A young family has swapped their inner-city apartment for a slice of suburban serenity, snapping up a charming Cheltenham home with a pool and attic retreat for $1.34m following a hotly contested auction.

The buyers, upgrading from Southbank, beat out three other active bidders for the four-bedroom weatherboard at 18 Goulburn St, lured by the home’s move-in-ready charm, family-friendly layout, and outdoor entertaining appeal.

Lewin Real Estate Kingston/Bayside principal Brian Lewin said the result capped off a strong four-week campaign that drew 40 groups through the door.

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“We had five serious contenders, and four of them competed on the day,” Mr Lewin said.

“It kicked off at $1.1m and built strong momentum from there.
“The family that bought it are absolutely thrilled, they were looking for more space, and this one ticked every box.”

Set on 499sq m, the home pairs period character with modern comfort, featuring an open-plan living and dining zone, a family-sized kitchen, Coonara wood fireplace, and a large undercover alfresco deck.

Upstairs, a vast attic conversion offers space for a fourth bedroom, retreat or work-from-home hub, while outside, a solar-heated, salt-chlorinated pool headlines the backyard.

Mr Lewin said the combination of location, lifestyle and liveability hit the mark for multiple buyer types.

“Goulburn St is one of those tightly held pockets with a real sense of community,” he said.

“You’ve got Southland up the road, Cheltenham Secondary zoning, and every family amenity you could want.

“There’s real value in these mid-$1m homes right now, especially when they’ve got something extra like a pool or space to grow.”

The Lewin Real Estate principal said the home’s buyer activity also reflects a broader market trend emerging across Melbourne’s middle-ring suburbs, buyers acting decisively ahead of the traditional spring surge.

“Stock levels in Cheltenham are very low, and that’s creating strong competition. We’re seeing buyer numbers increase, and I’d estimate the market’s lifted by seven to eight per cent in the past couple of months,” Mr Lewin said.

“If that next rate cut lands, or even if buyers just believe it’s coming, that urgency will only build.”

While some sellers are holding off until spring, Mr Lewin said conditions were already leaning in their favour.

“There’s less competition right now for sellers and more eyes on every listing,” he said.

“Once spring hits, more homes will flood the market, but now, you’ve got motivated buyers and tight supply.

“That’s a great window to sell in.”

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The run-down home of New Farm’s local ‘Gilmore Girls’, with connections for a former Queensland premier, has been sold for more than $4.5 million without a single cent spent on its renovation.

The four-bedroom, one-bathroom home at 3 Mark St had been owned for 134 years by the Gilmour family, locally given a nickname after the popular television show.

When resident Margaret Gilmour passed away at 101 years old last year, the 810 sqm property went to her sister Florence’s family.

Florence Gilmour had been married to controversial former premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, with their descendants choosing to part ways with the home.

The family decided to sell the house for the first time in its history, having been largely untouched since its construction more than a century ago.

Place New Farm agent Heath Williams said the auction attracted a crowd of around 80 people, with 13 bidders registering to take a chance on the property.

“We actually had about 5 people already pre-registered, so it just got a whole lot busier,” he said. “We didn’t know how many people were going to register at the end of the day, but 13 was certainly a lot.”

The bidding began at $3 million, already $200,000 more than the median house price of $2.8 million.

After a “fast-paced” series of bids, five active bidders were gradually whittled down to two after an offer of $4.3 million.

“The last two bidders basically fought it out,” Mr Williams said. “The bidder who ended up winning was making bigger, bolder bids to knock the other out.”

After close to 30 bids overall, the home finally sold for the huge sum of $4.575 million.

The home will be going to an expat family returning from the UK, looking to renovate the home and make it their own.

Mr Williams said the Bjelke-Petersen family was happy with the outcome of the auction.

“There is nothing from this home that doesn’t need to be touched – it’s a lot of work for a big renovation, so it’s a pretty high price compared to another renovated home,” he said. “They were really happy with the price, and it’s gone to a buyer who’s going to make it into a family home … [instead of being] split up and redeveloped.”

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Brighton’s rumour mill is in overdrive after a more than $30m property deal involving a philanthropic poker player, wild storms and close to 60m of the suburb’s waterfront.

