced privately-owned property developers. Over more than four decades, the company has delivered in excess of 85 residential developments including 10,000 apartments and many thousands of stand alone homes.&nbsp;

Located on Garfield Terrace at Northcliffe, between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, Palmera Residences occupies one of the Gold Coast's most sought after beachside locations. The development has been designed to appeal to owner occupiers seeking premium residences that combine generous living spaces and resort style amenities.&nbsp;

Palmera Residences will feature an exceptional collection of resort style amenities, including two swimming pools: a generously sized family pool with safe shallow zones for relaxed recreation, and a 20 metre lap pool positioned to maximise all day sunlight.&nbsp;

Residents will also enjoy exclusive access to wellness and recreational facilities including a magnesium pool, sauna, yoga studio, expansive fitted gymnasium, resident lounge, outdoor BBQ’s&nbsp;and indoor and outdoor dining areas, together with a dedicated concierge and luxurious hotel inspired entrance foyer.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365767]

A unique feature at Palmera Residences has been designed to enhance the Gold Coast lifestyle which includes both indoor and outdoor gymnasium facilities, together with thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor dining and entertaining areas. A corner café has also been incorporated to provide residents with a destination for their everyday needs.&nbsp;

Kutner said buyer demand had been broad based with purchasers attracted from interstate as well as throughout South East Queensland.&nbsp;

"We're seeing strong interest from owner occupiers, lifestyle buyers and people relocating to the Gold Coast. Many purchasers have been searching for a premium beachside residence where quality, design and delivery are equally important."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365771]

Kutner said the sales milestone was an important achievement, but the focus remained firmly on delivering an exceptional development.&nbsp;

"While reaching $400 million in sales is an important milestone, our priority remains delivering a project that exceeds purchaser expectations,” he said.&nbsp;

"Palmera Residences has been designed to become one of the Gold Coast's landmark residential addresses, and we look forward to welcoming our purchasers to their new homes."&nbsp;

There are a limited number of residences remaining in selected configurations with pricing from $2,950,000 to $8,950,000. Palmera Residences is also crowned by expansive penthouses with wrap around views.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108274]

Construction certainty and strong buyer demand drive major sales result for luxury Gold Coast development

Palmera Residences fly out the door as sales pass $400 million

National property developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/goldfields-group">Goldfields</a> has appointed BINAH as its construction partner for Quartet, its new Brisbane apartment development in the undersupplied suburb of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/milton-qld-4064">Milton</a>.

Located just two kilometres from the Brisbane CBD and moments from key 2032 Olympic precincts, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/quartet-milton-33-manning-street-milton-qld-4064">Quartet</a> will deliver 131 one, two, three, and four-bedroom apartments priced from $1 million to $4.2 million, combining elevated design with a wellness-focused lifestyle offering.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=368000]

Goldfields’ Chief Executive Officer, Lachlan Thompson, said the appointment of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/binah-constructions">BINAH</a> marked an important milestone for the project.&nbsp;

“Bringing BINAH on board as our construction partner will allow us to bring our vision for Quartet forward with a team that has a proven track record of delivering high-quality residential projects,” Thompson said.&nbsp;

“We’ve taken a considered approach to progressing the site because we wanted to deliver the whole package. Buyers ultimately back great developers, great projects and great builders, and with Quartet, we’ve made sure all three line up.

“People want certainty, they want to know the project will be built, that the homes will be delivered as promised, and that the developer stands behind the quality of what they create. That’s something Goldfields has built its reputation on over many years.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=367993]

BINAH’s Managing Director, Khalil Hafza, said the company was proud to be partnering with Goldfields to deliver Quartet.&nbsp;

“Quartet is an exciting project to bring to life, particularly given the level of detail in the residences and the extensive rooftop amenity planned for the building,” Mr Hafza said.&nbsp;

“Our focus is on delivering a high-quality build that brings that design vision to life and creates homes residents will enjoy for many years.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=367999]

The facilities at Quartet have been feared towards the roof, with a&nbsp;25 metre lap pool, spa, sauna and cold plunge, and a communal barbecue area and alfresco.

Town planning was designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> and brought to life by Melbourne-based architecture firm Cera Stribley.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/cera-stribley">Cera Stribley</a> Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Dom Cerantonio, said the project responds to both its riverside setting and Brisbane’s evolving urban character.&nbsp;

“Quartet has been designed to sit comfortably within its riverside context, offering a refined take on urban living through well-planned, generously proportioned residences that will stand the test of time,” Mr Cerantonio said.&nbsp;

“An emphasis on natural light, natural textures and carefully selected finishes from timber and marble to premium appliances, creates calm, considered interiors designed for comfort and long-term liveability.”&nbsp;

Construction of Quartet will commence in July 2026, with completion anticipated in Q4 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108736]

Construction to commence on 131-residence tower designed around wellness-focused living

Goldfields appoints BINAH for Quartet apartments in Milton

The first partnership between national developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/fortis">Fortis</a> and Adelaide-based developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> has made a strong start, with the pair securing $21 million in unconditional sales at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/one-four-four-hutt-adelaide-144-hutt-street-adelaide-sa-5000">One Four Four Hutt</a>&nbsp;on the edge of the Adelaide CBD.

