In years past, the downsizers of the North Shore had to cross the Bridge to the Sydney CBD or east if they wanted the crème de la crème of the brand new penthouse offerings.

Only there could they find the type of designer finishes they desired, combined with the restaurants and theatre offerings they craved.

But that’s changing, with a growing number of luxurious new penthouses on the Lower North Shore in the past four years coinciding with excitement about the planned revitalisation of North Sydney.

Recent projects include The Landmark in St Leonards, which had a very high-end penthouse offering that sold for $13.8m – a record for the area – late last year, plus Thirdi’s Kurraba Residences penthouse at Kurraba Point, which is selling off the plan with $45m hopes.

Closer to Sydney’s second CBD, in 2019, penthouses at Aqualand’s Blue development at 61 Lavender St, Lavender Bay were successfully sold off the plan.

These penthouses rivalled anything seen in the east or CBD.

Aqualand sold its first penthouse for $9m – the highest amount paid for an apartment in this prominent north shore location at the time – and just a month later broke its own record with a $10.5m sale of Blue’s last remaining penthouse.

The 125 luxury residential apartments at Blue are now complete, with residents moving in.

But now Aqualand has a new $1bn project on offer, AURA by Aqualand, which is being pitched as “a new era for North Sydney”.

It will feature breathtaking views, incredible architecture, leafy surrounds and urban convenience.

The first stage comprises 102 apartments of the residential building and retail offerings at 168 Walker St.

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