dwell. on the Northern Beaches. 060820

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Suburb Profile. Mona Vale, 2103 Photo: Mark Merton / Sydney Images Locals praise their village ‘pocket’, with its lifestyle options and improved transport access to the CBD. By Kate Farrelly When Phil Hunt moved from Bondi to Mona Vale, he was looking for a better lifestyle. That was 35 years ago and he hasn’t looked back. “It’s God’s country, you can’t beat it,” he tells Dwell. “I’ve spent a lot of time all over the world and everything about Mona Vale is the best of the best.” An ex-president and club captain of winter swimming club the Pittwater Pirates, Hunt can be found most Sunday mornings (COVID restrictions permitting) swimming laps at Mona Vale’s ocean pool. The 30 or so Pirates take their swimming pretty seriously and as a result they’re one of the few clubs on the northern beaches that hold three Australian championship medals in the 10-person relay. “We’re renowned in the winter swimming community Australia-wide and we’re pretty proud of what we’ve achieved,” Hunt says, noting the pre- and post-swim camaraderie helps keep everyone motivated as temperatures plummet. When he’s not in the water Hunt loves to walk along the beach, have a beer at Park House or an Italian feed at Amici di Toni. The locals are spoilt for choice when it comes to wining and dining, with cafes and restaurants in the village centre offering everything Median house price: $1.75 million Median unit price: $1,061,250 Population: 10,670 Dwellings: 4347 from Indian, Japanese and Thai to modern Australian and Vietnamese. Many business owners are Mona Vale locals with a genuine passion for the area. And for Sydney CBD commuters, Mona Vale is the starting point for the B-Line bus service with five-minute frequency during peak periods. At the LJ Hooker Mona Vale office, all of the sales staff, including principal Lachlan Elder, live in the suburb. “I love it because I can wake up in the morning, walk out my door and be on the beach within a 10-minute walk or on Pittwater in two minutes,” Elder says. A surfing and boating enthusiast, Elder has watched the suburb evolve over 35 years and says it remains a top spot for bringing up a family. “There’s a lot more development now with new units and townhouses, but it’s not much different to when I first came here, just more cosmopolitan.” Raine & Horne Mona Vale sales director Ben Spackman moved to the area in 2012 and says there’s nothing like the northern beaches as far as village community life is concerned. “I’ve got three little kids and we just love it here,” he says. “Mona Vale is a unique pocket… I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in Sydney.” Market snapshot. There are two main demographics vying for property in the suburb, says Spackman: young families keen to buy within the Mona Vale Public School catchment, and downsizers from both the northern beaches and upper north shore. Spackman says the amenities of the big central village are a key drawcard. “Both downsizers and younger families like to be within walking distance of the shops and schools and local attractions,” he says. Beachside properties continue to attract the highest prices, both with and without ocean views. Spackman relates he sold 70 Surfview Road, a “knockdown with no view”, for $3.5 million in May in a hotly contested auction, and he’s fielding good interest for nearby 7 Basset Street with a price guide of $4 million to $4.2 million. He’s also just listed an awardwinning Chateau home on a 900 square-metre block in Eric Green Drive, opposite Winnererremy Bay and parklands, with a price guide of $4.8 million. “I still think we’re grossly undervalued [in Mona Vale] for such a good lifestyle,” he says. “We’re getting a lot of attention on some of our lifestyle properties from out-ofarea buyers who perceive good value here. We’re also getting Manly buyers who see better value, so they keep coming down the beaches and pushing prices up.” 6 August 8, 2020 <strong>dwell</strong>.sydney