A sprawling, more than 3800sq m address in the elite Bayside suburb has sold after a marathon, two-year sales effort.

And with the buyer already owning another similarly-sized waterfront address two doors down, locals and industry insiders are wondering if there might be a chance they are looking go collect a combined 1.14ha along the high-end suburb’s waterfront.

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The recently sold house was listed on behalf of the family of late developer Bruce Terry and his wife Judith, seeking as much as $50m, since 2023.

Records show it now has a caveat on it in the name of Pamela Colman, wife to lawyer, MCS Property developer, philanthropist and poker player Julius.

The pair already own another waterfront home a few doors down, which has Brighton locals and market watchers wondering whether the owner of the property in between the two addresses has been, or will be, approached.

Listing agents Kay & Burton’s Ross Savas and Alex Schiavo declined to comment on the sale, or to confirm a price, though it was recently listed with a $39.9m-$41.5m asking price before being removed from online portals.

However Brighton insiders believe the deal would have been below $40m and potentially closer to $30m — though still likely setting a record.

Those same insiders noted storm activity had felled a number of large trees on the block a few months back, potentially providing benefits for the next owners plans for the site — which had widely been expected to get a multimillion-dollar renovation after it sold.

Sales records show Brighton’s current top house price was set by a waterfront Seacombe Grove mansion, sold by the family of late 7-Eleven Australia co-owner Beverley Barlow, for $31.6m in 2022.

Morrell and Koren buyer’s agent David Morrell said after its initial ambitions, he believed a more “sensible” price had been paid for the newly sold home — though did not have an exact figure.

However, Mr Morrell said that if the buyers hadn’t already struck an agreement with the home between the two mansions — collecting the set could now be tricky.

Combined, the two properties now owned by the Colmans would now span more than 7000sq m, and due to the shape of the blocks mean they now own almost all of the waterfront between the two addresses. A review of Google Maps puts the bay facing property line close to 60m long.

If they are able to add the third residence, it would top 1.13ha, making it one of the biggest residential Brighton holdings — and likely the biggest with water frontage.

It is not known if that is the Colman family’s intention.

But such a gambit might appeal to Mr Colman, who in addition to working as a property developer, has played poker on the international circuit.

He has reportedly tipped his winnings into the Colman Foundation charity, which supports the education of disadvantaged kids around Melbourne and Victoria.

It’s a cause he became passionate about after moving to Melbourne from Poland as a refugee aged four, following World War II.

His philanthropic efforts have been recognised with an Order of Australia medal.

Mr Morrell said the Brighton sale was one of relatively few notable transactions this winter, with Melbourne’s top end “the slowest I have seen it”.

While he wasn’t ruling out a rise in more impressive residences hitting the market in October and November, he said he wasn’t expecting a great deal to hit the market between now and September — largely due to global trade tensions and wars creating concerns about the financial stability needed to underpin such deal.

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For city slicker couple, Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward, the seemingly innocent fantasy of a “weekend project”  turned into something altogether more monumental and life changing.

In fact, what began as the search for a small weekender saw them trade their busy, high-flying finance careers in Sydney for a full-time life as caretakers of a historic, sprawling South Australian estate.

“We had busy lives in Sydney, in the finance sector,” Mr Morphett told realestate.com.au. “Whilst we enjoyed our time in Sydney, we were looking for a weekender or longer term project — something we could bring back to life.”

And, following a two-year-long search, a beautifully photographed brochure landed on their desks, showcasing a crumbling SA homestead complete with a wild garden on almost 2,000 acres.

An English village in South Australia

Located near Hamilton, in the mid-north of South Australia and just under two hours from Adelaide, Anlaby was originally established in 1839 and is home to the oldest Merino stud in South Australia and the second-oldest in the country.

Undoubtedly the estate’s crown jewel is its 1860s, 35-room homestead. But Anlaby is far more than just one grand house.

“It’s not just one building,” explained the pair. “It’s a village of heritage structures — 28 of them are heritage-listed — across 150 acres, from shearing sheds and cottages, to the bones of what was once the grandest glass conservatory in the entire Southern Hemisphere.”

