“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 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 cityscape sometimes called ‘BrisVegas’ are most certainly there to be enjoyed 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 recent acquisition of this site was more an act of fate.

Ever an agent who loves a good story, Patterson explains: “The property was recently acquired by an experienced local builder and developer who has completed a number of high-end houses in the surrounding area, so he knows the market and what’s expected really well.

“He and his wife and kids were actually looking through another open house across the road when his wife spotted this home and commented that was a property she would love to transform.”

Sam elaborates: “Six weeks later, amazingly, it’s on the market. His mother sends him a photo of the property’s listing in the paper, saying that, growing up, she had always want to live on top of that hill.

Then, he realises the beautiful old Queenslander on Victoria St 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.”

Committed to preserving the character and features of the 1920s Queenslander that was moved to the hilltop site from nearby Morningside earlier in its storied existence, the new owners resolved on a plan to transform the old house into an iconic family home complete with 6 bedrooms, 4 car basement and (as if the views from ground level weren’t enough!) a rooftop entertaining terrace.

At the same time, they realigned the boundaries of the original 854m2 allotment, leaving the character home on a 500m2-plus block and creating a cleverly proportioned separate 301m2 lot with a 12m frontage to Bede St.

And so that has bought them to where they are today, with the option of having not just one but two coveted properties available to sell.

Having engaged 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!), the site’s owner and master builder is hopeful of turning soil and commencing the luxury renovation on the existing Queenslander any day.

In the meantime, Sam explains, “I actually convinced them to let me list the property now, with a couple of different options open to prospective buyers, because I’ve had some really strong enquiry in the area. Plus, product like this just doesn’t come along every day.”

As such, Duke’s marketing team is presenting the two options for the property thus:

1. LAND OF THE FREE – Purchase the vacant 300m2 lot fronting Bede St now and embrace the freedom to design your own small lot dream home.

Or

• 2.  HOME OF THE BRAVE – Be brave and register your interest in the luxury renovation next door, while securing this separate 301m2 title as an additional, generous, breezy backyard. The bold and daring may welcome this rare opportunity to create a stunning hilltop estate unrivalled in the local area, while retaining the option to resell the rear allotment at some stage in the future.

Either way, when it comes to this location, one thing is for sure…

At a site where seeing is believing, both options are worth the call.

To raise your flag on either of these iconic properties, contact Duke Realty now.