For more than a year now, we have been running curated versions of a couple of days’ feeds from our friends at Leftfield Communications.

We take the feed from the busiest days of the week, distill all the apartment-related news into one article, and the quirky, celebrity and just plain weird stuff into another, always encouraging readers to sign up for the whole feed.  It’s free and arrives in your email inbox every weekday.

This week, on top of that we thought we’d give you a taste of the whole service – just the feed from Wednesday morning.

Some of the links are to free websites, others are to pay-walled providers, but either way, you can get a sense of what people who are interested in property are reading and talking about.

It’s an impressive service and it’s worth letting you see what you can get in one day’s feed, free of charge, just by signing up. The following is unedited from Leftfield and the introductory comments are by its editor Darren Youens.

One day in the world of property

While the headlines this week fix on how far prices might fall, look at where the cranes are going up. In Southbank, OSK Property and Multiplex have just broken ground on AURA, the $800 million next stage of the Melbourne Square precinct, a 67-storey tower that had already banked more than 140 sales before a single beam went in. Developers do not commit that kind of capital, or that many buyers, to a market they expect to keep sliding. It is a considered bet that people will still want to live in the middle of a growing city in 2030.

Sydney’s southwest is making a related case about the ground itself. A new report is pressing the Minns government to extend Metro rail into the region, warning that some of the city’s fastest-growing suburbs have a lower concentration of rail than anywhere else. Stations proposed at Macarthur, Mount Annan, Narellan and Oran Park would connect the very corridors where new housing is meant to go. Infrastructure decisions like this shape a decade of property values long after this week’s rate talk has faded.

None of which makes the near term comfortable. AMP’s Shane Oliver puts capital-city houses at 38 per cent overvalued against long-run rents, and the major banks are now tipping a Reserve Bank rise next Tuesday with a possible follow-up that could lift the cash rate to 4.85 per cent by Christmas. Read those two together and it is affordability and the cost of borrowing doing the work, not a market in freefall. Prices have eased; the barrier that keeps buyers out is the rate, not the sticker.

Where value is clear, projects and buyers keep turning up. On the Gold Coast, Ignite has launched a 28-apartment waterfront project at The Spit with its own private marina, Sherpa has won approval for a $350 million Coolangatta tower, and a CBRE auction of childcare centres, service stations and fast-food sites raised $42 million on the strength of defensive, income-producing demand.

One for the left field: a renovated one-bedroom cabin on 67 hectares of West Gippsland rainforest, part of the old Christmas Pines retreat, has been marked down to $115,000. Proof that the property market still has a corner for the person who wants a mountain more than a mortgage.

Here are our top 5 stories.

• Minns government urged to build southwest Sydney Metro amid report exposing transport gap
  A new report is pressing the Minns government to extend Metro rail into Sydney’s fast-growing southwest, where some of the city’s newest suburbs have less rail than anywhere else, with stations proposed at Macarthur, Mount Annan, Narellan and Oran Park. An infrastructure call that will shape a decade of values in the corridors where the housing is meant to go.
  James O’Doherty – The Daily Telegraph
   
• OSK, Multiplex, commence construction Melbourne Square’s newest tower, AURA
  OSK Property and Multiplex have broken ground on AURA, the $800 million, 67-storey next stage of Melbourne Square in Southbank, having already banked more than 140 sales before construction began. Capital and buyers committing years ahead is a considered bet that people will still want the middle of a growing city in 2030.
  Joel Robinson – Apartments.com.au – Free
   
• How much Australian property is overvalued by now
  AMP’s Shane Oliver puts capital-city houses at 38 per cent overvalued against long-run rents, pointing to room for further falls in the downturn. The decipher for the week the RBA decides: read it with the rate outlook and it is affordability and borrowing costs doing the work, not a market in freefall.
  Wes Mountain – The Sydney Morning Herald
   
• Defensive assets in demand as auction raises $42m
  Childcare centres, service stations and fast-food outlets drew strong competition at a CBRE auction that raised $42 million, Green Street News reports. Where the income is defensive and predictable, commercial buyers are still turning up in numbers, whatever the headlines say about the cycle.
  Layton Holley – National – Green Street News
   
