Melbourne’s top five new penthouses to buy in 2025
Penthouses are smashing suburb records across Melbourne. From South Yarra to Alphington, these five new sky-high homes lead the luxury pack in 2025.
5 min
Penthouses have long represented the pinnacle of luxury living, but in Melbourne’s most sought-after inner suburbs, they’re now also setting suburb records—sometimes surpassing the price of standalone houses.
One recent sale in Fitzroy saw a penthouse atop the under-construction Fitzroy development change hands for $10 million, with an additional $3.5 million to be spent on the fitout—a new benchmark for the area.
It was the same story in Camberwell, where the penthouse crowning Victoria Hill by Time & Place sold off the plan for more than $15 million, another suburb record.
While Melbourne’s skyline remains more restrained than Sydney’s, its penthouses are growing more ambitious in scale and design. Most crown boutique developments are between 10 and 20 storeys high, taking advantage of uninterrupted views and prime, walkable locations.
Developers are pushing the boundaries of height and amenity, with rooftop pools, private lifts, sculptural interiors, and expansive outdoor spaces becoming the norm at the high end.
From South Yarra’s $19.5 million Art Deco-inspired showpiece to a heritage-blending super penthouse in Alphington and a rare full-floor offering in East Melbourne, we’ve rounded up the top five new penthouse apartments currently on the market in 2025.
South Yarra House, South Yarra
One of the priciest new penthouses on the market can be found in South Yarra, one of Melbourne’s premier suburbs. Joint venture partners Wattletree and Dorman Capital are asking $19.5 million for the penthouse of its under-construction new development, South Yarra House.
The two-level, full-floor penthouse, with interiors by Hecker Guthrie, will have four bedrooms, one of which is a master suite pitched as “one of the most luxurious spaces in Melbourne.” It will come with a walk-in wardrobe, an ensuite with a sculpted marble bath and natural stone floor and wall tiles, and a private terrace with north-west facing views of the city.
There will be a glass-wrapped rooftop terrace, on the 20th-level of the building, which will feature an alfresco and outdoor kitchen, and a raised lap pool.
South Yarra House has been designed by SJB Architects to reflect South Yarra’s rich Art Deco history.
“South Yarra House takes subtle cues from its surrounds, and the heritage buildings dotted throughout, and blends it with a modernist sensibility to create an outcome of clarity, elegance and distinction,” SJB said.
The building will have just 58 two-, three-, and four–bedroom apartments. Renowned construction firm Hickory is building South Yarra House.
One Charles, Prahran
Another special penthouse by SJB and Hecker Guthrie is coming to Melbourne’s neighbouring Prahran. They’ve been the architects behind One Charles, a new apartment project being developed by Monde near Prahran Station.
Another full-floor apartment, north-facing, will have soaring three-metre-high ceilings, four bedrooms, a private study, and a large 355 sqm wrap-around terrace.
The interiors feature a sculptural stone kitchen with Gaggenau appliances and a butler’s pantry, while there’s a secure garage, not for one, but four cars.
The penthouse is priced at $12.5 million. One Charles will comprise 28 two and three-bedroom apartments, walking distance to Greville Street, Chapel Street, and the Prahran Market.
The Regent, Fitzroy
Unlike its neighbouring suburbs, Fitzroy rarely sees full-floor penthouse apartments hit the market, which makes the recently released penthouse by SMA Projects even more special.
The four-bedroom penthouse atop their new development The Regent Fitzroy, will offer sweeping views from every one of its rooms. It will have four bedrooms and two living areas, designed by Studio Tate for multi-generational living.
The main living area will be wrapped in a terrace, with enough space for several lounge and alfresco areas, and an outdoor barbecue kitchen.
Hayball has designed the new building, which pays homage to The Regent Theatre, which used to occupy the Fitzroy Street site before it burned down in 1984.
It will feature 69 one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments, along with shared spaces that include a communal rooftop terrace with barbecue facilities, a bookable overnight guest suite for visiting friends and family, and both a dedicated ground-floor concierge and a digital concierge.
Seren Row, Alphington
Veteran builder-developer Glenvill is selling what it calls its “Super Penthouse” at its Seren Row stage of its multistage, 16.5-hectare YarraBend masterplan.
The Super Penthouse, one of 12 penthouse and sub-penthouses within the historic grounds of the former Australian Paper Mill in Alphington, has been designed by Fraser & Partners to blend heritage character with refined contemporary living. The 416 sqm apartment will have four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a separate home office, a multi-purpose room, and a private rooftop with a pool, spa, and outdoor kitchen. It will have finishes in travertine, quartzite, and herringbone timber.
