Rare Lavender Bay apartment sells for the first time in two decades

A slice of cultural history in Sydney has found new patrons after the Lavender Bay property of the late Made Wijaya, internationally renowned landscape architect and author, sold to South African creatives.

The one-bedroom property at 1/4 Walker Street was one of 743 scheduled to go under the hammer in Sydney on Saturday. By evening, Domain Group had recorded a clearance rate of 63.8 per cent from 447 reported results. 

A crowd of more than 30 people, including Sydney artists and neighbours Wendy Whiteley and Peter Kingston, gathered to watch four of the 11 registered bidders fight for the deceased estate, on the market for the first time in more than two decades.

Bidding for the 713-square-metre property opened at $900,000, jumping by $20,000 lots between all parties until it hit $1.02 million.

From there, the race narrowed to two groups as bidding rose by $10,000 and $5000 before selling to the Cape Town couple for $1.19 million, $210,000 over the reserve.

Located next to Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden and one of seven apartments in a block built in the 1900s, the harbour-side property is unique by any measure but the fact it was owned by Mr Wijaya added more character and energy to the place, according to selling agent Heather McCartney of Stone McMahons Point.

“It’s a great result. It’s one of those properties that could have gone anywhere because it’s so unique and it’s got an amazing feel to it. It’s just rich in character and energy,” Mrs McCartney said. “It’s just one of the those properties, you can’t put a price on it.”

The new owners, Jayne Brits, a ceramic artist, and her husband Marius Brits, a landscape architect, were ecstatic with their purchase and were warmly welcomed by new neighbours Mrs Whiteley and Mr Kingston.

“We’re unbelievably excited and very, very privileged in a way because I think it’s a very special spot with its history,” Mrs Brits said. “We fell in love with the place. We love the way it was so close to the Secret Garden and we’re going to maintain [its integrity].”

While it’s the first property the Brits have bought in Sydney, the globe-trotting couple have led a similar nomadic life to Mr Wijaya (born Michael White) as they previously lived in Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York.

“We made up our mind we wanted to live and spend the rest of our time here and we’re going to keep the spirit of the place, exactly how he [Mr Wijaya] left it because we feel a strong affinity with him and with the area. It felt very auspicious and very special,” Mrs Brits said.

“I only found out about him [Mr Wijaya] from the agent and we looked at a lot of research and read about it, and it’s just phenomenal because he seems so similar to us in every way,” she said.

The neighbours were equally delighted to have the Brits join the Sydney-famous cultural enclave and were eager to find out the new owners’ intentions.

“We go to all the auctions [near Lavender Bay] and keep an eye on things. It’s essential these buildings keep their character and we just wanted to see the right person buy it and it looks like they love the building and they respect the heritage values of it,” Mr Kingston said.

Mrs Whiteley was pleased the Brits were going to maintain the integrity of the apartment owned by Made Wijaya, who died late last year.

“Lavender Bay is a very special place, I’ve been here for 50 years now. Unfortunately with apartments you’ve got a lot of renters rather than owner-occupiers and that I don’t like because … renters don’t seem to care that much, they don’t get involved,” Mrs Whiteley said.

The tightly-held property, which last traded more than 21 years ago for $295,000, surpassed the suburb’s median price of $1,165,000.

Auctioneer James Pratt said buyers recognised the property was very rare, adding that the area’s proximity to the city kept prices buoyant.

SOLD $1,565,000
Lane Cove
81/25 Best Street
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

A crowd of about 40 people gathered to watch the townhouse sell. It was back on the market four years after it sold for $830,000. The auction opened at $1.02 million and all three registered bidders participated. Bidding slowed from $50,000 increments down to $5000 at the pointy end of the auction. It briefly stalled at $1.5 million before the hammer fell $40,000 above the reserve. The house was sold through Brent Courtney at McGrath Lane Cove. It was snapped up by a young couple who wanted to upgrade from their current Lane Cove residence. 

81/25 Best Street, Lane Cove Photo: Supplied

See more at: domain.com.au/2014175885

SOLD $1,527,000
Camperdown
24/1 Gibbens St
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

Two bidders fought it out for the 166-square-metre apartment in the iconic sugarmill building in Camperdown. Following the opening bid of $1.4 million, bids went up in $10,000 jumps until the property sold $47,000 above reserve to a woman looking to upsize. Records show it last traded for $915,000 in 2012, translating to a 67 per cent increase in value. The property was sold through Michael Harris, of Raine and Horne Newtown.

24/1 Gibbens Street, Camperdown Photo: Supplied

See more at: domain.com.au/2014176576

SOLD $2.88 million
Glebe
3 Burton St
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 car spaces

A mixture of families and investors turned out for the auction of the DA-approved terrace in the inner west. Bidding opened at $2.6 million before quickly reaching $2.8 million. The hammer fell $80,000 later to a Birchgrove family wanting a bigger home. The house was a local family’s investment property and last traded in 2015 for $2.25 million. The selling agent Michael Glynn, of The Agency Inner West, said all parties were happy with the sale.

3 Burton St, Glebe Photo: supplied

See more at: domain.com.au/2014161868