Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

Joel Robinson

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

The Gold Coast Planning Committee has supported the preliminary approval for the Benowa Gardens Urban Village project following an extensive community consultation and assessment process.

The proposal will now proceed to a full council vote on June 2.

The application sought approval for a masterplanned urban village on the existing Benowa Gardens Shopping Centre site, combining new housing, retail, dining, health and lifestyle amenities within a walkable, integrated precinct.&nbsp;

The proposed redevelopment includes around 413 apartments integrated above a revitalised mixed-use centre featuring a full-line supermarket of 4,000 sqm, 6,000 sqm of specialty retail and dining space across around 30 retailers, a 7,000 sqm health and wellness precinct, and roughly 9,630 sqm of office and medical suites.&nbsp;

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fb36ae47-80bc-45f0-9914-31b0c7b6007d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/PR26576%20Ashmore%20Road%20C4%201121%20FI.jpg?VersionId=6mRKk2uU4r67TmTt39DKGUlvFRbTVqWa" />

The broader masterplan also includes very significant traffic and transport improvements, wide pedestrian walkways, upgraded pedestrian and cycle connections, and enhanced public areas designed to create a more connected and walkable community environment.&nbsp;

Centre owner Patrick Lu said the milestone reflected months of detailed planning, technical assessment and ongoing communication with local residents, businesses, schools and stakeholders.

“We appreciate the time, consideration and care Council officers and the Planning Committee have given this proposal throughout the assessment process,” Lu said.

“We also sincerely thank the local community for engaging with us, sharing feedback and participating in the consultation process over many months.

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32fd1fc3-d0e6-485f-ac57-9916c9bcb818" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/PR26576%20Ashmore%20Road%20C5%201121%20FI_2.jpg?VersionId=fz8qQKDBLQ7MyFRc856Zccfbh9nFwLOe" />

“We understand projects of this scale bring questions and concerns, which is why we have worked hard to listen carefully, provide information transparently and continue refining elements of the proposal where possible.

“Our vision has always been to create a well-designed, community-focused urban village that responds to the changing needs of the Gold Coast, while delivering improved amenity, housing diversity, healthcare access and local lifestyle benefits.

“This proposal is about creating a genuine live-work-play environment where residents can access everyday services, schools, healthcare, dining, shopping and green space within walking distance, while also supporting local jobs and economic activity.”

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="50dfbd04-590e-4fc6-983b-766880947867" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Dining%20Day%20Time%20-%20High%20Resolution.jpg?VersionId=BP7ZoKJ0DdL_8iRkkC8VVx99moICV6kg" />

Lu said the proposal had evolved significantly through consultation and technical review, particularly around traffic, pedestrian and student safety and neighbourhood connectivity.&nbsp;

Melissa Griffin, Director at Urbis, said the recommendation recognised the strategic importance of delivering more housing and services within established urban areas already supported by infrastructure.

“This proposal represents the type of thoughtful, integrated growth that planning frameworks across South-East Queensland are encouraging,” Ms Griffin said.

“The project seeks to place housing, retail, healthcare and employment opportunities together in a highly accessible location close to schools, transport and existing services.

“Importantly, the process has involved significant technical assessment and community engagement to ensure local issues and feedback were properly considered throughout the planning pathway.”

$1 billion Benowa Gardens Urban Village heads to council vote following Planning Committee support

Surfers Paradise is officially set for its first new residential development with a 45-storey skybridge connecting the two towers.

John Camilleri’s Celestino Developments has been given the green light by the Gold Coast City Council to develop its major beachfront precinct across its huge 4,000 sqm oceanfront site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/63-79-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">63–79 Garfield Terrace</a>, just five months after its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-exclusive-billionaire-winx-breeder-s-bold-two-tower-surfers-paradise-play-with-45th-storey-skybridge">submission in late 2025</a>.

The approved scheme will deliver two towers rising 55 and 48 storeys, connected by a skybridge positioned on level 45 that will house a range of resident-only wellness and entertainment spaces.

