NSW 20735 6 2SoldAuctioned for $6,358,000 on Apr 06 2025Exquisite Luxury Design Meets Ultimate ComfortThis architectural masterpiece redefines luxury living with its seamless blend of cutting-edge innovation and timeless sophistication From its striking façade and grand arched entrance to its sun-drenched interiors framed by soaring glass windows Ideally positioned moments from West Pymble Public School and within easy reach of Pymble Ladies' College this home harmonizes tranquility with urban convenience A rare fusion of elegance and functionality this residence transcends expectations-a sanctuary where every innovation elevates daily life • Chef's gourmet kitchen with a state-of-the-art electronically controlled gas cooktop and premium Miele appliances • Integrated Miele refrigerator seamlessly blended into custom cabinetry for a sleek • Commercial-grade Zip Hydro Tap filtration system offering instant purified • Thermostatic rain showers in designer ensuites for personalized temperature control • Multipurpose room adorned with a mesmerizing newly installed projected starry sky ceiling • Spacious formal living area anchored by a striking fireplace and herringbone flooring • Bold marble-clad dining zone flowing seamlessly into relaxed family living spaces • Master suite featuring a walk-in robe • Smart home integration with zoned ducted air conditioning and imported designer tapware • Entertainer's essentials: chic wet bar • Resort-style pool and spa embellished with dazzling starry-night mosaic tiles • Expansive alfresco terrace with built-in gas barbecue and kitchenette for seamless entertaining • East-facing landscaped gardens bathed in morning sunlight and enclosed by custom privacy fencing • Double garage with integrated storage solutions and direct home access • Luxury home theatre with premium surround sound and immersive audiovisual technology designer-crafted fencing for enhanced privacy • Energy-efficient LED lighting and smart irrigation systems For more information or to arrange an inspection feel free to contact Alex Sun on 0432 148 026 or Xiaolong (Eric) Wei 0457 579 999 or Elly Razaavi 0430 104 057 Disclaimer: The above information contained herewith including but not limited to the general property description is provided to Raine & Horne Lindfield by third parties we have obtained this information from sources we believe to be reliable we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information and nor do we accept responsibility for its accuracy Any interested parties should rely on their own enquiries and judgment to determine the accuracy of this information for their own purposes It was an unremarkable March day at Du Plessy Pralin & Otello when Margie turned up with a Chinese social media influencer looking for a Japonaise cake queues pack the footpath every day outside the West Pymble shop and it’s normal to see rows of people sitting with cake boxes in their laps “It’s bizarre,” Du Plessy’s second-generation owner Paul Adam tells Broadsheet “The influencer posted a video of the cake and people went crazy.” travel spots and more – curated by those who know light-as-air dark chocolate mousse is sandwiched between two layers of almond and hazelnut meringue A pair of rosellas – stencilled in cocoa powder – fly across the top “I started making it in 1988 and it’s our most popular cake Margie has been coming in for years; she orders a Japonaise every birthday.” posting to Chinese social media platform Red Note Where Adam used to sell 100 Japonaise cakes a week “International students have been flying in from all over Australia to buy the cake We even have customers coming from China to pick up a cake It’s normal now to see 40 people waiting for the bus with cakes in their laps.” “Professional shoppers would come and buy six cakes they’d go on We Chat and sell slices for $37 I don’t like that because others were missing out Adam’s parents Marcel and Martha founded Du Plessy Pralin in Pymble He has his parents’ original lease with a handwritten note from the real estate “It was a three-year lease and the agent wrote my parents a note that said where it became what it is now: a neighbourhood favourite for pretty cakes The mania for the mousse cake was whipped up in the lead-up to the busy Easter period when the team makes more than 4500 chocolate eggs and bunnies Adam asked Max to tell his followers to come back in May for Japonaise it’s late on Monday and he’s gearing up for a night shift after working all day I’m proud of my staff; everyone is doing amazing.” Eventually the frenzy will settle down and things will go back to normal.” duplessypralinandotello.com Charcoal Chicken and Rosewater Desserts: A Local’s Guide to Merrylands Where Chefs Eat: Peter Gilmore Really Knows Crows Nest Ex-Tradies Grill Hard-to-Find Mexican Street Snacks First Look: Berta’s Deli Knows “Everyone Loves a Sandwich” Get unlimited access. 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By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy Get your intro offer.  It looks like your email isn't registered yet—let’s get you set up We've sent a code to the below email.  Paul Adam wants to make one thing clear: “It’s just a cake” But try telling that to new fans of Du Plessy Pralin & Otello who have turned the suburban Sydney patisserie into a viral phenomenon Months after a Chinese video blogger visited the West Pymble store and shared his story online its chocolate mousse cake is one of the most desired desserts on Earth The shop now opens with lines out the door Customers fly in from China just to try the so-called ‘old baby’ cake and some even ask the patisserie owner for photos with their newborn children Adam shared his amazement at his store’s social media stardom — and vowed to preserve the small business values driving its success Adam’s parents founded Du Plessy Pralin in 1961 and the patisserie has long boasted a loyal following for its sponge The business added the Mosman-born chocolate shop Otello in 1988 a gluten-free cake combining almond and hazelnut meringue with dark chocolate mousse The shop’s unlikely rise to social media stardom began in December after a chance meeting on a train from Bowral to Sydney a Chinese video blogger who visited Bowral’s Gumnut Patisserie talking about the apple turnover and vanilla slice he acquired from the lauded NSW shop he should visit De Plessy Pralin & Otello and try its mousse cake He uploaded footage of the charming conversation to social media platforms like Xiaohongshu causing Chinese-speaking viewers to make their own West Pymble pilgrimages With the views racking up on his social media profiles Max invited Margie for their own outing to Du Plessy Pralin & Otello where he chose eight chocolates and a ‘Japonaise’ cake Touched by the support Max and Margie had already shown the business in the first video with Adam’s act of kindness enticing even more new Chinese-speaking customers to the Sydney business The shop ramped up production of the Japonaise cake after the loving name viewers bestowed on Margie Further videos and online reviews have attracted hundreds of thousands of views with the frenzy now reaching English-language social media “The crust complements the chocolate mousse perfectly and you can really taste the richness and quality of the chocolate,” reads one recent Google Review “The owner is very kind and welcoming,” reads another review because the Chinese people are so happy and so friendly.” Adam spoke during a few minutes of downtime which are becoming increasingly rare as Du Plessy Pralin & Otello traditionally an annual highlight for the chocolate side of the business and I haven’t touched an Easter egg basically for three weeks because this went so crazy,” said Adam the shop expects to limit ‘old baby’ cake production in the lead-up to Easter To prevent customers travelling long distances to find the cake sold out for the day Adam even asked Max to tell his followers about the production shift Queues returned to a manageable size shortly after and customers adjusted their buying habits to suit the business’ gentle plea “They all came in and they started buying chocolate Balancing the annual Easter rush with newfound social media notoriety is not the only new challenge facing the business “We’ve actually had people come in and say to me — suppliers have said to me — ‘Have you got your recipe written down anywhere?’” Even suppliers to his business are being hounded with requests for information The unexpected success of the ‘old baby’ cake nearly 40 years after it first appeared on the menu also begs the question: should Du Plessy Pralin & Otello expand into a larger facility “I think to keep the cake more prestigious “My business has always been designed on quality I’m afraid that I’ll lose what I’m proud of in my business.” The ‘old baby’ cake is hardly the only Australian pastry to achieve major social media fame with Black Star Pastry’s legendary strawberry watermelon cake attracting similar fascination in the late 2010s putting a long-term focus on the qualities that first attracted customers like Margie and Max Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn. 30 Boronga Ave in West Pymble sold for $2.62 million West Pymble has been singled out in a national property report as a suburb that flies under the radar for buyers – although agents say those days are numbered The tightly held suburb features in the latest report by property valuation and advisory group Herron Todd White as an “unsung hero hotspot” The group’s experts were was asked to identify Australian suburbs which were still flying under the radar when it came to prices MORE: Inside Karl Stefanovic’s waterfront mansion Nicole Kidman leads celebrities moving to this NSW region Ray Hadley sells Dural estate for mega price “It can be difficult when looking at Sydney’s upper north shore property market to find something that is flying under the radar when most suburbs command a median price well above $2 million,” the report said there are pockets of the north shore that do seem to offer comparatively good value and future potential According to realestate.com.au’s latest Market Trends report the median house sale price in West Pymble sits at $1.999 million which represents a 12-month growth of 19 per cent While this might not be considered affordable by Greater Sydney standards (which has a median house price of $1.1 million) when compared with surrounding suburbs like Gordon ($2.72 million) “These comparison suburbs certainly have superior positioning all benefiting from close proximity to the upper north shore rail stations and the amenities located on the Pacific Highway,” the report said “West Pymble is considered to be isolated from this infrastructure but the price level still represents very good value for the affluent upper north shore being located only 15km from the Sydney CBD The report recognised that West Pymble had experienced some good growth during the past 12 months but “with the large disparity in surrounding suburb median prices we believe there is plenty of potential for future price growth.” “Due to the comparatively low median price for the upper north shore West Pymble’s potential for growth is always going to be high as it experiences demand from those trying to get a foot into this blue-chip market,” the report said 10 Victoria Ave in West Pymble is due to go to auction on July 3 The results come as no surprise to Alex Mintorn but he said the lower median price also had a lot to do with the fact that the suburb is so tightly held and that is reflection of what an amazing suburb it is,” he said Mr Mintorn sold a four-bedroom house at 30 Boronga Ave The price guide was $2 million and it had a reserve of $2.2 million “It’s a little pocket of the upper north shore that is still affordable Sales stock is also tight – according to realestate.com.au there are only a handful of homes on the market in West Pymble which is due to go to auction on July 3 through Anna Cavill and Thomas Merriman They have set a price guide of $1.8 million to $1.98 million for the three-bedroom Ms Cavill said there was already strong interest in the home It has a guide of $1.8 million to $1.98 million “I do think it (West Pymble) is undervalued – the location is awesome,” she said but I think it does fly a little bit under the radar It was only when the time came to downsize that properties came to market for the next cohort of young families Ms Cavill said many buyers were choosing to embark on extensive renovations of older-style homes like this one while others were opting for knockdown-rebuilds “It is a family area and people are investing a lot of money because they are going to be there for a long time,” she said “I do think it’s an awesome place to buy into – if you can find something It’s very tightly held and when properties do come to market there are usually a few people chasing them.” 10 Victoria Ave has the added advantage of backing onto the school oval of West Pymble Public School with an “unreplaceable” rear gate leading straight into the school This is likely to make the property extremely popular with young families The home is also within walking distance of the bus third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. 