The Defence Property Story Everyone is Reacting to…
The Defence
Property Story
Everyone is
Reacting to…
The latest Defence announcement – a plan to divest more than 60 military properties nationwide, including major historic sites like Victoria Barracks in Sydney – has reignited a familiar fear across the market: is Sydney about to be flooded with new housing supply? Buyers see headlines about a “sell-off” and immediately imagine cranes, rezonings and thousands of new dwellings appearing in tightly held suburbs.
Having a closer look at what’s actually being proposed. The federal government’s 2026 Defence Estate Audit is about reshaping under-utilised assets, raising roughly $1.8 billion to reinvest into Defence capability, not fast-tracking residential development. Many of the sites flagged – including heritage barracks and harbour-adjacent facilities – face years of relocation, remediation, heritage approvals and political negotiation before any future use is decided. History shows this clearly. HMAS Platypus, transferred in 2015, became largely education, hospitality and community space rather than a housing estate. Georges Heights, Middle Head and Chowder Bay span more than 100 hectares of harbourland yet delivered only minimal residential outcomes after years under public stewardship. Even iconic assets like Cockatoo Island remain largely preserved. The emotional reality behind today’s headlines is this: Defence land releases rarely create sudden supply. They unfold slowly, under scrutiny, and more often reinforce just how little can actually be built in Sydney’s most coveted locations.
Knight Frank’s Global Ultra-Prime Property Report
Knight Frank’s
Global Ultra-Prime
Property Report
Knight Frank’s latest Global Super-Prime Intelligence report tracked 474 residential sales above $14 million across 12 major cities in Q3 2025, totalling $11.95 billion – a softer quarter on the surface, with activity down 21% and average deal values easing to $25.3 million. However, beneath the headlines sits a much more reassuring story for Australian property. Dubai still led the world with 103 transactions worth $2.8 billion, while New York and Los Angeles slowed amid political noise and supply constraints – a reminder that even the world’s deepest markets experience pauses.
Sydney has quietly moved the other way, recording 33 $19.6m+ deals – up 14% quarter-on-quarter – signalling that global capital continues to see Australia as stable, transparent and livable when uncertainty rises elsewhere. For local buyers, the emotional takeaway is that while quarterly numbers fluctuate, the 12-month total still reached 2,185 ultra-prime transactions worth more than $56.2 billion, underscoring a deep pool of long-term wealth chasing quality assets. In a world where politics, tax changes and supply cycles constantly shift sentiment overseas, Sydney’s scarcity and lifestyle appeal don’t just hold up – they increasingly look like a safe harbour for global capital.
Strong Start to 2026 – Bondi Home Delivered.
Strong Start to 2026
– Bondi Home
Delivered.
We kicked off the year by securing a beautifully renovated semi on Wellington Street, Bondi Beach – an architect-designed home blending original character with modern indoor-outdoor living just moments from the sand. Turnkey properties of this calibre remain tightly held, making it a standout acquisition in one of Sydney’s most competitive lifestyle markets.
The Stories Behind Our 2026 Around the Block’s (so far).
The Stories Behind
Our 2026 Around
the Block’s (so far).
This year, our Around The Block (ATB) episodes have taken a closer look at the moments in history that quietly shaped some of Sydney’s most tightly held neighbourhoods – the stories that sit beneath today’s property values. From Kings Cross to Paddington, we’ve unpacked how politics, planning decisions and local resistance didn’t just influence architecture, but ultimately determined what survived – and what buyers are competing for today.
In Kings Cross, we revisited the dramatic fight over Victoria Street in the 1970s – a proposed 45-storey tower, forced evictions, and the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen that stopped redevelopment in its tracks. Meanwhile, Paddington’s episode traced how a suburb once labelled a slum avoided wholesale demolition thanks to Green Bans and community action, preserving the terrace-lined streets now synonymous with its appeal. If you haven’t seen them yet, you can watch both episodes now on our Instagram and YouTube – they’re a reminder that understanding Sydney property often means understanding the history beneath it.