Over a third of apartments have been snapped up in the boutique 44-apartment project on the corner of Hutt Stret and Wakefield Road. Local downsizers and owner-occupiers wanting to remain in Adelaide's tightly-held southeast quarter have been the most prominent purchasers.

The DKO-designed, mixed-use development is one of the few new apartment projects in the precinct, an area where new housing supply has remained limited despite continued demand from buyers wanting to stay close to the CBD, Victoria Park and Adelaide's established east-end amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151233 project_image_fid=375378]

Fortis Head of Development SA Arthur Dendrinos said the early sales reflected both the strength of the local owner-occupier market and confidence in the Hutt Street location.

"The level of early commitment reflects the confidence local buyers have in the Hutt Street precinct," Dendrinos said.

"Many purchasers are long-term east-end residents who love the area and want to stay connected to the neighbourhood. They recognise the value of a well-designed, well-located development.

"Our partnership with Otello has been central to this success, and the number of unconditional sales at this stage only strengthens our confidence in the South Australian market."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151233 project_image_fid=375379]

Otello Director Daniel Harris said the sales result also highlighted the lack of new apartment opportunities within the Hutt Street precinct.

"One Four Four Hutt has clearly resonated with buyers, with strong early sales reflecting both the appeal of the Hutt Street corridor and the lifestyle on offer," Harris said.

"The activated ground-floor retail has also been a key drawcard, with purchasers responding to the vision of a more vibrant and connected streetscape, not just the residences themselves."

One Four Four Hutt will deliver 44 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, alongside a collection of penthouses, above a ground-floor retail offering designed to further activate the Hutt Street precinct.

Construction is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of this year, with completion anticipated in 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151233]

Fortis Head of Development SA Arthur Dendrinos said the early sales reflected both the strength of the local owner-occupier market and confidence in the Hutt Street location.

Fortis makes Adelaide debut with Otello as One Four Four Hutt records strong early sales

Rural

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Selena Mazuran, from the FBI Fashion College, has listed her colonial stone farmhouse Stannix Park at Wilberforce in NSW's Hawksbury.
The convict-era homestead dates back to the pioneer settler William Hall and his wife, Dinah, who got a 1839 land grant.
It was Max and Lorna Hatherly who commissioned heritage architect Ian Stapleton to oversee its restoration in the late 1980s. Max was a professor of metallurgy.
Selena Mazuran bought it from them in 2009 for $1.225 million, then adding 2300 square metres of adjoining land in 2012.
The 20-hectare lot on plains between Currency and Howes creeks, now comes with pool, separate studio and stables, and chapel at <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.bresicwhitney.com.au/#!/buy/8940" target="_blank">103 Stannix Park Lane</a>.
It has been listed for 10 May auction with $2.2 million plus hopes through BresicWhitney agent Walter Burfitt-Williams.
The Georgian estate was for William Hall who had arrived in Australia in 1810 as a missionary aide to the Reverend Samuel Marsden. It combines a sandstone coach-house and residence, a rare combination reminiscent of its early English derivation, although Title Tattle sees the latest marketing says it's French Colonial.
The steep 55-degree pitched roof is of jerkin head design.
Title Tattle seems to recall the coach-house has a keystone dated 1839 with the initials H.H., presumed to be Henry Hall, William Hall's son.
Hall also had a large house in Sydney on the corner of Pitt and Liverpool streets. 
Stannix Park is one of 20 colonial stone farmhouses in the Hawkesbury Valley.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Selena Mazuran, of FBI Fashion College, lists Stannix Park, Hawkesbury Valley colonial farmhouse 