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Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time Strong winds have torn awnings from shopfronts downed power lines and uprooted trees across Sydney where two people were injured after a large fig fell on them in Hyde Park Wind speeds as high as 120km/h were recorded in Sydney on Friday with the SES responding to about 2100 requests for assistance SES spokesman Andrew Edmunds said a large number of calls concerned fallen trees which led to more than 1000 requests for help on Friday Awnings were also ripped from shopfronts and onto traffic on Victoria Road in Drummoyne One man believed to be in his 60s was treated for minor injuries at the scene Two women were taken with minor injuries to St Vincent’s Hospital after the tree on Elizabeth Street fell on them about 3.15pm on Friday At the Sydney Cricket Ground, which was hosting a Big Bash League game between the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder part of the Bill O’Reilly grandstand roof fell Spectators were evacuated and provided seating in another grandstand The safety of our patrons remains our number one priority,” said a spokesperson for Venues NSW The damaging winds followed a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday that brought widespread destruction to Sydney and left 200,000 people across NSW without power Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jordan Notara said Wednesday’s rainfall had been followed by gale-force winds on Friday with speeds as high as 120km/h recorded at Wattamolla in the Royal National Park “The story is one of strong winds and large surf so significant wave height from the Sydney offshore buoy reaching upwards of five metres.” Manly Ferries were running at a reduced frequency due to the weather conditions in the harbour The bureau said the damaging winds would continue into Friday evening before weakening on Saturday morning The SES has said that statewide about 55,000 properties were still without power on Friday A spokeswoman for Ausgrid said power had been restored to most customers who lost it on Wednesday another 30,000 had been affected during Friday afternoon’s wild weather After a reprieve for commuters following a suspension of industrial action on Thursday evening the winds also caused disruptions and delays on Sydney’s rail network briefly suspending services on the T4 and South Coast lines Light rail services between Lewisham West and Dulwich Hill on the L1 line also resumed after a stoppage caused by a fallen tree branch at Waratah Mills Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Strong winds have torn awnings from shopfronts, downed power lines and uprooted trees across Sydney, including in the CBD, where two people were injured after a large fig fell on them in Hyde Park. Wind speeds as high as 120km/h were recorded in Sydney on Friday, with the SES responding to about 2100 requests for assistance. SES spokesman Andrew Edmunds said a large number of calls concerned fallen trees, which led to more than 1000 requests for help on Friday. In West Pymble, fallen trees damaged gas mains. Awnings were also ripped from shopfronts and onto traffic on Victoria Road in Drummoyne, closing citybound lanes, which have since reopened. One man believed to be in his 60s was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Two women were taken with minor injuries to St Vincent\\u2019s Hospital after the tree on Elizabeth Street fell on them about 3.15pm on Friday, a spokesman for NSW Ambulance said. At the Sydney Cricket Ground, , part of the Bill O\\u2019Reilly grandstand roof fell. Spectators were evacuated and provided seating in another grandstand. \\u201CFurther inspections are underway. The safety of our patrons remains our number one priority,\\u201D said a spokesperson for Venues NSW. The damaging winds followed that brought widespread destruction to Sydney and left 200,000 people across NSW without power. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jordan Notara said Wednesday\\u2019s rainfall had been followed by gale-force winds on Friday, with speeds as high as 120km/h recorded at Wattamolla in the Royal National Park, and 93km/h at Manly. \\u201CThe story is one of strong winds and large surf, so significant wave height from the Sydney offshore buoy reaching upwards of five metres.\\u201D Manly Ferries were running at a reduced frequency due to the weather conditions in the harbour. The bureau said the damaging winds would continue into Friday evening before weakening on Saturday morning. The SES has said that statewide about 55,000 properties were still without power on Friday. A spokeswoman for Ausgrid said power had been restored to most customers who lost it on Wednesday. However, another 30,000 had been affected during Friday afternoon\\u2019s wild weather. After a reprieve for commuters following a suspension of industrial action on Thursday evening, the winds also caused disruptions and delays on Sydney\\u2019s rail network. A tree blocked the tracks at St Peters, briefly suspending services on the T4 and South Coast lines. Light rail services between Lewisham West and Dulwich Hill on the L1 line also resumed after a stoppage caused by a fallen tree branch at Waratah Mills. Start the day with a summary of the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. . 2024 - 2:12AMProperties are selling for record prices across Australia in a sign the nation's housing market isn't cooling down anytime soon The latest property insights from Proptrack revealed the suburbs where homes are selling for record-breaking sums 3 bathroom property in the leafy Blue Mountains village of Linden recently sold for $2.55 million The sale in August surpassed the previous house price record of $1.52m A Victorian Tudor-style manor in Springwood sold for an undisclosed sum in October 2023 The three acre property is believed to have smashed the suburb's previous record sale of $2.3 million meaning the new record sale is 70 per cent higher. A warehouse conversion in Newtown which sold $13.5 million was the second record sale of the year The sale of the 5-bed property surpassed the suburb's previous record of $6.65m by 103 per cent a 6-bedroom home sold for $3.04 million in June Located only 30 minutes from Adelaide's CBD the property smashed the previous top sale by $1.35m 2-bath property in West Pymble recently sold for $9 million beat the previous sale record of $4.8 for the Sydney suburb This oppulent 9-bedroom waterfront estate in Sydney's Hurstville Grove was purchased for a whopping $10.45 million in 2023 The sale was a 98 per cent higher than the record sale set by a $5.27m 5-bedder in 2022 3-bath property on the Murray River in Ravenswood The sale was $1.8 million more than the previous record purchase of $1.29 million that took place in February This period home located on the Northernmost peninsula of Lamb Island in Moreton Bay While the exact sale figure can't be revealed the price was 74 per cent more than the previous top sale that went for $775,000 in 2021 Situated in in Elwood's elite Golden Mile this 5-bed renovated Federation-era property sold in February Although the sale price was not disclosed it's believed to be 71 per cent higher than the previous $10m price in 2022 Miriah Davis is a Homepage Lead for Nine.com.au. Miriah has wide-ranging experience in television She first joined Nine in 2018 where she worked in production as a Director's Assistant on Today show In 2020 she completed her Master of Journalism and Communication and went on to work for Daily Mail Australia and Sky News Online She has now returned to Nine as a Digital News Producer for Nine.com.au. Properties are selling for record prices across Australia West Pymble housing has topped a list of the 20 most tenant-friendly rental markets in Sydney as surging vacancy rates put the ball back in the court of renters Research commissioned by RentRabbit.com.au showed vacancy rates in the West Pymble housing market had leapt 3.7 percentage points over the past year to 5.5 per cent while the median rent had fallen from $870 to $850 This indicated there had been less competition among tenants with landlords dropping the rent in order to attract more interest MORE: Tenant turmoil: where rents are rising faster than prices Why renters are some of Australia’s unhappiest people The Better Renting report identified 10 housing markets and 10 unit markets where vacancy rates had increased and rents had either fallen or stayed flat over the past 12 months giving more power to renters looking to negotiate favourable rent and living conditions The median house rent in West Pymble has dropped to $850 a week All of the markets listed had a vacancy rate of at least 1.7 per cent with weekly rents ranging from $285 to $850 suburbs needed to be within 200km of the Sydney CBD Vacancy rates needed to have increased by at least 0.4 per cent over the year The Girraween unit market came second in the list with a 2.3 percentage point increase in vacancy rates to 4 per cent despite rent staying flat at $450 per week in the 12 months to February The median house rent in the “commutable” suburb of Heckenberg dropped 5 per cent from $400 to $380 a week after a two-percentage point increase in vacancies while house rents in Parramatta’s Pendle Hill dropped 4.3 per cent to $450 Vacancy rates in the Girraween unit market have increased over the past year RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said while markets considered to be tenant friendly did exist in Sydney “This is all about supply and demand,” said Mr Pretty “Where supply is relatively low and demand relatively high it’s hard for tenants to find accommodation which leads to falling vacancy rates and rising rents.” Market rent will often come down to a simple case of supply and demand the unit markets of Matraville and Paddington both experienced the largest decline in median rent in the whole list with Matraville’s median dropping 9.3 per cent to $490 and Paddington’s dropping 9.1 per cent to $450 The market with the cheapest rent in the list was Carramar in the Merrylands to Guilford region * 0% vacancy rate means all rental properties are being filled within 21 days of being listed MORE: Best Sydney suburbs for unit homebuyers and investors ‘Ominous’: homeowners brace for mortgage rates to double New mum wins $6m home with $18 lotto ticket When I came to Sydney from Europe in 1975, I knew little or nothing about Sydney except that it had a fabulous Opera House on the harbour. I thought that there would be a metro. But I was wrong (“How Sydney’s new system stacks up on a global scale” These can almost double the time needed to walk to or from the station And no one likes waiting next to a noisy road inhaling fumes Transport for NSW sets these excessively long waiting times to allow for more road traffic but this means thousands fewer residents can access stations within an acceptable walking time Metro has put a massive dent in the state’s finances so you’d think Transport Minister Jo Haylen would want to maximise its benefit by making station catchment areas as large as possible Prioritising road traffic over people using public transport shows she still wants the latter to feel like second-class citizens Commuters use Barangaroo Metro Station on its first day of operation After three days of unmitigated Metro hype is this is really as good as it could have been Paris will build 50 per cent more track at less cost in a more densely populated city Their new lines link suburbs in a ring and their airports while we continue to dump people into the CBD And did we capture the property value rise for the public purse The elephant in the room of the breathless glorification of the new metro line, is the loss of sovereignty that its so-called visionary Liberal proponent premiers built into its corporate ownership (“M1 extension wins city’s heart, swells city’s soul” Our generation has paid favoured foreign contractors top prices to build it Generations to come will be paying foreign corporations to run it The profits will go overseas to these owners These huge transport projects sold to the multinationals represent such losses of sovereignty and that is ignored by both Labor and Liberal as they take donations from the corporations and bathe in the glory of the ceremonious openings In all our excitement about the opening of the M1 and the inevitable comparisons with other cities’ metro/subway systems it appears that two mighty systems have been overlooked Shanghai’s metro system is composed of 20 lines and over 500 hundred stations and Beijing’s system has 23 lines and almost 500 stations Taking into consideration the size of Sydney it would appear we still have much to achieve in terms of further metro lines before we truly have “joined” the global cities of the world this will extend to improving the central coast train line It is so slow that travel to and from the city takes half a day One could easily read all of War and Peace while travelling Further to your correspondent’s query on why we spent billions on trains where we already had them, the next stage will take the Metro to Bankstown, but only after shutting down the existing train to Bankstown for the next couple of years while they replace it (Letters Given this project was a Coalition initiative could the answer be in the word “driverless” Spaghetti-junction woes.Credit: John Shakespeare A note to town planners: Remember Rozelle interchange opening I rest my case on behalf of public transport It’s great to read that the new metro has functional, even outstanding toilets (“Worried you’ll be caught short on the commute? Some shiny loos are better than others” This must be to offset the apparent total lack of toilets in the recently revamped Wynyard Station shopping arcade Our bladder stress only relieved by a friendly shop staffer who keyed us into the excellent staff toilets Those who ride the new Metro should be grateful St James Station hasn’t had working toilets for at least two years How about travelators as standard for some of those very long concourses Surely by now every new build/renovation should include a Changing Places accessible bathroom Then my family could actually enjoy a trip to Sydney we do not need to use the USA’s puritanical cleansing of public toilet facilities as “bathrooms” Rarely are there whole of body washing facilities included Black Caviar, what an obituary, and she’s a horse (“Farewell to a champ: Moody remembers the great Black Caviar” This ole mare’s been 13 weeks hospitalised but needs to pony up on all things humorous to ensure the 73-year-old nag gets to the “next stage” of recovery From my lovely sunny window I have a view of the palliative care ward and oftentimes find myself planning my funeral and writing my obit I was distressed to read that Black Caviar gave birth to nine foals in 11 years (“Black Caviar’s death wasn’t a sacrifice, says breeding chief” Constantly carrying the weight of nine pregnancies must take its toll We are naive if we believe that successful racehorses earn a wonderful retirement I am confused when it is reported that Black Caviar died a day before her 18th birthday Surely she died 17 days after her birthday All race horses in the Southern Hemisphere are deemed to have been born on August 1 The Insurance Council of Australia’s climate report presents an alarming picture of what life will be like for our children and grandchildren if we don’t take meaningful action to curb global warming (“Success hot, failure hotter for NSW,” August 20) there will be more days of extreme heat and greater risk of bushfires where 40 per cent of the world’s population resides with parts of the year becoming unliveable spawning a refugee crisis that will be unparallelled Recent climate modelling shows high and low-emission scenarios extending decades into the future in NSW The high-emissions scenario is labelled pessimistic we are permitted to burn as much fossil fuel as we like in almost any location and for any purpose; be it necessary by choice or simply for fun (eg holiday flights There is no urgent action to reduce burning fossil fuels The future results of this inaction are already locked in It shows little consideration for today’s children who will be living through what I would call a very high-emissions scenario Many years ago, an acquaintance was elected to parliament for one of the major parties (“‘Payman is correct’: Senators seek parliament staff overhaul” The answer: “Put your hand up when we tell you.” Senator Lidia Thorpe is certainly on the money when she criticises Labor backbenchers for not being across government legislation and no doubt many Coalition senators are in the same position or whether there should be a more genuine and open discussion of each piece of legislation the current system doesn’t allow proper consideration of the actions of the government of the day Pride of place in my study belongs to a framed photo of the first Immortals of rugby league, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Bobby Fulton and Clive Churchill – simply the best, no contest (“The case for Coote – and Smith – to be named as Immortals” Now we are having name after name being submitted for consideration in this category the inherent value of the award is lessened South Sydney and Roosters legend Ron Coote (left) and Melbourne Storm champion Cameron Smith.Credit: Sydney Morning Herald with flying club and representative colours With every inclusion following the inductees mentioned given the time lapsed from the start of the award to now Your correspondent should remove the rose-coloured spectacles (Letters A glance through history shows that the USA has been instrumental in most of the wars and division in the world in recent years The US has rarely used its power for good and cannot now even govern itself for the benefit of its citizens Congratulations to the ABC for jazzing up the look of its news presentation (including a curious resurrection of the old news theme not used for several decades) What this move will do for maintaining trust in the accuracy of ABC news and current affairs I’m not sure but I see no sign so far of a return to the high quality and reliability that I and my former ABC colleagues have been calling for to counteract Aunty’s slipping journalism standards but so far what I see resembles little more than an attempt to put lipstick on a pig at long last ABC News has been given a new set of colour highlighters weather and other segments have suddenly emerged from the black and white days receiving a very colourful lift that helps make the information more digestible I don’t like the revised theme for the ABC TV News There is too much blue in it and the font of the text is too faint to comfortably read To the correspondent urging the ABC “be supported” , it bloody well already is supported, and very handsomely (Letters In the midst of a current news cycle, international and domestic, where so many acts of decision-making seem to be characterised by self-interest, it was insightful to read Anthony Abrahams’ obituary of James Roxburgh (“Anti-apartheid Wallaby had passion for Shakespeare” A “beautiful human being” whose principles and character will stand the test of time.Rod Leonarder One of the winners at the Logies was the free-to-air flying doctor drama RFDS, whose crew gave a nice shout-out to frontline workers in the acceptance speech (“Streaming swallows Logies as times change” but some of those workers have been announced as finalists in this year’s NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards Occasionally, a turn of phrase in a Herald essay will shine out like a sparkler on a birthday cake. Thank you, Kathy Lette, for a positive forest of sparklers (“My grandma could tell the Poms a thing or two” Australians not following in “our forefathers’ fingerprints” London dinner parties the “Wimbledon of wit” where every guest can “triple an entendre” – ah the joys I knew little or nothing about Sydney except that it had a fabulous Opera House on the harbour But we have it now so let\\u2019s celebrate Sydney Metro certainly does make you feel like a VIP (\\u201C) But that feeling quickly dissipates when you step outside the stations Metro has put a massive dent in the state\\u2019s finances so you\\u2019d think Transport Minister Jo Haylen would want to maximise its benefit by making station catchment areas as large as possible I was tempted to describe the hype around the opening of what is nothing more than an extension of a Sydney underground rail track The dreamers making the over the top claims expect us to take their claims seriously ( The elephant in the room of the breathless glorification of the new metro line is the loss of sovereignty that its so-called visionary Liberal proponent premiers built into its corporate ownership ( In all our excitement about the opening of the M1 and the inevitable comparisons with other cities\\u2019 metro/subway systems it appears that two mighty systems have been overlooked Shanghai\\u2019s metro system is composed of 20 lines and over 500 hundred stations and Beijing\\u2019s system has 23 lines and almost 500 stations it would appear we still have much to achieve in terms of further metro lines before we truly have \\u201Cjoined\\u201D the global cities of the world Further to your correspondent\\u2019s query on why we spent billions on trains where we already had them the next stage will take the Metro to Bankstown but only after shutting down the existing train to Bankstown for the next couple of years while they replace it ( could the answer be in the word \\u201Cdriverless\\u201D It\\u2019s great to read that the new metro has functional St James Station hasn\\u2019t had working toilets for at least two years we do not need to use the USA\\u2019s puritanical cleansing of public toilet facilities as \\u201Cbathrooms\\u201D This ole mare\\u2019s been 13 weeks hospitalised but needs to pony up on all things humorous to ensure the 73-year-old nag gets to the \\u201Cnext stage\\u201D of recovery No doubt my ending won\\u2019t raise a sentence I was distressed to read that Black Caviar gave birth to nine foals in 11 years ( The Insurance Council of Australia\\u2019s climate report presents an alarming picture of what life will be like for our children and grandchildren if we don\\u2019t take meaningful action to curb global warming (\\u201C,\\u201D August 20) where 40 per cent of the world\\u2019s population resides It shows little consideration for today\\u2019s children an acquaintance was elected to parliament for one of the major parties (\\u201C\\u2018\\u201D The answer: \\u201CPut your hand up when we tell you.\\u201D Senator Lidia Thorpe is certainly on the money when she criticises Labor backbenchers for not being across government legislation the current system doesn\\u2019t allow proper consideration of the actions of the government of the day Pride of place in my study belongs to a framed photo of the first Immortals of rugby league Bobby Fulton and Clive Churchill \\u2013 simply the best it\\u2019s the \\u201Capples versus oranges\\u201D argument Your correspondent should remove the rose-coloured spectacles ( What this move will do for maintaining trust in the accuracy of ABC news and current affairs I\\u2019m not sure but I see no sign so far of a return to the high quality and reliability that I and my former ABC colleagues have been calling for to counteract Aunty\\u2019s slipping journalism standards I don\\u2019t like the revised theme for the ABC TV News To the correspondent urging the ABC \\u201Cbe supported\\u201D where so many acts of decision-making seem to be characterised by self-interest it was insightful to read Anthony Abrahams\\u2019 obituary of James Roxburgh (\\u201C\\u201D A \\u201Cbeautiful human being\\u201D whose principles and character will stand the test of time.Rod Leonarder One of the winners at the Logies was the free-to-air flying doctor drama RFDS whose crew gave a nice shout-out to frontline workers in the acceptance speech (\\u201C\\u201D but some of those workers have been announced as finalists in this year\\u2019s NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards a turn of phrase in a Herald essay will shine out like a sparkler on a birthday cake for a positive forest of sparklers (\\u201C\\u201D Australians not following in \\u201Cour forefathers\\u2019 fingerprints\\u201D London dinner parties the \\u201CWimbledon of wit\\u201D where every guest can \\u201Ctriple an entendre\\u201D \\u2013 ah the joys set the suburb record after it sold at auction for $3.11 million A FOUR-BEDROOM West Pymble property at 5 Avondale Pl has set a suburb record after it sold for $3.11 million at auction The result eclipses the previous suburb record set in May when 6 Malory Ave sold for $3.070 million The property was also the highest recorded auction result across the north shore — which had a 69.81 per cent clearance rate said there were two registered bidders on the day and the home had a price guide of $3 million to $3.3 million The pool connects to the outdoor entertainment area The result showed West Pymble was continuing to perform in line with last year’s trends “The suburb is performing very well and we have the same amount of homes on the market as last year The buyer on the day was a couple from Ryde who had previously been unsure of the property earlier in the campaign The home has a fireplace in the living room The vendors sold with plans to move to the next chapter of their life in the eastern suburbs Ms Avon said buyers loved the properties appeal and quality but its double brick build makes it a quality home,” she said The home is a stroll to buses that run to Gordon rail and Macquarie University a wine cellar for 400 bottles and garden and lawn irrigation The body of a man believed to be in his 50s has been found floating in a Sydney river emergency services were called to the Lane Cove River Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command believe the body is that of a man aged in his 50s A crime scene has been established, and detectives have launched an investigation into the incident. 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Body of man aged in his 50s found floating in Sydney riverCommenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}} Error: no decision tree source folder detected has announced a $1 million reward for information into the disappearance of Stephen Lapthorne and Michelle Pope from Sydney’s North Shore more than four decades ago Stephen Lapthorne – then aged 21 – and his girlfriend Michelle Pope – then aged 18 – were last seen leaving Stephen’s home on Wyuna Avenue at West Pymble The pair was travelling in a lime green-coloured 1977 Bedford CF van – with NSW registration plates ‘SL710’ – and were believed to be heading toward Michelle’s home at Berowra The Bedford van had a four-inch dark green horizontal band along each side chrome plated mag wheels and a 150cm aerial in the centre of the roof with a clip-on aerial above the driver’s window Inside the vehicle were high back Ford escort seats and black curtains across the rear windows Despite extensive investigations by police over the years Stephen or Michelle have not been seen or heard from since a Coronial Inquest found Stephen and Michelle had died; however the time and cause of their deaths was undetermined The case was subsequently referred to the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad for further investigation a formal review of the case was conducted under the Homicide Squad’s Unsolved Homicide framework and a re-investigation commenced by detectives with assistance from the Missing Persons Registry and Kuring-Gai Police Area Command detectives from the Unsolved Homicide Team conducted a two-day search in the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park following the discovery of vehicle parts in McCarrs Creek Officers were assisted during the search by PolAir and Police Divers Several vehicle parts were recovered from the creek and sent for forensic examination police are renewing their appeal to the community to come forward with any information that may assist police Minister for Police and Emergency Services today announced the reward for information to solve the case had been lifted from $100,000 to $1 million “Despite it being more than four decades since Michelle and Stephen were last seen the NSW Police Force has never stopped seeking answers for their families,” Mr Elliott said “Michelle and Stephen disappeared when their adult lives were