A palatial apartment on Sydney’s most coveted street has house-like proportions and postcard views from almost every corner.

In the Art Deco Harbourgate building, which houses only five apartments, the waterfront property at 6/10 Wolseley Rd, Point Piper takes in the Harbour City’s favourite landmarks, from the bridge to the opera house, and the iconic skyline from the CBD to the North Shore.

The expansive four-bedroom apartment is owned by businessman Adam Troost, who was famously caught up in a high-profile Point Piper accident when OnlyFans star Paris Ow-Yang crashed into his red Mercedes van in 2023.

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In court, Paris, who had been four times over the legal blood-alcohol limit, had argued she was dealing with her break-up from nightclub tycoon Julian Tobias at the time.

She received a fine and a community corrections order.

Now the apartment is back on the market with a $13.5m guide and is being marketed with Di Baker of Di Baker Prestige Properties, who brokered the sale with Troost four-and-a-half years ago.

“This is a house-like apartment where your neighbours are paying from $40m up to $60m to live on the same street,” Baker said.

“Wolseley Rd is known as one of the 10 most exclusive streets in the world.

“The home next-door at number 20 is currently listed at about $70m, but at a fraction of the price you have the same luxury of enjoying Point Piper with amazing resort-style facilities. At this price, it’s a bargain.

“You walk down the stairs to the water’s edge and it’s just magical. It feels like you’re walking through Europe. It’s like you’ve left Wolseley Rd behind.”

An amalgamation of two apartments, the residence is home to four bedrooms and three bathrooms, with several indoor and outdoor spaces for entertaining or unwinding with a showstopping backdrop.

Throughout the modernised layout, the sophisticated neutral palette features timber tones and Calacatta marble finishes.

The main living level houses an open-plan lounge room and dining area that spills out via a wall of glass sliding doors to a deep full-width terrace overlooking the water. There is a gas fireplace, a sleek gas kitchen with a large island bench, plus herringbone timber floors and high ceilings.

The primary bedroom has an integrated television, balcony access, an ensuite with a bidet and twin vanities, as well as a big walk-in wardrobe. One additional guest room also has its own ensuite, and two more share a family-friendly bathroom complete with an integrated steam room and heated floors.

Residents of the exclusive Wolseley Rd block can also benefit from a shared lounge area with two powder rooms, a gym, a mosaic-tiled harbourfront pool and a level lawn. There is also ample storage for kayaks, stand up paddle boards and other water toys.

Sandstone steps from the communal area lead down to Seven Shillings Beach and the foreshore walk to Murray Rose (Redleaf) Pool.

Harbourgate is close to Double Bay and Edgecliff shopping, transport and dining, as well as the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Rose Bay Park, plus popular public and private schools.

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Time is ticking for cashed-up buyers keen to lock in their next trophy home before the summer holidays, with the prestige end of the market recording some record breaking sale results through spring.

According to PropTrack data, every state and territory capital city showed improved price growth last month with the median home now sitting at $964,000.

Although the capital city median is edging towards the million dollar mark, it’s small-change compared to the sky high prices being achieved across the country’s most coveted suburbs.

From a new benchmark achieved in mansion-filled Mosman, to a suburb record for a party pad on the Gold Coast, Australia’s high net worth purchasers are continuing to drop top coin to secure their dream homes. 

Here are the top sale results on realestate.com.au in each state in October.

$50m sale sets new North Shore record

Sydney’s North Shore hit a new price record in October when a modern mansion at 3 Kirkoswald Ave in Mosman sold for “about” $50 million after less than a week on market.

The 2235 sqm property last exchanged in 2001 for $6.525 million, before a full rebuild. The former benchmark for the North Shore sat at $43m, set in August on McLean Crescent, Mosman.

The Susan Rothwell-designed home had buyers circling long before it appeared online in early October, according to agent Michael Coombs.

“This is one of those iconic homes that throughout my career people have asked about buying. I’ve always told them no, now it’s a yes,” he told News Corp prior to the sale.

Coombs, who listed the six-bedroom house with Adrian Bridges from Atlas Lower North Shore said the pair showed more than a dozen qualified parties through the house in only three days.