• A hidden cabin, 67 hectares and a $115,000 price tag: what’s the catch?
  A renovated one-bedroom cabin on about 67 hectares of West Gippsland rainforest, part of the old Christmas Pines retreat, has been marked down to $115,000. Proof the market still keeps a corner for the person who wants a mountain more than a mortgage.
  Bryan Patterson – Domain – Free

There is plenty more in the full edition below. Have a great Week. www.leftfield.com.au | All the headlines. One daily email.
Darren Youens

The Australian Financial Review

Data centre developers feel the heat in Sydney’s north shore
Data centre developers got a first-hand taste of local opposition at a fiery Senate inquiry hearing on Tuesday, the AFR reports, with the builder of a planned $1.2 billion facility on Sydney’s north shore conceding it would sit within 16 metres of homes. Senators including Liberal Sarah Henderson questioned Goodman Group’s plans for a Lane Cove West centre that could rise as high as 38 metres close to residences.
Jenny Wiggins
 
Bathla’s two-decade bank blacklist raises questions for private credit
Failed Sydney developer Bathla was blacklisted by banks including ING almost two decades ago after it tried to sign up refugees to mortgages they could not afford to service, the AFR reports. Shut out of mainstream lending, the company turned to private credit firms, which are now owed more than $3 billion after its collapse last month, raising fresh questions about lending standards in the fast-growing sector.
Primrose Riordan and Max Mason
 
Home buyer hopefuls tap low-deposit loans as times get tighter
Borrowers who cannot clear the banks’ hurdles are increasingly turning to shared equity schemes and low or no-deposit arrangements, the AFR reports, an approach that carries more risk in a falling market. Brisbane flight attendant Saliza Sumner used a shared equity scheme to buy her apartment after several banks knocked her back, saying that as a single-income earner she felt she was chasing her tail as prices climbed faster than she could save.
Sarah Petty
 
Buyers agency Dashdot chased customers for services not delivered
National buyers agency Dashdot was likely insolvent while it chased clients for more than $10.5 million in services never delivered, the AFR reports, with Teneo liquidators finding the collapsed agency may have been insolvent from as early as June 2024, potentially exposing its founders and directors to compensation claims.
Jack Derwin
 
Charter Hall faces questions over $91m share grant that missed hurdle
Investors want a better explanation of why Charter Hall’s board approved a $91 million share grant to 28 executives despite missing a key return hurdle, the AFR’s Chanticleer writes, with the commercial giant’s shares down almost 24 per cent since early August as rising bond yields hit the listed property sector.
Chanticleer
 
‘One of the worst markets I’ve seen’: Property CEO fears job cuts
Jellis Craig chief executive Andrew McCann, a 30-year veteran, calls it one of the worst markets he has seen, the AFR reports, with agents having hard conversations with vendors and job cuts likely if the downturn deepens.
Sally Patten and Iona Rennie
 
Australia’s five most powerful property people in 2026
AFR Magazine has named property’s five most powerful people for 2026, the AFR reports, against a backdrop of a housing downturn some analysts tip could reach a 10 per cent national peak-to-trough fall, with ANZ forecasting Sydney down 14.5 per cent and Melbourne 12.8.
Nick Lenaghan
 
Why 6.5pc is the benchmark for new residential property investors
The budget’s negative gearing and CGT changes have made rental yield more important than ever, the AFR reports, with Ray White’s Vanessa Rader pointing to 6.5 per cent as the new benchmark and naming 37 suburbs throwing up opportunities for investors.
Jessica Penny
 
ASIC is fed up with dodgy private credit valuations inflating fees
ASIC says it is beyond warnings and ready to sue private credit firms that refuse to write down distressed loans to inflate fees, the AFR reports, with commissioner Simone Constant singling out western Sydney, ground zero for the Bathla collapse likely to leave lenders with heavy losses.
Lucas Baird
 

 
The Australian

Travel in Scandinavia and feel the viking spirit
Exploring Scandinavia’s fjords and whale-rich waters by luxury ship in the northern summer is an immersive way to take in the region, The Australian reports in its travel pages, from an hour skimming Norway’s Geiranger Fjord by inflatable boat to the Arctic waters off Iceland, where pods of 30 to 40-tonne humpbacks were seen breaching.
Lisa Allen
 