just beginning their families have missed out on seeing them grow and mature and have children – everything most of us take for granted “I am pleased that the NSW Government is doing what we can to support the Homicide Squad investigation by offering $1 million as an incentive to anyone with information to come forward and speak with detectives,” Mr Elliott said said Michelle and Stephen’s families have spent nearly more than four decades searching for answers “Detectives have conducted a thorough review of the all evidence obtained and continue to explore every line of inquiry in the hope of finally getting answers for their families Unsolved Homicide detectives have thoroughly reviewed and investigated all information received relating to Michelle and Stephen’s disappearance “Numerous searches have been conducted across NSW and interstate and officers are continuing to make further inquiries with the Roads and Maritime Services “It’s hoped that the increase in this reward will encourage anyone with information about their whereabouts or the location of the car they were travelling in at the time of their disappearance to come forward,” Det Supt Doherty said said the impact his sister’s disappearance had on his family was immense passed away without ever knowing what happened to her beloved daughter Michelle,” Jeff said “Not a day goes by where we don’t think about Michelle and the life she could have led “We hope this reward will encourage someone to come forward with information – no matter how small It’s possible that it could help detectives and finally allow Michelle to rest in peace,” Jeff said said there had been no opportunity for family and friends to fully grieve the loss of her brother and Michelle “Forty-three years is almost a lifetime for some and during that time many of our combined family members have grown old and parents have passed not knowing what happened to their son and daughter,” Kerrie said “We are hoping there is someone out there that may be able to help police with their investigations so we may finally have some answers about what happened that Friday afternoon Stephen was described as being of Caucasian appearance with light brown shoulder-length hair and a moustache He was last seen wearing a yellow and white-coloured chequered shirt Michelle was described as being of Caucasian appearance She was last seen wearing a bone-coloured dress and red sandals Anyone with information about Michelle Pope and Stephen Lapthorne’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 Information is treated in strict confidence The community is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages Missing Persons Week is an annual national campaign to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons and runs between Sunday 2 August and Saturday 8 August 2020. For more information on the campaign visit www.missingpersons.gov.au August 4, 2016 Mike West Pymble have won the Premier League championship They managed to do it with well before the end of the season with a nine game winning streak The only club to come close to troubling West Pymble has been North Sydney and one week before the close of the season West Pymble are six points clear and a game in hand West Pymble have achieved something quite rare this season the first grade Premier League side has won the championship twice in a row and both the first grade and the reserves have won the league This is a key point for their success said Club President Kevin Johnson with focus being given by this highly successful club in to developing a strong reserve grade On Saturday evening the celebrations began after their match with Knox United when captain Jamie Wall and coach Greg Fuchs were presented with the trophy NSFA Premier League Trophy Officiated by four of the NSFA board members (Hillary Bingham Mick Da Silva and Johnathan Forsyth) and  club president Kevin Johnson acting as Master of Ceremonies for the proceedings West Pymble’s win this season is their tenth win in the Men’s top division making them the most successful club in the history of the competition (3 ahead of Kissing Point) It was also their 6th win in Reserve grade and first since 1995 which is testament to the great work of their new reserve’s coach Chris Seeman it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for West Pymble on Saturday afternoon Suffering their first loss in ten matches to Knox United might have tainted the evening very slightly for West Pymble but it cemented Knox’s place in the Premier League for another season The match was as dramatic as any I have seen this year with West Pymble conceding a penalty early in the first half and Knox having their goalie red-carded The red card fired-up Knox who went on to win the day 3:1 It goes to show just how much a ten manned squad can achieve when the result is really important The three points to Knox moves them to 21 points and which means Berowra and Northbridge will be relegated at the end of the season Next season will see Willoughby Dalleys move back up to the Premier League and they will be joined by Mt Colah again This is their 47th continuous year in the top flight competition six reserve grade wins and a great bunch of lads to watch on a Saturday afternoon Now all they need is decent surface for their home games Cowan Creek Consulting Pty Ltd ABN: 61 091 843 515 St Ives Chase NSW 2075 About us Advertise with us Your privacy Website terms & conditions Contact us A VACANT block in West Pymble has been listed on the market with a price guide of $1.6 million The property at 4 Binalong St occupies a rectangular 1,128sqm of gently sloping land on the high side of the street the parcel has a 20.4-m wide street frontage with plantings It also has a new concrete driveway and is fully serviced with a gas connection The Complying Development Code allows for a 430sqm the Ku-ring-gai Bicentennial Park and shops is expected to draw interest selling agent Savills Cordeau Marshall’s Scott Norrington said “It’s very rare to get vacant land in the area The property goes to auction on June 27 at Pymble Golf Club Rage television music video show creator and producer/director Mark FitzGerald at his childhood home in West Pymble The television producer and director who created the long-running ABC music video program Rage bid farewell to his childhood home in West Pymble on Saturday No. 66 Kiparra St had been held by Mark FitzGerald’s family for more than 60 years Five bidders lined up for the auction of the single level 1950s home many attracted by the 22m wide frontage and level block of about 880sqm of Luschwitz Real Estate had set a guide of $1.5 million although the final result has not been disclosed who coincidentally went to school with Mr FitzGerald said the new owners planned to renovate the pretty weatherboard home “It has been impeccably maintained – all it needs are some cosmetic updates,” he said The result will be music to Mr FitzGerald’s ears In the weeks leading up to the auction he revealed he had mixed feelings about how he would feel if it was knocked down and replaced with a new home He said letting go of his childhood home was an emotional experience but he was also pragmatic about the need to pass it on “Ideally it would be lovely for a young couple with a couple of kids to buy it,” he said “Houses are there to be lived in – they are there to be enjoyed.” Mr FitzGerald said his mum and dad built the home in 1958 “It was a wonderful home to grow up in,” he said Dad had a radiogram and I was obsessed with it.” Mr FitzGerald also lent his scream to the famous introduction to the program set to Iggy Pop’s version of Real Wild Child He also discovered Andrew Denton when he cast him to star in a new ABC comedy show called Blah Blah Blah The show also helped launch the television careers of performers like Anthony Ackroyd and Roy & HG The home is original but has been immaculately maintained In between shoots he has been sorting through his family home fondly known as ‘Fortress FitzGerald’ for the past six months “I am the last person standing from Fortress FitzGerald and I never thought I would be,” he said “But you reach a stage when it just has to be let go.” He has come across plenty of memories in recent months including war records belonging to his father and grandfather There have also been a few surprises along the way “Mum thought she had lost all of the family photos in books and drawers – they were all still there When he finds the time he plans to collate the photos into a family album and pass them on to his own children “You feel a bit heartless having to work out what to keep and what to get rid of,” Mr Fitzgerald said “But we made some amazing memories and I will always have those April 17, 2016 Mike coming into the season as reigning League Champions they had beaten North Sydney 3:0 and thumped Lindfield 6:2 at home last week Lane Cove had beaten Knox 4:1 but had then been edged out 3:2 to North Sydney last week They were playing at home today and were looking the goods Both teams went hard at it right from the start but it was West Pymble that made the breakthrough after fourteen minutes with a free kick floated in from the left to the head of Cameron Jones who made no mistake slotting just inside the right post Burgmann was not having an easy time at the other end with a couple of cracking shots from Lane Cove but Burgmann’s reactions along with some solid defence meant that he was going to keep a clean sheet today A second goal to West Pymble by Matthew Laming showed the way the match was going to play out Brought down the left wing and crossed to the feet of Laming Bringing the ball around the last Lane Cove defender and across the goal it was a simple tap-in to beat the increasingly frustrated goalie Half time and the score belied the effort put in by Lane Cove but Lane Cove had made three or four good attempts on goal West Pymble’s flavour of football is difficult for most teams to handle It looks unstructured with people flying everywhere And their well-practised ability to thwart and niggle their opposition builds a frustration that breaks their concentration Goal 4 was set up by Eti Amegor who had dominated the midfield Setting up the diminutive Stuart Hendry who beat the offside trap putting in a great pass to Laming who got his hat trick the West Pymble machine rolled through Lane Cove Maybe the youth and in-your-face football from Berowra can slow these boys down Stephen Lapthorne was 21 and his girlfriend Michelle Pope was 18 when they were last seen leaving his home on Wyuna Avenue at West Pymble They were driving a lime green-coloured 1977 Bedford CF van - with NSW registration plates SL710 - and were believed to be heading to Ms Pope's home at Berowra The van had a dark green horizontal band along each side with a clip-on aerial above the driver's window a coronial Inquest concluded Mr Lapthorne and Ms Pope were dead but the time and cause of their deaths was undetermined The case was referred to the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad the unsolved crimes unit began a new investigation and searched in the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park following the discovery of vehicle parts in McCarrs Creek The parts were sent for forensic examination but were not a match for the couple's van NSW Police are now renewing an appeal to the community for information and Police Minister David Elliott on Thursday announced the reward had been lifted from $100,000 to $1 million said the families of the couple had spent nearly more than four decades searching for answers "It's hoped that the increase in this reward will encourage anyone with information about their whereabouts said the impact of his sister's disappearance on the family was immense and their mother had died without knowing what happened to her daughter "Not a day goes by where we don't think about Michelle and the life she could have led," he said "We hope this reward will encourage someone to come forward with information - no matter how small It's possible that it could help detectives and finally allow Michelle to rest in peace." 