Residents of the Seren Row penthouse collection will also gain exclusive access to the Signature Club, a next-level suite of amenities including a subterranean wellness centre onsen, gym, sauna and steam rooms, golf simulator, co-working spaces, and even a monthly cleaning and chauffeur service. They will also have access to The Hub—a co-working and social space—plus The Bend, a dining precinct curated by acclaimed chef Adam D’Sylva.
Dyason, East Melbourne
Nearly $12 million is being sought for the penthouse atop Dyason, the new East Melbourne apartment development by Valli. The two-level, four-bedroom penthouse, with direct private elevator access, has been designed by Pandolfini Architects in collaboration with interiors by Lisa Buxton and landscaping by Acre.
The clever design creates a 14.5-metre-long living area that captures extensive views from the MCG to the CBD. Sunrise will flood the eastern kitchen with light, and sunsets will cast a glow over the open fireplace. The kitchen features a Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf ovens, a 400-bottle wine cellar, and an integrated bar. There will be two outdoor terraces on each level.
Dyason, on East Melbourne’s dress circle Jolimont Street, will have just five apartments and a heritage home, which will be restored and converted into a townhouse.
A record-breaking $11 million sale at The Centennial Collection has set a new benchmark for luxury apartment living in Bondi Junction.
As interest rates, inflation and market sentiment fluctuate, investors are being urged to focus on data, not panic.
Australia’s housing affordability crisis is being fuelled by chronic undersupply, planning delays and rising development costs, as politicians continue to focus on the wrong solutions.
3 min
Australia’s housing crisis will not be solved by first-home buyer incentives or tax changes alone, with leading property figures warning governments must tackle supply constraints if affordability is to improve.
Speaking at the Kanebridge Quarterly Property Leadership Summit in Sydney last week, expert project marketing specialist Sam Elbanna, property investor and fund manager Paul Miron and property consultant Karla McNeice said that a lack of housing supply remained the central issue facing the market.
Elbanna, Director of CPM Realty with more than 30 years’ experience in project sales, argued that successive governments had focused too heavily on stimulating demand rather than addressing the barriers preventing new housing from being delivered.
“The misconception is that politicians think the way to solve the housing crisis is to drive demand,” he said.
“The reality is that’s not the way. This is a supply-side problem, and it needs to be solved on the supply side.”
Drawing on his experience in project sales, Elbanna said policies designed to help first-home buyers often had unintended consequences, pointing to previous grants that ultimately flowed through to higher property prices.
Instead, he said developers were facing increasing red tape, approval delays and rising costs, which were discouraging new housing supply.
“In the absence of stock, demand exceeds supply,” he said.
Miron, a Co-Founder and Fund Manager of Msquared Capital, said the housing debate had become overly focused on tax policy while overlooking broader structural issues.
He argued that affordability challenges stemmed from a combination of factors, including planning constraints, supply shortages, migration levels and interest rates.
“No-one can be 100 per cent certain on the real reason for property prices is going up,” he said.
“The reason why property prices are higher is a combination of interest rates, lack of supply, migration, vacancy rates and maybe taxes play a role.”
Miron was critical of recent federal housing policy changes, warning they could reduce the number of new homes being built and further constrain supply that was even highlighted in the budget.
He also highlighted the importance of the property sector to the broader economy, noting that residential real estate and related industries employed more than one million Australians.
McNeice, who advises developers on sales strategy and market intelligence, said understanding buyers had become increasingly important as affordability pressures intensified.
While affordability remained a major consideration, she said today’s buyers were focused on value rather than simply price.
“People are looking for value for money,” she said.
She said buyers were increasingly evaluating factors such as transport connections, walkability, nearby amenities and flexible living spaces that could accommodate changing family needs.
“What infrastructure is going on? Can I walk to the shops? Can I meet people at the local cafe?” she said.
The panel also discussed the mounting pressures facing developers, with Elbanna arguing that many projects become financially unviable from the moment a site is purchased.
“The viability of a development happens at the moment the site is bought,” he said.
He said rising construction costs, higher interest rates and overly optimistic feasibility assumptions had left some developers exposed as market conditions changed.
While acknowledging the growing number of smaller and first-time developers entering the market, Elbanna said property development required expertise across finance, construction, marketing and legal disciplines.
“It is actually a business that requires a level of expertise,” he said.
Looking ahead, the panel agreed opportunities remained in the market despite current challenges.
Miron said property should continue to be viewed as a long-term investment and cautioned against trying to time short-term market movements.
McNeice said success would increasingly depend on identifying projects that genuinely met changing buyer expectations.
Elbanna said affordable housing remained achievable, but developers needed to deliver more than just homes.
“We can provide affordable housing in this country,” he said.
“But we’ve got to wrap that affordable housing with the things that people want.”
As Australia’s housing affordability debate intensifies, the panellists agreed on one point: without a meaningful increase in housing supply, demand-side measures alone are unlikely to solve the nation’s property challenges.
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