Aspendale apartment means holiday need never end

4/7 Kara Grove, Aspendale
$2.3 million
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces
Private sale
Inspection by appointment
Hockingstuart, 9583 3246, Garry Donovan, 0419 588 660

This time of year the main problem for most people is how to keep their holiday selves alive – to keep “summer relaxed” while returning to the workaday world. Buying a sand-front apartment at Aspendale might help. 

For those who have never visited Aspendale, it has one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Melbourne, with no cars whizzing beside it, and with no rocks, reefs, jetties, outcrops, outlets or seaweed. It’s just golden sand and blue sea with (usually) calm waters. A getaway less than 30 kilometres from the city. 

Kara Grove is more a coastal path than a street, more a private gravel driveway than a road: it begins the relaxed beachside feel that ends with a development of four apartments set across a wide beachfront block.

Built four years ago by Lowe Construction, the two-level building has a mix of (salt-resistant) materials in tones that blend well with sea, sand and coastal flora. 

Apartment 4 is accessed via a walkway and then upstairs or in the lift. The landing outside the lift or at the top of the stairs has a huge window giving the first great view of the sea and sand. This inviting beach is near deserted compared with beaches a few minutes’ drive north. 

Inside the front door, a powder room is at the right and then on to the beginning of the show-stopper living areas that stretch about 11 metres and are fronted by walls of glass with views of ships and sea. 

The living area begins with a recessed kitchen and a large breakfast bar. A protected outdoor deck opens from near the breakfast bar and it too overlooks the sea. 

The kitchen, with Miele appliances and walk-in pantry, is recessed, beyond the breakfast bar and has a sliding door to a large laundry which opens to a sheltered balcony for drying clothes. 

Back in the main area, the living and dining area has a protruding box bay window that is either a great reading nook or the perfect place for a dining table. High ceilings, pale walls and dark carpet give a smart look that goes beyond “beachy retreat” and  a gas log fire is a reminder this place was made for permanent living. 

The main bedroom is at the far end of the apartment and has a huge en suite with an oversized shower, double vanity and bath. A walk-in wardrobe and built-in wardrobe will be enough storage for most and the lucky resident will wake to sea views. 

Two more bedrooms, both a good size, sit either side of a bathroom and open from a hallway near the living area. 

Basement parking and a large lockable storage room complete what is a picture-perfect permanent holiday house.

Room for Improvement: The apartment is still in near-new condition so it would only be a matter of taste. 

Need to know: Highest priced apartment or townhouse in Aspendale (past 12 months) $2,527,000 for 1/8 Bona Vista Avenue, in July 2015. Recent sales: $410,000 for 16/50 Nepean Highway, December 2015; $765,000, for 6/202 Nepean Highway, November 2015, and $608,000, for 2/126 Nepean Highway, November 2015.