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Billionaire Joe Lewis has taken his stake on the Australian Agricultural Company’s share register to 23%.
Suggesting he ultimately wants control of Australia’s biggest beef producer, the Bahamas-based British currency trader – who owns English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur - was the major backer of AACo’s $299 million capital raising in August last year, when his holding stood at 13.5%. 
Lewis can next increase his stake by an extra 11.6% on 1 September, then potentially commanding almost 35% of the register, the Australian Financial Review has suggested. 
Employing around 430 staff, <a href="https://www.aaco.com.au" target="_blank">AACo</a> has 18 owned cattle stations, five agisted properties, two owned feedlots, five external feedlots, and two owned and two external farms located throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory, covering approximately 6.9 million hectares with around a 676,000-head cattle herd.
Last year it sold subdivisions of its Goonoo aggregation, including Adelong, in Central Queensland for $23 million. It also sold Brighton Downs Station, passed in at Elders auction for $10.25 million, for $11.75 to the neighbours of the 420,000 hectares (1.04 million acres) station near Winton, the Britton family.
Last October it added the former RM Williams Agricultural Holdings properties, La Belle Downs and Welltree Stations southwest of Darwin paying $27.1 million through a Colliers marketing campaign for the properties, with a carrying capacity of between 20,000 to 25,000 adult cattle, but were sold bare of cattle. The 100,000 hectare properties will make up 1.6% of AACo’s total land holdings. 
Labelle Downs and Welltree are close to Tipperary, totalling 3,434 square kilometres, which AACo operates under a long-term lease.
AAco's largest shareholder, South East Point, is controlled by the Bahamas-based UK <a href="https://www.tavistock.com/overview/" target="_blank">Tavistock</a> group headed by the aggressive investor Joe Lewis whose stake recently overtook AACo's other major shareholder, the Malaysian-Middle Eastern Felda-IFFCO consortium with a 16.9% stake, given Felda-IFFCo did not take up its entitlement in the September 2013 capital raising.
Tavistock has been on the share register since 2011. 
Other smaller shareholders are David Dixon and Catherine Ramm, Anthony Maurici, Neasham Holdings and Catholic Church Insurance, according to its 2013 annual report. Elders and Peter Holmes à Court are no longer among the 7200 shareholders.
The Australian Financial Review reported when the former AACo chief executive David Farley was departed in July last year, bush rumours started that Lewis wanted to break AACo apart and grab the cash from selling off its land and cattle assets. But AACo chairman Donald McGauchie, the former National Farmers Federation boss, staunchly denied the rumours.
Those rumours have been denied many times by the Tavistock company too.
“We have increased our holding in AACo as a measure of our belief in the company and its endeavours to build a grand and integrated supply chain,” a spokesperson told the AFR earlier this month.
Lewis' total wealth is estimated at $4.2 billion, and he is listed as the 308th richest person on Forbes 2013 List of billionaires. Forbes reports that Lewis is the ninth wealthiest person in the UK, though he spends the majority of his year working from his luxury yacht.
Lewis is the main investor in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavistock_Group" target="_blank" title="Tavistock Group" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Tavistock Group</a>, which owns more than 200 companies in 15 countries. 
Dr. Shehan Dissanayake has been Tavistock's representative on the board as a non-executive director of Australian Agricultural Company Ltd since April 2012. He is a senior managing director and member of the board of directors of the Tavistock Group, the privately held investment company. 
Before joining Tavistock Group in 2002, Shehan was a managing partner of Arthur Andersen.
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Jason Strong, the AACo ’s general manager marketing, was been appointed managing director and chief executive officer in January while in March Troy Setter, the company’s chief operating officer, felt for a job at rival, Consolidated Pastoral Company. 
AACo owns roughly 1% of Australia's land mass. It was in 1824 that AACo was established as a land development company with the assistance of the British Parliament's Crown Grant of 1,000,000 acres in the Port Stephens area of the Colony of New South Wales.
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In 1831, due to the unsuitability of the initial land grant at Port Stephens, a portion of it was exchanged for 101,000 hectares at Warrah on the Liverpool Plains and 127,000 ha on the Peel River, which was to eventually become known as Goonoo Goonoo. Shorthorn bulls were imported from England to develop the company herds.
The company, in its move north selling subdivisions of its southern estates which helped to finance the purchase of Headingly at Urandangie in Queensland in 1916 and Avon Downs in the Northern Territory in 1921.
In 1948, the geographic and enterprise diversification that the company was hastened with the purchase of Rockhampton Downs in the Northern Territory and South Galway in the Channel Country.
In 1950, AACo purchased Brighton Downs on the Diamantina in and, assisted by the Korean War Wool Boom, moved into the East Kimberley region, purchasing the properties Auvergne, Newry, Argyle Downs and Ivanhoe.
In 1963, the company purchased Wrotham Park in North Queensland. However, a period of rationalisation in 1979 saw the sale of the Kimberley Group and the purchase of the renowned Brunette Downs on the Barkly Tableland.
It was 1985 which saw the end of a 160-year ownership with the sale of Goonoo Goonoo on the Peel River which allowed the company to purchase of properties in the Gulf of  Carpentaria, Gregory Downs, Canobie and Dalgonally. In 1987, another Gulf property, Wondoola, was purchased after the sale of Caldervale.
The purchase of a further breeding station, Austral Downs in the Northern Territory followed in 1994. 
In 1996, the New South Wales property, Windy, the last vestige of Warrah, was sold, after a continuous period of ownership spanning 165 years.
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Billionaire Joe Lewis adds more Australian Agricultural Company shares in his knapsack

