How sleepy Aussie suburbs were jolted to life after the Covid-19 pandemic
'When we first moved to Balmoral, it was a fairly sleepy little suburb,' Ms Bennett said. 'A lot of the houses hadn't been built up, and there had been no new developments.'
Ms Bennett said in the early days, Balmoral was often best known for its cinema, only growing in popularity when the nearby factories were taken down to make space for new developments.
But when people emerged from their homes after the Covid-19 pandemic, the couple started to see the community flourish like they'd never seen before.
'I think it's much stronger now than it's ever been,' she said. 'On the weekend, we walked down Oxford St about 10 o'clock in the morning – and it was just absolutely lovely to see the numbers of people out on the street.'
Ms Bennett said she'd seen community infrastructure such as local parks being used and tended to more, including regular soccer games with large crowds occurring as she walked through the neighbourhood.
New PropTrack research found Balmoral's median sale price has jumped by 85.9 per cent in the last five years alone: going from $925,000 all the way up to $1.72 million since 2020.
This follows a trend across Brisbane where around 300 house or unit markets more than doubled over that same time, with some rising up by an incredible 260 per cent.
Now, Ms Bennett and Mr Budge have decided to downsize. The two are selling their home at 55 Barton Pde, Balmoral, with Place Bulimba agents Kasey Drake and Carla Haddan.
Ms Drake said her team had seen strong competitive interest in Balmoral since the pandemic, especially with recent development projects in the growing suburb.
'Since July 1st, Carla and I have placed over $21 million under contract across the 4171 postcode,' she said. 'What stands out most is the strong sense of community. We often meet buyers who grew up in Balmoral, and are now returning to raise their own families. That kind of loyalty really speaks to its long-term appeal.'
Ms Bennett said while she'd seen more young professionals arriving in the neighbourhood, the camaraderie within the community has always been present.
'It still feels very much like a village; everyone knows [everyone],' she said. 'My Apple watch fell off the street at about 5am on Monday morning. I posted on the Facebook page for the street and was reunited with my watch in about half an hour … we look out for each other.'
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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
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The luxury waterfront project will bring a resort experience to the shores of Lake Macquarie, complete with a cutting-edge wellness centre and two world-class restaurants, as well as 160 waterfront apartments, conference facilities, and commercial and public space in a sprawling precinct designed by boundary-pushing architect firm Koichi Takada. Mr Johnson, who is the same developer behind Lake Macquarie's Watagan Park project, said the project was aimed at city-siders looking to escape to the regions in the post-COVID era, adding that designs had reduced the number of apartments but increased their size to cater to changing market tastes. "People want to move to the country. They want to move, but they want bigger units," he said. "It's a really luxurious lifestyle." He now hopes that, with development approvals secured, the project will move to detail designs and ultimately to tender within the next year. He estimated it would be a three-year build after that. "This project is about putting Lake Macquarie on the global stage," Mr Johnson said. "We're not just building something beautiful we're creating a destination that will showcase the best of this region to the world and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come." An earlier planning document indicated the project would create 398 jobs and some $15.8 million in salaries. The largest development project outside of Sydney is one step closer to being built after a protected development application - five years in consideration - was approved on Friday. The $665-million expansion of the Trinity Point precinct at Lake Macquarie has been sold as "Australia's leading waterfront destination" and Lake Macquarie's answer to the Sydney Opera House, but has been mired in planning red tape for the past five years. Johnson Property Group founder Kieth Johnson, who has held the site for 25 years, said it was a relief to see approvals finally secured after a years-long wait that left investors in uncertainty. "We have had investors and potential joint venture partners wanting to talk to us, but we couldn't do a thing," Mr Johnson said. "We had nothing to guarantee until (Friday, August 1)." "Unfortunately NSW is the slowest state in Australia to get approvals." The luxury waterfront project will bring a resort experience to the shores of Lake Macquarie, complete with a cutting-edge wellness centre and two world-class restaurants, as well as 160 waterfront apartments, conference facilities, and commercial and public space in a sprawling precinct designed by boundary-pushing architect firm Koichi Takada. Mr Johnson, who is the same developer behind Lake Macquarie's Watagan Park project, said the project was aimed at city-siders looking to escape to the regions in the post-COVID era, adding that designs had reduced the number of apartments