“Oh, say can you see
by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed
at the twilight’s last gleaming?”
As you stand atop a certain hilltop site in the beautiful, leafy-green, inner Brisbane suburb of Balmoral, the answer to the question posed by those familiar strains is almost certainly an emphatic “Yes!”
Because it doesn’t matter if it’s dusk or dawn here, at the corner of Balmoral’s prestigious Bede and Victoria Streets. Come day or come night, those panoramic vistas of the Brisbane cityscape are there to be worshipped as far as the eye can see.
“Honestly, it’s just one of the most amazing sites you could be lucky enough to find in the area,” assures local selling agent Sam Patterson, owner and director of Duke Realty. But the property’s current owner presents an alternative theory to luck; instead insisting his acquisition of this site was more an act of fate.
Patterson (ever an agent who loves a good story!) explains: “The property was acquired almost two years ago by an experienced local builder and developer responsible for a number of high-end houses in the surrounding area – a guy who knows the local market and what’s required to produce a stand-out family home.
“He and his wife and kids were actually looking through another open house across the road when his wife spotted this property and commented that it was the kind of house she’d really love to transform.”
Sam elaborates: “Six weeks later, amazingly, it’s on the market and his mother sends him a photo of the property’s listing in the paper, saying that, growing up in the area, she had always wanted to live on top of that hill.
Then, after driving by, he realises this beautiful Victoria Street Queenslander also sits at the corner of Bede St – the street where he passed up on buying one of his very first houses and had always regretted it. Well, that was it…he bought it at auction, figuring it was meant to be!”
The house itself has long stood as an icon in the area as one of just four homes to first sit atop Victoria Street’s imposing hill. Having been moved to its hilltop site by bullock dray from its original location in Morningside, the home has enjoyed a storied existence despite having had only a few longstanding owners, including a local family who regularly hosted and entertained American soldiers there during World War II.
Committed to preserving the character and features of this graceful 1920s Queenslander, the new owners resolved on a plan to transform the old house into an iconic family residence complete with 5+ bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, a 4 car basement and numerous indoor and outdoor living and entertaining spaces, celebrating not just the home’s reconfigured 550m2 block size and unrivalled corner position, but also its spectacular city views.
After engaging acclaimed Brisbane architect David Hansford of DAH Architecture who was responsible for transforming the amazing and historic “Church House” in nearby Norman Park (do yourself a favour, look it up!), recent progress on site sees the home unfolding across three expansive levels in accordance with an ultimate family-friendly floorplan perfectly balancing communal spaces with opportunities for privacy and retreat.
On the top floor, a palatial master suite occupies the home’s entire west wing, while a bridge alongside the soaring void leads to a separate zone containing three large bedrooms, one boasting its own private ensuite and all enjoying generous walk-in-robes. Additionally, an upper level rumpus/bar with its own private and elevated viewing deck/entertaining terrace provides an ideal vantage point from which to survey the city and suburb, as if the views from ground level were not enough!
At ground, upon entry you are delivered at left to another privately ensuited guest bedroom with its own front access or, at right, to a large home office with French doors extending onto the home’s front terrace then flowing beyond to a generous yard. Six metre ceilings soar high above a main lounge, which proceeds effortlessly to a large, open-plan dining and stunning kitchen boasting Italian marble benchtops, custom cabinetry, feature lighting and a full suite of sophisticated Miele appliances including dual ovens and dishwashers. Embracing the very best in Queensland living, these spaces then all open onto a wide, tiled entertaining terrace overlooking the yard and a crystalline, city-view pool.
Still yet below, a cavernous basement provides not only abundant storage space and accommodation for at least 4 cars, but also another entertaining space in the form of a secret hideway, offering an opportunity to put your own spin on this bonus room. Cellar? Whiskey bar? Poker den? Pool room? Or perhaps, a home gymnasium? Rarely is this kind of abundant space and flexibility found in a family home.
With the site’s owner and master builder on track for an early-2022 completion date on the luxury renovation of this character Queenslander, Patterson has instead opted to take the property to market now. As Sam explains, “I convinced the owners to let me list the property early given the incredibly strong demand we are experiencing in the local area. Given that this will be a landmark home in one of Brisbane’s best performing and most highly sought after premier suburbs, I’m committed to taking the time now to once more find the perfect owner who will also appreciate and fall in love with this property because family homes like this don’t just come along everyday.”
Indeed, it is said that fortune favours the brave, so be bold and seek to raise your flag and stake your claim on this iconic property now by contacting Sam Patterson today. Floorplans and finishes can be provided upon request, with private advance now available. Though, when it comes to this location, one thing is for sure…
At a site where seeing is believing, an early option to secure this soon-to-be completed spectacular residence is definitely worth the call.
