Jetty shows Drummoyne Bay building is ahead of the tide

“Close to transport” is a nebulous concept in real-estate speak. In the worst cases it can be a euphemism for a property whose front door opens onto an eight-lane highway. In a more positive light, it can mean somewhere that’s genuinely easy to access by road, rail or other modes of travel.

This apartment is close to transport in the most delightful way. With its own pontoon and slipway, it offers the sparkling waters of the Parramatta River as an alternative thoroughfare, should more direct route to the city and surrounding suburbs via Victoria Road prove insufficient.

The allure of the water has long been a selling point for properties in this neighbourhood. Indeed, when a chunk of the peninsula was subdivided in the 1840s, the land was advertised as “only 40 minutes’ row from Sydney”.

Apartment six has one of the best positions in Warrina, a 1970s complex of two six-unit buildings. On the third (and top) storey, the three-bedroom home’s open-plan living and dining area offers an unobstructed north-easterly view over Drummoyne Bay to the Harbour Bridge and city skyline. This, together with the balcony, ensures your popularity will soar in the lead-up to New Year’s Eve.

If you were to be bitten by the renovating bug, you might consider knocking down a wall or two in the process of modernising the 1980s kitchen, to ensure you could clap eyes on that knockout view even more often.

The main bathroom, with a separate shower and bath, and en suite would also benefit from a makeover, but are quite liveable in their present condition.

Only the second bedroom has built-ins.

Additional features include an internal laundry, reverse-cycle airconditioning, tandem car spaces and storage cage. The blond brick complex has a pool, spacious gardens and a barbecue terrace.

There is more high-speed harbour traffic than there was in the 1800s, not to mention fewer spots to drag a boat ashore when you reach Circular Quay, but it is satisfying to know this particular parcel of land still invites residents to unleash their inner oarsmen. Or women.

The Agent says: “You can sit on the balcony and take in the view, or if you want to be more active you can have a swim, go for a sail or have a barbie by the water.”

Room for improvement: Give the 1980s kitchen and bathroom a 21st-century renovation.

6/72 Wrights Road, Drummoyne 
$1.5 million+
3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car
Built 1971
Size 124 square metres
Strata levy $1314 a quarter
Inspect Sat, noon-12.30pm, and Thu, 6pm-6.30pm
Auction September 26
Agent Warwick Williams, 0418 221 277 

Need to know:
Last traded $405,000 in 1993
Highest recorded apartment price in Drummoyne (past 12 months) [4/96 St Georges Crescent, $2.82 million, August 20]
Median price for units in Drummoyne $857,500

Recent sales:
$2.82 million for 4/96 St Georges Crescent in August
$1.16 million for 21/59 Wrights Road in August
$750,500 for 13/361 Victoria Place in July
Source: Domain Group

Surrounding area:
Drummoyne is about seven kilometres north-west of the CBD. The area’s easy access to the city via Victoria Road makes it popular with young professionals, while its wide, open spaces and waterfront playgrounds make it family-friendly too. The median price of apartments in Drummoyne has grown by 9.3 per cent in the past 12 months.
Serviced by buses and ferries.
Close to Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre, Drummoyne Swimming Centre, Taplin Park, the Bay Run and the shops and restaurants of Lyons Road and Victoria Road.