but increased their size to cater to changing market tastes. "People want to move to the country. They want to move, but they want bigger units," he said. "It's a really luxurious lifestyle." He now hopes that, with development approvals secured, the project will move to detail designs and ultimately to tender within the next year. He estimated it would be a three-year build after that. "This project is about putting Lake Macquarie on the global stage," Mr Johnson said. "We're not just building something beautiful we're creating a destination that will showcase the best of this region to the world and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come." An earlier planning document indicated the project would create 398 jobs and some $15.8 million in salaries. The largest development project outside of Sydney is one step closer to being built after a protected development application - five years in consideration - was approved on Friday. The $665-million expansion of the Trinity Point precinct at Lake Macquarie has been sold as "Australia's leading waterfront destination" and Lake Macquarie's answer to the Sydney Opera House, but has been mired in planning red tape for the past five years. Johnson Property Group founder Kieth Johnson, who has held the site for 25 years, said it was a relief to see approvals finally secured after a years-long wait that left investors in uncertainty. "We have had investors and potential joint venture partners wanting to talk to us, but we couldn't do a thing," Mr Johnson said. "We had nothing to guarantee until (Friday, August 1)." "Unfortunately NSW is the slowest state in Australia to get approvals." The luxury waterfront project will bring a resort experience to the shores of Lake Macquarie, complete with a cutting-edge wellness centre and two world-class restaurants, as well as 160 waterfront apartments, conference facilities, and commercial and public space in a sprawling precinct designed by boundary-pushing architect firm Koichi Takada. Mr Johnson, who is the same developer behind Lake Macquarie's Watagan Park project, said the project was aimed at city-siders looking to escape to the regions in the post-COVID era, adding that designs had reduced the number of apartments but increased their size to cater to changing market tastes. "People want to move to the country. They want to move, but they want bigger units," he said. "It's a really luxurious lifestyle." He now hopes that, with development approvals secured, the project will move to detail designs and ultimately to tender within the next year. He estimated it would be a three-year build after that. "This project is about putting Lake Macquarie on the global stage," Mr Johnson said. "We're not just building something beautiful we're creating a destination that will showcase the best of this region to the world and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come." An earlier planning document indicated the project would create 398 jobs and some $15.8 million in salaries. The largest development project outside of Sydney is one step closer to being built after a protected development application - five years in consideration - was approved on Friday. The $665-million expansion of the Trinity Point precinct at Lake Macquarie has been sold as "Australia's leading waterfront destination" and Lake Macquarie's answer to the Sydney Opera House, but has been mired in planning red tape for the past five years. Johnson Property Group founder Kieth Johnson, who has held the site for 25 years, said it was a relief to see approvals finally secured after a years-long wait that left investors in uncertainty. "We have had investors and potential joint venture partners wanting to talk to us, but we couldn't do a thing," Mr Johnson said. "We had nothing to guarantee until (Friday, August 1)." "Unfortunately NSW is the slowest state in Australia to get approvals." The luxury waterfront project will bring a resort experience to the shores of Lake Macquarie, complete with a cutting-edge wellness centre and two world-class restaurants, as well as 160 waterfront apartments, conference facilities, and commercial and public space in a sprawling precinct designed by boundary-pushing architect firm Koichi Takada. 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An earlier planning document indicated the project would create 398 jobs and some $15.8 million in salaries.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
The Geelong suburbs where homes sell every single day
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News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Melbourne auction clearance rates surge to shock new levels