$40m harbour views

A six-bedroom house with postcard views of Sydney Harbour and the city was the second priciest sale in Australia last month.

Offered by vendor Jing Wang, the residence at 22a Carrara Rd, Vaucluse sold at private auction in mid October for an undisclosed sum, reportedly for about $40 million. Mr Wang had paid $25.5 million for the property in 2020.

Listed with Peter Leipnik and Alex George of Bradfield BadgerFox, the three-storey residence was marketed with a price guide of $38.5 million. It has a DA in place for an extensive redesign by Xspace, but for now it features a guest suite, five bathrooms, three garages, a large harbour-facing pool and direct access to Hermit Bay in exclusive Vaucluse.

Elegant Bellevue Hill residence rounds out top three

A historic F. Glynn Gilling designed trophy home, on a 930sqm block in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs exchanged for close to its $28 million price guide on October 30.

The stately four-bedroom residence at 106 Victoria Rd was listed with Adam Reichman and Ashley Bierman of Ray White Double Bay.

Owned by Taryn and Doreen Sher, an orthopaedic surgeon, the estate last sold in 2018 for $8.2m.

Mr Reichman said during their ownership, the pair updated the expansive property throughout.

“They’ve done a beautiful renovation while maintaining the Glynn Gilling highlights and character,” he said. “It’s an elegant family residence that perfectly balances timeless character with modern luxury.”

With Sydney again dominating the national top ten list, here’s a look at the top sales for each state and territory in October:

Queensland

Topping Queensland’s priciest property list for the month, Rivers Bend at 14-16 Riverbend Ave, Carrara sold for a record $26 million on Halloween, setting a new suburb benchmark.

Agent Michael Kollosche of Kollosche handled the sale, which was listed in July.

The show stopping estate is the second highest sale on the Gold Coast this calendar year and includes a five-bedroom main residence, a two-bedroom guesthouse, two swimming pools, a swim-up bar, rooftop pavilion, tennis court, gym, and a 36m water frontage with a pontoon, plus parking for up to 12 cars.

Victoria

A four-level, six-bedroom home in Melbourne’s exclusive Toorak sold in mid-October through Antoinette Nido of Melbourne Sotheby’s International Realty and Marcus Chiminello of Marshall White.

Although the price remains undisclosed, sources close to the sale confirm 42 St Georges Rd, Toorak sold within its $19 million to $20.5 million asking range.

Close to the Yarra River, the modern family home designed by Nicholas Day features imported marble interiors, multiple indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, a glass-walled six-car garage, gym, home theatre with a bar, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a solar and gas-heated self-cleaning pool, as well as landscaping by Jack Merlo.

ACT

Sold on October 18 for $5.3 million through Mario Sanfrancesco of Blackshaw Manuka, Waterford is a stately landmark family residence in coveted Forrest.

The Canberra home at 14 Tennyson Cres has ivy-covered walls and sits on a palatial 1861sqm block framed by impressive formal gardens inspired by the great estates of Europe.

It also has a large heated pool, an imported European fountain, wrought-iron gates, a four-car garage and more than 500sqm of living space over two levels. It is close to Manuka shops, Canberra’s CBD and the Parliamentary Triangle.

Western Australia

A 1070sqm riverside estate in Perth’s Mosman Park, sold for an undisclosed sum through Mack and Jim Hall of Mack Hall Real Estate.

When the four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence at 3 Chine Pl hit the market in May this year it was reportedly seeking $20 million.

Owned by property magnate Chiu Chi Wen and his philanthropist wife Wai Mei Chee, the expansive parcel sits on the banks of the mighty Swan River with water and city views overlooking Blackwall Reach.

South Australia

A landmark home dating back to 1926, this Adelaide residence at 27 Ormond Grove, Toorak Gardens sold in late October via Calvin Lai and Eric Jem of Belle Property Norwood.

The character-filled five-bedroom house on 1596sqm topped the price list for South Australia last month, however the actual sale price is undisclosed. The highest price paid on the street was $3.55 million in 2023. 

