News

In Heather Henderson&#x27;s Canberra of 1951, people would stop on Adelaide Avenue and offer the prime minister a lift to work.&quot;My father used to walk to work at Parliament House from home [The Lodge],&quot; Heather recalls of her father, Sir Robert Menzies.“There was no security, anybody could come up and talk to him. The population of Canberra was so small, almost everybody knew everybody. But he could walk around Canberra without being pestered.&quot;<img alt="LJHP048_Heather_Photo_4_Web_FA" class="richtext-image full-width" height="591" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/LJHP048_Heather_Photo_4_Web_FA.width-800.jpg" width="800">Sitting in Heather’s home in Yarralumla, listening to her talk about a very young Canberra and watching her remember precious moments with her very famous father - Sir Robert Menzies - is an astounding way to spend a Tuesday morning.Heather, now in her 90s, is the youngest child and only daughter of Sir Robert and Dame Pattie Menzies. Sir Robert was the longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, much-loved by the Australian people and popular with Canberrans themselves.While there are hundreds of tributes and dedications to Sir Robert Menzies nationally, Heather herself is about to have her own namesake built in Canberra.<img alt="LJHP048_Heather_Photo_8_Web_FA" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1111" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/LJHP048_Heather_Photo_8_Web_FA.width-800.jpg" width="800"><a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/heather-dickson-act-2602/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A brand new development in Dickson by AIT Properties Group and Merrylin Developmen</a>t is named Heather: paying tribute to the Menzies family’s role in shaping Canberra, and a continuation of the family’s legacy in the inner north (the Heather development will be built on the site of Dame Pattie Menzies House on Challis Street).“I’m very honoured to have the development built in my name,” Heather says.“I’ve known and loved Canberra for a very long time.”Heather first met Canberra - “no more than a country town” - in 1939 when her father Robert became the 12th Prime Minister of Australia. She remembers the day he was elected.“The head mistress came into the dormitory [at boarding school in Melbourne], saying that he&#x27;d been made prime minister,” Heather says.“Well, none of us had the faintest idea what that meant, but we thought it was obligatory to jump up and down and shout ‘Hooray, hooray&#x27;.&quot;<img alt="LJHP048_Heather_Photo_11_Web_FA" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1083" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/LJHP048_Heather_Photo_11_Web_FA.width-800.jpg" width="800">Sir Robert’s initial tenure ended in 1941 but he was re-elected Prime Minister in 1949 and stayed in the position for 16 years.The Lodge officially became Heather’s home in 1951 (older brothers Ken and Ian were grown men “living their own lives” at that point).The Lodge was “like many other houses at the time” Heather says, and she distinctly remembers bus loads of tourists pulling up on National Circuit and staring while Sir Robert and Dame Pattie had a cup of coffee on the terrace under the wisteria.“The Lodge, in those days, had a little two-strand wire fence around it,” Heather says.“That&#x27;s all! Anyone could walk in and out - and they did!&quot;<img alt="LJHP048_Heather_Photo_10_Web_FA" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1038" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/LJHP048_Heather_Photo_10_Web_FA.width-800.jpg" width="800">Heather sometimes accompanied her mother and father to events locally, at Albert Hall and Parliament House, and joined her father on election tours nationally. She fundraised for charities across Australia, including the Red Cross, and met a 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal tour of Australia in 1954. The same year, when Dame Pattie was temporarily unwell, Heather accompanied Sir Robert to the Prime Minister’s Conference in London; spending the weekend with Sir Winston and Lady Churchill at their country residence, Chequers.Back in Canberra, Heather enjoyed tennis at The Lodge, and the occasional swim in Paddy’s Creek. She’d play polocrosse at the Woden property - located at Hume - where she met husband Peter Henderson.“Peter was from the country, the Goulburn district, and was a friend of friends,” Heather says.“I have to confess, we did sort of snarl at each other, when we were introduced because I&#x27;d been told I would like him and he&#x27;d been told he&#x27;d like me. So, we therefore decided we would not like each other.“Anyway, we got over that one.”<img alt="31568a03885f45f3795992ced9d5611b" class="richtext-image full-width" height="784" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/31568a03885f45f3795992ced9d5611b.width-800.jpg" width="736">Heather and Peter married in 1955 and over the years lived in Indonesia, Switzerland, the UK and the Philippines due to Peter’s work for the Department of External Affairs (now DFAT). The couple had four daughters and despite several stints overseas, always returned to Canberra and the home they’d purchased on Wilmot Crescent, Forrest.“It was very convenient for us being so close to The Lodge where my parents were living. My father could just walk over and sit,” Heather says.“One day he was sitting there, and his granddaughters were climbing up the back of the chair, going head first down the front of him.“Well when they got to the fattest bit, they’d yell out, ‘Look out, be careful!’“I thought, what would people think if they could see this?”<img alt="LJHP048_Heather_Photo_5_Web_FA" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1105" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/LJHP048_Heather_Photo_5_Web_FA.width-800.jpg" width="800">Sir Robert Menzies remained Prime Minister until 1966 and died in 1978. Sadly, Peter died too, in 2016.Now aged 94, Heather lives close the to lake in Yarralumla - a lake she watched being filled from the windows of the Canberra Community Hospital at Acton after giving birth to her fourth daughter.Her love for Canberra is “about as strong as ever” and she hopes residents of the new Heather development “enjoy living in a city that’s been a wonderful home”.“I&#x27;ve lived all over the place, and I&#x27;m very happy to end my days here,&quot; Heather says.“It’s mostly about the people for me. When I went to the [Yarralumla] shops after my mother died, they were all rushing up and hugging me and kissing me. I can hardly talk about it.“It was just extraordinary, and I thought, why would I want to be anywhere else?”<a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/heather-dickson-act-2602/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the Dickson development named after Heather here.</a>All images within this article are courtesy of the Menzies family.