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No sale yet for Namatjira, former champion surfer Wayne Lynch's Victoria coastal family haven.
The surfing icon Wayne Lynch is selling the Great Ocean Road, which sits about halfway between Anglesea and Airey's Inlet at Urquhart Bluff.
Married to Lindy with two children, Jarrah and Merinda, <a href="https://www.hayden.com.au/view.cfm?OID=6486901&amp;tp=432_view" target="_blank">Namatjira</a>, has been in the family for 35 years. 
But Lynch, who works for surfwear brand Patagonia, is apparently considering a move to the NSW north coast of NSW.
The three-level house with expansive coastal views sits on 4.45 hectares of protected natural bush at 765 Great Ocean Road. There is a three bedroom house plus separate three-bedroom bungalow.
Marius Tekin, of Hayden Real Estate, has had it listed for $3,995,000 since January this year.
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Surfing champion Wayne Lynch lists Angelsea and looks north

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The London-bound former foreign minister Alexander Downer and wife, Nicky have listed Brampton House, their Adelaide Hills ­family home for 17 May auction.
He is set to become Australia's high commissioner to Britain, a job his father did in the 1960s.
Brampton House is named after the Derbyshire town where Mrs Downer was born.
<a href="https://www.toop.com.au/details.asp?id=17367" target="_blank">Toop &amp; Toop agent Arabella Cooper</a> is expecting $1.2 million plus for the five-bedroom, ­two-bathroom home set on four hectares where six cross bred Dorper sheep kept the grass down.
 
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The one-storey house, 20 minutes up the South Eastern Freeway from Adelaide, has a pool, tennis court and spring-fed dam.
There are views north-east over the Onkaparinga Valley.
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The Downer's found the land at Mount George in 1988 while living in Macclesfield.
They are empty nesters as their four children no longer live at home. 
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London-bound Alexander Downer lists Adelaide Hills acreage home

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An unidentified cashed up Europe-based buyer - thwarting the nascent trend of Asian buyer interest in the Southern Highlands - has secured Chain of Ponds before this weekend's scheduled auction.
The property is the matrimonial farm of Sydney businessman farmer Peter Holmes à Court and his former wife, Divonne, who now lives in Saanen, Switzerland where the children are schooled.
It had been set for 26 April auction with $6.3 million plus hopes through <a href="https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/acreage-rural-mittagong-nsw-2575/194333/?searchID=38671885" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">McGrath Bowral agent Anne Stone</a> and <a href="https://www.mcmillanrealestate.com.au/property-details/property-details?id=2237" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Howard McMillan from McMillan Real Estate Bowral</a>.
The sale price has not been revealed but Title Tattle is aware of $6 million plus offers.
APM reported Sydney vendors notched up a 78% Anzac Day weekend clearance rate, up on the 73% rate on the same weekend last year, with the highest recorded sale being 229 Prices Circuit, Woronora at $1,610,500.
With the wonderful autumn rains, Chain of Ponds presented picture perfect in the auction marketing, <a href="/news/gardens-mudrooms-grand-gates-private-lakes-and-fire-places-southern-highlands-trophy-home-requisites">as Property Observer columnist Margie Blok recently noted</a>.
The property is currently run as a beef breeding and fattening property on a large scale for the Southern Highlands but could easily be transformed into a high class horse stud. 
Occupying 145 hectares on Old South Road, the property has a six-bedroom residence renovated by Luigi Rosselli Architects.
It is set in extensive gardens designed by landscape luminary William Dangar.
At the western edge of the house paddock, Dangar planted acacias, hakeas and eucalypts all species endemic to the local area to form a screen for privacy and wind relief.
With potential for subdivision into three separate lots, Chain of Ponds is six kilometres from Mittagong and 11 kilometres from Bowral.
The Holmes à Courts oversaw the planting of 5,000 native trees linking the property with surrounding national parks. The property is well irrigated with 12 dams and the Chain of Ponds creek.
Title Tattle is aware of several trophy home sales over recent months, the most noteworthy being The Chase, on Oldbury Road at Sutton Forest through Bill Carpenter from W. McI Carpenter &amp; Associates at Bowral. The Chase, the historic trophy property, <a href="/news/malaysian-tycoon-teo-ah-khing-from-china-horse-club-snaps-up-historic-the-chase-at-sutton-forest">was bought for $5.8 million by the Malaysian horse racing tycoon Teo Ah Khing</a>.
It had been put to December 2013 auction through Bill Carpenter inconjunction with Campbell-Jones Property agent Angus Campbell-Jones. Last traded at $5.2 million in 2011, the 40 hectare property was offloaded by John Starr, a real estate franchise tsar of Sydney’s western suburbs.
Patchway on Ranelagh Road, Burradoo also sold in January to locals for about $4.2 million. It was the home of Lyn Wilson and her engineer husband Ken who Title Tattle recalls supplied steel fabrication for the Olympic Stadium at Homebush.
Still no settlement details on <a href="/news/gai-and-robbie-waterhouse-tipped-as-dunsinea-mittagong-cattle-farm-buyers">Dunsinea, the 40 hectare Mittagong, Southern Highlands NSW trophy property that has been sold for about $4.95 million</a>.
All the locals reckon that champion horse trainer Gai Waterhouse is their new neighbour, along with her extended family. Apparently the Waterhouses are thinking of selling their Clifton Gardens home and buying a Sydney apartment.
Dunsinea has views over the bushland of the Nepean State Conservation Forest. 
It was sold by Mark and Rosie Mitchell who developed the holding from the ground up after returning from the UK in 2002. They first tried to sell in late 2008 with $7 million plus hopes, then more recently with a $5.25 million asking price through Sam Triggs from Meares and Associates and Michael Maloney from Richardson and Wrench Bowral.
Set on the northern fringes of the Southern Highlands, Dunsinea comes with modern ‘rammed earth’ five bedroom sandstone home.
<a href="https://www.randw.com.au/1066175/" target="_blank">Dunsinea</a> is surrounded by 100 acres of rolling grazing land, some 15 kilometres from Bowral.
The house is srrounded by its green and white garden, complete with 10 metre heated pool and all weather tennis court. There is also a guest cottage.
The main residence boasts 300mm - 450mm thick walls and 10 foot high ceilings.
Title Tattle recalls Margie Blok, after inspecting the home in 2008, noted it had been meticulously built with classic architecture.
"The house has superb proportions, solid sandstone walls, stone verandas and custom-made Georgian-style windows with double glazing. Inside, the rooms have 3.6-metre-high ceilings and polished stone floors, which are heated for winter warmth," she wrote.
"The front door opens to a wide central hallway with two guest bedrooms, a bathroom, a guest toilet and a study on the left. Opposite are the formal sitting and dining rooms.
"At the end of the hall is a central pavilion with a television room and a large family living-dining area with an open-plan kitchen. Off this is another kitchen (for caterers or food preparation) with a coolroom and cellar," Margie Blok told her readers.
Its formal dining room was subsequently included in the ‘Best 50 Rooms’ by House and Garden magazine.
The pasture was marketed as ideal for cattle grazing with the property fattening 40 to 50 steers year round. Title Tattle gathers that would translate accomodating around 20 horses, as is.
It had been for sale on and off for several years, even attracting the fleeting attention of the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his wife, Therese. 
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Peter and Divonne Holmes à Court sell Chain of Ponds, Mittagong for bullish $6 million plus