Updated and extended in 2014, the family friendly property has multiple formal and informal living areas inside and out, a full-sized floodlit tennis court, and a 16m solar heated lap pool.

Tasmania

A three-level property in Hobart’s Sandy Bay sold in early October after an expressions of interest campaign through Nyal Merdivenci and Leonie Nyhouse of EIS Property.

The price guide for 3/806 Sandy Bay Rd throughout the marketing period was “more than” $4.3 million.

The rare real estate is one of only a handful of homes with its own boat shed along the River Derwent, and it also features a cinema room with a bar, an integrated study nook, three bedrooms, two kitchens, a spa, gym, multiple balconies and an internal lift.

Northern Territory

Sold for $1.401 million on October 9, this modern Territory “treehouse” was listed with Nick Mousellis of Nick Mousellis Real Estate.

9 Macdonald St, Fannie Bay sits on a large 1160sq m block in Fannie Bay, just outside of central Darwin, and was built for the tropical extremes of the Top End. The three-bedroom two-bathroom house has entertaining areas that spill out to the pool, gazebo and landscaped gardens.

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From $93,500 starter units to $4.75 million dream homes, Australia’s newly departed radio stars have quietly amassed property portfolios that tell the story of two decades of extraordinary real estate growth.

As major network shake-ups saw Ash Bradnam, Robin Bailey, Corey Oates and Kip Wightman all exit their shows this week, public records reveal how these radio personalities rode one of the hottest property booms on record – with strategic buying and selling that has built them substantial safety nets for their next chapters.

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Their collective property journey spans multiple market cycles, offering a window into how consistent investment in Brisbane and Gold Coast real estate has delivered returns that dwarf typical superannuation balances.

In Brisbane LGA alone, house prices have jumped 82.7 per cent in the last five years, according to PropTrack data, whilst the Gold Coast has recorded 87 per cent growth and Ipswich a staggering 111 per cent. The timing of these radio personalities’ purchases – many dating back to the early 2000s when entry prices were a fraction of today’s values – has positioned them to capitalise on multiple growth cycles across Queensland’s hottest markets.

Ash Bradnam

Ash Bradnam informed listeners Friday morning that it was his final day at Nova 106.9 and the high rating show he headlined Ash, Luttsy and Nikki – a push that comes after two decades on the airwaves.

Ironically his last day coincides with former Ash, Kip and Luttsy show co-host Kip Wightman’s last day at the KIIS 97.3 breakfast show.

Mr Bradnam walks away having spent millions on real estate over his term, including picking up an entire floor three bedroom apartment at Main Beach for $1.15m in August 2021 which he still owns.

In January 2022 he sold his waterfront Runaway Bay home on the Gold Coast for $3m – a massive gain having paid $1.175m for it nine years earlier. The five-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-car-space house is one of the few designed with water views at both the front and back of the home, as well as access to the water.

There was also a huge surge in sales price for a five-bedroom house in Surfers Paradise. Records show its transferring to him for $375,000 in 1999 and then selling more than 12 years later for $1.16m – a gain of $785,000 in that time. The area has seen such a jump in demand that today the property is worth $3.8-4.52m, according to RPData estimates.

Property records show he has had a change of heart at times, letting go of a cottage in Hervey Bay within one year of ownership – taking a $15k hit as a result. He had bought the 1950s four bedder in March 2018 for $375,000 before selling in April 2019 for $360,000.

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Robin Bailey

She notched three decades across the airwaves across multiple stations before KIIS announced it would be changing direction with its breakfast show, leaving Robin Bailey to decide what her next chapter will be.

Ms Bailey has sold five properties along her investment journey and she still owns two others in Paddington and on the Gold Coast.

The first home in her name was bought in 2001 for what would have seemed like a steep amount at the time – $93,500 for a two-bedroom unit in Chelmer. Ms Bailey held on to that property for about 18 years, before selling for $290,000. Valuation estimates put that unit at about $577 a week rental potential in today’s market.

She has also sold in Brisbane’s Indooroopilly, a four bedder on a large 716sq m block that had been bought for a dreamy $169,000. The home was sold five years later for almost double that, perhaps an early sign of the juggernaut Brisbane’s property market would become.