'I've had a ball': Heather Henderson (nee Menzies) on her 71-year love affair with Canberra

Property

It’s a hop, skip and jump to the bustling life of the town centre, but step onto your balcony and you’re surveying a swathe of empty grassland, punctuated by the odd gum tree.If the ‘Bush Capital’ had an advertisement, this would be it.The <a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/nue-gungahlin-act-2912/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nue development coming to Gungahlin</a> in the ACT’s far north consists of 87 townhouses and 249 apartments - and they’re selling fast.<div>
 <iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JUuJm2Y8x9M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Zango Development Preview: Nue Gungahlin"></iframe>
</div>
<a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/lj-hooker-project-marketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LJ Hooker Project Marketing</a> real estate agent <a href="/agents/james-herbert/">James Herbert</a> says the buyers for Nue are diverse.“From a young person buying their first apartment to larger, more residential-style townhouses for families – it’s all here,” James says.“You usually find townhouses out in the suburbs, but to have them this close to the town centre, while still looking out over nature, is quite rare. People are responding to that.”So, what else is special about Nue?It’s the vision of award-winning local developer and builder Core Developments, who contracted architect Nathan Judd from Judd Studios to bring it to life.Nathan Judd is responsible for many of the apartment complexes along Lonsdale Street, Braddon, and he’s brought the same ‘car-less’ brief to Gungahlin’s town centre.<img alt="CORE11057_Nue-Gungahlin_IN09_Kitchen-960x640" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/CORE11057_Nue-Gungahlin_IN09_Kitchen-960x640.width-800.jpg" width="800">“Cars have their own spaces under the building so the outdoor area surrounding the actual apartments and townhouses is kept clear of cars,” James says.Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing, it&#x27;s also safer.“People can enjoy the landscaping and kids can play outside without the risks associated with cars driving by,&quot; James says.Nathan Judd also took inspiration from the pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streets of Los Angeles in the design of Nue.“The materials and the way the buildings are fanned out encourage residents to walk through the development, giving it the same sort of feel as you’d have in Venice Beach,” James says.<img alt="CORE11057_Nue-Gungahlin_IN03_Terrace-960x640" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/CORE11057_Nue-Gungahlin_IN03_Terrace-960x640.width-800.jpg" width="800">Nue is poised to release the Canvas Collection in the next couple of months.“This is a small, boutique building of only nine three- and four-bedroom apartments located on the corner of the block,” James says.“Buyers can sit down with the designers and builders and choose all of their own fixtures, fittings and colours. This is really different from normal off-the-plan developments where you’re really only left with two schemes to choose from.”According to James, Core Developments have deliberately tried to keep common areas to a minimum in a bid to keep body-corporate fees down. And there’s commercial space on the bottom floor for hospitality venues.<img alt="nue-gungahlin-act-2912-183-image-0-20220119004746707510-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/nue-gungahlin-act-2912-183-image-0-20220119004.width-800.jpg" width="800">“There&#x27;s an open-plan co-working space for residents, so they can enjoy working from home during the day and enjoy their apartment in the evening,&quot; he says.“But in general, the developer wanted to keep fees to a minimum, which we’re finding is really important among buyers at the moment.”To top it all off, there’s the location.“Residents can walk to the shops, grab a seat on the light rail, but also enjoy looking out over the Mulangarri Grasslands,” James says.<img alt="nue-gungahlin-act-2912-183-image-0-20220119004752888647-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/nue-gungahlin-act-2912-183-image-0-20220119004.width-800_FPEO9nX.jpg" width="800">One-bedroom apartments start at $480,000, one-bedroom plus study at $500,000, two-bedroom townhouses at $750,000 and three-bedroom townhouses at $880,000.All are available to buy off the plan now, with a five per cent deposit. Construction on Nue will start in September 2022, with completion set for about two years from then.For more information about <a href="https://coredev.com.au/projects/nue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nue</a>, contact James Herbert on 0400 853 501.Article originally written and published by <a href="https://the-riotact.com/the-magic-of-canberra-is-captured-in-this-nue-gungahlin-development/593591" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The RiotAct</a>.

