As one of the most influential figures in the Australian property industry, Bill McHarg has seen his fair share of spectacular real estate.
Mr McHarg, founder and former chairman of Australia's largest commercial property agency Colliers International, has been at the helm of billions of dollars worth of property development during his career ??? but it's his latest sale that he's become especially attached to.
The property veteran has listed his award-winning southern Gold Coast penthouse, which he currently calls home, and he's rueful about the prospect of letting it go.
"Everything about this place is incredible. I absolutely love living here, waking up to these views every day, stepping straight onto the sand outside and going for a surf every morning. Right now, I'm sitting at my computer with the beach in front of me," he says.
"It's just me in this big penthouse all by myself, so I need to sell it ??? but where to from here? I'll probably just sleep on the beach," he laughs.
It's unlikely. While he was at Colliers, Mr McHarg helped build a global organisation with 250 offices and an annual turnover of more than $10 billion.
He famously left Colliers in 2007 to campaign full time against then-prime minister John Howard's lack of action on climate change, ploughing reportedly $200,000 of his own cash into the campaign, before delving back into the property industry again.
Three years ago, he left his hometown of Melbourne for the pristine beaches and perennially blue skies of the Gold Coast, proclaiming it as a future hot spot ??? a prediction which came to pass.
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He settled on developing a beachfront site at The Esplanade, Palm Beach, enlisting renowned local architect Bayden Goddard to design a meticulously crafted and beautifully executed boutique apartment building.
Each of the seven apartments are whole floor residences but it's the penthouse, where Mr McHarg lives, which is especially spectacular.
Featuring 70 square metres of balcony, unobstructed 360-degree views, three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a communal rooftop pool and deck entertainment area, it's a lesson in understated Gold Coast luxury.
"We didn't spare any expense. It was my first development up here so I wanted to do too much, rather than not enough," he says.
"I wanted it to be timeless, modern and classical. Miele wasn't good enough so we used Gaggenau appliances. The kitchen is marble. We used large slabs of natural limestone and travertine with mitred edges, we've got parquetry timber floors. It's simply beautiful."
And the experts agree. Mr McHarg's penthouse won the Master Builders best Gold Coast apartment and the HIA best Queensland apartment for 2016. It was also one of four finalists for the Australian apartment of the year but narrowly missed out to a Sydney penthouse.
Mr McHarg chose the Palm Beach oceanfront site after seeing massive potential for the suburb, and while Price Finder figures show this particular southern strip of the Gold Coast has seen nearly eight per cent growth in the last year alone, he believes there's still room for plenty more.
"I think the secret is out about Palm Beach but I feel there's a lot more in it yet. Here, you're a nice step away from the action, it's quieter, the beaches are deeper and you're enclosed by Burleigh Headland and Currumbin Headland.
"It's not over-developed, which makes it such a lovely place to live."
Of course, Mr McHarg is not actually leaving his penthouse to live on the beach ??? he's purchased an apartment in Barry Morris' beachfront Burleigh Heads development, Boardwalk.
He's also following up his success with the Palm Beach development by working on a new boutique art deco building at Main Beach, where the penthouse is reportedly worth $5 million.
The penthouse at 7/470 The Esplanade, Palm Beach, will go to auction on site on Sunday, October 15, at 11am. It's being sold through Scott Wagner of Ray White Mermaid Beach.
