FOR those aspiring to live in the top suburbs in our capital cities, there are still choices to be made.
Even in exclusive suburbs particular streets are favoured and can command higher prices.
One of the best known is Wolseley Road in Sydney's Point Piper. It's considered our most exclusive and expensive street, making it into WealthBulletin.com's 10 most expensive streets in the world last year. And this year it cemented its position with a $52 million sale when recruitment entrepreneur Andrew Banks and his wife Andrea sold Villa Veneto.
The attraction of such streets may not be so much who lives there but their views, privacy, exclusivity and a certainty that there will always be a buyer for your street.
Across the harbour in Mosman, Hopetoun Avenue, which winds along the cliff tops of Wyargine Point and adjoins Burran Avenue, is just 750m from Balmoral Beach and referred to locally as the Golden Mile.
Hopetoun Avenue is home to many high-profile executive families, is highly sought after and tightly held.
The latest property to hit the market in the street is 5A Hopetoun Avenue, home of Roger and Heather Wood, founders of the Newslink newsagency group. They are downsizing and plan to spend more time at their country home. Belle Property agent Tim Foote expects more than $8m when expressions of interest close on October 19.
The Susan Rothwell-designed house has Middle Harbour views, three terraces and opens to an in-ground pool with views across the harbour. It is 100m from Chinaman's Beach, and 300m to Balmoral Beach.
Through the years owners have shored up their holdings in the street by buying neighbouring properties.
The street's top price of $22.5m is also a record for Mosman and was paid by property developer Albert Bertini in 2007 for Karawa, the former home of L.J. Hooker founder Les Hooker, who bought the property in 1940 and whose ashes are buried in the garden.
Artist Ken Done owns a Glenn Murcutt-designed house in Hopetoun Avenue. Other residents include Surfection founder Chris Athas and archeologist John Tidmarsh.
Being close to the water is also a focus for Melburnians, with the Golden Mile in bayside Brighton.
But leafy and urbane Toorak holds sway as the most expensive, with a couple of $20m-plus sales earlier this year. Its prime streets include Albany, St Georges, Clendon and Hopetoun roads, and all regularly have multi-million-dollar sales.
Earlier this year the Inge family sold a house in St Georges Road, reportedly to developer Harry Stamoulis, for nearly $25m.
However, Brighton, with its access to the bay, has some big price tags, too. A waterfront house at 1 Bay St has recently come on the market and will achieve about $15m, says Kay and Burton agent Ian Jackson.
Some of Brighton's best streets include Seacombe Grove, St Ninians Road, Moule Avenue, where a house recently changed hands for close to $7m, and Glyndon Avenue, where there was a $15.6m sale last year.
Beachfront prices in the Golden Mile are about $10,000 a square metre and in non-beachfront streets more than $5000/sqm.
In Brisbane one of the top streets is Garfield Drive in Paddington, according to Place Estate agent Andrew Degn , because it is the highest point and has city views. Prices there are in the mid-$5m range, with one sale in a nearby street reaching $10m. Other top streets are Windermere Road in Ascot and Laurel Avenue in Chelmer .
These obviously aren't the only top locations, as what people really want when looking for highly priced property is a personal choice. The best street is a bit like beauty, in the eye and wallet size of the beholder.
Credit:Majella Corrigan