The Nue development inspired by the people-friendly streets of Los Angeles

If you thought spas, gyms, saunas and pools were the height of luxury when it came to apartment living, say hello to <a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/the-shard-phillip-act-2606/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Shard</a> - a designer building in the heart of Woden that comes with a Pilates studio, a business lounge and - wait for it - a piano bar.The 15-storey apartment complex will be erected at the intersection of Melrose Drive, and Brewer and Corinna streets, with 218 of 273 available apartments sold so far.<img alt="the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-44355-image-0-20220804024_h19HwcK-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70.jpeg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-4.width-800.jpg" width="800">Due for completion in mid-2024, The Shard is the vision of Zapari Group, designed by Cox Architecture, and will be the third residential tower to rise in Woden’s central business district, joining <a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/wova-phillip-act-2606/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WOVA</a> and <a href="https://zango.com.au/developments/the-melrose-phillip-act-2606/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Melrose</a>.The Shard sales agent <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/keenan-veraar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keenan Veraar</a>, of <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/lj-hooker-project-marketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LJ Hooker Project Marketing</a>, says many Canberrans are swapping suburban homes in the neighbouring suburbs of Chifley, Lyons and Mawson for luxury and location.<img alt="the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-44355-image-0-20220804024_wPJlGY6-thumbnail-1920x1920-70.jpeg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="585" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-4.width-800_lJoZ3OR.jpg" width="800">The penthouse level of The Shard is attracting a diverse range of buyers, from couples and families, to members of the Canberra property industry.“One couple we sold a Glasshouse [penthouse] to have grown up sons, so they purchased another apartment on one of the lower levels,” Keenan says.“The face of Woden is changing significantly, and people want to be close to the action.“Work on the Woden extension of the light rail has begun, along with a major upgrade of the Phillip CIT campus.”<img alt="the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-44355-image-0-20220804024_YytAXgU-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70.jpeg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-4.width-800_MO5dgr3.jpg" width="800">According to Keenan, the demand for luxury living in the heart of Woden was obvious the moment the marketing campaign for The Shard went live.“We had a huge focus on digital and social media advertising early on with several buyers coming through those channels,” he says.“Word of mouth plays a big part in Canberra, especially when you’re working on a project of this size and scope.”<img alt="the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-44355-image-0-20220804024_Z0ZOa5M-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70.jpeg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-4.width-800_UkYM5E2.jpg" width="800">The artist’s impressions of life at The Shard are breathtaking. The building will feature a wine cellar and a modern retail space on the ground floor, just steps away from Westfield Woden.With The Shard, Cox Architecture responded to Canberra’s demand for luxury living across every single one of the building’s 273 apartments, Keenan says, which all have penthouse-style inclusions like Smeg appliances and Villeroy &amp; Bosch tapware.<img alt="the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-44355-image-0-20220804024_edps17f-crop-c0-5__0-5-1600x750-70.jpeg" class="richtext-image full-width" height="375" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/the-shard-32-corinna-street-phillip-act-2606-4.width-800_yAfh5Sy.jpg" width="800">“The Shard offers a level of luxury currently not on offer in surrounding developments,” he says.“Buyers downstairs are loving the penthouse level finishes and inclusions on every floor. What’s considered elegant elsewhere is only the standard at The Shard.”

3 news articles with tag lj-hooker-project-marketing

'I've had a ball': Heather Henderson (nee Menzies) on her 71-year love affair with Canberra

The Nue development inspired by the people-friendly streets of Los Angeles

Next level luxury: The Woden development with its own business lounge and piano bar