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The Prince of Wales stables at Fingal in Tasmania remain listed for sale with a $145,000 asking price.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-fingal-112656971" target="_blank">The Tasmanian heritage listed building adjoined the Prince of Wales Hotel</a> which burnt down in the 1920s.
Set on the island's north east, the colonial sandstone stables date back to the 1840s.
William Augustus Solomon was the licensee in the 1870s.
"The Prince of Wales stables are a fantastic link with our Tasmanian heritage," the Roberts Longford agents David Headlam and Jeff Carins note.
The 170 square metre at 57 Talbot Street, Fingal is an untouched example of colonial craftsmanship with the unrestored property coming with cobbled floors, horse stalls, feedbins and with a feed loft upstairs. There's also small stable hands accommodation.
"Truly a project in the view of Grand Designs," the marketing says. The 3,845 square metre property comes with a separate two room timber cabin, ruins and a winter creek.
The property has been listed since late 2010 with no change in its asking price.
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The Prince of Wales stables, 1840s Tasmanian heritage sandstone stables

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Land which was part of bushranger Ned Kelly's family farm has been listed for sale in Avenel, north-east of Melbourne.
Paul Bongiorno, of Mansfield Real Estate, is selling three blocks of land.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-residential+land-vic-avenel-200850143" target="_blank">They were part of a 40 acre dairy farm rented by the Kellys from 1864 to 1867</a> at £14 a year to the landlady Elisabeth Mutton.
Each of the three 2.02-hectare blocks - located at Lot 2, Lot 3 and Lot 4 Hovell Street - is listed with a $225,000 asking price.
<img src="/images/2014/04/22/avenel-april-22-two.jpg" alt="">
Town water and power is available on sites at the corner of Ewings Road.
Ned was born at his father's farm on the southern slopes of Mount Fraser at Beveridge before going to Avenel. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/22/avenel-april-22-one.jpg" alt="">
One of the strongest links with the Kelly clan is the Avenel pub, near Hughes Creek where the 11-year-old Ned jumped into a deep waterhole to save the life of young Richard Shelton.
Ned's father, John (Red) Kelly, is buried in Avenel cemetery after he was killed by an alcohol  at the age of 46, leaving his wife, Ellen with seven children under 13. His death, in December 1866, meant his widow then moved to Greta to be closer to her family. She married a second time and lived at Greta until when aged over ninety years she died at Wangaratta Hospital in 1923. 
"The deeds of the Kelly gang when they were outlawed in 1878, naturally caused great excitement at Avenel, especially among their old schoolmates and friends of the family.
"No one would hear a word against them, considered that the Kelly’s boys were victims of circumstances which drove them to desperate deeds," <a href="https://maps.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&amp;p=176&amp;d=stories&amp;story=1967555288" target="_blank">one amateur historian noted</a>.
The former mayor of the Shire of Strathbogie, Robin Steers formerly owned 60 hectares with some of the land near Jessop's Bridge on the town boundary which was where the Kelly house used to stand.
William Henry Mutton and his wife, Elisabeth, were immigrants, who had arrived at Melbourne, in the ship, Lady Loch in 1846 from Cornwall. He was 24 when he arrived in Avenel with his bride Elizabeth Locke, of the Jersey Islands, who was of French descent.
They had initially settled in Seymour, soon after their arrival in the colony, but had suffered losses in disastrous floods, deciding to move further north along the Old Sydney Road to Hughes Creek, on the Avenel  Run, where the government was offering Crown land for sale in 1849.
Mutton also opened a blacksmith’s shop, the first business in the township, and later opened a general store.
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Ned Kelly family farm land offering at Avenel

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Renowned Musk Farm has been listed for sale by May 31 onsite auction through the Pat Rice &amp; Hawkins agency.
Selling agent Matt Childs anticipates the Musk Farm cottage on 1.2 hectares will <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/11-school-road-musk/Property-Details-buy-residential-7025401" target="_blank">fetch $1 million plus</a>.
A 30 hectare farm lot in the acclaimed Daylesford, central Victoria district is also expected to fetch $550,000 plus.
Interior designer Stuart Rattle and cattle farmer Michael O'Neill, partners for 16 years, paid $93,000 in 1998 with a $76,000 mortgage, for what was to become their expanded renovated Musk Farm masterpiece.
The 32 hectare property started as a derelict garden overun with blackberries. 
But taking their inspiration from the English Arts and Crafts movement of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, the couple set about its restoration starting with the planting of hydrangeas outside the 1880s old school house.
