‘Reverse sea changers’ return to city life as West End penthouse fetches $5.25 million
‘Reverse sea changers’ are returning to Brisbane as the city’s vibrant culture, food and lifestyle offering comes of age.
Sekisui House Australia sold its penthouse atop Altura, in its multi-award winning West End masterplan, West Village, to a couple coming from a large home on Sovereign Island.
The penthouse was purchased for $5.25 million by business owners Leo Nipperess and partner Brett Park, who were drawn to the expansive 368 sqm layout complete with multiple living and entertaining zones, five bedrooms, four bathrooms and multiple balconies, only 800m from the Brisbane CBD.
Nipperess, after owning more than 25 properties, cited the lifestyle offering of West Village convinced them to relocate from their expansive waterfront home on the Gold Coast to the house-like proportions of the Altura penthouse.
“Brisbane has certainly come of age,” Nipperess said.
“We owned a place at West End years ago, and it’s incredible how much West Village has lifted the entire area."
Nipperess first purchased in West Village as an investment and spent nine months living in an apartment in the Arcadia building.
“After we inspected the Altura penthouse, we decided to make the move permanently. You feel like you’re coming home to a six-star hotel. We just love it here,” Nipperess added.
Nipperess and Park say they don’t regret their decision to leave behind the often too-quiet coastal lifestyle and grueling commute on the M1 Motorway.
“The difference is you come home from work and there's a whole other life to enjoy,’’ Nipperess said.
“Any night of the week here we can walk downstairs to restaurants or collect fresh food for dinner, it’s just so easy, and day or night there are different views to enjoy from every window.
“I think the friendliness at Altura was something we didn't expect, and the sense of community is quite unique.
“We look forward to entertaining at home and enjoying the resident amenities, especially the pool and spa right above us and the working from home space.”
Taku Hashimoto, Project Director, Apartment and Mixed-Use Developments at Sekisui House Australia, said there had been a noticeable trend of buyers returning from their pandemic-inspired sea-change back to Brisbane.
“Leo and Brett are among a growing number of buyers at West Village who are relocating from the Gold Coast to be closer to work, without sacrificing lifestyle,” Hashimoto said.
“West Village is a unique inner-city community where convenience, sustainability, and residential living coexist.
“There are more than 30 retailers, restaurants and health and wellness providers here, anchored by Harris Farm Markets and Woolworths.
“Major hospitals, schools and universities, and Brisbane’s CBD, are all nearby, as well as the river walk which connects West Village to South Bank’s cultural and parkland precinct. Everything is at your doorstep.”
Altura, Brisbane’s first neuroarchitecture building, sold out ahead of its completion in September last year. West Village’s latest apartment release, The Allere Collection, is under construction and over 95 per cent sold. With the final Opulent Release recently going to market, only a handful of four and five-bedroom residences remain.
