SINGO RETURNS WITH LUXURY WATERFRONT APARTMENTS IN GOSFORD

Legendary adman John ‘Singo’ Singleton has unveiled the newest project under his John Singleton Group development company.

The new project, 49Caroline, named after its location at 49 Caroline Street, will deliver just 16 luxury apartments to the Caroline Bay foreshore.

It is being developed in partnership with privately owned financier Alceon, which has a strong track record in the area, having recently completed Rumbalara Residences, a gated community comprising four buildings and 188 apartments. The project recently set a Gosford record with the sale of a penthouse for $7 million.

The 16 apartments at 49Caroline will comprise a mix of three- and four-bedroom residences, priced from $2,295,000.

The absolute waterfront development on Caroline Bay has been designed by Mosman-based architect Enrique Blanco de Cordova of deBlanco Studio.

Gittoes agents Stephen Gittoes and Richard Faulkner are marketing the project as a “once-in-a-lifetime offering on the Central Coast”.

They say each residence is “shaped by an architectural philosophy that balances timeless elegance with contemporary coastal living.

“Expansive interiors, generous outdoor terraces and floor-to-ceiling glazing invite the water into every moment. From the private jetty to the pool glistening over the bay, life here unfolds with effortless beauty and ease,” Gittoes says.

Resident amenities include a waterfront spa, pool and cabana, landscaped gardens, indoor-outdoor entertaining spaces, and a firepit alcove designed for golden-hour gatherings.

Construction firm JDC Property has been appointed to build the project.

The John Singleton Group website also references a previous project in Gosford, Bonython Tower, completed in 2019. The 56-apartment building is located on Mann Street in central Gosford.

The group has another project in the pipeline. The Lodge will be a luxury “10-star” lodge and restaurant complex at Mount White on the NSW Central Coast, adjacent to his successful Saddles restaurant and his former Strawberry Hills stud, which he sold in 2023 to John Magnier’s Coolmore Stud for more than $30 million.

The Lodge will feature a 17- to 20-room boutique hotel, designed as a series of pavilions offering premium accommodation.

Singleton is one of Australia’s most well-known advertising entrepreneurs.

e co-founded SPASM in the late 1960s. In the mid-1980s, after selling SPASM, he started John Singleton Advertising, which went on to create the campaign for Bob Hawke’s successful 1987 federal election.

He has long had an affinity with property, both commercial and residential

He owned his Paddington office compound, The Bonython (unrelated to his Gosford tower project), for five decades before selling the former art gallery space in 2024 for $33 million to Annie Cannon-Brookes, the former wife of Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Australia’s housing debate is often dominated by affordability and supply, but a new collaboration between Brickworks and acclaimed architecture firm Kennedy Nolan argues the conversation should also focus on the quality and longevity of the homes being built.

The project, titled Our Next Neighbourhood, examines how suburban housing could evolve in response to shrinking block sizes, rising energy costs, increasing density and changing family structures.

Rather than proposing luxury dream homes, the initiative focuses on what its creators describe as achievable suburban housing models that are more flexible, sustainable, and better suited to modern Australian life.

Brickworks commissioned Kennedy Nolan to investigate what suburban housing might look like if “design, long-term liveability and enduring materials were placed at the centre of the conversation”.

The result is two housing concepts, known as the Street Terrace and Canopy Terrace, which explore higher-density living while maintaining access to green space, natural light and privacy.

The designs incorporate adaptable floorplans that can evolve as family needs change, along with passive design principles intended to reduce reliance on mechanical heating and cooling.

Brett Ward, General Manager of Marketing at Brickworks, said the company wanted to broaden the discussion around housing beyond simply increasing supply.

“Much of the housing conversation today is understandably focused on supply and affordability, but there is an equally important discussion to be had about the quality and longevity of the homes we build,” he said.

“We wanted to explore how thoughtful design, combined with durable, resilient materials, could create homes that not only function well today, but continue to support Australian families and communities long into the future.”

Kennedy Nolan said the project was partly inspired by concerns that contemporary housing often struggles to adapt to changing household structures and environmental pressures.

The architects said innovation in suburban housing was “essential” to address changing family groupings, energy use, urban heat island effects and growing disconnection from place.

According to the design team, the concepts draw on lessons from some of Australia’s most influential housing projects while seeking to create neighbourhoods with stronger links to landscape, community and local identity.

Rachel Nolan, founder of Kennedy Nolan, said the practice saw an opportunity to reimagine suburban housing as something “more connected to our climate, our landscape, our communities and our Australian identity”.

The project comes as policymakers, developers and planners continue searching for ways to deliver more housing without sacrificing liveability, neighbourhood character or long-term sustainability.

SINGO RETURNS WITH LUXURY WATERFRONT APARTMENTS IN GOSFORD

Advertising legend John Singleton unveils an exclusive 16-residence Caroline Bay development, marking his latest high-end property play on the Central Coast.

Brickworks has enlisted acclaimed architecture studio Kennedy Nolan to explore how homes could become more adaptable, energy-efficient and connected to community.