A beloved six bedroom house with a pool in Kenmore – bought for $344,500 in 2002 – was sold 13 years later for $775,000.

Her three bedroom Barellan Point property on 0.54ha overlooking the Brisbane River was sold for $500,112 in the year before the pandemic. She had paid $445,000 for it six years earlier when she publicly contemplated moving out there.

“I always had ideas it would be my forever home. Those dreams I had were lovely but my life has changed dramatically,” she said at the time.

Her most recent sale was a stunning waterfront home in Fig Tree Pocket which saw her secure a $450,000 gain on the price. She had bought it for $1.15m a decade ago and sold for $1.6m two years ago.

In June last year she marked the end of an era when her mother sold the Abbotsford NSW family home of 57 years – a property that held sentimental rather than investment value for Ms Bailey. “Raising a glass to my family home in Abbotsford NSW,” she posted. “Also to you mum … the matriarch who made this house our loving home for 57 years! #home #goodbye #newbegining #love”

Her current escape is a stunning 1910 three bedder in Paddington – bought for $1.275m in 2023 with valuation estimates putting it between $1.57m-$1.76m now – which she could get anywhere from $793 to $904 a week rent for if she chooses.

She has also retained her two bedroom unit in Surfers Paradise on the coast, bought for $495,000 four years ago. Today the area sees properties like it fetch $935 to $1,000 a week in rent, with valuations as high as $967,000.

Corey Oates

One of the NRL Brisbane Broncos longest serving stars came off contract at the end of the 2024 season then added his star power to the KIIS 97.3 line-up.

He has been a savvy property investor from when he turned 20, setting himself up as a landlord.

The former Brisbane Broncos star owns three properties in Brisbane including a stunner that he and wife Tegan developed in Samford Valley. They’d bought a 9,560sq m block for $880,000 in June 2019 and built their dream home on it. It was listed for sale at offers over $4.75m in June this year.

Mr Oates is also a landlord, having built a four-bedroom house in Collingwood Park on land he bought for $190,000 in 2017. The house was listed for rent early this year at $610 a week – circa $32,000 a year which is a $12k jump from when he first began renting it out in 2018. The property is in one of the fastest growing parts of Greater Brisbane about half an hour’s drive from Brisbane CBD where rents have jumped dramatically since the pandemic.

The property’s estimated value was about $740,000 to as high as $807,000 in January, but has increased to $820-$884,000 since then, according to RPData calculations.

He also bought a three bedroom townhouse in Everton Park in 2017 for $610,000, with valuation estimates on that property now over $1m ($1.03-1.11m) – which would be as much as an 82 per cent gain in the time he’s owned it.

As a rental, it could fetch him anywhere from $722 to $830 a week in gross income ($37,544-43,160) in the suburb, according to estimates.

Mr Oates bought his first home when he was 20, a year and a half after he debuted for the Broncos – a four-bedroom house in Albany Creek on a large 815sq m block. He’d paid $462,000 for the property in December 2014, selling it for $685,000 in April 2020 – a $223,000 gain and 48pc rise in price.

The Courier-Mail reported Mr Wightman and Mr Oates will join ex Broncos star Sam Thaiday in The Unofficial Broncos Podcast with Sammy, Oatesy and Kip, which launches in February via podcast firm Podshape, while Ms Bailey has plans to finalise her book.

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Enough Melbourne homes to house a capacity crowd at the city’s second biggest stadium are sitting empty as the city struggles with a worsening rental and homelessness crisis.

Prosper Australia’s latest analysis shows the number of totally empty homes, assessed as having zero water useage in the past year, and dubbed “ghost homes” by the researchers doing the analysis rose sixteen per cent in a year to 31,890.

With the state’s average household size currently around 2.5 people per home, the vacant properties could comfortably house a more 53,000-person capacity crowd at Marvel Stadium.

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When including homes with minimal water use the total climbs to 100,945 empty or underused dwellings across the city.

Prosper Australia advocacy director Rayna Fahey said the surge in “ghost homes” was now cancelling out a significant share of Victoria’s building program.

