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The Hudson on Albion took some time to get off the ground, with an initial failed launch, a change of ownership and a relaunch, but the project is now complete. The Hudson on Albion Mill development is a $330 million Project that is the first building developed on the old Albion Mill.
The most obvious characteristics of The Hudson are its proximity to the Albion train station and its views. Most apartments have outstanding city and suburban views, with the majority on higher levels unable to be built out in the future.
The Hudson sits literally above and to the side of the Albion train station. So when you read in the marketing literature that the train is literally metres from the door, this time you can believe it. Because it sits in a raised position perhaps as high as two levels above the actual train line, we think noise from the passing trains will be somewhat muted. This is an electric passenger train line only.
The Developer opted to include the upgrade finishes selection for each apartment, so each apartment is finished the same – so you can expect the same high quality finishes in the one bedroom apartment as the million-dollar sky homes. These include stone bench tops, mirror splashbacks, designer tap ware and full height feature tiling in bathrooms. See examples form the display below for more on this.
The Hudson sits on a famous landmark site in Albion, the Albion Mill. The site has been largely vacant for a number of years so residents and businesses of Albion are no doubt pleased to see the site being developed. It took a while to get started though. Twin Ocean Property took over the development from Aveo Group (previously known as FKP Property Development Group) after three years of the project not being able to get up off the ground.
The director for Twin Ocean, Tim Jones says that they were very optimistic to start the project. Twin Ocean’s directors have more than 40 years of combined experience. The company originated from Clough Property (a major engineering services business primarily involved in the mining and resources sector) and is still contracted by Clough to develop properties.
The Hudson on Albion Mill has a lap pool, fully equipped gymnasium and an entertainment deck, all on the podium level. These facilities face to the west.
The developer has placed a real focus on the quality of the finishes in this project. We know that everyone says this, but the base package of finishes for the entry level apartments in this case are really quite good. The photo above is a sample kitchen on display and is indicative of the quality that is included in all apartments.
Each apartment has a car park and some of the two and three bedroom apartments have two car parks side-by-side, which is somewhat rare these days. There is also be 11 visitor parking spaces available. Another 10 carparks for the retail tenants will be used during operating hours but can also be used for visitor parking after hours.
Every room (except bathrooms) has ceiling fans and the apartments have ducted air conditioning.
There are no gas connection on the balconies.
CCTV cameras alarms are installed in the building creating a safe a secure environment for residents.
The ground level of the Hudson is for commercial use. There are five boutique stores, restaurants and cafes. This is in keeping with the Sandgate Rd precinct which borders the building which is a retail shopping and restaurnat strip.
The owner-occupiers have mainly been people over 40 looking to downsize from houses according to the marketing agents.
Most of the apartments have a multi-purpose room which can be used as a study or a guest room. On average it would be fair to say that the apartments are larger than many comparably priced apartments being brought to market at the moment.
An onsite manager is yet to be appointed.
The apartments are being built on a famous landmark of Brisbane, the Albion Mill. This former icon was built by Scottish pioneers in 1931 and remained there until November 2013, when the mill was deemed structurally unsound after a fire and was demolished.
The Hudson is a street away from busy Sandgate Road and is in front of a Park’n’Drive parking lot for the Albion Train Station. The Albion Overpass is right next door to the apartment block and is extremely busy as it connects to Sandgate Road and gets Inner City Bypass traffic.
Although only the south-facing apartments get the most noise, they have excellent views of the city. Levels 1 to 6 have shutters or louvers, and all windows have acoustic protection to help with the noise. Some of these methods include acoustic glazing and framing techniques to windows and doors, external wall sound treatments and façade sound buffering elements.
The CBD is 11 minutes away by car and is two stops away by train. The train line right next door is perfect for any commute into the city as there are several different trains coming every few minutes.
The Hudson is located near various supermarkets like Coles (four minute drive), IGA Ascot (four minute drive) and the Clayfield Markets (six minute drive).
One restaurant worth mentioning is the Albion Hotel which opened in 1866 and which is next door. The suburb was named after the Albion Hotel.
While visiting the display suite, it is worthwhile going to drink a coffee at Brewbakers on Sandgate Road, as it was given a rating of 4.3/5 by Zomato (previously known as Urban Spoon).
Toombul Shopping Centre and DFO are both accessed within 10 minutes by car and the airport is only a 9 minute drive from the Hudson.
Redevelopment is currently being planned for Albion. These new plans aim to revitalise Albion Village in order to promote development while protecting the history of the precinct.
Albion has a population of 1,986 people and the number is expected to double by 2036, according to the Queensland Office of Statistical Economical Research.
Over 75 per cent of the apartments have been sold – mainly one bedroom and the two bedroom apartments – however, north-facing apartments are still selling. A large portion of this percentage is made up of owner-occupiers according to the Developer.
The pricing for the apartments start with one bedroom apartments selling from $400,000, two bedroom apartments selling from $620,000, three bedroom apartments selling from $650,000 and skyhomes/penthouses selling from $1.2 million.
Rental estimates start at $410 per week for an unfurnished, one bedroom apartment and go up to $1,250 per week for a three bedroom apartment (on a higher level).
In the latest Residex State Market Report for QLD, apartments in Albion have a median value of $438,000 and median rental of $410 /wk. Remember that this figures cover both new and old / existing apartments.
The body corporate fees for the Hudson are between $3,000 and $4,500 / yr.
Having the same finishes on all of the apartments is rare. The display suite shows what qualities finishes are featured in both the kitchen and bathroom. The below image is the display bathroom that was on show at the display suite across from the project in 2016.
The only change you could have made is the timbre floor upgrade – which most residents have chosen. There are 10 different floor plans available to buy.
All of the apartments are equipped with a Miele gas stove top and three bedroom apartments have a fridge included. There is also microwaves in all of the apartments. Some three bedroom apartments have a bath tub.
The Hudson is only a three minute walk away from the Albion Train Station. The station is serviced by the Airport, Doomben, Caboolture, Shorncliffe and Sunshine Coast lines. There is also a Park’n’Ride which allows the public to park their cars in the parking lot and then take the train.
The list of schools surrounding the apartments is extensive. Kedron State High School is three minutes by car and 18 minutes by bus. One of Brisbane’s premier private girls schools, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls College is a three minute drive and a nine minute bus ride. The other schools around the area are Clayfield College, Brisbane Boys Grammar School, Windsor State School, St Agatha’s Catholic Primary School, Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, St Rita’s Catholic Girls School.
The Queensland University of Technology at Kelvin Grove is the closest university which is easily accessible by bus. The Gardens Point campus is a 33 minute journey by taking the train to Central Station, then hopping on to the 50 bus to get to the university. To get to the University of Queensland in St Lucia, all you need to do is catch the train to Toowong then take the 412 bus to the campus.
The nearest Hospital is the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. This easy to get to by car with only a 3km drive that takes six minutes. You can also catch numerous trains to the hospital, it is a 23 minute journey.
The nearest similar project is Kokoro Apartments. Situated on the corner of Sandgate Road and Birkbeck Street, construction for this development has begun and there are only a few apartments left. The construction is expected to be completed next year.
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