<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

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The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

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.

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

Woollahra

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Dave Sharma, the losing Liberal candidate in the Wentworth byelection, has taken to house hunting in the eastern surburbs' electorate.
Local agents say he is willing to spend up to $3 million for the family home with wife Rachel and their three daughters.
"I'm renting at the moment and we've been looking at houses in Woollahra, Bellevue Hill and Paddington," Sharma told The Daily Telegraph.
Sharma has been renting in Bellevue Hill since his won Liberal Party preselection for the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
His house hunting focus within the electorate signals the yet to be confirmed intention he will seek to run again at the next Federal election.
He was interested in a recently sold home in Woollahra.
<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/2018/11/5/sharm2.jpg" alt="">
The 1890s home was listed by Phillips Pantzer Donnelley agents Alexander Phillips and Nick Quigley who had a $2.6 million guide before it was sold to a local investor.
The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-woollahra-129541854" target="_blank">Bathurst Street home</a> had four bedrooms, a media room, home office, wine cellar and a living and dining space that opened to a deck overlooking the landscaped garden.
Sharma, who lost by a 1800 margin to independent Kerryn Phelps, has a longtime Turramurra home.
The former member Malcolm Turnbull has lived on the Point Piper harbourfront for over two decades, in a home estimated to be worth $60 million, while the successful candidate Kerryn Phelps bought her Potts Point apartment for $3.4 million in 2011.
This article was first published in the Saturday Telegraph.
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firstname1-iYD4UYzvBa

Dave Sharma looking to buy in Wentworth electorate signalling second campaign intentions

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The Woollahra terrace of Caroline O'Connor and her husband Barry Shaw has been scheduled for September 6 auction.
The musical theatre star - currently on stage - and her musical husband expect $2.5 million.
They have been on Edgecliff Road since 1999 when they paid $625,000 for the three bedroom semi.
The couple will often enjoy a morning coffee on the balcony in the sunshine. 
It was when O’Connor was 19 — having studied for two years at London’s Royal Ballet School, then returning to Sydney to dance with the then Australian Opera Ballet — that the idea of combining dance with her singing began to take shape.
They have had a home in Surrey, England where Caroline was born.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
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Musical theatre star Caroline O'Connor lists Woollahra terrace 

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The Woollahra garden apartment of Graham McConnonchie, co-founder of Zoggs swimwear goggles line, and his wife, Jeanette has been scheduled for August 20 auction.
The innovative goggles were created 26 years ago and then endorsed by Dawn Fraser.
They were the first brand to provide UV protection and split yoke straps.
The Figtree Lane apartment, which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms with 350 square metre space close to Cooper Park, has been listed by veteran Double Bay agent Peter Anderson.
<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/2018/7/30/woollahra%201.jpg" alt="">
Set in a north facing bushland block of nine, it has been their home since 1994.
There have been around 20 sales of similar apartments among the 250 three bedders in Woollahra over the past year.
There have been two sales in the block at $2.8 million plus in the past two years.
Some 12 years after the launch of Zoggs, the brand was bought by the UK-based Kendal Group headed by Daniel and Leo Gestetner, with their son Neil remaining as its product development managing director. 
<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/2018/7/30/woollahra%203.jpg" alt="">
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Zoggs goggles co-founder's Woollahra apartment slated for auction

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Miron Solomons, Matt Pontey and Nick Lumley are selling 10 Oxford Street, Woollahra, home to St Claude's restaurant, via a public auction on August 30 2018.
St Claude's is a contemporary French bistro in the heart of Woollahra which was originally opened as Claudes restaurant in 1976, forming part of Sydney's 'golden restaurant age'. It reopened as St Claude's in 2015.
"This area has transformed from one of Sydney's prime shopping strips into a suburb awash with top restaurants, wine bars and cafes," said Miron Solomons, National Director, Investment Services at Colliers International.
"This is an opportunity to purchase a quality freehold asset with a strong 5x5 lease and iconic tenant in one of Sydney's most affluent areas."
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Woollahra institution is on the market