Meriton changes its Gold Coast apartments as buyers look for cheaper property
Major developers are reconfiguring off-the-plan apartments as the budget’s tax changes bite, The Australian reports, with Meriton altering its Gold Coast unit mixes toward cheaper stock after noticing stronger demand for affordable apartments and softer demand at the top end.
Lisa Allen
 
AEC data tracks 125-year collapse in voter trust across major parties
A single chart tracking the non-major-party vote across 125 years of federal elections reveals a long collapse in trust in the big parties, The Australian’s Bernard Salt writes, a diminution he argues extends by implication to big business, including the property sector.
Bernard Salt
 
Collapsed builder Bathla’s flagship Rouse Hill development gets green light for settlements
Bathla’s flagship Rouse Hill development, Sanctuary Quarter, has received its occupation certificate, The Australian reports, clearing the way for settlements including inked pre-sales, with lender Centuria Bass, which has a $278 million exposure to the collapsed builder, confirming the milestone.
Joseph Carbone
 
Amazing properties from around Australia
A four-bedroom luxury home built into the slopes of Cairns offers unobstructed Coral Sea views and Mediterranean flair, The Australian reports, with a double-height living space, limestone kitchen and 350-bottle wine cellar, in a showcase of standout properties.
Michelle Singer
 
South Hedland neighbours ignored by housing officials despite 50 police callouts to squalid home
Neighbours say housing officials ignored a squalid South Hedland home despite more than 50 police callouts this year, The Australian reports, with the WA Department of Housing telling a resident it could not find enough evidence of disruptive behaviour by the abandoned children living there unsupervised.
Ros Thomas
 
Data centres forced to ‘power themselves’ under tough new Victorian rules
New Victorian data centres will have to secure their own renewable energy, pay the full grid-connection cost and stay out of residential areas under what the Carroll government calls the country’s toughest rules, The Australian reports, in a Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan responding to community unease.
Anthony Galloway
 
You should be using colour to elevate your interior
Rich, jewel-like colours are set to make a splash in Australian homes, The Australian reports, with Dulux’s annual forecast tipping a shift from green toward blue tones in a global resurgence of colour.
Libby Moffet

 
The Sydney Morning Herald

How much Australian property is overvalued by now
Houses across Australia’s capital cities are overvalued by 38 per cent, new analysis reported by the SMH suggests, pointing to the prospect of further falls in the current downturn. The figures, from AMP chief economist Shane Oliver, indicate median house prices in every capital are overvalued by at least a quarter when measured against inflation-adjusted average rents over the past 40 years.
Wes Mountain
 
‘Totally exposed’: Harbour tensions flare over Walsh Bay event space
A planning dispute has flared over a $4.9 million plan to turn part of a heritage-listed Walsh Bay pier into a 750-patron event venue, the SMH reports, pitting residents against hospitality operators and reigniting debate over Sydney’s nighttime economy.
David Barwell
 
My suburb is like an island – one storm and you’re trapped. Luckily, the locals are friendly
Living in Botany is a bit like living on an island, the SMH reports, in an affectionate portrait of the quiet, aquifer-prone Sydney suburb with only a handful of flood-prone ways in and out, but great food, lively pubs and friendly locals.
Sally Foley

 
The Age

Buffer zones, drinking water bans: Carroll eyes new rules for data centres
Victoria will ban data centres from residential areas, impose 150-metre buffer zones from homes and require them to supply their own power and use non-drinking water, the Age reports, under new guardrails Premier Ben Carroll will announce for the booming sector.
Kieran Rooney

 
The Brisbane Times

Another luxury tower planned in booming inner-city pocket
Another 20-storey luxury tower is planned for a booming pocket of South Brisbane, the Brisbane Times reports, with 161 units and a rooftop pool proposed at 176-186 Montague Road opposite the soon-to-be-redeveloped Visy site.
William Davis

 
Domain – Free

A new view of city life: This Sydney apartment pairs sweeping vistas with five-star amenities
Apartment 2505 at 111 Castlereagh, a newly completed Cbus Property development on the corner of Castlereagh and Market streets, pairs sweeping Sydney park views with high-end design and five-star amenities, Domain reports, adding a rich historical note to one of the city’s most enviable outlooks.
Kate Jones
 
