Adrian Bo here and today I’m outside a building on the corner of Arden Street and Alison Road in Coogee, which has a pretty fascinating story. On this site, in 1916, Peter Wirth created a sprawling estate on a land parcel of 3,693 square metres. That’s just under an acre, in Coogee. Right opposite the beach here. He built a 6-bedroom home with an en-suite in all 6 bedrooms, it was named Oceanview. Now, Phillip and his brother George, inherited a family circus, Wirth’s Circus, which had officially opened in Sydney in 1880. So by the time he built Oceanview, behind me here, the circus was well established and was billed as Australia’s own “Greatest Show on Earth”. In fact the circus built a huge international reputation, going on tour right around the world. Locally, the Capitol Theatre became it’s base, back then known as the Hippodrome Theatre, which had a 40 square metre reinforced concrete water tank built to house performances by seals and even polar bears.

The tank had a hydraulic platform installed that would rise to cover the pool, as well as bring the animals up from below the circus ring. Apparently the tank and hydraulic floor still exists today under the flooring of the modern Capitol Theatre. So back here at Oceanview, the Wirth family used the grounds as a private zoo where they kept and trained the animals that would perform in the circus. Locals would regularly see elephants exercising along Beach Street in Coogee, early in the mornings, around the early 1920s. In fact, it was rumoured that the most famous Wirth circus elephant, Princess Alice, was and still is, buried in the grounds here of the property at Oceanview behind me. Oceanview stayed with the Wirth family until it was sold in 2009, though the original parcel had already been subdivided with 1,693 square metres remaining after flats were built on the northern side of the grounds in the 1960s. I think it’s important to keep these local stories alive.

It’s impossible to imagine a herd of elephants wandering along this street just less than 100 years ago, incredible. I have been fortunate to sell many properties in this particular beachside area of Coogee over the last 31 years. I sold an apartment at 321 Arden Street for 1.33 million, an apartment at 166 Arden Street for 1.3, a sub penthouse at 232 Arden Street for 4.1 million, which was a record at the time. An apartment at 260 Arden Street for 1.395, and an apartment at 184 Arden Street for 785,000, and also an apartment at 73 Arden Street for 1.095 million. I also sold an architect-designed house, just around the corner here, by Alex Roth at 145 Arden Street, which was a record at the time also. Now, the average owner-occupier has been living on Arden Street for 9 years and 8 months, 34% of owner occupiers on Arden Street have been here for over a decade. The street has approximately 650 dwellings, which is 70% being apartments. Now, in 2020, 10 apartments and 2 houses have sold on Arden Street, with prices ranging anywhere from 650,000 to $4.55 Million. I hope that’s been of interest to you. Enjoy the spring in Coogee, and always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.