Shaping Australia’s Next Generation of Luxury Developments
Abadeen Executive Chairman & Founder Justin Brown shares his insights on the resilience of Sydney’s ultra-luxury property market and the future of premium living.
3 min
Sydney’s ultra-luxury property market continues to move to its own rhythm.
Scarcity, lifestyle appeal and a new generation of high-net-worth buyers are reshaping how prestige projects are designed, marketed and sold.
We asked Abadeen’s Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown to unpack what’s driving demand, where he sees opportunity and how the definition of luxury living is changing.
Q: Sydney’s ultra-luxury property market has remained remarkably resilient. Why?
Supply is structurally tight, and the best sites are almost impossible to replicate. Planning is slow, construction costs are high, and true blue-chip land rarely changes hands. That keeps premium stock scarce.
Much of the demand at this level is from owner-occupiers, and their numbers are increasing exponentially. With long horizons, they help stabilise values through cycles.
As a developer, we manage release strategies carefully. Private placements and staged launches absorb volatility and protect pricing integrity. Sydney’s quality of life, stability, and the international desire to live here do the rest.
Q: Off-market transactions are a hallmark of prestige property sales. What advantages do they offer buyers and sellers?
Both channels have a role. On market provides full exposure, public benchmarking and visible competitive tension. It’s useful when we want to set a new reference price or showcase a precinct at scale.
Off-market delivers privacy, precision and control. There is a smaller pool of qualified buyers who set the tempo and negotiate the terms that actually matter.
It protects residents’ privacy, reduces disruption on site, and keeps the brand experience consistent. Buyers gain early access to irreplaceable products and the ability to tailor outcomes quietly.
For true trophy assets and pre-release allocations, I prefer off-market. We are able to customise and personalise the outcome.
Q: Luxury buyers expect more than location. What must-have features and amenities drive demand?
Views and villages is simplistic but precise. Long, protected outlooks, correct orientation, and a connected neighbourhood that offers vibrancy seven days a week.
Then privacy and a sense of arrival. Generous indoor–outdoor living, a primary kitchen plus a catering space for real entertaining, serious wellness facilities, secure multi-car garaging with EV infrastructure, and building services that feel five-star without fuss.
Technology should disappear into the experience and be reliable. Acoustic and thermal performance matter as much as marble. Designing homes is our craft. We obsess over those details because they determine how a home actually lives and breathes.
Q: Beyond Sydney, are there emerging luxury markets in Australia that high-net-worth investors should watch?
We have further expanded in Melbourne, Perth and Queensland. That is where we see sustained depth for the premium owner-occupier product in the right areas, targeting similar demographics to the Sydney market.
Think Melbourne’s inner bayside and east, Perth’s western suburbs and river precincts, and select Brisbane and Gold Coast locations where scarcity is real and community amenity is maturing.
Q: What has been your most remarkable sale, and what made it unique?
I have been fortunate over the last 30 years to be involved in Australia’s premium apartment revival from Bennelong, Hyde Park precinct and Barangaroo in Sydney, to HMAS in Melbourne, and the waterfront precincts of South-East Queensland and Perth, amounting to more than $200 million in property sales. We have also transacted a high proportion of development opportunities, up to $750 million.
Q: What is one piece of advice you always give high-net-worth buyers?
Choose the developer first. At this level, counterpart risk matters as much as postcode. Buy in the best village with the best views you can, but make your first filter the team delivering it: if you trust the people and the product, move early and buy with confidence.
This interview appeared in the Spring issue of Kanebridge Quarterly magazine. You can buy your copy here.
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At the northern tip of Point Piper, hidden from the street and positioned directly on Sydney Harbour, “Radford” combines cinematic views, rare waterfront access and a fascinating connection to one of Australia’s most storied estates.
The five-bedroom residence occupies land once belonging to Paradis Sur Mer, the celebrated three-block waterfront estate that made Australian property history in 1982. The original mansion became the country’s first home reported to have sold for more than $5 million—and may also have inspired one of its fastest and most profitable resales.
Property developer and yachtsman Bernard Lewis purchased the estate at auction for $5.25 million, only to sell it within hours to English betting magnate and thoroughbred breeder Robert Sangster. Lewis reportedly made a $500,000 profit in the process.
Sangster renamed the property Toison D’Or—French for “Golden Fleece” and the name of one of his racehorses—and established it as a Sydney base with his then-wife, Susan. The estate subsequently changed hands and identities again, becoming Paradis Sur Mer, or “Paradise on the Sea”, during Susan’s marriage to financier Sir Frank Renouf.
After another headline-making sale near the peak of Sydney’s late-1980s property boom, the original mansion was eventually demolished and the waterfront holding subdivided. “Radford” now stands on one of those prized parcels, carrying a thread of that extraordinary history into the present day.
Harbour views take centre stage
Designed by award-winning architect Victor Berk and constructed in the early 1990s, the three-level modernist residence has been planned around its exceptional position.
Panoramic views stretch from the Sydney Harbour Bridge across Shark Island and Rose Bay to Manly. A prized northerly aspect fills the home with natural light, while bedrooms and living spaces open to decks, balconies and terraces overlooking the water.
The main living areas flow to a broad alfresco entertaining terrace, sunny swimming pool and level harbourfront lawn. Beyond the garden, a private jetty completes the quintessential Sydney waterfront lifestyle.
Inside, generous proportions make the home equally suited to private family life and large-scale entertaining. The formal dining area can accommodate up to 14 guests, while a Gaggenau-appointed kitchen incorporates an island, walk-in pantry and casual breakfast area opening to the poolside deck.
A fireplace anchors the principal living space, complemented by high ceilings, travertine floors and expansive glazing that keeps the harbour present throughout the home.
A private sanctuary on every level
The main bedroom is accompanied by two walk-in wardrobes, a sitting area and an ensuite featuring a spa bath, separate shower and twin basins. Three further bedrooms each have an ensuite, while a gym with its own kitchenette, built-in storage and bathroom can serve as a fifth bedroom or private guest retreat.
Additional spaces include a fitted home office, an upper-level family area, sauna, two powder rooms and a substantial laundry. A lift connects all three levels, and the central staircase sits beneath an atrium-style glass roof fitted with an electric retractable blind.
Ducted and zoned air-conditioning, extensive storage and a security alarm add everyday practicality. Internal access leads to an oversized secure double garage, with additional driveway parking.
Set in an elite cul-de-sac on one of Australia’s most prestigious waterfront streets, “Radford” is close to Lady Martins Beach, Prince Edward Yacht Club, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Rose Bay’s marinas and leading schools. Double Bay’s restaurants, boutiques and village amenities are only minutes away.
It is an exceptional harbourfront residence in its own right—but its connection to the record-breaking Paradis Sur Mer estate gives it a place within the wider story of Sydney real estate.
Property details
Address: Wolseley Road, Point Piper, NSW
Bedrooms: Five, including a flexible gym or guest suite
Bathrooms: Five, plus two powder rooms
Parking: Oversized double garage and additional driveway space
Key features: Northerly aspect, panoramic harbour views, private jetty, swimming pool, level waterfront lawn, lift, sauna, home office and Gaggenau kitchen
Architect: Victor Berk
Agents: Michael Pallier, Sydney Sotheby’s & Brad Pillinger, Pillinger
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