Hi, it’s Adrian Bo here and today I’m going to talk about a French connection here right in the heart of Randwick. I’m at Albi Place in Randwick which is so named due to Albi becoming a sister city of Randwick in 1988 and where I’ve sold over 20 units during my career. Albi is a mediaeval town located on the River Tarn in Southern France. It has particular significance to the city of Sydney because Albi is the birthplace of Jean-François de Galaup, who was comte de Lapérouse. De Galaup was sent by King Louis XVI of France to explore the Pacific inspired by Captain Cook’s expedition and using his maps. The comte de Lapérouse left Brest, France in 1785 and landed on the northern shore of Botany Bay in 1788. There is a mystery about his return journey to France with his 2 ships have been found shipwrecked in the Solomon Islands. As a result of his visit, a suburb of Sydney, La Perouse, was named after him which is a very well known suburb in the southern eastern district of Eastern Suburb Sydney at the moment and in later years Randwick Council developed a sister relationship with the city of his birth, Albi. Now, Albi is steeped in history, being one of the oldest settlements in France, and is famous for a museum dedicated to the work of the world-famous painter Toulouse Lautrec who came from Albi.

So Albi Place is one of the more romantic street names here in Randwick. It’s a very small residential street. Records says that there are 32 units here which have 50% owner occupiers and 50% renters. The average resident has been living on Albi Place for eight years and seven months. Interestingly, number 4 at 14 Albi Place, a very large three-bedroom apartment, sold for 1.31 million, having changed hands for $370,000 in 1998 and $668,000 in 2010, so its value roughly doubled over the 10 years. Our office sold number 10 in the same building two years ago for 1,175,000 and also sold number 1 at number 12 Albi Place for $1,205,000 a few years ago. By the way, there is a beautiful walk very close to here where I’m standing through the Fred Hollows Reserve along a pretty steep boardwalk, quite a sanctuary for what is quite densely populated and a very busy area. Developers were circling the reserve in the 1970s which led to Randwick Council to preserve the rainforest gully.

Over the 31 years I’ve been selling real estate in the Eastern Suburbs, I’ve been very fortunate enough to sell many properties in this area and they include 46 Coogee Street for $1.9 million, the designer Coco Republic townhouses at 2 Llanfoyst Street, 5 Oswald Street, 9/2 Oswald Street, 11 at 49 Coogee Bay Road, 11 at 65 Coogee Bay Road, 1 at 72 Coogee Bay Road, 7 at 55 Coogee Bay Road, 10/1 Pitt Street, 1 at 280 Carrington Road, 9/91 Coogee Bay Road, 12 at 141 Coogee Bay Road, 8 Kara Street, and 14/3 Nathan Street. Continuing the French theme, the area has very nice French dining establishments. The Cafe de France on Havelock Avenue is very popular and the Four Frogs Creperie on St Pauls Street in The Spot which makes part of Randwick is also a very, very revered destination as well as the Bon Vin Restaurant in Darlinghurst, Gavroche in Chippendale as well, Bistro Moncur in Woollahra, Bistro Papillon on Clarence Street, and the Macleay Street Bistro in Potts Point, as well as many others within a few kilometres of where I’m standing today. I hope this French angle to Randwick has been of interest. Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city and the French connection goes back as deeply as any. Enjoy this back to school period with fresh goal-setting opportunities, and always remember your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.