A heart over head decision

First visiting the property in the height of summer — during which the couple were hot, thirsty and overwhelmed — their initial reaction seemed like the death knell for the acreage as a project.

“We said: ‘no way, too much!’” recalled Mr Hayward. “It was dusty, paint peeling everywhere, roofs collapsing … we were entirely out of our depth.”

But the undeniable magnetism of the property and its history — coupled with the huge number of possibilities — eventually proved irresistible. After a second visit in August, during which “the soul of the place” was revealed and the couple made an offer and signed the contract in October 2003.

“The allure was too strong,” added Mr Morphett. “It was never a logical decision. It was emotive — Anlaby chose us. We decided it was an opportunity too good to miss!”

Weekends of rubble and revival

With both the property and grounds in poor shape after years of neglect the duo faced a daunting schedule to begin its transformation.

“The first four-and-a-half years we travelled from Sydney to Adelaide on weekends,” Mr Morphett explained.

“Flying into Adelaide and driving to Anlaby we would work all weekend and then, when the alarm went off at 3.30am on Monday morning, we’d be in the car and off to the airport by 4.10 am and back in the Sydney office by 9am.

“Our weekends were filled with rubble, rot, and roof tiles. We patched walls and painted rooms, dug up century-old drains and pulled weeds. But piece by piece, room by room, garden bed by garden bed, we saw progress.”

Falling more in love with the 165-year-old house with each visit, in October 2008 the pair finally made the decision to pack up their Sydney lives and make the move to Anlaby permanently. Since then, the renovation has been a continuous process.

“It began with the essentials,” Mr Hayward said. “Sopping the leaks, rewiring the whole place and saving it from literal collapse!”

From rescue, they moved to revival, meticulously restoring the Manor House, a former farm manager’s office, the Head Gardener’s Cottage (a prefabricated villa from 1904), and the Coachman’s Cottage from 1905, now a guest stay.

“These aren’t facelifts they are archaeological labours,” emphasised Mr Morphett. “Each building requires careful heritage research, skilled stonemasonry, and a lot of mud, dust, and joy.”

A labour of love

Since then, their vision for Anlaby has grown into an undertaking so vast that it has redefined their lives.

What started as 150 acres has expanded to nearly 2,000 acres, incorporating additional parcels of land, houses, and even the original shearing shed.

“We now have a commercially operating farm of a little under 2,000 acres,” Mr Morphett said.

This expansion has involved monumental efforts, including nearly 30kms of fencing and 9kms of water lines to service their sheep. They’ve also painstakingly restored two additional Victorian stone villas dating from the 1870s and 1905, originally built for the manager and overseer.

“You don’t ‘own’ a place like this,” continued Mr Morphett. “You become its caretaker. Every decision matters: from the colour of a hinge to how you prune a 150-year-old rose. The constraints can be tough. There are grants, yes, and thank heavens for them, but there’s also lots of red tape, difficulties sourcing authentic materials, and working at a pace that history demands — slowly and with intention to detail.”

Their ultimate dream? The full restoration of Anlaby’s conservatory, once the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. With a Heritage Grant covering the stonework, glass and steel are next.

“We’ve finished enough that guests can now stay in three beautifully restored cottages, but the list of ‘nexts’ never ends,” said Mr Hayward. “That’s the joy and the madness of living history. You’re never done.”

A living, working enterprise

Whilst the main homestead remains their private retreat at its heart Anlaby is an agri-tourism property.

“The commercial aspect isn’t a side hustle,” Mr Hayward said. “It’s at the heart of how we bring people into the story of Anlaby. Plus, Anlaby is too special to keep to ourselves. The Coachman’s, Gardener’s and Manor Cottages are now open for guests.

“We also run guided house and garden tours, open the property for events and concerts, and of course, each spring we host the Anlaby Spring Festival. It’s our favourite time of year — the gardens come alive, the music drifts through the air, and people fall in love with the property all over again.

“Beyond that, the property is available for private use: weddings, long-table lunches, editorial shoots, workshops — you name it. Everything we offer is anchored in authenticity. We don’t just invite people to visit Anlaby — we invite them to live inside it, even just for a weekend.”

