It's still crowded atop Sydney's penthouse market offerings

The Manassen small goods family have listed their Bennelong apartment with $13 million expectations, given plans to remain on the Mosman harbourfront compound.

The two-storey penthouse at 7 Macquarie Street (pictured above) was bought in 2011 for $12 million from the bulky goods entrepreneur Brett Blundy.

The now renovated four bedroom four bathroom apartment has 600 square metre space, including a 190 square metre balcony deck space. It has been listed through Bill Malouf of LJ Hooker Double Bay.

There hasn't been much sales success since when I last tallied the number of prestige apartments on the market with the weekly He Said, She Said, Property Observer columnist Margie Blok.

A 24th floor whole floor apartment in The Quay on Phillip Street, overlooking Circular Quay has been listed through Morton & Morton at $12.5 million.

There has been the recent sale of Frank Tagg's Market Street penthouse after years on and off the market, but prestige penthouse offerings are still at plague proportions.

Apartment 3510/70 Market Street (pictured below) cost $4.5 million off the plan in early 2000 when the McDonalds franchisee Frank Tagg bought into the complex.  It sits high above the Myer CBD retail development, in Tower Apartments. Apparently it sold through Sothebys agent Richard Cooper at around $8 million. Back in 2003 it was expected to bring more than $11 million, then in 2007 more than $8 million was tipped.

Tagg, the former Western Suburbs first-grade footballer relisted the 640-square-metre Market Street penthouse when he and wife Sally move into their Rose Bay residence several years ago.

There has also been the sale of the penthouse atop The Georgia which was listed for sale at more than $10 million with expressions of interest through Jason Boon at Richardson & Wrench Elizabeth Bay after being developed by the hotelier Chris Crawley.

It was for sale under instructions of receivers PPB Advisory. It has settled with the $10.95 million price revealed in its purchase by philanthropic Americans John Alchin and Hal Marryatt.

The Georgian on 22 Macleay Street was finished in 2010, with Crawley retaining the three-level penthouse as his own. It has 680 square metres of space with a rooftop pool and panoramic views stretching from the city skyline to The Heads.

The top apartments that still remain for sale include:

1) The ultimate - well priciest - trophy penthouse listing currently on offer is at 1 Macquarie Street overlooking Circular Quay (pictured below). In the Bennelong complex directly behind the Opera House, it is for sale with price hopes of more than $30 million. There is now a June 10 expressions of interest campaign.

Originally designed as four separate apartments, this enormous harbourside penthouse was consolidated by hoteliers Cyril and Margaret Maloney after the couple purchased four units off-the-plan in 1999 for almost $14 million. The penthouse has been listed for the second time in five years. In 2010 it was listed with a $30 million price tag, but failed to sell.

Following the death of Mr Maloney last year, his widow has placed the property on the market through Bill Malouf of LJ Hooker Double Bay and Michael Pallier of Sotheby's International. With annual strata fees reported to be well over $100,000, the 700 square metre apartment has its own lift lobby, a wine cellar, billiards room, a grand main bedroom suite, dressing rooms and a multimillion-dollar view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House concourse. There are also five car spaces on title.

Malouf and Pallier suggest the penthouse will attract an international buyer due to its unique landmark position in the dress circle between Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. 

2) In second place, with reported $20 million hopes, is the Darling Point penthouse of the late Macquarie Bank co-founder David Clarke. With about 740 squares metres of Babworth House (pictured below), the Arts and Crafts mansion built in 1915 for retailer Sir Samuel Hordern, the Mount Adelaide Street apartment was bought by Clarke in 2003 for $8 million.

Architect Michael Suttor and designer Michael Love collaborated on its interiors, which boast a grand reception hall, sweeping staircase, study, gym, and formal and informal living areas. Clark’s widow Jane Clarke has it listed with Sotheby’s Michael Pallier.

3) The next most expensive is the Darlinghurst penthouse of high-rise Horizon which remains for sale after it was withdrawn from auction last weekend through Bill Bridges of Ballard Property.

Crowning the distinctive Harry Seidler-designed tower, the 43rd-floor penthouse (pictured below) is owned by Tasmania’s gambling arts patron, David Walsh, who’s the proprietor of the much-admired MONA gallery and Moorilla Estate vineyard. Walsh had listed his penthouse with $16 million price expectations.

To entice buyers and sweeten a deal for prospective purchasers, he was to offer the buyer select artworks from his private collection, including a watercolour triptych on paper by John Olsen to remain, though it makes more sense to keep the oil painting by Michael Johnson in situ. Walsh bought the penthouse from property developer Lang Walker in 2002 for $10 million through Bridges - it exceeded Sydney's then $8-million penthouse record.

4) The Residence on College Street overlooking Hyde Park still has a sub-penthouse (pictured below) remaining for sale with $16 million hopes.

Known as The Archibald, it was withdrawn from recent auction by CBRE agent Ben Stewart. I honed in recently on the mystery $17 million buyer of The Residence's true penthouse known as The Sulman and luckily numbered 88 in the building.

The buyer is Huang Shannian with clues about him coinciding with a person of the same name who featured on the 2009 Huran Richest Chinese People list at 88th place before disappearing from public view. With 690 square metres of space, the three-bedroom Archibald sub-penthouse has panoramic views and includes a private pool and spa, a rooftop kitchen and outdoor terraces.

5) At Bondi Beach, a pair of penthouses, owned by celebrity accountant and yachtie Anthony Bell, is listed for sale by expressions of interest closing March 28 through McGrath agent, James Dack.  

Atop The Bondi, a modern complex on Campbell Parade, the two penthouses were purchased by Bell for $7,725,000 in 2006 and then a supposed $9 million in 2010. Each has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, large open-plan living spaces, a Calacutta marble kitchen and a staircase leading up to an enormous rooftop entertainment deck. Bell and his Getaway presenter wife, Kelly Landry, are off to a waterfront house at Watsons Bay bought for $12.5 million last year.

There have been $15 million reported expectations for Bell’s pair of penthouses in The Bondi.

6) There are $15 million-plus hopes for The Eliza penthouse on Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Developed by Edward Doueihi of Ceerose, The Eliza is under construction and due for completion this year.

Spanning three levels overlooking Hyde Park, the 460-square-metre penthouse will sit atop a 17-storey building designed by the architects Tony Owen Partners.

It features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a home theatre, a private lift, 3.5-metre-high ceilings, a massive 13.5-metre frontage overlooking the park and full automation through C-Bus. The top level comprises the entertainment terrace with a 10-metre lap pool.

Many of the lower floor sales have been through Savills. The full floor offerings are being marketed by Nigel Napoli and Irene Lau of Savills, in conjunction with Richard Shalhoub and Hamish Robertson of McGrath.

7) Some years after completion, The Stamford Residences penthouse at 171 Gloucester Street (pictured below), Sydney remains listed with $15 million expectations.

In 2007 when, when the Stamford Residences was the latest high-rise in The Rocks, the four-bedroom penthouse was been listed with $16 million-plus expectations.

With Thomas Hamel designed interiors and numbered 28A in the Kahn Finch-designed building, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom penthouse has 567 square metres of indoor and outdoor space with views to the north and west, and frontages to Gloucester and Cumberland streets. It is listed through Colin Griffin of CBRE Residential Projects.

8) Two adjoining apartments in Highgate are offered for the first time together (pictured below).

With $12 million hopes, the two most northern penthouse apartments, numbered 2802 and 2803, have a total of around 600 square metres which includes eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, vast living areas and parking for five cars. Robert Alfeldi of Feldi Property Agents has the offering.