Ten-storey apartment tower Gem is the latest release in AV Jennings' $450 million Waterline Place complex. The Williamstown project will house almost 600 townhouses and apartments, including 92 at Gem.
The beachside tower is named after the Gem paddle steamer that ferried people from Williamstown to Port Melbourne between 1846 and 1886. Picturesque Gem Pier, also named in honour of the paddle steamer, is now an iconic Williamstown location and home to its World War Two museum ship HMAS Castlemaine.
Historical connections took pride of place in Gem's design, says Elenberg Fraser principal Caleb Smith.
"When we designed Gem, we wanted to incorporate the rich maritime history of Williamstown but to do it in an abstract way," he says.
"We were interested in the unique forms of the yachts and the spinnakers when they capture the wind, which we have used as inspiration in the building."
From this cue, Smith and his team have designed a building of flowing lines and curvilinear forms.
Full-length balconies and full-width windows are designed to drink in the nearby water views. Some apartments enjoy a front and rear aspect with views in opposite directions, while corner apartments will be spoilt with a broad vista.
Kate Chesney admits she bought into Waterline a little later than most and so she missed a berth on an upper level. But the upside is the short walk from her first-floor apartment to the beach.
"I'm 50 metres from my place to the water's edge, so I'm not complaining," she says.
The purchase of her two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment was all because of a brochure that landed in her letterbox.
"It was a very random purchase in terms of I hadn't been looking in the area," Chesney says.
"I wasn't ready to purchase at that time but the opportunity looked like it was not only a good place to live, but from an investment point of view I just think that area is going to go up in value so much. Like even with Hellenic Republic coming to Williamstown, hopefully that's just the start of what's going to come up in that area."
The little things stand out at Gem, including a USB powerpoint in the kitchens and double power outlets in the bathrooms. There are large preparation areas and extra storage in the kitchens, as well as optional butler's pantries and island benches with built-in breakfast bars.
Bathrooms have the lux feel down-pat with herringbone pattern tiles and the option of dual basins and a large bathtub.
At a glance
Gem at Waterline Place
57 Nelson Place, Williamstown
- Architect: Elenberg Fraser
- Developer: AV Jennings
- Interior design: Elenberg Fraser
- Number of apartments: 92; 28 one-bedroom, 36 two-bedroom, 28 three-bedroom
- Internal sizes (square metres): One-bedroom 54-64, two-bedroom 69-90, three-bedroom 109-132.
- Prices: One-bedroom $505,000-$598,000, two-bedroom $650,000-$1.02 million, three-bedroom from $1.16 million
- Car parking: One and two bedrooms have one car space, three-bedrooms have two.
- Completion: October 2018
- Agent: AV Jennings, Susan Lindblom 8888 4861
- Open for inspection: Display suite at corner of Kanowna and Aitken Streets, Williamstown. Open noon-3pm daily.