Melbourne's auction clearance rate is surging alongside prices, with major milestones achieved on both fronts in the past week. As the city's housing market heads into the final month of winter, PropTrack data shows about 73 per cent of homes that test the market using the auctions to snare a sale — a whopping 15 percentage points up from November in 2024. As PropTrack also revealed Melbourne's seventh straight month of home price growth yesterday, helping the city to a $24,000 price boost in the past year, two of Victoria's top auctioneers have shared their tactics for success. Boom suburbs: Blackburn unit owners' big win Now economists have forecast both could be set for further growth, with each of the nation's big four banks anticipating a 0.25 per cent cut to interest rates when the Reserve Bank of Australia meets on August 12. It's good news for both sellers and buyers of the 748 Victorian homes set to go under the hammer this week. PropTrack senior economist Anne Flaherty said in addition to borrowing and mortgage repayment costs coming down when rate cuts were implemented, demand and confidence increased in the property market. Ms Flaherty pointed to the latest Westpac Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Survey which asked participants for their expectations around future home price growth. 'Three quarters of the people that they surveyed in July believed that prices are going to be higher in 12 months' time,' Ms Flaherty said. 'So I think there's a strong sense that it's better to get into the market sooner than later, because of those reasons.' Auction clearance rates are also sitting at their highest level in years with Victoria recording a 73 per cent clearance rate last week, according to PropTrack figures. 'So properties are selling well and buyers are more likely to be putting in an offer at auction than risk missing out,' Ms Flaherty added. PROFESSIONAL AUCTIONEERS' AUCTION TACTICS' TIPS: A three-time winner of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria's Senior Auctioneer of the Year Award, Paul Tzamalis – who took out the gong in 2025 – said homeowners should be open to post-auction settlement terms that were longer, or even a little different to, industry norms. 'That way, you can encourage more participants on auction day,' Mr Tzamalis said. His other piece of advice for sellers was to listen to their agent and auctioneers' advice on when to put a property on the market. 'It may lead to a better upside (result) under competition as opposed to under private negotiation,' he added. Mr Tzamalis' suggested tactics for buyers include: + On auction day, come out of the starting block with strong bids to hopefully reduce competition from other buyers straight away. + If you have not already done so, in the 30 minutes prior to the auction build a rapport with the home's agents and auctioneer to understand what is going to happen once the auction starts. + If a home does not look like it will sell under the hammer, do your best to get in the box seat for post-auction negotiations. This means being the highest bidder so you will be first in line. Apollo Auctions Victoria director Andy Reid, who won the 2020 REIV Senior Auctioneer of the Year, said that smart bidding could 'spook out the competition and save you money'. 'It's not about bidding as little as possible, sometimes one $10,000 bid can save you 14 $1000 bids – which happens a lot,' Mr Reid said. His other tips are: + Make sure you have all of your questions about the property answered well. + Visualise how you're going to act if the auction is slow at the beginning and also if it takes off, visualise how you are going to get involved. + If you're too nervous about either the auction or acting in public, get either a confident friend to bid on your behalf or hire an advocate for their bidding services. + Connect with the auctioneer, we're humans too! A house set to go under the hammer today is a former police station at 1082 Nepean Highway, Highett, with $1.2m-$1.3m price expectations. Now a five-bedroom home, the backyard features an original jail cell complete with a concrete toilet and barred door. Ray White Carnegie director Tom Grieve said the ex-station, decommissioned in the 1990s, had been inspected by renovators and builders. 'The house needs quite a bit of work but it's a solid brick upstairs and downstairs, it's going to stand forever,' Mr Grieve said. The 724sq m block could also be developed with townhouses subject to council approval, he added. Also going to auction on Saturday is a Mulgrave house with views across the iconic Waverley Park grandstand. BigginScott's Ming Xu and Jing Chen star in a Hawks-themed online listing video showcasing the four-bedroom home at 60 Waverley Park Drive that's priced at $1m-$1.1m. The property also has views of an oval at the Waverley Park complex that served as Hawthorn's base from 2006 until recently when the club sold the site to the AFL ahead of its move to a new base in Dingley. To celebrate the residence's connection to the sporting complex, Mr Xu dons a Hawthorn uniform and tosses a footy to Ms Chen who is standing on one of the abode's two balconies, in the listing clip. The three-level abode has an indoor entertainers' area with its own kitchen and a gas log fire. Mr Xu said more than 40 groups had inspected the property, mostly young families. 'They like the uniqueness of the floorplan, the low-maintenance garden and pretty good size,' he added. In Melbourne's northern suburbs, a three-bedroom house at 72 William St, Fawkner, will head under the hammer with a $740,000-$790,000 asking range. Owned by the same family for six decades, the circa-1965 home features a large front garden, triple-fronted facade, undercover patio and a garage with a storeroom, toilet, kitchen and two car spaces. Ray White Coburg's Hamza Ali said first-home buyers, upsizers and investors, including some from interstate, were among the potential buyers. 'A total of 101 groups have been through,' Mr Ali said. 'People like how original it is, how strong the build is and the location and also having two bathrooms.'
