Friday on my mind: The workers avoiding the CBD
Staff incentives fail to fire with workers as NSW State Government gets a jump start on the weekend
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Massages, pilates classes, free food and beverages and discounted parking have not been enough to lure office staff back to the CBD, a commercial property expert said this week.
Head of research at Ray White Commercial, Vanessa Rader said despite best efforts by employers, staff have been less inclined to come into the city on Fridays, prompting calls for the introduction of a four-day week.
“While office owners and employers are doing their bit to encourage staff interaction in the office by way of perks and experiences such as massages, pilates classes, free cannolis and iced lattes, occupancy levels remain subdued,” she said. “Now Transport NSW has weighed in, Sydney’s public transport prices are set to increase next month, weekly caps however have remained unchanged and Friday is now considered a weekend.”
Last weekend, NSW Transport announced that weekend fares will also apply on Fridays, providing all-day travel for no more than $8.90 for adults on metro, train, light rail and bus services.
“However, half-price trips after eight journeys will no longer be available when the fare change comes into effect,” the statement said. “Fewer people are travelling five days a week, resulting in lower uptake of the half- price trips benefit, which has dropped from 24 percent pre-Covid to 14 percent in 2023.”
City office vacancies are at their highest rates since the late 1990s, with Sydney and Melbourne recording 11.5 percent and 15 percent respectively. Ms Rader said there were several factors keeping occupancy rates consistently low.
“The prolonged historically low 3.7 percent unemployment rate is a stumbling block for many businesses, the lack of quality talent leading to employers having to provide greater flexibility to secure quality staff,” she said. “Hybrid working models allow remote working, be it from home, in regional areas or even interstate with limited need for “in the office” interaction continuing to be commonplace.”
However, data released by CoreLogic last month showed the desire for regional areas has cooled, with key areas such as the Richmond-Tweed, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands in NSW and Ballarat and Geelong in Victoria experiencing falls in values between -10.4 percent and -20.4 percent, indicating a return to city areas.
In the meantime, Ms Rader said the case for a four-day week to entice workers back to the city while maintaining work-life balance is growing.
“The mandating of staff back into the workplace for a four-day week, would do much to stimulate the office market’s demand for space, while promoting better work/life balance, reduced stress and growth in health benefits,” she said. “(This would) leave the three-day weekend to explore Sydney on public transport at a discounted rate, or travelling across toll roads, growing family time and healthy lifestyle habits.”
The 1860s Darlinghurst mansion Stoneleigh could become Sydney’s most expensive home ever sold under the hammer when it goes to auction. Clint Ballard is giving buyers a $28 million guide for the heritage-listed mansion on Darley Street, opposite Iona, the former home of Hollywood royalty Baz Luhrmann. Stoneleigh is being offered for sale for the …
Set on one of the city’s last absolute riverfront sites, The Riversdale by Mosaic combines irreplaceable waterfront ownership with one of Brisbane’s most significant residential opportunities.
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Byron Bay’s most compelling homes have always taken their cues from the climate. They open to the breeze, dissolve the boundary between inside and out and use tropical landscaping to create privacy without shutting out the natural world.
At 17 Kendall Street, those familiar coastal ideas have been elevated into something more architectural.
The five-bedroom residence is designed around a spectacular open-air courtyard, creating a private internal landscape where glass, stone, timber and water meet. Floor-to-ceiling glazing draws natural light into the interiors while framing the heated swimming pool and established tropical gardens from multiple points within the home.
The home was originally built in 2016, but underwent a major renovation last year following its $5.3 million sale in 2023. Sotheby’s Byron Bay agent Will Phillips has a $15 million price guide.
The transformation focused on both the home’s scale and its level of detail. Soaring voids and bold architectural forms create drama, but the material palette keeps the atmosphere warm. Rich timber, natural stone and handcrafted finishes temper the contemporary lines, allowing the residence to feel calm rather than imposing.