Hunters Hill: Where rich history converges with a coveted waterfront position
On a leafy peninsula between the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, Hunters Hill offers a rare supply of water views and, in some cases, private moorings, Domain reports. In the exclusive enclave nine kilometres north-west of the CBD, median house prices rose 35.8 per cent in the five years to June, reaching $4.36 million.
Chris Pearson
 
Brisbane 2032: What the Olympic Games means for property investors
The Brisbane 2032 master plan, unveiled in detail in August with a sports and entertainment precinct around a proposed $3.8 billion stadium, was expected to draw investors in, Domain reports. Instead many have held back, with interest rate rises, global uncertainty, cost-of-living pressure and government tax reforms tempering the anticipated optimism.
Sue Williams
 
Inside the historic hotels that became destinations in their own right
Some of the world’s storied hotels have become destinations in their own right, Domain reports, from the century-old ironwood balconies of Raffles Singapore, where suites carry the names of illustrious former guests, to a class of luxury properties so tied to their cities that a stay offers the chance to spend the night within history rather than simply visit it.
Jade Raykovski
 
A hidden cabin, 67 hectares and a $115,000 price tag: what’s the catch?
A secluded one-bedroom weekender on about 67 hectares of pristine West Gippsland wilderness has been reduced to $115,000, Domain reports. The renovated cabin at 5/4131 Willow Grove Road, Icy Creek, is one of a group of ten rainforest cabins originally known as the Christmas Pines Mountain Retreat.
Bryan Patterson
 
Rate hike double blow threatens bigger home price slump
Mortgage-holders face up to three more rate rises that could push lending costs to an 18-year high and deepen the house price downturn already weighed down by budget tax reforms, Domain reports. Major banks now tip a 25-basis-point RBA increase next Tuesday and have shortened the odds on a November follow-up, which could lift the cash rate to 4.85 per cent by Christmas.
Glen Norris
 
They rejected an offer on their home because the buyer wanted to knock down the house
After more than a century in the same family, the owners of a cherished Brisbane home are prepared to forgo a significant windfall in the hope of finding a buyer who will preserve rather than demolish it, Domain reports. Ray White RP Group agent Bayli Robertson described it as one of the strangest sets of circumstances he had come across.
Iain Gillespie
 
Ross Noble drops price on sprawling Mornington Peninsula home
British comedian Ross Noble and his wife Fran have cut the price of their Mount Eliza home, Domain reports, dropping the six-bedroom Mornington Peninsula property’s guide to $2.9 million to $3.2 million ahead of a move back to the UK.
Kate Kachor
 
Singer Ren Barlow lists grand Brighton mansion for up to $17.6 million
Singer and philanthropist Ren Barlow is selling her grand Brighton mansion Narellan for up to $17.6 million just two years after buying it for $13.28 million, Domain reports, with the neighbouring former front-garden block also listed, offering a rare chance to reunite the two.
Suki Reid
 
Carwoola retreat with heated mineral pool and resort-style entertaining hits the market
A tranquil Carwoola retreat on more than 5,000 square metres, five minutes from fast-growing Queanbeyan, has hit the market, Domain reports, the 53 Woodland Avenue home offering a heated mineral pool and resort-style entertaining.
Lucy Jones

 
Commercial Real Estate – Free

Building boom triggers 40 per cent surge in industrial property demand
Building booms are driving down industrial vacancy, Commercial Real Estate reports, with Colliers data showing take-up by construction occupiers such as material suppliers and prefabricators surged 40 per cent over the year to June across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
Kate Jones
 
Manly church-turned-preschool with residential upside sells for $4.85m
A Manly church turned boutique preschool with residential potential has sold before auction for $4.85 million, Commercial Real Estate reports, drawing more than 150 enquiries for the beachside property.
Kirstan Ross

 
ABC Online – Free

Andrew Bragg re-ignites super debate by floating ideas to lift home ownership
Andrew Bragg has reignited the super debate by floating ideas to lift home ownership, ABC Online reports, with the Coalition weighing letting people use super as collateral or withdraw a sum for a deposit, as Labor attacks a One Nation early-access policy.
Erin Handley
 
Broken Hill council tells homeless charity there is ‘no land’ for rough sleepers camp
Broken Hill council has told a food charity there is no land available for a homeless camp, ABC Online reports, with the mayor citing planning and consultation hurdles, in a case a law academic says highlights the lack of a legal framework around homelessness in NSW.
Kristina Rosengren
 