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Read our Privacy Policy April 19, 2015 Mike Round 2 saw Lindfield play West Pymble under lights at Charles Bean oval West Pymble had beaten Maccabi Northside 1:0 at home Lindfield were coming off a 2:1 win against Kissing Point last week and were playing at home It could be anybody’s game with these two teams under lights When these two teams met on Charles Bean Oval a year ago Lindfield thrashed West Pymble 6:1 but Lindfield had seen significant changes up front and Pymble were hungry for a win Lindfield took the kick-off and put West Pymble under pressure But against the run of play West Pymble managed to score after only 4 minutes Lindfield were playing very wide and their long passes kept on being intercepted Their first real chance on goal came after 15 mins with a free kick just outside the 18 yard box Lindfield had a great shot on goal from the edge of the 18 yard box but it was met with an even better save from the West Pymble goalie flying full stretch to his left snatching the ball out of the air The pressure was on and a great cross from Lindfield past the face of the goal was fired home but rattled the crossbar and went skyward Another huge onslaught by Lindfield with 3 mins to go in the half crossing across the face of the goal for a head in for an almost certain goal 5 feet from the line Only to be cleared on the line by a West Pymble defender on the line considered football and producing some good chances on goal but West Pymble’s defence was simply too good If the first half was measured by possession passes completed or time in the opposition half But goals is the measure and West Pymble were ahead Lindfield were still playing very wide often having two players on each touch line And that meant West Pymble could play their big men right down the centre of the field The second half saw the better fitness of West Pymble pay dividends; winning more ball making more passes and putting the Lindfield defence under a lot of pressure West Pymble should have sealed the match with a shot on goal but it got dragged wide and hit the left post with the follow-up looking like a fall over the ball but a great effort in the split second given to react And the breakthrough came almost on full time after a frenetic passage of play when West Pymble fired a shot at goal which the goalie got his body in the way but it ricocheted under him and hit the back if the net In the end West Pymble were really pumping A good solid game of football and a great way to spend a Saturday evening The win to West Pymble gives them two wins from two outings and in to the top half of the table Lindfield will sit a very creditable mid-table with one win and one loss Next week West Pymble host Berowra at home and Lindfield take on Maccabi Northside at home A woman in her 70s is in a critical condition on Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car in West Pymble The woman was hit and suffered a critical head injury just after 3pm in a driveway on Arundel Street in the upper north shore suburb The woman is fighting for her life at Royal North Shore Hospital after being hit by a car in West Pymble.Credit: Nine News "When our paramedics get a call to respond to a job like this our hearts just sink," said NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Christie Marks "In the end these jobs are heartbreaking The woman is now fighting for her life at Royal North Shore Hospital "Saving a patient’s life means everything to us it is what we train for and it was extremely tense for us as we did everything we could," Ms Marks said \\\"When our paramedics get a call to respond to a job like this our hearts just sink,\\\" said NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Christie Marks \\\"In the end these jobs are heartbreaking \\\"Saving a patient\\u2019s life means everything to us it is what we train for and it was extremely tense for us as we did everything we could,\\\" Ms Marks said A turf war has erupted over a Sydney council’s push to replace grass with a synthetic sports field on the upper north shore despite the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service urging a halt on construction amid concerns about possible environmental harm to nearby waterways and bushland The majority of Ku-ring-gai councillors voted to forge ahead with a long-vaunted $3.3 million upgrade to Norman Griffiths Oval in West Pymble at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday night Quarry Creek Bushcare Group and Pymble residents Dale Crosby Jill Green and Greg Taylor at the oval in 2021 Local environment groups say they needed more time to consider an environmental assessment.Credit: Sam Mooy Councillor Christine Kay said local opponents were “pretty much up in arms” after an environmental assessment for the synthetic oval – known as a review of environmental factors (REF) – was published on the council’s website only two weeks before construction work was due to start on March 13 “To not give the community a four to six-week period to view the document is disappointing to say the least,” Kay told the meeting Residents across Sydney are fighting councils’ attempts to swap grass for synthetic turf citing environmental concerns and rising urban heat But councils and sporting groups who support the synthetic surfaces argue they can be used in all weather and are more resistant to wear and tear Ku-ring-gai Council initially refused to tear up the grass for a synthetic surface last year it approved plans to install a new all-weather surface and improved stormwater mitigation measures When the matter returned to council on Thursday Kay pointed to a March 3 letter from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service which said the state government agency was “deeply concerned” that work to convert the oval to a synthetic turf field was due to start this month “Our in-principle support for the upgrade was contingent on ongoing detailed consultation around the proposed design and management strategies to mitigate impacts to [Quarry Creek] the downstream environment and Lane Cove National Park,” the letter said The service requested a delay to the start of construction until staff could properly review the environmental report and a meeting with the council to make sure that appropriate maintenance and mitigation measures would be put in place to “ensure no downstream impacts will occur” A council spokeswoman said on Friday that staff had met with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to discuss their concerns last week The oval is on a flood basin and surrounded by critically endangered Sydney turpentine forest “The independent report on environmental factors .. addresses these concerns and NPWS are currently reviewing that document We will continue to discuss any further concerns with them.” A NPWS spokesman said it supported the upgrade of the sports field but would continue to liaise with the council on its concerns and review any extra information provided Council staff told Thursday’s meeting they were not required to consult the community on the environmental assessment under the relevant planning policies for the project Councillor Alec Taylor said the switch to artificial turf was important to provide an all-weather playing surface for sporting groups But he said the planning process for the project had been “suboptimal” and the council could have “consulted on a deeper level of detail” He suggested the council hold a workshop with community groups to discuss their concerns and consider minor design changes Taylor also said the council appeared to have “dropped the ball with National Parks” but he thought early works could go ahead while the parties resolved any outstanding environmental concerns Mayor Jeff Pettett said the report had been online for nearly three weeks and staff had not received many emails “if any saying that the REF has glaring holes or issues” “It’s probably one of the best REFs that council could receive,” Pettett said The environmental assessment said the fields would be synthetic turf with an organic infill made from natural cork that did not require the use of harsh chemicals The surface was proposed to be raised above the flood level to ensure there was limited runoff of any synthetic materials The environment assessment concluded that “subject to the implementation of recommended mitigation measures potential environmental impacts can be controlled with no adverse impacts on the health diversity or productivity of the environment” The majority of councillors voted against delaying construction to give parties more time to consider the environmental report The project is due for completion in November The council says local football clubs are contributing almost $1 million in club funds and government grants to the cost of the field That includes $500,000 from Liquor and Gaming NSW’s Clubgrants infrastructure funding scheme promised in 2017 by Sports Minister and MP for the abolished seat of Ku-ring-gai who is recontesting the new seat of Wahroonga Friends of Norman Griffiths Oval spokesman Dale Crosby said members of local environment groups – who have mounted a combined push against the revamp – were worried about the critically endangered Sydney turpentine ironbark forest that surrounds the oval “We’re concerned there hasn’t been sufficient community consultation with regard to the run-off,” Crosby said The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here A turf war has erupted over a Sydney council\\u2019s push to replace grass with a synthetic sports field on the upper north shore Councillor Christine Kay said local opponents were \\u201Cpretty much up in arms\\u201D after an environmental assessment for the synthetic oval \\u2013 known as a review of environmental factors (REF) \\u2013 was published on the council\\u2019s website only two weeks before construction work was due to start on March 13 \\u201CTo not give the community a four to six-week period to view the document is disappointing to say the least,\\u201D Kay told the meeting which said the state government agency was \\u201Cdeeply concerned\\u201D that work to convert the oval to a synthetic turf field was due to start this month \\u201COur in-principle support for the upgrade was contingent on ongoing detailed consultation around the proposed design and management strategies to mitigate impacts to [Quarry Creek] the downstream environment and Lane Cove National Park,\\u201D the letter said and a meeting with the council to make sure that appropriate maintenance and mitigation measures would be put in place to \\u201Censure no downstream impacts will occur\\u201D \\u201CThe independent report on environmental factors .. We will continue to discuss any further concerns with them.\\u201D Council staff told Thursday\\u2019s meeting they were not required to consult the community on the environmental assessment under the relevant planning policies for the project But he said the planning process for the project had been \\u201Csuboptimal\\u201D and the council could have \\u201Cconsulted on a deeper level of detail\\u201D Taylor also said the council appeared to have \\u201Cdropped the ball with National Parks\\u201D Mayor Jeff Pettett said the report had been online for nearly three weeks and staff had not received many emails \\u201Cif any saying that the REF has glaring holes or issues\\u201D \\u201CIt\\u2019s probably one of the best REFs that council could receive,\\u201D Pettett said The environment assessment concluded that \\u201Csubject to the implementation of recommended mitigation measures diversity or productivity of the environment\\u201D That includes $500,000 from Liquor and Gaming NSW\\u2019s Clubgrants infrastructure funding scheme Friends of Norman Griffiths Oval spokesman Dale Crosby said members of local environment groups \\u2013 who have mounted a combined push against the revamp \\u2013 were worried about the critically endangered Sydney turpentine ironbark forest that surrounds the oval \\u201CWe\\u2019re concerned there hasn\\u2019t been sufficient community consultation with regard to the run-off,\\u201D Crosby said The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories SaveLog in, register or subscribe to save recipes for later.You have reached your maximum number of saved items Remove items from your saved list to add more Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime burger-like corn fritters at The Sawmill in West Pymble.Daniel MunozContemporary$$$$ the small girl and I walk through a blanket of blooming star jasmine their scent catching the morning air outside "Can I pick one flower?" she asks.  There are thousands of white blooms beside the timber-fronted restaurant and we shamelessly pluck 10 blooms from the carpet of twining creeper The interiors are a tribute to Pymble's timber-production past Daniel MunozBouquets in hand we are met at the door by a cheery staff member in a black The Sawmill polo shirt Will she tick us off for the flower theft She wants to know if we would like a small container of water for a temporary vase The Sawmill is unlike other cafes on a Saturday morning a mixture of post-sport family groups and newspaper-reading couples housed in a wide shopfront in a sleepy tree-lined street, it is deeply calming The menu switches over to pizza at night.Daniel MunozAdvertisementNo endless search for a nearby car space .. No milling about on the footpath until a table is free It's straight  to a chunky dark-timber table beside a long bank of concertina windows made with house-roasted Italian Street Collection coffee comes with a freshly squeezed orange juice an Italian cafe and restaurant, has two levels The front door opens to a compelling cake display a bar area with high stools and glowing bottle-filled shelves and Its opening frames two thick logs blazing gently away The pizza oven gets a good workout by the chefs at night.Daniel MunozA lower level beyond two timber-edged balustrades framing huge circular saws features an airy and spacious seating area hanging plants and black-and-white photos of moustachioed wood workers a nod to West Pymble's 19th-century timber production past a plump pile of moist burger-like patties bulging with herbed corn and zucchini pieces feta cubes and dramatic swathes of tomato relish Don't skip dessert at The Sawmill.Daniel MunozAlso ordered is rogan mushrooms for grandpa a tiny mountain of fat fungi sauteed in Indian spices and herbs with pumpkin pieces served with greens, pomegranate seeds and an avocado half, dolloped with cooling raita bright ingredients and the sparky mix of flavours The small girl keenly whips in scrambled eggs from the kids menu before eyeing a small delicate pink cake at the front counter a rum baba-like confection of fresh berries The Sawmill is owned by Domenico and Susan Murdocca pastas and hearty mains along with pastry chef (and opera singer) Rocco Speranza's glorious desserts the wooden walls glowing as pizzas are whisked from the oven into the jasmine-perfumed night air vows are made to return for Sawmill's take on every meal Serene mix of reclaimed wood, exposed brick and sprawling jasmine Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Abbotsleigh news and the hottest openings served to your inbox ShareLicense this articleMore: Properties in Gordon, Killara and Pymble are appealing to a wide range of buyers It noted across the suburbs, the median house price in January 2017 was $2.3 million, over twice the average for Greater Sydney It advised there is a premium for being closer to the city and in close proximity to a train station “Killara is the most expensive with an average house price of over $2.5 million compared to West Pymble at $1.7 million," the report advised “House