You Must See. On Trend. Low-maintenance gardens 6 Halesmith Road It doesn’t get much more family friendly than Courallie, a substantial two-storey home set in a tightly held waterfront street. It’s right across the road from Winji Jimmi Reserve and a short stroll from both the Pittwater Aquatic Club & Marina and the popular Winnererremy Bay parklands and café. You’ll find four living spaces on the ground floor, including a formal lounge with fireplace and a conservatory-style eat-in kitchen. The five bedrooms are upstairs plus a fifth living room opening to a balcony claiming leafy bay views. Additional features include three bathrooms, a triple garage and level lawns surrounding a pool and spa. $3 million – $3.3 million; auction August 29. Belle Property Seaforth – Justine Hallows 0419 616 596 30 Bassett Street Who needs thongs and a towel when you’re this close to the beach? Positioned a two-minute walk from the sand and surf, this three-bedroom beach cottage is proving equally appealing to both owner-occupiers and the weekender market. Selling agent Lachlan Elder says the owners received DA approval for a new two-storey home back in 2012 so there’s likely to be opportunity to capitalise on the site with a renovation or rebuild. The existing home offers a timber-topped gas kitchen, two bathrooms, two living spaces and a covered verandah stepping down to a courtyard and a carspace. $2.5 million; auction. LJ Hooker Mona Vale – Lachlan Elder 0418 224 180 It’s always seemed rather contradictory to scroll through property listing photos depicting manicured lawns and neatly clipped hedges married with the description “low-maintenance gardens”. It begs the question: If you want a good-looking garden, can it really ever be lowmaintenance? “There is such a thing as a lowmaintenance garden,” says Justin Foley, owner of Foley’s Nursery in Warriewood. “We have been helping customers with that for a few years now. People are so time-poor but they still want something that looks good and looks looked-after.” The trick, says Foley, is to mix and match hardy, strikinglooking plants with softer-looking species (below) and to remember there’s a difference between low maintenance and no maintenance. Most gardens will still require a little extra care when they are first established, and the occasional watering or feeding. But a truly lowmaintenance garden won’t require hours of labour week in, week out. Foley says popular plant choices for reluctant gardeners include drought-tolerant succulents and plants like yuccas and dragon trees. These can make great features plants alongside a variety of agaves and aloes. “You can choose plants like these that are quite strong-looking, structural and sculptural,” Foley says. To soften the effect, consider Do they really exist? a plant like French lavender, which copes well with both droughts and frost and puts on a spectacular display of purple flowers; or choose something else from the “silvers”. “Silver has been a big thing in gardens over the past few years,” Foley says, giving the example of olive trees, which may even bear fruit. Other options include silver falls (a great ground cover) and blue fescue, an ornamental grass. There is a catch though. Foley says hardy plants like succulents and silvers generally originate in hot sunny climes which means you’ll need direct sunlight for them to thrive in your garden. “There are lots of local gardens that are shaded by larger trees or neighbouring houses,” Foley says. “All of a sudden you’re getting plants tailor-made for opposite conditions. They might grow but they might not be as healthy and they may eventually die.” So what to do in shady spaces? “Go for traditional shade plants like the birds nest fern,” Foley says. “People also like to use rhapis palms and strelitzia, which is commonly known as the giant bird of paradise, in pots and there’s a whole assortment of ginger plants.” You can also introduce tropical plants like calatheas, which often ‘Walk down to the beach and see what’s growing...’ have highly decorative foliage. “Calatheas have been a driving force in shade plants because of their big, interesting leaves,” Foley says. “They do enjoy a warmer climate, but not necessarily direct sunlight.” Keep in mind that coastal gardens often come with sandy soil that drains quickly, so choose plant varieties that tolerate these conditions or adjust the soil base. Banksias, coastal tea trees, spear lilies and native pigface generally grow well by the ocean. “Walk down to the beach and see what’s growing,” Foley say. “You instantly know [these plants] must be tough because they’ve got to deal with all the elements including a coastal sea breeze and full sun.” And if you’re looking to include something edible in your lowmaintenance garden, Foley suggests parsley or rosemary rather than citrus which tend to need quite a bit of love and attention. “Rosemary is really tough and it likes coastal conditions,” he says. It can also serve double duty filling up empty nooks in garden beds or planted en masse alongside lavender. If you’re looking for more tips on easy-care gardening, Foley and his staff are happy to offer suggestions and advice regardless of whether you’re ready to buy plants. <strong>dwell</strong>.sydney August 8, 2020 7
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dwell. on the Northern Beaches. 060820

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