A natural wonderland in the heart of the city, Centennial Park was established in 1888 as a place for people to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life and ‘take in the air’ which, back then, was a rather visionary idea for premier Sir Henry Parkes. In his opening speech, Parkes declared the 470-acre site a People’s Park that ‘will be one of the grandest adornments in this beautiful country’.

The suburb developed after a decision to sell off land adjacent to the park to raise funds for the park led to the subdivision of 101 acres of land in 1904. To ensure high standards of development, certain requirements were imposed with no timber or terraced homes allowed and construction in brick or stone was mandated. Between 1905 and 1925, a wide range of substantial Federation and Arts & Crafts style homes were constructed along Martin Road, Robertson Road and Lang Road which have become among the most sought-after and tightly held properties in the east.

Alexander Phillips has listed a fine family residence at 17 Robertson Road, Centennial Park on a private dual access 752sqm approx block hugging the park grounds and overlooking Moore Park’s sporting fields which comes with a buyer’s guide of $7.25m. Alexander says, ‘Homes in this dress-circle address are incredibly rare on the market and this original double-fronted beauty has been held by one family for almost half a century presenting an exceptional opportunity to buy in this tightly held enclave. Built in 1923, the home has been beautifully maintained with all its period finery intact with a double lock-up garage at the rear and just footsteps to the park’s gates with the Entertainment Quarter and Equestrian Centre at the end of the road.”

We also have a choice of two apartments in the connected parkside suburb that are perfectly located to offer the best of parkside living and urban convenience. Tristan Oddi’s listing at 1B/2 Cook Road, Centennial Park is one of only 14 in the secure Parkview. Just 100m to the Paddington Gates to the park and 500m to Woollahra village, the stylishly renovated three-bedroom apartment comes with a lock-up garage and a guide of $1.6m.

First home buyers looking to get a foothold in the market should check out Catherine Dixon’s listing at 40/80 Cook Road, Centennial Park. The light and airy one-bedroom apartment features secure parking on title as well as access to a landscaped rooftop terrace with panoramic views to the city’s iconic skyline and comes with a guide of $700,000.

This week the sales team secured 5 sales with an average price of $2.1m and listed 17 new properties and the management team secure 12 tenancies and listed 9 new properties for lease.