prices have experienced significant growth over the past decade, increasing by 103%, in line with the Sydney average “Across the suburbs, West Pymble and Pymble experienced the strongest growth with house prices increasing 113% reducing the value gap with suburbs closer to the city “Strong growth has continued over the past 12 months, driven by a lack of supply across the area, with house prices across the five suburbs increasing by 13%, outperforming the Sydney average “Units in the area had a median value of $970,000 in January 2017, less of a premium than houses when compared to Sydney at just one third more expensive “Similarly to house prices, apartment values vary in price along the train line. Pymble is roughly 10% cheaper than those in Killara and Gordon “Growth in unit prices has been slightly more subdued than houses with an increase of 83% over the past decade “However, much like houses, price rises over the past year have outperformed the Sydney average with an increase of 11%,” the report stated Private renters are more frequent in medium density housing areas according to Savills head of research Sophie Chick “The proportion of private renters varies significantly across the area,” Chick says there is a higher concentration in the areas with more medium density housing “Gordon has the highest proportion with 22% of the residents private renting “Conversely, just 9% of residents in West Pymble are private renters the median weekly rental value was $1,200 for a house and $700 for a unit in January 2017 equating to average yields of 2.8% and 3.7% respectively,” she commented International buyers are an important source of demand Savills says “Across the five suburbs, families with children make up over half the residents, accounting for 57% compared to an average of 45% across Sydney “International buyers are an important source of demand for the housing market across Sydney as both owner occupiers and investors East Killara has the highest proportion of residents born overseas accounting for 45% of the population with a particular dominance of residents from China and Hong Kong “Accessibility to employment locations is high priority for many house hunters “Residents across the area work in a number of locations reflecting the suburbs' connectivity to major employment hubs “The largest employment industry for people living in the five suburbs is the professional, scientific and technology sector accounting for 18% of employees compared to an average of 10% across Sydney “This industry is the fastest growing in Sydney meaning the area is well placed to draw on the newly created wealth in these industries.” Qualities that attract residents to these areas are expected to grow Savills comments “It is important to assess the outlook for the area in the context of the Sydney market,” the report advised population growth and infrastructure investment point to a positive economic outlook for NSW over the next five years “These factors are expected to continue to support demand for housing, particularly in Sydney given the affordability pressures and the regulatory measures implemented to slow the amount of bank lending to investors high quality housing stock and open space available are expected to continue to appeal to families looking for their long-term home regardless of market conditions “The development of apartments and townhouses along the Pacific Highway provides a wider range of housing options which is likely to attract a broader demographic of buyers including first home buyers For more information go to Savills' home page We're on a mission to radically improve the quality of Urban communities being developed across Australia We aim to showcase every development in Australia to help you find the perfect new home Included in this crowd at an Arncliffe auction are 19 registered bidders well above bidder competition typically seen last year Competition at Sydney auctions has continued to intensify amid a listings shortage that’s turned the screws on home seekers but otherwise modest house in Arncliffe attracted a whopping 19 bidders at auction on Saturday with many of the bidders having already missed out at previous auctions The battleground conditions pushed the price to $1.7m well above the $1.35m the property was expected to sell for when first listed MORE: Retail worker has 7 homes, $200k in super The home was one of multiple auctions that attracted more than 10 bidders this week – normally a more subdued market because of the unpopularity of buying and selling in the winter months Auctioneer Perry Edmondson Clark said high competition was pushing up prices when the Reserve Bank was at the beginning of its rate rise cycle would have attracted about two to five registered bidders The high bidder numbers at the Arncliffe auction encouraged bold bidding from the interested parties MORE: Roosters star’s ‘astronomical’ price for home The eventual buyer was reported to have adopted an aggressive strategy countering small increases with much larger increments – known in the real estate industry as “knockout bids” Auctioneer Perry Edmondson Clark said it worked a treat “You could tell right from the start that he wanted it “Some of the other bidders were very firm too They could see how many other bidder paddles there were and they knew that to put their best foot forward.” Low listings have squeezed buyers into competing for the same properties Mr Edmondson Clark added that it was a “phenomenal result” “Any time there is strong competition like that it is going to get a strong result for the vendor,” he said Property records showed the seller purchased the property for $912,000 in December 2014 That means they got a resale profit of $788,000 or about $130,000 for each full year they owned the home MORE: Brad Fittler’s $10m Origin loss hideout Selling agent Nicholas Economos of Ray White-Rockdale said the vendors were “very pleased” with the result The home was popular during the lead up to the auction with 160 groups going through the inspections and the home presented really well,” Mr Economos said There is not much presentable in Arncliffe right now And with the cost of building materials going up Mr Edmondson Clark said the few homeowners who were listing were being rewarded “Sellers who aren’t waiting until spring are getting good results because there is still incredibly strong buyer activity,” he said a rundown Newtown terrace requiring substantial repairs has sold under the hammer for just shy of $1.52m – well above the initial $1.2m expectations single-level terrace on Edgeware Rd attracted 10 bidders with the hammer dropping at $200,000 over the seller’s reserve Selling agent Frederico Fraga-Matos of BresicWhitney said the reserve was the seller’s “dream price” He noted the location and entry level price pushed up competition a West Pymble house built a decade ago has resold for $4.33m at auction after competition from six registered bidders pushed the final bid $380,000 above the seller’s reserve The property on Warrabri Pl had last sold in 2009 for $712,500 with the original house knocked down and replaced with a six-bedroom Ray White Upper North Shore agent Jessica Cao said: “we didn’t expect it to go this well.” According to its pastry chef Rocco Speranza “The Sawmill is the big Italian heart of West Pymble.” Built on the site of an old timber mill the space honours the heritage of its Italian owners Domenico and Susan Murdocca and head chef Ruben Castellaz as well as Pymble’s history as a timber-producing area in the 1800s The Sawmill’s dining room has recycled-wood features and exposed brick The warm space is also a stage for Speranza’s impromptu performances the pastry chef emerges from the kitchen and belts out a favourite aria from Verdi’s Rigoletto in his impressive tenor It’s an experience that transports guests to the Bay of Napoli Although his voice is good enough to have secured him a contract with Opera Australia Speranza is also an excellent pastry chef; his specialty is the rum baba Pastas sit alongside the Sawmill Burger and the pulled-pork sandwich At night there are antipasto dishes and updated regional Italian fare Pizzas are wood fired; gnocchi is handmade served with scarmoza cheese and hazelnuts; and lamb shank is slow-cooked and served with polenta and porcini mushrooms and the selection of wine and cocktails is chosen to cut through the hearty menu A sweeter passito wine would be better.” Or maybe a song would be best thesawmill.com.au Pymble is a long-standing family favourite “It’s a great place to bring up a family,” says Rowan Lazar of Ray White Upper North Shore “The schools are the biggest drawcard: you’ve got Pymble Ladies’ College here and private schools up and down the train line.” Knox Grammar and Barker College are all within easy reach by train with buses available to Masada College and Brigidine College in neighbouring St Ives who spent his formative years in the suburb says Pymble prices have skyrocketed in recent years with house prices up nearly 24 per cent in the 12 months to September “Pymble house prices have gone so high because of the big blocks but they’re still seen as good value compared to Roseville and Killara,” he says a selection of parks and bushland reserves two golf courses and a commercial precinct centred around the train station Woolloomooloo: How this former cargo wharf became a vibrant inner-city hub a revival town of Hollywood and heyday glory Super Saturdays: Bumper end to Sydney property’s spring selling season set to test auction clearance rate Vincent Ventura helped to put Pymble on the radar of Sydney’s Francophiles with the opening of Brasserie l’Entrecote The colourful steakhouse has wooed both locals and out-of-area diners with its authentic French cuisine and friendly service he says he’s fallen in love with Pymble and would love to buy a house and raise a family here It’s got so many good schools and such nice people.” Housing choices range from new apartments along the highway and arterial roads like Telegraph Road and Pymble Avenue to historic homes dating back over 100 years “There are areas of conservation zones and quite a few heritage-listed properties,” Lazar says “Council is doing its best to retain some of the original features of the suburb.” Older homes with no heritage value are being replaced with grand new builds costing between $4 million and $7 million and attracting families from the lower north shore and inner west as well as new arrivals to Australia Lazar says Pymble homeowners tend to hold onto their properties for the long haul “Once they’re here they don’t want to leave: the average hold in Pymble is almost 20 years,” he says adding that stock levels have been at the lower end of “normal” with around 120 homes trading over the last 12 months compared to up to 180 when supply is high Boasting a flexible floor plan and sitting at the end of a cul-de-sac this split-level residence has undergone an architect-designed renovation to deliver open-plan living extending to a pool and private garden high ceilings and polished spotted-gum floors Marshall Chan Yahl’s William Chan takes the home to auction on December 1 with a guide of $3.35 million. You’ll find an updated kitchen and new bathrooms at this comfortable home which comes with an eat-in kitchen a north-facing saltwater pool and established gardens Set on 935 square metres of land in a leafy cul-de-sac it’s perfect for families who love to entertain Stone Real Estate Turramurra’s Rob Szosta takes the home to auction on December 4 with a guide of $2.3 million-$2.5 million. The information on this website is intended to be of a general nature only and doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. where we are privileged to live and operate hoarder houses are seen as a great opportunity to get a foot in the door for a fracation of the cost When an unconventional house hits the market everyone loves a good sticky beat but no more so than when it’s a hoarder house The north shore saw a number of these houses hit the market in 2018 and all had one thing in common — they were popular While some may be put off living in a house where a murdered body was found or derelict home left to rot many see it as an opportunity to score a “bargain” in some of Sydney’s most expensive suburbs Here are three north shore hoarder houses that smashed expectations by delivering big results in 2018: cleaners found a murdered body at 31 Greendale St The hoarder house was put up for auction a few months later where it was a hit with crowds and bidders The sale of this Greenwich house was one of the most high profile sales in 2018 31 Greendale St was the site where a mummified body was found wrapped in carpet The 10-year-old corpse was found by cleaners in May who were tasked with removing all the junk from inside Pictured provided exclusively to The Daily Telegraph at the time revealed rooms of garbage and debris stacked to shoulder height while years of dust and cobwebs covered the walls and doors The property had belonged to deceased owner Bruce Roberts a reclusive hoarder who died of a heart attack almost a year before the body was discovered more than 200 people gathered on the street to watch the home sell for $2.07 million — $270,000 above the reserve The living room was found with newspapers and junk piled up to the roof Cleaners at the house of Bruce Roberts in Greenwich According to CoreLogic the result is nearly $500,000 less than Greenwich’s median sale price of $2.575 million The purchasers of the property were an expatriate family living in Singapore who wasn’t fazed about the property’s history Mr Ferguson said besides clearing out the property the home was in its original state when it went up for sale but the floors are in the original condition without the rubbish but most importantly the property has been forensically cleaned.” More than $30,000 was spent to clear the junk at 45 Lofberg St in West Pymble In August