In its notice of approval, the Gold Coast City Council said the&nbsp;proposed overall built form has been designed to complement the scale, intensity and protect the adjacent amenity and surrounding streets through the use of varied setbacks, site cover and architectural elements.

<img alt="First look exclusive: Billionaire Winx breeder’s bold two-tower Surfers Paradise play with 45th-storey skybridge" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-30%20at%209.53.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=ADyPJ_TFbJvSU9wZFOiCBnlPtgF7VWqW" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/dbi">DBI</a>, the development will comprise 275 apartments across the two towers, including a mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom residences, as well as several penthouses. The apartments will sit above a landscaped podium featuring more than 90 metres of beachfront pool frontage, private resident lawns, lounges, and wellness spaces.

DBI said the design draws heavily from the movement and form of the coastal environment, with curving balcony lines and sculpted façades intended to soften the scale of the towers while maximising ocean outlooks and passive shading outcomes.

“The project occupies a rare, uninterrupted oceanfront site and has been shaped by a design philosophy that merges architectural elegance with environmental responsiveness and a carefully curated lifestyle experience,” DBI said in planning documents submitted to the Gold Coast City Council.

The most distinctive element of the approved project is the skybridge linking the two towers at level 45. The elevated communal space is planned to include executive lounges, formal dining areas, wellness facilities, and panoramic ocean-facing outlooks.

“The skybridge enhances the identity of the development, promotes social interaction, and delivers a lifestyle experience not found elsewhere on the Gold Coast,” DBI said.

At podium level, residents will have access to a suite of resort-style amenities, including resident lounges, private dining rooms, a yoga lawn, gymnasium, plunge pools, and treatment spaces. The beachfront pool has been designed with separate lap, lounge, and children’s areas extending across the width of the site.

The project will also introduce new food and beverage offerings along the Enderley Avenue and Oceanway frontages, contributing additional activation to the beachfront precinct.

First look: Winx billionaire’s beachfront Surfers Paradise apartment development greenlit

Warrawee

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The Warrawee home of miner Jerry Ren, who was once dubbed the Northern Territory’s only billionaire, is whispered to have been sold.
Bremon, which cost $11.5 million in 2010, is an imposing house on a 6400 square metre Chilton Parade holding.
There are suggestions the Chinese-born Australian Wilson Hui Xiong Xue, the self-described shoe king of China who dabbles in mining, may have an interest in its acquisition.
Xue owns the former Balmoral Slopes home of Richard and Jane Freudenstein that cost $23,733,800.
Ren has been bankrupted and is separated from his wife Xia Kong. 
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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firstname1-iYD4UYzvBa

Jerry Ren's Warrawee home rumoured to have been sold

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A Warrawee five bedroom house designed by architect Augustus Aley has been sold.
It was offered by Carl Ferris and Donna Ferris from McConnell Bourn, without public price guidance.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-warrawee-128677922" target="_blank">Located at 8 Yosefa Avenue</a>, the 1920s Spanish Mission villa has been transformed into a laid back style, sophistication and contemporary family living.
The first level of the house comes with the monochrome kitchen with ample bench space, formal and relaxed living rooms, and lounge with fireplace.
The second floor features parent retreat with own balcony and additional fifth bedroom. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/7/23/warrawee%201.jpg" alt="">
Additional extras include selected fixtures and fittings throughout the home, including rich hardwood floors, large light filling windows, plantation shutters, high patterned ceilings plus an array of pendant lighting.
The outdoor features landscaped backyard, paved alfresco terrace, gourmet veggie garden and tranquil water fountain as well as grassy lawns.
It is within walking distance to Warrawee Station and Knox Grammar, and also minutes from village shops, local eateries, buses plus local reserves.
The suburb's median house price sits at <a href="/developments/warrawee-nsw-2074">$2,576,000</a>, according to CoreLogic.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/7/23/warrawee%203.jpg" alt="">
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

