Warwick Jones' working life and spare time is all about boats. When he is home, he is about as close to boats as he could possibly be without dipping his toes in the harbour. It has been this way for some time and with each house shift he has inchedcloser to the water.
Warwick used to live in a five-bedroom home in harbourside Herne Bay, but when his wife Heather died three years ago he decided to sell and rent a two-bedroom apartment on the top floor of the Stratis building, one of four in the Lighter Quay development at Viaduct Harbour. Friends were delighted.
"When I moved here I had a really big social problem," he says. "Everyone wanted to come and have a drink and head out to the restaurants. I moved in here just in time for the Rugby World Cup and that was the only time there was any noise. Normally, it is just so quiet. There is just no pedestrian noise at all."
Twelve months later he swapped his renter for this larger three-bedroom apartment right next door with its views toward Devonport and Princes Wharf, and the Sky Tower punctuating the cityscape.
Number 610 on the 6th floor has been a perfect fit for Warwick and his new partner, Nancy. Its single-level floor plan, parallel parking spaces, security and 10.30pm noise curfew are ideal; the gymnasium, lap pool and sauna alongside the internal marina are appealing optional extras.
But back up the lift behind closed doors there is still plenty that Warwick marvels at even now.
"If I can't sleep and I come out to the deck here and have a cup of tea there is plenty to see, people walking past. It doesn't matter what time of the day or night it is, there is always something happening."
Their apartment is conducive to easy entertaining with its open-plan dining and living area opening directly off the entrance. The bedrooms and bathrooms are off the hallway. The east-facing deck is off the lounge and the master bedroom. The west-facing deck is off the large double bedroom/study and the second bedroom overlooks the internal marina.
Between the lounge and the master bedroom is a glass wall with curtains that adds a sense of space to both rooms. The laundry is behind bifold doors in the main bathroom.
When Warwick moved here, he upgraded the kitchen with a granite bench and aluminium-framed frosted glass doors on the existing galley-style kitchen cabinets.
Image 1 of 6: There's plentiful peace and quiet to a crow's nest spot above the water
Warwick, who invests in commercial property, says the leasehold status of this property has returned him a lifestyle for far less cost than a freehold apartment of this quality.
"A freehold apartment like this would probably be $900,000 or $1 million more," he says. "Buying this leasehold frees up that extra $900,000 or so that could be invested. The downside is you are paying the ground rental and the body corporate fees, but the upside is that even with that you've still got that extra money that you can invest somewhere else."
With lifestyle in mind, Warwick and Nancy are moving to an even larger apartment in the North building in Lighter Quay.
