Sydney apartment record under threat in Kirribilli

You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, and you can barely even imagine it. But the Sydney apartment price record is set to be smashed with a yet-to-be-built penthouse being put up for sale off-the-plan in Kirribilli for a massive $23 million-plus.

And while the site – just down the road from the Prime Minister’s official Sydney residence – is currently shrouded in a black cloth imprinted with a simple letter K, there’s already been a “lot” of serious inquiries from people keen to buy.

“The details are in a very, very discreet position, but we’ve had a lot of inquiries,” says sales agent McGrath Projects NSW principal Steven Chen.

“We’re quietly confident that the current apartment record will be broken as it has all the fundamentals in terms of a high-end offering. It’s absolutely unique.”

The current Sydney apartment record stands at $22 million for an apartment in Bennelong set in July this year (through CBRE agent Ben Stewart) made up of four apartments atop ‘The Toaster’ knocked into one, and $21 million for a penthouse at the new Bondi Pacific building. 

Another apartment in the same block bought for $25 million is now not going ahead. 

The current Australian record sits in Melbourne for the $25 million penthouse on the crown of the tower 108 Australia. 

So what would a cool $23 million-plus on Kirribilli Avenue buy you? A view of the harbour, harbour bridge and Opera House; a private garden and infinity pool; 500sqm of space over two levels linked by private lift including three bedrooms and four bathrooms; and “the ultimate man’s cave” below complete with a subterranean spa, lap pool and wet bar, steam room and gym, and 2,000-bottle wine cellar with a private tasting and lounge area.

Designed by award-winning architects Tzannes Associates, with interiors by Redgen Mathieson and landscaping by William Dangar, the penthouse is in a boutique development of three lavish apartments. 

The complex is the brainchild of longtime Canberra developers Albert Bonansea​ and Dan Bisa​, who worked for 14 years to have an old art-deco-style block demolished so their building could take its place. 

“This will be a home with the exclusivity and security and privacy of few of its neighbours,” says Bonansea. “It’s extremely special.”