1920s Spanish Mission-style Warrawee gem sold

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International award-winning aged care developer Mark Moran Group are teaming up with a number of industry leaders to create a new batch of residential apartments on Sydney's upper north shore.
The Warrawee apartments dubbed 'Embrace' will be created by architect Benson McCormack, interior designer Evette Moran and landscape architect Charlie Albone.
The project at 1496 Pacific Highway will comprise 52 one, two and three bedroom apartments over two buildings. 
Mark Moran Group founders Mark and Evette Moran decided that the time was right to share their expertise, according to Mark Moran Group property director David Bacon.
“Our development philosophy is to consistently design with integrity and innovation… maintaining a specific focus on user delight and life quality," Bacon said.
"We develop, own and successfully operate a varied property portfolio across seniors, residential, tourism and hospitality sectors… a collaboration with residential apartments is the next exciting step for the Mark Moran Group.
Bacon said Mark Moran Group have assembled an exceptional project team to deliver a unique and wonderful setting.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/3/26/war2.jpg" alt="">
Savills are marketing the campaign lead by the director of residential projects Peter Coulton.
“Evette Moran is regarded as one of the most innovative interior designers around," Coulton said. 
In 2016 she was awarded Industry Changemaker for innovation for all of Australia and Asia.
“The architects, Benson McCormack Architecture, have worked with landscape architect Charlie Albone from the hit television programme, Selling Houses Australia, to create a beautiful communal courtyard downstairs between the two buildings," Coulton said.
A rooftop garden will feature BBQs and shading, providing living space extensions and space for a true community to foster.
There will be citrus trees and a herb garden within the central communal courtyard.
The development overlooks a nature reserve at the rear, while existing native trees on the site have been included in the landscape plans.
For more information <a href="http://www.embracewarrawee.com.au/" target="_blank">click here.</a>
 
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Mark Moran Group diversify into residential development 

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The former Star City chief executive David Banks and his wife, Jackie, have settled on Wichita, the Warrawee trophy home.
Banks, who sits on the board of Aristocrat, paid $5.25 million for the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-warrawee-124708826" target="_blank">historic residence</a> that was built in 1928.
It was owned by author Penelope Janu, wife of WorleyParsons’ general counsel Peter Janu.
Designed by renowned architect Emil Sodersten, the Tudor-style home featured in The Australian Home Beautiful magazine in 1930.
It sits in Peter Fudge designed gardens and has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and an infinity edge pool.
Chadwick Real Estate agent Lynette Malcolm sold the home.
Banks was previously based in the James Orwin, Georgian-style designed Pymble home Ballinlough, which he sold to former chief justice of the High Court Murray Gleeson and his wife Robyn.
Gleeson sold Sandon, his home on the same road, just before the purchase.
 
 
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David Banks buys Wichita at Warrawee

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One of the Northern Territory's richest oil and gas magnates Jerry Ren, has listed his huge Warrawee mansion, Pantagruel.
Ren paid a suburb record $11.5 million in 2010 for the massive nine bedroom, 11 bathroom home that spans over 2000 sqm.
Architect Espie Dodds designed the home in the 1980s for oil magnate Pat Burke, drawing inspiration from the colonial era's Elizabeth Bay House.
It first sold incomplete in 1999 for $3 million to entrepreneur Simon and Brenda Tripp.
The home with stately formal lounge and banquet style dining room has a theatre, full sized billiard room, home bar, 3,000 bottle wine cellar and home office.
There's a pool and championship tennis court on the large 6,405 sqm private estate which Luschwitz Real Estate Pymble agent Stephen Sales listed this week.
There are $15 million expectations.
Locals have long referred to it as the Chilton Hilton given its nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Magnate Jerry Ren lists Warrawee mansion Pantagruel