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Veteran eastern suburbs real estate agent John McGrath has paid tribute following the passing of Di Jones who died in hospital on the weekend.
<div>Real estate rival John McGrath told the Daily Telegraph while the pair were rivals, she was a trailblazer for the industry.</div>
“I had to compete head to head with Di Jones when I entered the industry,” he said.
“She was an incredible agent. Brilliant skills and as competitive as anyone I’ve ever seen in 35 years of real estate. And she was a trailblazer for boutique real estate companies.
“There’s no doubt in my mind she has a place in the top 10 agents in the history of Australian real estate.”
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<div>The founder of Di Jones Real Estate — a brand credited with changing the face of real estate in Sydney — had suffered ill health for years and was being treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at RPA.</div>
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</div>
The Jones family matriach had remained a brand ambassador at the agency which was sold in 2016.
Although she wasn't selling houses herself, she remained devoted to the craft to her final days, daughter Kim told the Daily Telegraph.
“Even in the last days when she was under sedation and in her short breath she was telling me to pick my phone up when it was beeping while I was beside her hospital bed, as it could be a listing. And I was saying, ‘No mum, I’m here holding your hand not working’.”
Kim Jones, is now a partner in Snowden Jones in Woollahra alongside Louise Snowden and Rick Daniel.
Di Jones started her career at Raine and Horne in Glebe, gleaning insights from her auctioneer husband Bill (pictured below).
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<img src="https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/e7e99fb7639e5e25ac4e3461bd726f69?width=650">
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<div>After moving to Richardson and Wrench, she opened her own agency in 1992.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>“Di Jones was an amazing woman, a pioneer and an inspiration to many. She developed a brand and level of service that changed the industry. We are proud to continue to honour her legacy today and in the future,” current Di Jones Real Estate owner and CEO Rob Ward said.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>She lived for many years in Woollahra.</div>
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"I love it because it is, in my opinion, the best little village in Sydney.
"I love to be able to walk to everything - Queen Street and Oxford Street - and having Centennial Park to walk around every morning is heaven," she said in a 2013 interview.
Their prior home was at Clovelly and prior to that an apartment at Clayfield in Brisbane bought in 1972 after the couple had moved from Sydney for Bill to manage a club in Clayfield.
She was working as the private secretary to the managing director of ACI (Australian Consolidated Industries).
Her enduring advice she gave was "always buy position and aspect over anything else." 
Through the years her clients included dual Archibald Prize winner Judy Cassab.
Many were repeat clients, sometimes selling the same house four times.
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Di Jones ranked in John McGrath's top 10 estate agents

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The eastern suburbs real estate doyenne Di Jones, 74, has died in hospital.
Her auctioneer husband of 48 years, Bill, and estate agent daughter Kim were by her side.
The company announced the news on its Facebook page on Sunday morning.
"It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of our much loved ambassador and founder, Di Jones," the statement advised.
It was 39 years ago, when Jones and her auctioneer husband, who had been in the hotel industry, opened their first office in Glebe, building a client base by door-knocking then at Raine &amp; Horne Woollahra, then Richardson &amp; Wrench Woollahra. 
The Di Jones agency story began in 1992, in a small boutique office in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra run by the local identity and real estate agent extraordinaire.
In 1995 Di Jones Real Estate sold 278 properties at auction, for a total of $117 million. 
It was the first female driven agency.
“I just wanted to do something different — it was very male-dominated back then,” she recalled last year. 
Within a decade the company was turning over $380 million in residential real estate, at an average of $890,000 a property after it expanded into Balmain in 1999 and into Double Bay in 2000. 
She loved real estate. "It gets into your blood," she once said.
"You become part of people's lives for a month. And I just love the architectural element - I love the houses." 
During her time, those dark humble terraces of Woollahra and Paddington became light filled, cosy habitats.
Jones, an ardent Francophile (which explains the French provincial blue she chose as her company's colour) got into real estate after she and Bill had been living on Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast with their two children. 
Their second child, Matthew, suffered brain damage at birth and needed special care - for that, they both needed to work. The answer was real estate which helped fund send Matthew to the Rudolf Steiner Warrah school in Dural.
Di Jones knew her patch well.
Her own agency was just a few doors from her home, one of the village's stone cottages.
Very quickly Di's boutique agency was a success recognised by its distinctive French blue advertising. She calculated 70 percent of her business was derived by referrals.
Since its sale in 2016, the boutique business is no longer in family hands, though the current owners endeavour to follow the Di Jones philosophy based on connecting with clients and creating a bespoke experience to achieve outstanding results.
Daughter Kim recently opened her own agency Snowden Jones. 
Matthew died unexpectedly in 2008 aged 34 and the family established the Matthew Jones Foundation.
Di Jones once participated in a day in the life feature on her selling Sydney's most expensive real estate which kicked off at 6.15am, with an early morning constitutional around Centennial Park.
The small and trim estate agent did the walk with Bill.
They did it four or five times a week, a 50 minute exercise. 
The writer Christine Hogan noted once in the office she was dressed in a neat black, knee-length skirt, sheer black hose, black courts with a medium heel and an ivory jacket accessorised with a diamond wedding band, a heavy gold link bracelet and gold hoop earrings.
There was her Gucci bag with her business lifelines - a tiny mobile phone and her diary as she headed to appointments in her white BMW.
Back at her desk the was just an ornate pen, a bottle of herbal asthma medicine, a bottle of pale nail polish and some Miss Dior perfume.
Tim Schwan, when he was her CEO, said she was tenacious at getting a sale.
The Daily Telegraph reported she suffered ill health for years and was being treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at RPA, and a more recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
She died in Prince of Wales Private Hospital on Saturday night.
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Sydney eastern suburbs real estate doyenne Di Jones dies