It would end with the garden divided into 14 distinct garden rooms, joined by interconnecting walkways, and separated by large clipped hedges, English Box (Buxus sempervirens) and viburnum (Viburnum spp) and Ligustrum vulgare (Privet). It shone even in winter.
<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/2014/04/17/musk-farm-april-17-eight.jpg" alt="">
Source: Facebook
Title Tattle gleans Stuart Rattle had been reluctant to buy the property when he and good mate, Paul Bangay undertook their first inspection drive-by.
It looked like a municipal park with too much asphalt, but returning at twlight Rattle sensed the opportunity and he was always of the later opinion that the home was best in late afternoons. 
It was a compact cottage after installing lower ceilings and its paintwork created the rich, moody and broody feel that he had once seen at florist Kevin O'Neill's Mount Macedon retreat.  
The English kitchen comes with oak cabinetry made by craftsman Kim Moir.
The cottage had the potential of the nearby pastures acquired for Michael O'Neill's passion, a herd of British White cattle he set about to save when the once common breed shrunk to only 400 breeding cows in Australia.
With their white coats, black noses and long black eyelashes, the cows stood out on the green hill that dominates the expanding holding, which was bought in 2003. The beef was sold to top restaurants, such as the Lake House in Daylesford, and through farmers' markets. Michael came from a long line of vets in Ireland's County Cork. The farm lot comes with pine plantation, a character filled barn, hay shed, cattle yards, chicken coop, small orchid and a terraced vegetable garden. 
Visitors were very welcome at Musk's regular garden open days. Title Tattle recalls Pixie Skase was a devotee. There was the reminder of her in the pair of Hermes ashtrays with Islamic motifs. Susan Bittar, the Arthur Anderson accountant, had Rattle decorate her Georgian home among the many commissions by Melbourne's prominent families.
But before the hydrangeas were at their peak last year, Stuart Rattle was found dead in his burnt-out two storey Malvern Road, South Yarra apartment on December 9, 2013.
It was in his abode at the back of his shop, an infill concrete box with mansard roof which Nerida Piggin once described as a soothing spacious retreat. It had been built by his builder father, Ken with intricate coffered ceiling. Rattle often said he was following in the footsteps of other designers, like Nancy Lancaster from Colefax and Fowler and Coco Chanel who also lived above their shops.  
Within four days police charged his partner, Michael O'Neill, with his murder after a suspicious fire, alleging that he killed him through asphyxiation five days prior at the city apartment.
O'Neill remains remanded in custody due to return to court on June 5 for a committal mention hearing.
Stuart Rattle, who grew up on a farm at Wakool, saw himself as one of Australia’s leading interior designers, the sole designer within his company supported by skilled artisans who transformed inspiration into reality.
But he maintained he was not there to impart his own style – "my focus is always to bring out my clients."
"A home should represent who lives there," he believed. And at Musk the whole house certainly evolved around the Aga stove.
"Interiors are above all sophisticated and highly attuned to each client’s lifestyle and personality."
But for Rattle scale, proportion and elegance transcended the current trends as he endeavoured to construct timeless spaces with an emphasis on comfort and restraint. In July 2012, a custom-designed furniture range was launched by Rattle in collaboration with Mortice &amp; Tenon.
Before his death he'd just finished refurbishing the drawing room at Musk Farm, after the ornate plaster ceiling arrived in four large panels. Then there was the Watts of Westminister birds wallpaper. The antique fire mantel was sourced in London. The Mulberry Floral Bouquet fabric on the sofa and some antique Persian blanket cushions. Brunschwig &amp; Fils 'Argonne Lampas' fabric on the Gainsborough Chair.
<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/2014/04/17/musk-farm-april-17-one.jpg" alt="">
<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/2014/04/17/musk-farm-april-17-five.jpg" alt="">
<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/2014/04/17/musk-farm-april-17-six.jpg" alt="">
<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/2014/04/17/musk-farm-april-17-seven.jpg" alt="">
Source: Facebook
In May last year the Governor of Victoria, Alex Chernov, and Mrs Chernov, on an official visit to Hepburn Shire, popped in to see the farm. (pictured below) Only last November the late interior designer and his partner proudly opened Musk Farm to the public to raise money for further restoration of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in nearby Daylesford. Stuart had been a very active supporter of the Botanic Gardens, repairing and restoring its rustic cascade, the Victorian Fernery and its irrigation works.
<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/2014/04/17/chernov%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
 
