The NSW Government has taken control of the proposed Sydney Town Hall Square, which will require the demolition of several large buildings if it is to come to anything.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore is worried the move could cause delays and a cost over-run. At least, that’s what she’s saying, rather than thinking.

Meanwhile house sellers offering the contents of their wine cellars, plumbers are blowing smoke through waterpipes, a haunted bakery goes on sale and office workers are reversing the work from home idea by doing home-based tasks at work to save money.

All that and much more in this week’s collection of curated quirk from Leftfield.

Free Reads

ABC Online

State government takes planning control of $150 million Sydney Town Hall Square project
The NSW government has taken planning control of the $94 million Sydney Town Hall Square project, declaring it a State Significant Development.

Longer waiting time at emergency departments marks worrying trend
Older patients are waiting longer for an inpatient bed, with most hospitals ill-equipped for demand driven by an ageing population.

Confusion clouds closure of YiSSA facility as residents face reduced services and isolation
Confusion has clouded the closure of Darwin’s YiSSA short-stay facility, with dozens of residents forced to choose between homelessness and relocating 100 kilometres away.

Domain

The $30m Sydney mansion, a pop art icon’s final wish, and a mystery buyer
A grand Bellevue Hill estate listed with $30 million hopes and an unusual sale stipulation is under negotiation, with the buyer a mystery.

Residents warned as smoke set to rise from backyards
Thousands of residents are being warned to expect plumes of smoke rising from lawns, backyards and gutters as part of an unusual plumbing crackdown.

Sam Wood’s $7 million property plans revealed
A Melbourne mansion owned by fitness entrepreneur Sam Wood and his wife Snezana was reportedly days from hitting the market before his arrest.

Norris Nuts family list Sydney mansion after compound plans scrapped
YouTubers The Norris Nuts are reshaping their Sydney property portfolio, listing a mansion after scrapping plans for a single family compound.

‘They’re begging’: Desperate sellers offer price cuts and $80k perks to score quick sales
Sellers feeling the downturn are turning to desperate measures, from steep price cuts to luxury perks worth up to $80,000, to secure quick sales, as the national market softens.

Nannup home with reportedly haunted bakery listed from $750,000
A home in the small WA town of Nannup comes with a potentially spooky extra, a reportedly haunted old bakery, listed from $750,000.

Twisties heir lists $15m Sydney beach house
A Clovelly home owned by Anthony Goodridge, grandson of the late Twisties inventor Isador Magid, and his wife Daniella has hit the market with a $15 million guide as the couple plan to downsize, the five-bedroom beach house carrying eye-watering price hopes.

Justin Bieber’s Sydney hideaway sells for eye-watering sum
The Sydney mansion pop star Justin Bieber rented during his Australian tour has sold off-market for a reported figure close to $30 million.

Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul sells Los Angeles mansion after US exit
Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and his wife Lauren have sold their longtime Los Angeles home after more than a year on the market.

Craig Tiley cops multimillion-dollar loss on Melbourne home sale
Former Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has sold his Melbourne trophy home at a multimillion-dollar loss, months after first listing it.

Realestate.com.au- Free

Meet the millennial selling her home to achieve financial freedom
The property tax overhaul has shifted the goalposts for building wealth, prompting one homeowner to sell up in pursuit of financial freedom.

Outer Western Sydney commuters pushed to the brink by infrastructure failures
Residents of Sydney’s outer south-west warn daily life is grinding to a halt as infrastructure fails to keep pace with rapid population growth.

Nando’s chicken billionaire swoops on Ben Buckler beach pad
Nando’s billionaire Richard Enthoven and his wife Karen have bought a North Bondi beach house on Ben Buckler for $17.4 million.

Elite Cranbrook School’s ‘$25m home buy’ despite ban
Wirian, the longtime Bellevue Hill home of the late pop-art legend Martin Sharp, has sold, with neighbouring Cranbrook School the likely buyer despite a reported ban.

Why a threatened frog became part of new Melbourne’s new community
A threatened frog has helped shape part of a 17,000-person estate in Melbourne’s west named Australia’s best new community.

Star AFL recruit Toby Greene’s huge $3.3m move
Departing GWS champion Toby Greene and his wife Georgia Stirton have listed their Coogee home for rent after the AFL veteran’s move to Geelong next season.

Gold Coast Suns vice-captain Sam Collins opens doors to luxury home
Gold Coast Suns vice-captain Sam Collins has made a $2.55 million off-season move into a luxury holiday property and is now opening it to guests.

Wild Aussie Shore party house in hits market ahead of season 3 on Gold Coast with Tammy Hembrow
The luxurious Cairns beachfront mansion that hosted season one of reality hit Aussie Shore has hit the market ahead of the show’s third season.

Adelaide firm Goodhouse launches affordable 8-star Pocket House
Adelaide firm Goodhouse has launched Pocket House, a range of affordable off-the-plan homes rated better than eight stars for efficiency.

