Why AURA by Aqualand is attracting the family buyer
While the majority of the first wave of buyers in Aqualand's game changing North Sydney landmark AURA by Aqualand were downsizers, now completion is drawing near, young families are starting to emerge as one of the dominant buyer groups.
The location of AURA by Aqualand, in the heart of North Sydney on Walker Street, puts future residents within close proximity to a number of private schools, as well as the selective public school catchment area for North Sydney.
Directly behind AURA by Aqualand is Wenona School, an independent, secular day and boarding school for girls, offering junior and middle school through to college.
There are plans by Reddam House, one of the top five private schools in New South Wales, to open a new facility in North Sydney, across the road from AURA in the Harry Seidler-designed Simsmetal House at 41 Mclaren Street.
Reddam House has long been one of the most exclusive schools in Sydney. The co-ed, non-denominational school caters for toddlers through to year 12. It's been run by Inspired Education Group since 2019. The only other locations are in the affluent suburbs of Woollahra and Bondi.
Reddam would become one of at least three co-educational private high schools on the north shore after Marist College started admitting girls last year.
Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College is another independent girls' school, only five minutes from AURA by Aqualand. Monte is the oldest independent girls' school on Sydney's North Shore. It is a Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls years 7-12 founded by Sisters of Mercy in 1875.
Two academically selective secondary day schools nearby are the government-funded North Sydney Boys High School and North Sydney Girls High School, known for their rigorous admissions process and academic excellence. The school emphasises a holistic education approach, fostering intellectual and personal development. Its proximity to AURA makes it a practical choice for families seeking free quality education without a lengthy commute.
Other nearby schools less than two kilometres from the property are the North Sydney Girls and Boys Public School, St Thomas North Sydney Preschool, TrEd College and ANZAC Park Public School. There's the Cameragai Montessori Preschool, part of the highly rated Montessori group of preschools, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, and the Australian Catholic University, North Sydney Campus.
The future Victoria Cross Station, which will be open in 2024, will provide easy access to Sydney's extensive university network like the University of Technology Sydney, University of New South Wales, and The University of Sydney.
While schooling is the top priority for parents when looking for somewhere new to live, there's a number of other reasons families are being drawn to AURA by Aqualand.
Generally when buying a residence on the fringe of a business and transport precinct, buyers have to trade in the suburban lifestyle, but not at AURA by Aqualand.
The project is strategically located at the end of Walker Street, just a few hundred metres from St Leonards Park, a go-to for families on weekends.
The 15-hectare park has a custom kids playground, barbecue areas and large expanses of open lawn space perfect for children. The park is also home to the famous North Sydney Oval, the Bon Andrews Oval and Cunningham Pavilion, as well as netball courts, cricket nets, and bowling greens. The North Sydney Oval complex also homes commercial and retail outlets, as well as a childcare centre.
Less than a 20-minute walk from the front doors of AURA by Aqualand is also Forsyth Park and Anderson Park, the latter not far from Neutral Bay village.
Not only is AURA by Aqualand ideally located for parents with education and parks on the doorstep, the size of the apartments are also why parents are so keen on low-maintenance apartment living.
AURA's oversized apartments exceed the North Sydney Council's minimum building requirements by a large margin.
The standard size for a two-bedroom apartment in the area is 80 sqm, with AURA’s measuring 95 sqm, plus a wintergarden, making them well over 100 sqm in total.
AURA’s design was revised three times to increase the size of the apartments, with the initial plan decreasing from 448 residences to 386.
A number of the apartments include a multi-purpose room, which can be set up as a media room, home office, or a kids living room and homework space.
Yet another motivation for parents is the onsite amenity within the building. AURA by Aqualand will feature an indoor swimming pool and a sky deck with barbecue space and sweeping views over the whole of Sydney.
For busy parents, there's also a gym fitted with equipment from leading fitness brand Technogym. The ground level of the building will home to an exciting retail precinct with a providore, bakery, café and wine bar, an all-day diner and a contemporary Japanese restaurant.
Construction at AURA by Aqualand is advancing quickly, with the external building structure now finished. The grounds works for the retail precinct has started. Aqualand is expecting residents to be moving into their apartments by mid-2024.
AURA by Aqualand represents the fifth residential project delivered by Aqualand since the company’s launch in 2014.
