New home, new inner-city lifestyle!

Central Equity’s newest Southbank apartment tower, Southbank Place has recently finished and is welcoming residents. Emma, who works as a podiatrist, was the first resident in Southbank Place apartments. The first morning she woke in her new city apartment, she said: “The feeling was surreal. Waking up to a lovely bright inner-city aspect I thought: Wow, this is really happening!” “The first thing we did was go to the pool. The kids [aged 7 and 10] loved it. It’s a really beautiful building with a lovely pool with glass rooftop, lit at night. It has a cinema and wonderful facilities. It’s like living in a resort!” This was the intention of architect Graham Fisher of Bell Fisher Architects, who designed the building to be experienced like a luxury hotel. A grand foyer opens to expansive five-metre ceilings, a wall of glazing overlooking Kavanagh St and there is a 24-hour concierge service and security. Amenities include a gym and yoga studio, and on the 41st floor is the Horizon Club, which residents can use to entertain guests, adjoining their own “gold-class” cinema. Having never moved to the city before, Emma faced logistical challenges when moving in. “But the Central Equity staff went above and beyond to ensure things were arranged for me,” she said. “As a single mum I was quite nervous, but I couldn’t be more impressed by the support — absolutely wonderful, an absolute delight.” “One of the staff members met my removalists at Southbank Place because I got held up. It almost felt like she was family checking I was ok and giving me reassuring hugs. I felt like I was moving into a seven-star hotel.”  Emma is among a growing number of people choosing city apartment living over life in the suburbs. “We had a big, secluded home in Essendon and we’d drive everywhere,” she said. “I decided to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, so I reduced everything. Now we’re not swarmed with all this stuff, we’re experience-focused, we walk to the market and everywhere. I’ve been wanting to take the kids to Polly Woodside for so long, and we did!” With shops, arts, sports and entertainment amenities all around, Emma finds the family venture out much more. “Southbank is such a nice area. It’s easy and accessible. Everything is here. I now don’t get the car — we walk. City living is a wonderful experience for kids.” Parks, a library and child-minding facilities are among the many local benefits that Southbank Place residents enjoy, while the building offers a range of resort-style facilities, including two residents’ kitchens for catering, an expansive dining area, a luxury residents’ lounge and a terraced outdoor barbecue area where residents can host dinner parties with spectacular views across Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. Spacious, light filled apartments feature floor-to-ceiling double-glazing, openable windows and balconies for fresh air and indoor-outdoor living. Kitchens are stylishly appointed with Miele appliances and Hansa tapware. Observing others settle in, Emma said: “you don’t feel alone — it feels like a community. It’s really early days but I do talk a lot to the staff and the concierges are great. The apartments are really, really beautiful. As with any apartment, you have body corporate fees, but using facilities like the gym, the pool, and the cinema, you end up saving a lot of money in other ways.” “I’m just so happy with this move. I looked at a lot of apartments, but there was always something missing — the floorplans were wrong, or the place didn’t feel right. Then this one came up — it was just perfect. I bought it and haven’t looked back.” To inspect a range of fully furnished display apartments and a limited number of brand-new apartments for sale at Southbank Place, visit southbankplace.com.au, the onsite office at 60 Kavanagh St, Southbank (corner Power St) or call Central Equity on 9278 8888.