a derelict West Pymble property sold for $1.49 million after it was repossessed by the bank 45 Lofberg St had been left to rot for 20 of those years before $30,000 was spent cleaning the property up in preparation for sale A crowd of 100 people turned out to watch 16 bidders vie for the property “The second bid was $300,000 higher than the opening bid at $1.3 million,” he said and left us with only four remaining bidders.” This West Pymble home had been left to rot for nearly 20 years The bidder who placed the $1.3 million bid ended up with the house The family plans to knock it down and build a new home with rubbish scattered inside the property and out as well as being overgrown with trees and bushes Mr Blake said a major clean-up job was required to get the house ready to sell “We even found butter and milk in the fridge It was so bad you couldn’t even get in the garden,” he said “There was also dry cleaning in one of the bedrooms that was still sealed from the early 2000s.” Huge interest ensured this Roseville Chase hoarders’ house scored a strong result in November when it sold for $1,763,000 — $263,000 above reserve The unrenovated home at 17 Lockley Pde had 12 registered bidders battling it out for the deceased estate best street opportunity” in its realestate.com.au advert daughter and previously grandparents had been living there for nearly a century The mother and her husband had been collecting items for decades The Roseville Chase home is located very close to the water Although it attracted a range of builders and developers it was a young family from the inner city who were the successful purchasers The underbidders were a family from the local area Raine and Horne Neutral Bay agent Shabina Kamal said the plan was to knock down the old home and rebuild bags of poo among grim discoveries in Sydney homesAidan Devine A forensic clean up crew at a notorious hoarder home in Sydney’s north 20-year-old food and bags of human faeces are being discovered in the homes of some of Sydney’s most compulsive hoarders as distraught relatives prepare the properties for a sale The homes have been piling onto the market in recent months following a return to red hot sales conditions in the housing market and an 8 per cent spike in prices over the past year offered a rare glimpse into the secret lives of their residents some who spent decades stockpiling random items Two homes where the residents were understood to have lived surrounded by clutter were scheduled to go under the hammer this week alone A Sydney hoarder home where cleaners were required to remove all the mounds of clutter They included a house in the Parramatta region where the resident amassed a tower of wooden crates boxes and other items out the front and back It went under the hammer Saturday and sold for over $1.1 million with sources close to the sale revealing most of the interest came from buyers keen to capitalise on the development potential of the land A Darlington home understood to have been occupied by an alleged hoarder for more than 10 years will go under the hammer Tuesday after executers of the deceased estate sent crews to do an extensive clean-up The hoarder resident of a home close to the Sydney CBD was found to have collected floor to ceiling stacks of newspapers The auctions follow the November sale of a St Ives hoarder home for over $2 million Nearly every room was filled in knee high boxes papers and rubbish collected over about 10 years which became the responsibility of the buyer hoarder homes in nearby West Pymble and Roseville sold for $1.55 million and $1.76 million The West Pymble home required a $30,000 clean up Hoarder Clean-up founder Chris Burgess said these recent cases were just the tip of the iceberg and some Sydney hoarding incidents were more extreme A hoarder home in Sydney’s west recently sold Boxes and boxes of expired food was stockpiled in a hoarder house in Sydney’s south Mr Burgess’ company specialises in complex home clean ups and was part of the crew responsible for clearing a notorious hoarder house in Greenwich where an alleged intruder’s corpse was discovered rolled in carpet Police theorised the petty criminal was shot by the hoarder owner 10 years before and his body lay decomposing among mounds of rubbish The clutter took three weeks to clear and the deceased estate resold for $2.07 million in 2018 Mr Burgess said it was not the first dead body he has seen inside a hoarder home which they got from way back in the days when medical students could buy them from places like India,” he said A Granville hoarder home sold for $630,000 Other items Mr Burgess’ team discovered included a mummified dog inside the drawer of a North Sydney home while another hoarder in the city’s east was found stockpiling pet faeces in their bathtub We try not to judge but you’ve also got to have a sense of humour.” A home that recently went to auction in the Parramatta region Hoarder Cleaning Team director Sharon Nohra said animal “poo hoarding” was a particularly common problem but there were also cases where hoarders were keeping human excrement “When there is so much rubbish you can’t move the (residents) can’t get to the bathrooms anymore and they use bags,” she said A bathtub of animal faeces and litter inside a hoarder home in Sydney’s east Ms Nohra said most clean ups were deceased estates but jobs where the hoarder was on site were difficult because they were usually reluctant to let go of their items “One hoarder told me she wanted to punch me in the face,” Ms Nohra said It’s getting in the door that’s the hard part “When hoarders start saying “rubbish” it’s a big step Then you know they’re coming onto the right side of the line.” CoreLogic valuations expert Kevin Brogan said a history of hoarding at a property rarely put off potential buyers provided interior clutter was cleaned up A cockroach infestation inside a Western Sydney hoarder home “They may even appeal to a segment of the market interested in re-doing or knocking down and rebuilding properties,” Mr Brogan said “It’s different when the piles of newspaper or boxes are still there inside the home because buyers don’t know what’s underneath or what the condition is there could be a rodent problem or it could be fine.” Mr Burgess said there was a wide variance in people’s hoarding habits “Others collect very particular stuff … it’s not something that happens in just one area or one group and there’s no one type of hoarding.” A corpse was discovered rolled in carpet in this hoarder home in Greenwich The Greenwich clutter took three weeks to clean A forensic clean up crew was required to clean the mess Research estimates there are about 8000 to 18,000 Sydney houses owned by compulsive hoarders Domain Liveable Sydney 2016 is a new study that ranks 555 Sydney suburbs based on liveability The study’s authors – Tract Consultants and Deloitte Access Economics – used 16 indicators to determine a suburb’s liveability, including transport, education, traffic, views and proximity to employment hubs. For the full list of indicators click here Here’s how the upper north shore performed Waitara wins the prize for most liveable suburb on the upper north shore and is sandwiched between Clovelly and Crows Nest on the overall liveability league table It is a star performer in terms of train links and shops and performs well above average for telecommunications coverage cafes and restaurants and proximity to schools All the other results are around the Sydney average The onetime home of famed architect Harry Seidler is the second most liveable suburb on the upper north shore. Killara is very well rated for its telecommunications coverage It receives average scores for just about everything else except buses with the stops quite spaced out Lindfield is the bronze medallist for liveability on the upper north shore receiving its highest mark for telecommunications coverage It’s also well ahead of the pack for proximity to employment hubs The only really low scores are for buses and main roads Just west of the M1 and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Asquith straddles the upper north shore and Hills District It achieves its highest results for its relatively low main road congestion topographic variation and low crime it gets big ticks In the top five for liveability on the upper north shore, Roseville scores brilliantly for mobile and internet coverage It is rated very well for proximity to employment hubs The only really low numbers are for main road congestion and lack of open space Head 25 kilometres north of the city and you’ll find Hornsby which receives very good scores for telecommunications coverage Its lowest ratings are for crime and buses and the suburb outperforms Hornsby Heights on everything except leafiness Tree cover, open spaces and a low crime rate are South Turramurra’s liveability highlights It also has plenty to write home about on the telecommunications and topography fronts not to mention slightly less road congestion than neighbouring suburbs South Turramurra’s lowest ratings are for shops Its scores are about average in the other categories Significantly higher than neighbouring Pymble on the overall liveability table, West Pymble has good tree cover open spaces and telecommunications coverage It is topographically varied and being just that bit closer to Macquarie Park means it scores higher than Pymble in terms of proximity to employment hubs pipped its neighbour in the train category Normanhurst is well inside the top half of suburbs on the upper north shore for liveability proximity to employment hubs and there’s room for improvement on open space and buses St Ives receives ratings equal to or higher than St Ives Chase in most categories It is rated highly in terms of tree cover and also scores impressively for telecommunications coverage It isn’t rated particularly well for buses Granted, it’s not the sexiest liveability measure, but Gordon knocks it out of the park for telecommunications coverage water views and proximity to employment hubs For most categories created by Mother Nature, East Killara nails it with great open space It’s head and shoulders above most of Sydney for its low crime rate and telecommunications coverage retail and cafes are rated below average and it gets average scores for everything else from education to main road congestion and public transport North Wahroonga scores highly for its lack of main road congestion (compared to nearby suburbs) as well as its topographic variation and low crime rates its public transport results are average for Sydney Between Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Berowra Valley National Park, it’s no wonder Mount Kuring-Gai scores brilliantly for tree cover and topographic variation The study also awards high marks for train links and open space Its proximity to employment hubs and local cafe/restaurant scene isn’t as strong as other nearby suburbs It’s not the best but Wahroonga is still far from the least liveable suburb on the north shore The strongest performances are for relatively low main road congestion tree cover and telecommunications coverage and there’s room for improvement in retail One of Sydney’s most northern suburbs, Mount Colah is also one of the highest by elevation The liveability study rates it as having little main road congestion and high tree cover shops and proximity to employment hubs are on the lower end of the scale Rated average or above average on most liveability measures, Warrawee gets its highest results for telecommunications coverage It rates as average compared with the rest of Sydney for culture and falls below average for bus links and open space Great telecommunications coverage and a low crime rate are the best bits about East Lindfield’s performance in the liveability study It also scores well for tree cover and topographic variation Despite falling in the bottom half of the upper north shore suburbs for liveability, Roseville Chase is a star performer for its topographic variation and telecommunications coverage Its results for tree cover and open spaces are well above average but there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of shops and restaurants Close to the middle of the pack for overall liveability in Sydney, Pymble is highly rated for telecommunications coverage The only real downsides identified by the study are main road congestion For open space, easy traffic, tree cover and topographic variation, Hornsby Heights is a winner The study doesn’t give it high marks for cafes and restaurants or proximity to employment hubs and the suburb achieves average scores for culture telecommunications coverage and bus services Tree cover, topographic variation and low crime are the strongest results for St Ives Chase in the study It also turns in a fine performance for main road congestion open space and telecommunications coverage but its scores are below average for proximity to schools and employment Just east of Berowra Waters, Berowra Heights is one of Sydney’s northernmost suburbs it scores well below average for its dining scene Neck-and-neck with neighbouring Berowra Heights on most scores, Berowra has great tree cover topographic variation and a low crime rate The main roads are relatively free-flowing especially if you’re heading north on the M1 but the suburb doesn’t rate highly for buses proximity to employment hubs or telecommunications coverage North Turramurra’s low scores for cafes and restaurants proximity to employment hubs and public transport drag down its overall liveability score It is one of the highest achievers on open space It also outshines most of Sydney in terms of open space and telecommunications coverage It’s a testament to the upper north shore’s relatively high standards of liveability that Turramurra is at the bottom of the table for its region despite receiving decent scores in most categories. Its strongest results are in telecommunications