New restrictions on data centre water use, proximity to schools under Victorian strategy
New Victorian data centres will have to source their own renewable energy and sit at least 150 metres from homes, ABC Online reports, under a strategy Premier Ben Carroll unveiled to quell community concern over the booming, resource-hungry industry.
Richard Willingham and Leanne Wong

 
The Daily Telegraph

Minns government urged to build southwest Sydney Metro amid report exposing transport gap
A new report is urging the Minns government to commit to Metro rail lines in Sydney’s fast-growing southwest, the Daily Telegraph reports, warning the region has a lower concentration of rail than anywhere else in the city and a widening transport gap. The South West Sydney Alliance report calls for stations at Macarthur, Mount Annan, Narellan and Oran Park, along with the planned Pondicherry and Maryland precincts.
James O’Doherty
 
‘Pack up and go’: Soldiers facing eviction from Victoria Barracks before Christmas
The Albanese government will start evicting soldiers from Sydney’s Victoria Barracks from next month, the Daily Telegraph reports, a move before Christmas that has outraged state and federal politicians over the Army’s spiritual home.
Peter Jenkins

 
Realestate.com.au – Free

Three Aussie neighbourhoods named among the coolest in the world
Three Australian neighbourhoods have made Time Out’s 2026 coolest-in-the-world list, Realestate.com.au reports, with Brisbane’s New Farm 29th, North Hobart 32nd and South Melbourne 39th, behind Seoul’s Jongno 3-ga in top spot.
Kirsten Craze
 
Iconic K’gari resorts, Captain Cook Cruises to change hands for $146m
Two iconic K’gari resorts and Captain Cook Cruises are set to change hands in a $146 million deal, Realestate.com.au reports, with New York private equity-backed Journey Beyond poised to take control of Kelsian Group’s tourism portfolio after clearing two regulatory hurdles.
News Corp Australia
 
Major banks shock double rate hikes ahead of RBA
Two of the biggest banks have imposed double rate hikes within days of each other ahead of the RBA, Realestate.com.au reports, with the Commonwealth Bank following Westpac as ANZ projects rates could reach GFC-era highs before Christmas.
Sophie Foster
 
Property investor reveals how independent agent appraisal slashed capital gains tax by $60,000
An independent agent appraisal cut one property investor’s capital gains tax by $60,000, Realestate.com.au reports, with a market valuation at the point a home became an investment lifting the cost base above the bank’s conservative figure.
Tim McIntyre
 
Owner forced to rip out $800 lawn by council
A Western Australian homeowner who spent $800 turning a boring grass nature strip into something greener has been ordered by the council to rip it out, Realestate.com.au reports, and restore the strip to its previous state.
David Campbell
 
AC/DC widow splashes $30m on Ode Double Bay apartments
AC/DC legend Malcolm Young’s widow Linda has spent $30 million on two apartments in the soon-to-complete luxury Double Bay block Ode, Realestate.com.au reports, on top of $19 million on a Mosman apartment, in the Luigi Rosselli-designed project by Top Spring Australia.
Stephen Nicholls – Sydney
 
Court battle over top Sydney celeb trophy home
The low-key owners of the Point Piper trophy home Altona are contesting the Valuer General’s figures, Realestate.com.au reports, with the Huang family, who paid $61.8 million in 2016, arguing two adjoining lots should have been valued together, in a case set for November.
Jonathan Chancellor – Sydney
 
Sydney homeowner cops $1700 a day loss as price falls continue
A homeowner in Sydney’s Epping has taken a loss estimated at more than $1,700 a day, Realestate.com.au reports, with the five-bedroom house selling for $3,638,000, well below the $4.05 million it fetched only a year earlier as prices keep falling.
Aidan Devine – Sydney
 
Landlord devastated after rental home torched days after reno
A landlord has been left devastated after his Moree rental was allegedly torched days after he finished a $95,000 renovation to repair an earlier fire, Realestate.com.au reports, with the second blaze set to cost more than he paid for the house and derailing his finances.
Aidan Devine – New South Wales
 