The parts of the market now grabbing investors’ attention
A changing market has reset the playing field for investors, with attention shifting to the areas and property types that benefit most from the new tax settings.

Sonia Kruger’s $16m home battle takes new turn
Sonia Kruger and her partner Craig McPherson are refusing to give up on their $16 million Mosman home overhaul, lodging another round of revised plans despite fierce neighbour opposition.

Real Commercial

Fresh blow for Taco Bell after mass closures
Fresh off closing its Australian stores, Taco Bell is facing a US class-action lawsuit from a New Yorker who accuses the chain of falsely advertising its fillings.

Hollywood hype vs reality: Why star power wasn’t enough to save Wahlburgers in Australia
With a Hollywood name and Sydney Harbour on its doorstep, Wahlburgers arrived in Australia with big ambitions, but less than five years on just one restaurant remains.

Bosses face surging utility costs as staff treat offices like home to save cash
A cost-of-living twist on working from home is emerging, with some staff going into the office precisely to do what they would normally do at home and save on their own bills.

Urban Developer – Partly Free

The Australian ‘Serial Entrepreneur’ Selling Sand to the Saudis
Ledlin Group founder Oscar Ledlin is taking his latest venture further afield, with his Sustainable Concrete Group transforming waste glass into engineered aggregates for concrete, a business now eyeing the Middle East in what the serial entrepreneur frames as selling sand to the Saudis.

One Hurdle Left for Microsoft’s Western Sydney Data Centre Scheme
Microsoft has won state planning approval for a $1.26 billion, 96-megawatt data centre at Huntingwood in Sydney’s west after Blacktown City Council withdrew its objection.

Queensland’s Church Land Gamble for Community Housing Pays Off
Queensland has delivered 1500 community homes on church and charity-owned land in under two years, with almost 5000 more under way, as it pursues a 10,000-home target.

Realestate.com.au – Free

Leading real estate agents reveal best value-adding jobs
The May budget may have muddied the waters on adding value to investment properties, but not to the family home, which stays exempt from capital gains tax.

Sydney parents spend $1m extra on homes to secure public school spots
Sydney parents are paying up to $1 million more for homes inside coveted public school catchments.

Clean energy chief David Sutton lists sustainable Toorak home
RayGen chairman David Sutton, who leads the clean-energy technology company, has listed an acclaimed sustainable Toorak home with an $11.5 million to $12.65 million range.

Late artist Fred Williams’ widow Lyn lists historic South Yarra home for $12m
The South Yarra home of Lyn Williams, widow of the late artist Fred Williams, has been listed for $12 million.

Ex-Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley loses $5.75m
Former Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has sold his Aspendale home for $5.75 million less than he paid in 2022, a loss of more than $4,000 a day.

Secret $300k Star Wars cinema in Melbourne mansion
A Beaconsfield mansion in Melbourne’s south-east, set for a record $8 million to $8.5 million sale, hides a secret $300,000 cinema modelled on a Super Star Destroyer from Star Wars.

‘Sinking house horror’: Owner wins landmark $500k watchdog battle
A homeowner facing a $500,000 repair bill and half-metre chasms beneath his sinking house has defeated a construction watchdog in court, but may still face crippling costs due to payout caps.

Seppeltsfield’s Warren Randall reveals plans for $11m St Georges home
Award-winning winemaker Warren Randall, who paid $11 million for a grand Arts and Crafts home at St Georges, plans an entertainment precinct there to woo international importers.

Pay-walled

The Australian Financial Review

Work hub comes with lattes, wine and Collins Street address to die for
Two former AFL footballers are betting their co-working hubs will succeed where others have failed, opening Eclat facilities in prime Melbourne office towers with an in-house barista to start the day and a full-service bar to end it.

Gretel Packer reveals her plan to revive historic Kings Cross theatre
Billionaire Gretel Packer has revealed new detail on her plan to revive the historic Metro-Minerva theatre in Sydney’s Potts Point.

The trick that pressured this buyer into a $12.45m purchase
A five-bedroom riverfront home on 1152 square metres at 50A Victoria Avenue in Claremont, Western Australia, has sold off-market for $12.45 million.

UTS halts $100m Indigenous student residence project mid-tender
The University of Technology Sydney has put Australia’s first residential college for Indigenous university students on ice, halting its $100 million tender during final negotiations with developers.

The Australian

Data centre boom unplugged by Sydney grid squeeze
A power crunch is set to leave critical Sydney data centre projects in limbo for years, putting a $50 billion-plus pipeline at risk.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Long-awaited Sydney pool faces uncertainty as architecture firm collapses
A long-awaited $62 million public pool in Sydney’s south-west has moved a step closer but faces possible delays after the architecture firm that designed it collapsed.

Why Sydney’s metro line won’t be getting longer trains
Shorter platforms on the final section of Sydney’s $30 billion M1 metro line will limit the operator to running more frequent services rather than longer trains as demand grows.

The main language of my Sydney suburb wasn’t even on the census
In a warm reflection on place and belonging, writer Thomas Nance celebrates his complex, colourful and messy home suburb of Liverpool.

