Playing Games With History

The Age

Saturday February 16, 2008

Katherine Townsend

The old heart of a new project awaits, writes Katherine Townsend.

MELBOURNE'S Commonwealth Games seem a long time ago and the city's sporting focus is on Beijing but the "domestication" of the former Games village in Parkville continues with the latest properties about to be offered for sale.

Parkville Gardens, as the development is now known, is on the north-western corner of Royal Park and has the former Royal Park Hospital's original Queen Anne-style pavilion buildings as its centrepiece with the Games' modern townhouse accommodation in surrounding streets.

Joint developers Australand and Citta Property Group built the properties for the athletes' occupation, finishing them without kitchens or laundries to maximise the Games visitors' sleeping accommodation. Many of the townhouses were sold off the plan before the Games with buyers happy to wait to occupy their new homes.

After the Games, the project was returned to the developers who then fitted kitchens and laundries to the properties and the first residents moved in last September.

Now, the developers are offering for sale 21 Heritage villa units developed within the beautiful red-brick Queen Anne pavilion buildings, built between 1906 and 1937, at the centre of Parkville Gardens estate.

Overlooking trees and gardens, the properties face Cade Way. They're not really apartments and not quite houses; they have more the feel of large semidetached houses. The classic features of Queen Anne style remain with broad verandas, beautiful high pressed-metal ceilings and all capped with terracotta Marseilles tile roofs.

Australand general manager Rob Pradolin says more than 500 buyers have expressed interest in the Heritage Villas, including many who bought the townhouses before the Games and recognise "what a good investment the area is".

Some of the Heritage homes have mezzanine levels with enormous gardens and dramatic stained glass windows; others are free-standing cottages. The smallest is a one-bedroom unit; most have two bedrooms and a few are three bedroom plus a study. Decor is simple with the thick brick walls painted white, floorboards (often original) polished and bedrooms carpeted in slate grey. Kitchens are well fitted and mostly white.

The properties go on sale next weekend and a display suite is open every afternoon.

Address: Parkville Gardens, 2/41 Cade Way, Parkville

Price: $380,000-$890,000

Private sale

Agent: Australand and Citta Property Group, 133 838

Melway: 29 B10

Plenty of space

Address: Eminence

Corner Yan Yean and Cookes roads, Doreen

Price: $135,000-$180,000

Private sale: Oliver Hume, 9684 8107

Melway: 391 F10

Villawood Properties has announced another Plenty Valley development, continuing the rapid growth of this semi-rural northern suburb.

Eminence, as the 309-lot development will be known, is on the corner of Yan Yean and Cookes roads at Doreen on 41.8 hectares of undulating land and the first 28 lots will be offered for sale from next weekend.

The lots vary in size but many are about 670 square metres with prices ranging from $135,000 to $180,000.

Most blocks will have views across the Plenty Valley and the estate will retain many of the existing trees on the site.

Just over 45 minutes to the city, Eminence has a semi-rural feel in a rapidly developing area that now has a network of cycling and walking tracks and well-developed recreation facilities.

Oliver Hume Real Estate Group's Joseph Sulfaro says the estate is likely to draw both first home buyers and those looking for a bit more space.

© 2008 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home