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The Cole family have sold their Woollahra home pre-auction. It was bought by London based expats for about $4 million after the agent guided them through the Moncur Street property on FaceTime.
It was listed following the recent death of Ann Cole, the widow of Graham Cole, the 1983 founder of the Cole Classic.
There's an image of the big race competitors in the kitchen at the Moncur Street home that was scheduled to go to June 23 PPD auction with $3.7 million hopes, the Sunday Telegraph noted.
Aged 71, Graham Cole died soon after his regular morning dip at Bondi in December 1999.
The Woollahra home was bought in 1996 for $780,000 after the couple sold their Vaucluse home that was designed by the noted architect Professor Leslie Wilkinson. 
Jeanette Ann passed away peacefully at home in January this year aged 84 years. They had three boys, Walter, Christopher and Nicholas.
There's just the two bedroom at the home which has a Georgian-style facade. There's a walled garden and self-contained studio.
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Cole family sell their classic Woollahra home

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St Aubyn’s, the Woollahra home of artist Elizabeth Wadsworth, has finally been sold. It has been on and off the market since 2013, initially listed at $10 million.
The prominent Queen St sandstone home, one of the suburb’s finest, was built in 1850. Set on a 442sqm, the three-bedroom house is built around a private courtyard. 
Wadsworth, a former interior designer, paid $940,000 in 1994, and then sympathetically doubled its size, excavating the downstairs and adding courtyards to bring in sunlight. 
It was all done in time to host the party after her 1997 wedding to sports management boss Robert Joske. The parties continued including Steve Waugh’s retirement celebration.
Wadsworth, who is represented in private and public galleries around the world, had it listed through Pauline Goodyer in conjunction with Randall Kemp of Ray White. Their most recent conservative price guidance was $8.5 million to $9.3 million. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/6/18/WOOLLAHRA.jpg" alt="">
Sydney art patrons Gene and Brian Sherman sold their nearby Queen St home midweek, too. 
The 1880s residence Corinth fetched around $16 million through Ben Collier at The Agency.
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph. 
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Elizabeth Wadsworth finally sells St Aubyn's, Woollahra trophy home

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Brenton Smith, director at Sydney architecture firm Bates Smart, is set to flip his Woollahra apartment after its designer makeover.
<a href="https://bencollierteam.com.au/property/6-313a-edgecliff-road-woollahra/" target="_blank">The apartment</a> in the 1930s Art Deco building, Gainsborough cost Smith $2,325,000 two years ago, following the sale of his 1890s Paddington terrace which fetched exactly the same price.
The Gainsborough apartment purchase ranks as the priciest sale in the Edgecliff Road block. There have been no recent sales in the boutique block of eight.
Smith has installed European oak timber floor throughout the contemporary styled apartment which has over 160 square metres of living space.
It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a covered balcony with northerly views.
Ben Collier at The Agency is handling the marketing campaign.
Smith became a director at Bates Smart in 2017, having joined the company in 2010 as an associate director.
He has focused on a range of project in commercial office, multi residential and hotel and hospitality.
Smith's latest work was in Double Bay where he was the lead designer of 1788, the luxury $100 million SJD project.
The five level Cross Street block was launched last year, with two sales breaking the Double Bay apartment record.
First the 180 sqm penthouse sold for $10.5 million, presenting over $58,000 per square metre, before the near 300 square metre penthouse, an amalgamation on two apartments, sold for $13.75 million.  
Craig Pontey at Ray White Double Bay has the remaining apartments for sale inconjuncyion with Ray White Projects NSW director Eddie Mansour.
There’s 18 of the 29 apartments remaining for sale with prices for the one bedroom offerings starting at $1.69 million.
The two bedders are prices from $3.5 million and the remaining three bedders from $5.2 million. Early works have commenced with completion expected early 2020.
This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph. 
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Architect Brenton Smith looking to flip Woollahra apartment after designer makeover

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Gene Sherman, who runs the Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas, and her husband Brian have snappily sold their Woollahra home which was listed with $16 million hopes.
Their home is Corinth, an 1880s home that set an $11 million record in 2007.
The grand Victorian has six bedrooms, four bathrooms and an internal courtyard on its 575 square metre Queen Street parcel.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-woollahra-128450414" target="_blank">The Agency's Ben Collier</a> had a June 23 scheduled auction. No sale price has yet emerged.
Gene was an academic in French literature and languages, first in South Africa where she grew up, then in Sydney after emigrating here with Brian in 1972. Brian founded the funds management company Equitilink which sold for about $150 million in 2000.
They are the $16.5 million buyers of Braelin, the redundant Centennial Park home of tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, the Atlassian co-founder, and his wife, Annie. 
 
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