In addition to tourism, they run a commercially operating farming business and merino stud, producing beautiful wool exclusively from the Anlaby sheep and turning it into a range of high-end woollen throws, scarves and lady’s wraps – and baby blankets, sold through their own wool business.

Lessons learned

Despite the property dominating their lives for the last two decades, the lure of the historic homestead hasn’t waned over the years for the dynamic duo.

“It’s the way it holds its breath when you walk in,” Mr Hayward enthused. 

“The hush of 100-year-old  floorboards, the way Autumn creeps up the ivy of the manor and turns the house gold, or when we found old species tulips blooming that hadn’t flowered in decades. There’s a presence here — Anlaby doesn’t just show you beauty, she makes you feel something ancient and real.”

Despite the monumental effort and countless challenges, regrets are absent for the pair of go-getters.

“Not a single one,” Mr Hayward affirmed. “It has been the hardest, most glorious thing we’ve ever done. We’ve made many, many mistakes along the way. We’ve poured ourselves into Anlaby, and in return, she’s given us purpose, beauty, and a legacy we’re proud to share. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat. Only next time, maybe with slightly better knees!”

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It has been billed as the most exclusive and prestigious offering Bondi has ever seen, perched on the oceanfront and connected to the coastline.

Meet Pearl Bondi the $150m project just approved for Bondi’s peninsula cliffside with north-east aspect, elevation and comprising a clutch of seven luxury homes aimed at established eastern suburbs families and downsizers.

And Pearl’s creator, top Sydney builder developer Central Element is set to rewrite Bondi’s property history with the highly anticipated release of the Pearl Penthouse – the pinnacle of the project.

Set to become the coastal suburbs most exclusive and high-end residence to date, with an asking price of $30m, the ultra-luxurious apartment is expected to smash the suburb record.

The previous record was $24m in 2022, for Multiplex heir Andrew Roberts’ 190sqm apartment in Notts Ave, Bondi Beach. The price equated to $126,000 per sqm.

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The 328sqm penthouse offers four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a 17m east-facing frontage with uninterrupted ocean views.

Central Element managing director Nathan Chivas expects Pearl to be popular.

“At its heart is the Pearl Penthouse, the most luxurious and prestigious offering the suburb has ever seen,” Mr Chivas said.

“Every element – from the 17‑metre frontage to the timeless interiors – has been crafted to create a sanctuary that connects deeply with Bondi’s coastal energy.

“It’s a hidden treasure revealed only to a privileged few and we expect demand for the Pearl Penthouse to reflect the rarity of what’s on offer.”

Central Element has gathered talented architects, landscapers and interior designers to create Pearl Bondi, which consists of two houses fronting Sandridge St and five apartments cascading towards the coastline with access to Wilga St.

Three apartments are whole-floor residences with expansive terraces while the two ground floor apartments will each have a private pool.

The Torrens-title houses will also have their own private plunge pools, outdoor entertaining space and wide ocean views.

One has, facing north has a traditional layout with bedrooms upstairs while the southern house has the upper level dedicated to living and dining with two balconies capturing the view.

The ultra-luxury project has been designed by award-winning architects MHNDU and the homes will share almost 500sqm of landscaped communal space as well as having their own external areas – up to 86sqm.

The site is more than 2000sqm in a tightly-held pocket between Bondi and Tamarama with direct access to the coastal walk.

Madeleine Blanchfield, of Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, has been engaged to design the interiors of the seven homes. She is well-known and highly sought after in the Eastern suburbs.

“Our design approach for Pearl will be centred on quiet luxury and refined simplicity – using natural materials, light and texture to create homes that feel timeless, grounded and intimately connected to their coastal surrounds,” she said.

Materials such as travertine, American oak, Patagonia Pink quartzite and brushed stainless steel are all on the Pearl palette.

Kitchens have stone island benches and Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances are included.

Construction on Pearl Bondi will begin in the spring of this year and completion is planned for late 2027.

Central Element has already broken suburb records in Sydney’s east. Last year in Coogee it made a $20m off-market sale for a three-bedroom penthouse at Ballamac House.

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