Controversial redevelopment of playing fields to drive kids out of sport, locals warn
A contested plan to redevelop playing fields at Ireland Park in Sydney’s west will proceed despite warnings it will push children out of sport and raise safety risks.

Grandson of late millionaire Twisties inventor lists $15m Clovelly home
Anthony Goodridge, grandson of the late Twisties inventor and property developer Isador Magid, and his wife Daniella have listed their Clovelly home with a $15 million guide as they plan to downsize.

The Age

How increasing private school funding could improve Melbourne house prices
Victoria’s private schools would have to choose between abolishing fees and entrance exams or losing all government funding under a radical education overhaul adapted from Ontario.

My suburb transformed our lives. Yet people don’t believe it’s real
People do not believe The Patch is a real place, writer Lisa Davis reports, in an affectionate portrait of the tiny Dandenong Ranges suburb that transformed her family’s life after they moved there 13 years ago.

‘Their minds were blown’: Melbourne suburbs where rents rose most
Catherine Pitre and her husband, who moved to Melbourne from Canada in July, researched rentals in advance and inspected their Glen Iris home the afternoon they landed.

The Brisbane Times

Why Brisbane should embrace pink and restore an appetite for colour
Brisbane is at the start of its cosmopolitan journey and should embrace colour, even pink, as its buildings evolve, architect Izzie White argues.

WA Today

My suburb was sold to me as a bush paradise. Too bad about the heavy construction vehicles
In a wry reflection on the gap between the sales pitch and the reality, a writer recounts being sold a Brisbane suburb as a bush paradise, only to contend with the heavy construction vehicles of a rapidly changing city.

Sam has worked as a police officer for nine years, but still struggled to secure a home in Perth’s market
Despite nine years as a WA police officer, Sam Collins has never been able to bridge the gap between his borrowing capacity and Perth’s fast-rising prices.

The Daily Telegraph

‘Once in a generation’: Blue Mountains Botanic Garden opens to overnight accommodation
For the first time in its four-decade history, the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah will open to overnight visitors under bold new accommodation plans.

Kyle Sandilands sued by luxury builders over $240,000 Glenorie mansion renovation bill
Radio star Kyle Sandilands is being sued by his builder, who claims Sandilands failed to pay $240,000 for renovation work on his Glenorie mansion.

The Sell: Newcastle Knights coach Justin Holbrook buys $3.35m hillside home in Merewether
Newcastle Knights coach Justin Holbrook, who guided the club to a grand final in his debut season, has quietly bought a $3.35 million hillside home in Merewether, one of the club’s most storied suburbs.

The Gold Coast Bulletin

New survey reveals 97 per cent support for Gold Coast Airport heavy rail extension
A survey of more than 3500 Gold Coast residents has found near-unanimous, 97 per cent support for extending heavy rail to the airport.

Former LNP minister Jann Stuckey slams $10m Sea World hospital funding over Currumbin
A former LNP minister, Jann Stuckey, has broken ranks with the Crisafulli government, accusing it of leaving Currumbin Sanctuary begging while handing $10 million to a commercial theme park for a Sea World wildlife hospital.

Gold Coast’s eroded Narrowneck beach faces eight-year recovery battle after Cyclone Alfred
Gold Coast’s eroded Narrowneck beach faces an eight-year recovery after a battering from Cyclone Alfred, though a new report suggests a permanent solution is being considered.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate faces funding hurdles for beaches, Arena and Lyric Theatre
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s biggest infrastructure ambitions, from beaches to an arena and the Lyric Theatre, are at risk, with insiders warning state government coffers have been drained by the Olympics.

Gold Coast council forces Mermaid Waters homeowner to build emergency flood rescue balcony
A Mermaid Waters homeowner has been forced by the Gold Coast council to build an emergency flood-rescue balcony, a sign of how the city’s planning rules are adapting to the threat of climate-driven flooding.

The West Australian

Hot, barren and treeless estates fill Perth’s fringe as planning laws allow all trees to be bulldozed
Land developers are stripping almost every piece of greenery from new estates, leaving up to 98 per cent of some new Perth suburbs as hot, barren, treeless streets.

House That! Bureaucrat Tim Marney set to downsize from his unique and enormous home in Bayswater
Top WA bureaucrat Tim Marney is set to downsize from his unique and enormous Bayswater home, which he describes, only half-joking, as a 100-square-metre backyard workshop that happens to come with a house.

The Newcastle Herald

‘Why engineers are looking at it and not politicians’: the over or under high speed rail question
All engineering options remain on the table for bringing high-speed rail into Newcastle, federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has confirmed.

The Herald Sun

‘Like a Benny Hill skit’: Residents near planned SRL station want nightmare to end as $100m court saga erupts
Families whose lives have been left on hold by a long dispute between the Suburban Rail Loop and a housing developer are hoping an explosive new $100 million court case will not drag their nightmare out further, with residents near the planned station likening the saga to a Benny Hill skit.