Victoria’s cheapest church for $65k in Lorquon with structural damage
Victoria’s cheapest church is on the market for just $65,000, Realestate.com.au reports, the 100-year-old Lorquon building carrying structural damage the agent warns against taking on faith, in a tiny regional pocket with little else around it.
Nathan Mawby – Melbourne
 
Inside $4.5m Melb home built around Italian marble
A $4.5 million Doncaster East home built around more than 2.5 tonnes of Italian marble has hit the market, Realestate.com.au reports, with builder-developer Dino Cantone designing the kitchen around a single Calacatta block he chose in Tuscany, offered by private 45-minute inspection only.
David Bonaddio – Melbourne
 
Beekeeper lands $200,000 windfall for Fitzroy townhouse
A Fitzroy beekeeper is buzzing after selling a three-bedroom townhouse for $200,000 above reserve, Realestate.com.au reports, with four bidders pushing 75 Webb Street to $1.95 million against a $1.75 million reserve, funding plans to expand the hives.
Alesha Capone – Melbourne
 
Young couple snaps up Geelong West home at mortgagee auction
A young couple has snapped up a renovated Geelong West character home at a mortgagee auction for $1.011 million, Realestate.com.au reports, almost $350,000 less than it sold for in 2021, after a big spring crowd watched two couples go head to head.
Nicole Mayne – Geelong
 
More than $40m worth of homes sold across massive regionwide auction event
Nearly $41 million of property sold across one of the Sunshine Coast’s biggest auction events, Realestate.com.au reports, with Ray White Coastal Living capping a four-week campaign of 101 listings before a 300-strong Sunday crowd.
Nicholas Finch – Brisbane
 
Luxury Gold Coast estate used by George Clooney sells off-market for $24m
A Gold Coast Hinterland estate that served as George Clooney’s base while filming in Australia has sold off-market for about $24 million, Realestate.com.au reports, the 22-hectare Rivermead offering an equestrian facility, polo field and resort-sized pool.
Aleisha Dawson – Gold Coast
 
Fairland’s $17.5m Kidman Park apartments flying off the market
More than a third of the apartments at Fairland’s $17.5 million Canopy development at Kidman Park have sold within a month of listing, Realestate.com.au reports, with unprecedented demand bringing forward construction on the affordable Adelaide project.
Tom Bowden – Adelaide
 
SA seeks public input on short stay accommodation register
South Australia is seeking public input on a planned short-stay accommodation register, Realestate.com.au reports, with consultation running to October 30 to shape the scheme and possible codes of conduct to curb issues such as noise.
Jessica Brown – Adelaide
 
Historic Huon property tops weekly sales chart
A beloved Huon Valley farm held by one family for four generations has topped Tasmania’s weekly sales at $1.5 million, Realestate.com.au reports, the 18-hectare Port Huon property offered on the open market for the first time in close to a century.
Jarrad Bevan – Tasmania

 
The Herald Sun

State government approves 932 home Kingswood Golf Course redevelopment in Dingley Village, mayor says community ‘deserves better’
The state government has approved 932 homes on the Kingswood Golf Course at Dingley Village, the Herald Sun reports, overriding more than 8,000 objections and a decade of community opposition, with the mayor saying the community deserves better.
Gianni Francis
 
Victorians are being hit with council rate hikes. But challenging them could backfire
Victorian homeowners are being hit with sharp council rate rises even as home prices fall, the Herald Sun reports, though experts warn that challenging an assessment could leave owners worse off.
Ruby Kraner-Tucci

 
The Courier Mail
Olympic whitewater venue clears environmental hurdle after federal review
A controversial 2032 Olympic whitewater venue can proceed after the federal government upheld its May approval, the Courier Mail reports, following an environmental challenge over groundwater and koala habitat.
Judith Kerr

 
The Gold Coast Bulletin
Landmark Surfers Paradise carpark to be bulldozed for new public park
Surfers Paradise’s landmark Bruce Bishop carpark will be demolished early next year for a new public park, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports, with the two-storey above-ground structure to go while five underground levels remain to serve a music hall development.
Andrew Potts
 
‘Resilient’ Gold Coast market shrugs off downturn with record number of projects
The Gold Coast unit market has shrugged off the national downturn, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports, with sales rising to 644 in the first half of 2026 and a record 97 developments now under way.
Andrew Potts