“Melbourne added enough empty homes last year to offset one in every nine new homes built,” Ms Fahey said.

Prosper’s analysis found the highest concentrations of long term vacancy in Whitehorse, Merri-bek and Boroondara.

In Whitehorse one in every 34 homes recorded zero water use for the entire year.

Merri-bek saw a similar pattern and Boroondara recorded several thousand long term empty homes.

Ms Fahey said the state still had no clear understanding of who owned these properties or why they had been “offline for so long”.

“We do not know who owns these homes, how long they stay empty or what is stopping them from being occupied,” she said.

“Without that information we are flying blind.”

She said some growth areas may include newly completed homes that were connected to water, but not yet lived in — although the lack of detailed reporting made it impossible to identify causes.

The surge comes as Housing Victoria data shows a fall in active rental bonds across the past eighteen months.

Ms Fahey said the trends could be connected, but the state did not collect the data needed to confirm.

Local examples highlight the problem. Ms Fahey pointed to a former public housing site in Braybrook that was sold, cleared and fenced more than a decade ago and has remained empty despite being opposite a school and between two hospitals.

Melbourne buyers advocate and Property Investment Professionals of Australia chair Cate Bakos said many empty homes were not a sign of deliberate speculation, but were stuck in limbo because of leasing rules, sales campaigns and rising holding costs.

“You can bet a big chunk of those empty properties are holiday homes or investor stock that owners are preparing to sell,” Ms Bakos said.

“And the irony is it does nothing to help their sales campaign.”

Ms Bakos said a major driver was the state’s leasing laws.

Under Victoria’s Residential Tenancies Act a landlord who ends a lease because they plan to sell the home cannot relet the property for six months once the tenant moves out — unless VCAT grants special permission.

“The timing can trap an owner,” she said.

“If they get it wrong they can lose half a year of rent even if they want tenants back in the home.

“That rule alone puts a lot of properties into a holding pattern.”

Ms Bakos said everyday investors were also dealing with rising land tax bills, heavier compliance pressures and ongoing uncertainty around rental regulations.

“It is a less flexible and far more onerous environment than it used to be,” she said.

“These investors are not speculators; they are just trying to keep up.”

Victorian shadow housing minister Richard Riordan said the rise in long term empty homes reflected a broader collapse in investor confidence.

“The real issue here is not the number of empty homes but the Andrews Allan Government’s ongoing war on property owners; this hostile environment has driven private landlords out of the market at a rate we have never seen,” Mr Riordan said.

“It has become so hard to offer a stable long term rental in Victoria that many owners have simply given up.

“Of course homes are sitting empty … vacancies are rising. Owners are consciously choosing to leave homes unused because renting them out has become almost impossible.”

Mr Riordan said many older properties had effectively become unrentable because of compliance rules that required costly upgrades.

“If you have a home that was perfectly liveable a few years ago but was built before 1990 you can bet that a long list of new compliance rules now stops you renting it without massive and expensive upgrades,” he said.

“People are being asked to rip out kitchens that worked fine because the rangehood is too low, we have confusion about gas appliances. It is endless.”

The Victorian shadow minster for housing said the cumulative impact of land tax changes, compliance requirements and tenancy rules had fuelled investor withdrawal across the state.

“Every property manager I have spoken with reports a collapse in long term rental listings. In some communities it is close to a fifty per cent drop,” Mr Riordan said.

“This Government’s addiction to land and property taxes is fuelling the rental crisis.”

A Victorian Government spokesperson said recent changes to the vacant residential land tax and the introduction of a 7.5 per cent levy on short stay accommodation were aimed at discouraging land banking and supporting more affordable and social housing — leading to fewer homes sitting vacant.

However, they noted the Prosper analysis may count properties not liable for the vacant residential land tax.

“Estimating vacant properties based on utilities usage could include properties that are not subject to vacant residential land tax,” the spokesperson said.

They added that Victoria continued to build and approve more homes than any other state and had introduced measures to return more dwellings to the rental market.

“Victoria continues to build and approve thousands more homes than any other state and we have introduced measures to return homes to the market and encourage more owners to make their dwellings available for rent,” they said.

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