Source: Facebook
But within three weeks he was dead. His partner Michael O'Neill awaiting trial for his alleged murder. Their assets were subsequently frozen, by Supreme Court of Victoria order, and only able to be sold with the court's approval. Katrina Lewin, one of Rattle's sisters, has been appointed interim administrator of his estimated $4.2 million estate.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/stories/2014/02/21/crop-feb-21.png" alt="crop-feb-21" width="470" height="291">
  School Road at Musk has just the six properties. All up Musk has around 130 properties, once described by The Age as a sleepy blip on the map.
Barcaldine House, at 238 Dairy Flat Road with 15 hectares and a 60-square-metre homestead, was perhaps the most known given its cellar door operations. 
The hamlet's last celebrity sale was in 2006 when the television personality and interior designer Tonia Todman sold the four hectare farm which she bought in 1998 to use as a weekender with partner Michael Dowding. They refurbished in a style that Todman described as "French provincial meets New Hampton via Daylesford". 
Todman's four-bedroom house with Castlemaine stone fireplace was surrounded by a stone-fruit orchard and a small olive grove plus nut trees, a vegetable garden and plantings of herbs, roses, lavender and bulbs on soil classed as chemical-free. The Todman property at 90 Currys Road was listed with Morley Real Estate who were quoting $730,000-plus, and secured $660,000.
 
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Musk Farm, the Stuart Rattle, Michael O'Neill garden estate listed for auction

