Hamish Geale

It took something special to prise the Grine family from their stunning Warners Bay home. Diane and Victor Grine had scoured the market for three years before finding the perfect treechange property - the old schoolhouse in Brunkerville. Opening in 1870 as Broken Back Public School, 41 Gills Lane became Brunkerville Public School in 1893 and continued operating until its closure in 1962. It was partially converted for residential, but was in a sorry state when it sold for $650,000 in 2018. Its…

A Newcastle-based private high net worth investor has paid $6.65 million for the brand new 7-Eleven in Muswellbrook. The buyer used their superannuation fund to secure the property at 31-33 Maitland Street, which opened in June. The service station brings in about $315,000 net per annum and has a 12-year lease with options for 20 years. RELATED: Huge $6.9 million sale sets new record for Bar Beach $5m Kilaben Bay stunner could be region’s top tennis court home Astonishing Nissen hut renovation…

You’ve heard of drab to fab, now get ready for Nissen hut to Glisten hut. A glammed-up wartime building in Belmont North has hit the market after a 14-year restoration project that transformed it into one of the region’s most unique homes. Named after the British officer who invented them, the semi-cylindrical steel-framed huts were mass-produced in both world wars for defence accommodation, storage shelters and hospitals. In 1951, ex-Prime Minister and then-Immigration Minister Harold Holt s…

A huge Bellbird North subdivision has changed hands for more than $88 million. More than 1600 homes have been touted for a 240-hectare plot of land near Cessnock, 70 of which were completed under previous developers Johnson Property Group. Sydney-based WST Property Group has completed another 40 homes since acquiring one third of the Mount View Grange precinct last November, settling the remaining balance earlier this month. The project, which also takes in a 3.11 hectare retail town centre,…

Merewether’s Hickson Street is fast becoming one of the most expensive addresses in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. Two recent sales worth a combined $10.7 million have catapulted the clifftop road within striking distance of the region’s most exclusive streets, and another big-money transaction could yet be on the way. A stunning five-bedroom home with point-blank views of the Pacific Ocean has hit the market with Belle Property Newcastle’s Daniel Chalhoub. A price guide has not been disclosed…

Two beachfront mansions worth a combined $15 million have solidified Memorial Drive’s reputation as one of Newcastle’s richest streets. One month after the record-setting $6.85 million sale of ‘Ocean View’ at 92 Memorial Drive, two homes just metres either side have been listed with even higher price guides. A $6.95 million asking price has been set for the four-bedroom home at number 80, which was designed by Newcastle architect Matt Sainsbury and built in 2002. The block last sold for $580,…

One of Paul Harragon’s premiership teammates has emerged as the buyer of the former NRL star’s Whitebridge home. Title documents have revealed Newcastle Knights star Adam MacDougall and wife Belinda to be the new owner of the Burwood Road property that sold for more than $7 million in March. The final sale price has now been revealed to be $7,375,000. A two-time premiership winner with the Knights, MacDougall played a 195-game career that took in stints with Sydney Roosters and South Sydney. REL…

Newcastle’s biggest residential sale of 2022 is believed to have been recorded by the off-market transaction of a designer Merewether home. The residence at 12 Janet Street sold for $1.6 million in 2015 before undergoing a knockdown-rebuild. In late 2016, City of Newcastle approved a development application for a $900,000 redevelopment that included a ‘three storey dwelling, associated swimming pool and spa, retaining walls and fencing’. Robinson Property’s Mike Flook briefly listed the 521 squa…

The newly-built Cameron Park Plaza is for sale. Developed by Woolworths’ property development arm Fabcot and opened in 2020, the complex is anchored by Woolworths and BWS outlets. There are 21 other tenancies, including Petstock, Snap Fitness gym and a medical centre. Price expectations have not been disclosed, however, CoreLogic data shows Woolworths sold a smaller shopping centre in Nelson Bay for $26 million in 2018. Another smaller centre in Bulli, near Wollongong, sold for $36 million las…

The $7,275,000 sale of a breathtaking Port Stephens home was the second-biggest auction result in New South Wales last weekend. Early interest had been in the $5 millions for the four-bedroom home at 24 Thurlow Avenue, Nelson Bay, which boasts water views from three levels. The sale price not only blitzed Port Stephens’ two-week-old benchmark - $5.85 million for 52 Kingsley Drive, Boat Harbour - but also tops any residential auction result achieved in Newcastle. It also doubled Nelson Bay’s pre…