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Last spring's trophy listing on the upper north shore, Kooyong at Warrawee sold with the settlement price showing at $7.85 million through Christies International agent Darren Curtis.
Kooyong (pictured above) is the historic Warrawee mansion on 9,000 square metres that last traded for $6.35 million in late 2008 when bought by the chief financial officer of Sirius Minerals, Jason Murray, and his wife, Danni.
It has been bought by the Hitchcock-Gransier family who sold through LJ Hooker's Robert Ward for $4.1 million in Lindfield late last year, but who still own at Dee Why. It's Francois Hitchcock and Jackie Gransier.
Kooyong is estimated as still ranking as the area's largest estates, and unquestionably one of its most historically significant properties given<a href="https://radicalterrace.com/post/30809445267/kooyong-55-hastings-road-warrawee-sulman" target="_blank"> the 1895 mansion was designed by architect Sir John Sulman</a>. Kooyong, originally named Upton Grey, was built for the prominent flour milling industrialist Gillespie family, who lived there until 1917 when the property sold to William Henry Locke, the general manager of Royal Exchange Assurance of London, who renamed it Kooyong.
The sale is not however a suburb record which has stood as $11.5 million since 2010 when mining magnate Jerry Ren bought Bremon, the mansion once known as Pantugeul. Ren is the controlling shareholder in the privately owned Australian Oil and Gas, which has mining rights over close to 300,000 square kilometres - nearly a fifth of the Northern Territory. 
But Title Tattle is now aware there has apparently been a new suburb record in neighbouring Wahroonga of about $9.2 million. It's a house that likewise has had a name change over the years.
It's <a href="https://www.ourestates.com.au/properties.php?id=9394153" target="_blank">Wairimu the 1927 five-bedroom, 3228-square-metre Water Street home</a> (pictured below) with tennis court and pool. It was sold by the veteran expatriate television executive Steve Askew and his wife, Cressida after being listed for two years with $11 million hopes presumably on top of it having an amazing - and befitting - home cinema.
Our Estates agent Adam Regan secured the sale of the six-bedroom property with the buyer being a senior executive from an accounting firm in China.
<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/2014/04/02/1.jpg" alt="">
The Wahroonga estate previously had traded in 2007 for $5.2 million, when it was bought some 18 months after its listing by the hotelier Courtney-O'Connor family.
It had traded in 1991 when the Courtney-O'Connor family bought it for $2.5 million.
Property Observer columnist Margie Blok says she knew the property originally as the Penman Residence, designed by Hugh Venables Vernon. It's also been known as Broadlands. And the Wairimu name stems from "wai" meaning "by the water" in Maori and rimu is a New Zealand tree.
The veteran television executive Askew was chief operating officer for News Corp Star TV in Asia, then turning his craft to co-producing movies with Jackie Chan and Andy Lau. The latest Wahroonga sale bettered a late 2013 spring sale on Burns Road through Christies agent Darren Curtis which briefly held the suburb record at $7.5 million.
In 1928, Locke sold Kooyong to barrister Horace Markell, QC, who owned it until the late 1940s when the Australian federal government bought it for the Department of Social Services as a rehabilitation centre.
In 1978, Kooyong was transferred to the CSIRO.
In 1986, shortly after the NSW government imposed an interim conservation order, the property sold for $2.3 million to Knox Grammar School.
<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/2014/04/02/10.jpg" alt="">
Title Tattle recalls in 2001 Knox Grammar abandoned plans to develop it into a boarding school. There were sheep that grazed on the then prestigious 12,500 square metre property which Knox had been using in agricultural study classes.
For more than 10 years residents of Hastings Road and Pibrac Avenue led by Ian Londish had objected to any development, and while the school eventually won development approval in 1997, it decided after a spending priorities review that the boarding facilities could be provided elsewhere at a significantly lower cost.
When Knox sold the Hastings Road property to the Cahill family for $5.7 million in 2002 the grand house and its outbuildings were in a state of extreme disrepair.
Subsequently, two blocks of land were subdivided from the estate.
In December 2008, the Cahills then sold Kooyong for $6.35 million to Jason Murray, who is the chief financial officer of Sirius Minerals, and his interior designer wife, Danni.
The Murrays renovated even adding a private pub in one of the three outbuildings. 
<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/2014/04/02/4.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/2014/04/02/5.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/2014/04/02/6.jpg" alt="">
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