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Throsby Park, one of Australia's most significant homesteads, has finally become available for long-term leasehold in the NSW Southern Highlands.
It is a 74 hectare Sutton Forest estate, just one kilometres east of Moss Vale, <a href="https://www.kenjacobs.com.au/1511374/" target="_blank">with </a><a href="https://www.kenjacobs.com.au/1511374/" target="_blank">colonial Georgian homestead, the 183</a><a href="https://www.kenjacobs.com.au/1511374/" target="_blank">4 Throsby Park</a>.
The 27 room house comes with beautiful Australian red cedar joinery, polished hardwood floors along with the charming entry with fluted pilasters. 
Its large bay windows frame country views.  Conceived as a cottage orné or picturesque verandahed bungalow, it was probably to the design of colonial architect, Mortimer Lewis.  
The estate comes with other historic buildings including stables, piggery, mill, barn, chapel and tennis pavilion. 
Throsby Park House has undergone a sympathetic restoration including reinforcing the roof, underpinning, repairs and rewiring.
It is best known for its riding school which was established in 1934 and run by Del Throsby for many decades until her death in 2006. There were five generations of Throsby's living there through the years.
Undoubtedly one of Australia's oldest and most picturesque country mansions, Throsby Park was built on 1,000 hectares of land granted to Dr Charles Throsby by governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819, reputedly the earliest land grant outside the County of Cumberland. Throsby had no children and lived in a weatherboard cottage on the holding. The current homestead was built by his nephew, Charles (1798-1854) whose wife, Elizabeth Broughton resulted in 17 children and many descendants.
Throsby Park homestead was also leased to notable tenants, establishing the Southern Highlands as a prestigious holiday destination. In 1868 the Earl of Belmore, and Governor of NSW (1868-72) took it as a summer retreat for his wife, Lady Belmore who found the Sydney summers oppressive. In 1872 the homestead was leased to Frederick Barker, Archbishop of Sydney and then the Fairfax publishing family in 1891.
The property was the subject of an 1836 painting by distinguished 19th century artist Conrad Martens which was picked up by the philanthropic Caroline Simpson Library &amp; Research Collection. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/thorsby%20park%20april%2017.jpg" alt="">
View of Throsby Park by Conrad Martens, c1836. Caroline Simpson Library &amp; Research Collection, Sydney Living Museums L2005/7
Of course the Southern Highlands has always been closely associated with the English landscape. It was Governor Lachlan Macquarie who noted in 1820 that the Throsby Park district was particularly beautiful and rich, "resembling a fine extensive pleasure ground in England".
The long mooted leasehold offering will involved a requirement for continued restoration work implementing a 100 plus page conservation manual compliance.
The Historic Houses Trust has engaged agents, Ken Jacobs and Darren Curtis at Christies International on the 40 year leasehold offering. Apparently the costs of upkeep were steadily growing, so continuing as a house museum, was no longer an viable option.
The Historic Houses Trust became the owner of Throsby Park in 2010, after it was transferred from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which owned the site since 1975. It is a true trophy home listing.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" alt="flagtitletat" width="25" height="34" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 5px; float: left;">
Back in 2008 <a href="https://www.kenjacobs.com.au/71479/" target="_blank">Glenfield, the Georgian colonial residence at Casula </a>deemed to be the most important Sydney metropolitan house surviving from the Macquarie era, was put up for lease by the Historic Houses Trust.
Dr Charles Throsby, the naval surgeon on the Coromandel, magistrate member of the Legislative Council and explorer, had built the house in 1817, naming it after his birthplace near Leicester in England.
On his death in 1828, the convict-built residence was left to his nephew Charles Throsby, who was responsible for building the 1834 Throsby Park residence in the Southern Highlands.
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/casula%20april%2017%20one.jpg" alt="">
Glenfield remained in the family until the 1920s, when it was sold to the Leacock family.
The restored 14-room residence with lawn tennis court, orchard, privy, two-storey stables and a former dairy, is on 1.3 hectares on Leacock Lane.
It was something of a miracle that it survived at all, given the long vacant house was under threat from damage, vandalism, theft and termites.
At a cost of about $1.8 million, it has been restored on a reduced holding since being bought in 2002 for $1.8 million from the Leacocks when it was on 5.5 hectares. It's location hampered the offering's worthy pedigree.
Despite it's initial 2008 offering with a variable long-term lease basis with a single up-front payment, it took many years before its actual sale because of understandable buyer hesitation towards leasehold heritage.
It finally sold as freehold for $1.225 million last year to the French family.
<img src="/images/2014/04/17/casula%20april%2017%20two.jpg" alt="">
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Historic vice regal Throsby Park offered by NSW Historic Houses Trust as Southern Highlands leasehold

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The Hayes Prison Farm, Kilderry, has been listed for sale at $3.35 million.
The property was converted into the Hayes Prison Farm by the Tasmanian government as a minimum security facility during the 1960s.
It has been <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-mixed+farming-tas-hayes-7529911" target="_blank">listed by Peter Wade at Robert Real Estate</a>.
The former Hayes Prison Farm comprises 595 hectares, of which 218 hectare will be protected under a conservation covenant.
The balance land, some 379 hectares, is considered prime agricultural farming land. 
The property has numerous buildings located on it, including barns, dairy and various others, plus the gaol 70 cell block and administrative buildings associated with the prison.
The state government-owned Derwent Valley farm, decommissioned in late 2012 after the last 40 prisoners were moved to Risdon Prison, was briefly speculated as being potentially a detention centre for asylum seekers.
The farm near New Norfolk allowed prisoners to be rehabilitated through learning agricultural skills.
Low-security inmates milked the cows in the 20-stand dairy and grew vegetables and tomatoes in a large glass hothouse.
They produced and packed frozen vegetables in a purpose-built kitchen and coldroom for Hobart nursing homes and hospitals.
The land held a 800-megalitre River Derwent water licence suitable for stone fruit, cherries, vineyards, and market garden.
"Over the years the farm has been recognised for its excellent dairy herd, extensive market gardens, grazing sheep and wool production, cattle and processing of vegetables," the marketing says.
The Hayes Prison Farm offers exciting and somewhat different opportunities," Peter Wade said. 
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