coverage, tree cover, topographic variation and low crime. The lowest scores are for main road congestion and a lack of cafes and restaurants. with property owners either knocking down old 1960s bungalows to make way for bigger new homes in order to stay in the area with their perfect home “People love it here for the large blocks, leafy streets and great schools,” says Michael Doran of Belle Property Pymble who’s been selling homes in the area for nine years “And while we have a lot of established properties there’s a lot of building going on so people can stay in the suburb but have homes that really suit their needs.” The steady demand in the upper north shore suburb means the fall in prices has been much less over the past year than in other areas while up 60.4 per cent over the past five years have softened by just 0.4 per cent in the last year That contrasts with much bigger falls in neighbouring suburbs of Gordon of 14.4 per cent West Pymble at 9.3 per cent and St Ives of 7.3 per cent “That doesn’t surprise me at all,” says local businessman Jeoff Jones who runs Anjeos Hair & Beauty from a site on the Pacific Highway that’s been operating as a hairdressing salon since 1954 “We’ve had some of the same customers for 14 years He puts it down to the great public transport offered by the train station and buses in the area particularly independent schools like Pymble Ladies College with median weekly house rents at $1000 for the 16 per cent of people who rent in the suburb there are also a few new apartment buildings going up over the past few years Paddington: From 'dead' to 'blossoming' including the French cafe Comme Chez Nous and chic furniture store Remarkable Outdoor Living “Pymble in the 1950s and 1960s used to be the boutique spot and was to the upper north shore what Double Bay is to Sydney,” says Jones “Now it feels like we’re going back to those days Pymble has a clearance rate of 52.2 per cent 16 Peace Avenue This multi-level home has had a series of quality renovations so it’s ready to be moved into and enjoyed and great outdoor area complete with saltwater pool It’s for sale through Orr & Co Estate Agents who are quoting a price guide of $2.2 million 104 Livingstone Avenue This 1904 Hamilton Park mansion was once owned by the family who started the first shops in Pymble It has been renovated for contemporary living on 3200 square metres of landscaped grounds Luschwitz Real Estate lead an expressions of Interest campaign, and advise on a $4.5 million-to-$5 million buyers guide. August 17, 2015 Mike What a way to finish a season of Premier League football with the league leaders West Pymble hosting Lindfield who are number two on the table in the final match of the season And neither team disappointed this afternoon West Pymble came in to the match on 41 points having beaten almost every other team in the league They had only dropped two matches in their incredible season this would be their first Premier League title for almost twenty years The last time that they were champions was way back in 1998 Lindfield had won the league two years ago And they are the top team of the largest football club on the North Shore They were currently in second spot on 39 points Therefore they had to win this match to win the league West Pymble’s side today was: 1 – Clement Burgmann in goal At the back 23 – Raymond Lee 26 – Michael Reece 16 – Jamie Wall 34 – Robert Currer Midfield: 9 – Matthew Laming 31 – Joel Palte 35 – Daniel Hepworth Up front: 12 – Jordan Matthews 21 – Etinosa Amegor 50 – Niall Codling And on the bench 8 – Jack Standing 7 – James Pitcher 11 – Karlo Maralit 17 – Ricky Vikas 29 – Alexander Aylmer Lindfield’s side today was: 21 – Gerard Marino in Goal At the back 15 – Nicholas Barwick 19 – Sam Clayton 36 – Agneesh Lahiri 17 – Tom Goulding Midfield 8 – Aymeric Grant 13 – Vincent Oxenham 4 – Jack Richardson Upfront 9 – Jason Lal 35 – Joshua Ciabatti 52 – Simon Scougall And starting on the bench 7 – Scott Ryan 21 – Gerard Marino 33 – Peter Koelma 34 – Daniel Hurwitz 37 – Adrian Cocaro 18 – Matthew Ventura This was an important game and both sides wanted to get on to the score sheet first Lahiri and Goulding were tested constantly and so were Lee West Pymble played their strong game in Lindfield’s half putting the goal under constant attack with an early near miss from Amegor using his size and strength to reach a header in the box which narrowly missed its mark Lindfield returned the favour with shots from Ciabatti and Lal Lal is an ex-Fijian International player and new signing to Lindfield this year bringing a new level of skill and mental toughness to an already accomplished side The breakthrough for Lindfield came five minutes from half time when a ball sent up field was mis-cued by the Pymble defence; Burgmann scrambled to clear but didn’t get to it in time leaving an easy goal for Ciabatti The second half saw a couple of big shot from Richardson for Lindfield which sent Burgmann to full stretch but it whistled right of the goal Pymble returned the favour with great move up right wing from Laming but the cross couldn’t be put away Two minutes later Laming didn’t make the same mistake Off a throw from Amegor he popped one in to the top left of the net All Pymble needed was a draw today to win the league Pymble forced Lindfield to give away corners taking time over any throw-ins and generally frustrating play Lindfield were desperate to get one more goal and knew that time was running out they were also finding gaps with a great shot from Amegor from outside 18 yard box which went over the crossbar Then Pymble put the match beyond all doubt With only a few minutes to go Standing scored off a corner taking Pymble to 2:1 Moments later the final whistle blew and West Pymble were League Champions This was a great game of football and a fitting end to an interesting and exciting season This Larkin St property in Roseville sold after being owned by its owners for only five years MANY buyers are using several upper north shore suburbs as stepping stones onto the local property ladder Data from CoreLogic found that these suburbs had the highest turnover rate of ownership across the entire north shore SIGN UP FOR THE NSW REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER HERE On average Roseville residents sell their apartments after only 5.5 years and Warrawee was closely followed on 5.8 years while Pymble occupiers stayed for 6.7 years data suggests that you are more likely to stay put for longer but Lane Cove West residents were likely to seek something new after 9.3 years Savills Lindfield selling agent Charles Caravousanos said Roseville and Warrawee were two suburbs that many buyers use as a stepping stone “These suburbs have high turnovers as young families buy here and sell a few years later to buy a house in the area,” he said “Roseville is a place where people come from the city but don’t want to go too far north in one go as they still want the closeness to the city.” Warrawee has been described a good stepping stone onto the market because of price This two-bedroom unit at 20/1389-1397 Pacific Highway is for sale with a guide of $690,000-$720,000 This Hallam Ave property in Lane Cove West sold in February for $1.95 million after being owned by the vendors for only four years some five years less than the average hold time in the suburb it is by far more economical than surrounding suburbs So this is a stepping stone on a price point alone,” he said Warrawee was one of the most affordable suburbs to buy on the north shore with a median unit price of $779,500 McGrath Wahroonga agent Domenic Maxwell said these suburbs had many buyers using extra capital to upgrade “Lots of people get into the market by using these suburbs and over the past few years these buyers have used the increase in appreciation on what they paid to use the additional equity to buy something bigger,” Mr Maxwell said June 24, 2014 Mike the life of the roving reporter can be very good and today is one of those days they know I like chocolate and today I am reviewing Otello Chocolates in West Pymble To give the business is full name it is Du Plessy Pralin and Otello Fine Handcrafted Chocolates and Patisserie Tucked away at the back of Phillip Mall in West Pymble it is a business with an old fashioned ambience My chocolate tasting partner and I walked in unannounced so that we could get the full experience of a new visitor to this shop As you walk through the door you are met by the most glorious smell of chocolate There are small biscuits and cakes and some tempting looking gateaux but the reason we are here is stuffed in to their main counter: hand made chocolates The friendly lady behind the counter explained that small samples of their chocolates come in two sizes; a take away bag that will hold half a dozen chocolates and a larger box that holds ten or more chocolates Now the hard part; how to select only ten chocolates from such a wonderful range We didn’t do well; rather than ten we ended up with more than a dozen of their finest pralin and caramel creations which were wrapped up in a gold box The lady told me that would be $18 which I happily paid Just before we left we announced who were and the friendly owner came out for a chat He and his family have been running this business for more than fifty years Not only do they sell chocolates from their shopfront they also wholesale them to clubs and restaurants there was a constant stream of people coming and going from this little shop “You should try our signature product; chocolate slices They are the thinnest chocolate slices made.” He goes on to explain that there are dark milk and coffee and white with coffee slices in the box ($15.00) The impossibly thin chocolates have a handmade look about them and taste divine He tells me that the white chocolate and coffee slice is often mistaken for butterscotch and he is absolutely right the delicate flavour does taste like butterscotch Each box has about six of each flavour so they would make an excellent after dinner treat My tasting partner and I take ourselves out of the shop and station ourselves at one of the tables in the square and feast on chocolate; Champagne and white chocolate Each one has a distinctly different flavour; each one is wrapped in beautiful chocolate that melts in your mouth The milk chocolate has a Swiss flavour to it not as sweet as British chocolate and a silky The soft centres have a good taste which is not over powering and not too sweet Their dark chocolate is strong without being bitter I really liked their champagne and white chocolate which is light a beautifully soft centre and hint of grape The price of Otello’s chocolates means that they’re not something for every day and a treat like these really should be kept for special occasions when’s the next special occasion that I can think of Du Plessy Praline & Otello Chocolates Patisserie 17 Phillip Mall West Pymble 2073 ABC News News HomeMen posing as tradies robbed elderly people across NSW police allegeShare Men posing as tradies robbed elderly people across NSW police allegeTopic:Law, Crime and Justice Newcastle Police Station generic (Dan Cox) Link copiedShareShare articleTwo men who allegedly posed as tradesmen and offered repairs to elderly people across New South Wales before defrauding and robbing them have been charged. Police said the men, aged 24 and 25, would take money after offering to repair the roof or parts of the elderly person's home but then never completed the work. It is believed the men even drove some victims, who often lived alone, to banks to withdraw cash. Officers said the robberies were committed state-wide between June and August, but the arrests were made after police from Burwood Local Area Command formed a strike force to investigate multiple incidents in their area. The 24-year-old was arrested at his West Pymble home last Friday and charged with aggravated break and enter, fraud and larceny. He was refused bail and is due to appear at Penrith Local Court this Friday. The 25-year-old Wilberforce man was arrested at Newcastle Police station this morning and charged with 19 offences. He was refused bail over the range of offences that included aggravated break and enter, dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception and participate with a criminal group. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) The sale follows a run of massive price growth for Pymble, where house prices soared 24 per cent over the 12 months to September on Domain data, and smashed the suburb record by more than $2 million. The previous Pymble suburb record was set in June 2020 when a multi-level residence at 5-7 Lonsdale Avenue sold for $9.875 million. There were five registered bidders competing for the six-bedroom, six-bathroom home at 29A Bobbin Head Road. After an opening bid of $9 million, it took just two bids to get to the campaign guide price of $10 million. It’s not the first time this property has fetched a premium. The last time it traded in October 2015, it sold for $7.05 million, which was also the highest auction sale in the suburb at the time. Selling agent Scott Farquhar of McConnell Bourn-North Shore, who had the listing with Wendy Xu, said this demonstrated the capacity of Sydney’s prestige market, no matter the market circumstances. “Even though things are starting to quieten down a bit out there, for that upper-level prestige, they’re the sort of homes that only come onto the market once in a while. For some of these more expensive properties, they have a market for themselves,” he said. “The fact that we were able to replicate a similar result – a record-breaking sale – is pretty amazing. “The key driver in these markets is always kids schooling and that’s always there.” The property comprises 2790 square metres of north-oriented land and features a resort-scale pool, north-south tennis court, fully landscaped gardens and multiple living areas, indoors and out.