A sculptural spiral staircase forms the architectural centrepiece, connecting the home’s different spaces while providing a strong visual counterpoint to the horizontal lines of the courtyard and pool.
The planning is centred on connection. Multiple living and entertaining areas open to covered terraces, enabling the house to expand and contract according to the occasion. Smaller spaces support quiet family life, while the principal living zones and alfresco areas can accommodate considerably larger gatherings.
At the centre, the courtyard operates as more than an impressive arrival feature. It brings light and garden views deep into the plan, provides separation between the home’s different wings and creates a protected outdoor environment for year-round living.
Accommodation comprises five generously proportioned bedroom suites supported by five designer bathrooms. Their distribution through the residence gives family members and guests a greater sense of privacy, while the tropical outlook maintains a consistent connection between rooms.
Wellness Wing
The home’s most distinctive inclusion may be its dedicated wellness wing.
A private sauna, gym, Zen room and traditional Japanese soaking bath combine to create a retreat within the retreat. Rather than treating wellness as a single-purpose gym placed in a leftover room, the design gives it a dedicated sequence of spaces intended to support exercise, recovery and quiet.
The Japanese soaking bath is especially appropriate to the home’s broader architecture. Compact, deep and designed for immersion rather than conventional bathing, it complements the restraint of the Zen room and the calming views into the garden.
Outside, the heated pool and covered dining terraces provide the more social side of resort living. Tropical landscaping creates privacy around the residence, while the courtyard design allows greenery to remain visible throughout much of the interior.
Belongil Boom
The location adds another dimension to the property. Kendall Street sits near the Belongil side of Byron Bay, within walking distance of Belongil Beach and local dining including Belongil Bistro, Treehouse, Féu and the town centre’s broader collection of cafés, restaurants and boutiques.
That northern pocket is increasingly emerging as a prestige counterweight to Wategos and the tightly held Marine Parade strip at the opposite end of Byron Bay.
Much of the most visible investment has centred on nearby Border Street and the Belongil beachfront. Hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes has assembled four residential holdings in the neighbourhood at a reported combined cost of about $45 million. His acquisitions include a beachfront holding bought for $16 million in 2023 and a subsequent creek-front purchase.
The Block judge and interior designer Darren Palmer and his husband, Olivier Duvillard, have also moved into the precinct, paying $4.2 million for an original home with creek views.
Luxury developer and builder GRAYA has made an even larger commitment. The Brisbane group acquired a substantial Border Street beachfront site for about $20.65 million in 2024, with plans for a major trophy-home project. Part of that holding was subsequently sold in a transaction that underlined how dramatically land values have moved.
The strongest evidence came from Chemist Warehouse director Damien Gance and his wife, Sasha Robertson. The couple paid $33.5 million in cash for the beachfront residence Malia, setting a Byron Bay house-price record and surpassing the $30 million sale of Watermark at Wategos in 2023. They then reportedly spent another $20 million securing the neighbouring vacant parcel, taking their combined Belongil investment to $53.5 million.
Those transactions do not make Kendall Street directly comparable with absolute beachfront property. They do, however, illustrate the growing weight of capital and attention shifting towards Byron Bay’s northern edge.
For decades, Marine Parade at Wategos has been the region’s clearest shorthand for trophy property. Border Street and the wider Belongil precinct are now building a comparable identity, supported by larger holdings, beachfront scarcity and an expanding concentration of prominent owners.
Property details
- Address: 17 Kendall Street, Byron Bay, NSW
- Location: Near Belongil Beach and Byron Bay town centre
- Original construction: 2016
- Last sale: $5.3 million in 2023
- Renovation: Major renovation completed in 2025
- Current price guide: $15 million
- Bedrooms: Five
- Bathrooms: Five
- Key features: Central open-air courtyard, heated swimming pool, tropical landscaping and multiple indoor-outdoor living areas
- Wellness facilities: Sauna, Zen room, gym and traditional Japanese soaking bath
- Nearby: Belongil Beach, Belongil Bistro, Féu and Treehouse
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