Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is widely acknowledged as being a pretty good dude.Not only is he a relentlessly positive celebrity devoid of much of the bullshit that comes with fame (plus he makes a killer tequila), but the affable former professional wrestler and current Hollywood star has founded his own charity which works with at-risk and terminally ill children, has donated thousands to disaster relief over the years and has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation on numerous occasions.Johnson took a break from filming his upcoming Netflix comedy Red Notice (where he’s starring alongside Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds) to announce a partnership he’s forged alongside Microsoft founder Bill Gates with a charity called Gamers Outreach.“20 years ago my buddy Bill Gates and I debuted the very first ever XBOX console to the world,” he announced on Instagram.

“Now two decades later, I’m partnering up with Microsoft once again to launch their brand new XBOX Series X to the world. But the best part about this partnership is I have the absolute privilege to deliver one-of-a-kind ‘ROCK XBOX Series X’ consoles to 20 different children’s hospitals that will eventually reach over 50,000 kids! These kids are battling through their illnesses with incredible bravery… [you] show me and the world what real strength means.”

While we’re suitably impressed with Johnson’s philanthropic endeavours, we were also impressed by the timepiece he was wearing during the announcement: a Breitling Superocean Heritage B01 Chronograph that retails for just under $11,000.

The 44mm stainless steel watch is available in a variety of different colour and strap combinations, but Johnson’s chosen a rather fetching black dial / dark blue bezel combination with a very retro mesh steel bracelet.Inspired by the original Superocean from the 1950s, the Heritage is nonetheless a highly capable, modern watch: water-resistant to 200m and a COSC-certified chronometer, it’s an elegant, inspired choice for a man who normally rocks (pardon the pun) much bulkier, more aggressively styled watches.Johnson is an avid watch collector, and has been spotted with everything from Panerais, IWCs, Hamiltons, Orises, Rolexes and unsurprisingly, other Breitlings on his wrist both on and off the film set.Bill Gates, however, is a more interesting point of comparison. Despite being one of the wealthiest men on earth, Gates doesn’t indulge in watches: he famously wears a Casio Duro ‘Marlin’, which you can easily pick up for less than $100.The ever-prolific Johnson is also working on a TV series based on his young life, appropriately called Young Rock, as well as filming Disney’s upcoming adventure flick Jungle Cruise alongside Emily Blunt, Paul Giamatti and Jack Whitehall.

Read Next

• Joe Biden’s Understated Timepiece Reaffirms ‘Unspoken’ Presidential Watch Trend
• Justin Bieber Coordinates Solid Gold Rolex In Most Outrageous Fashion

The post Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Rocks Unexpectedly Elegant Breitling Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Ever wished you could globe trot without your bank account groaning? Sign up for an American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card and you’ll receive 50,000 bonus Velocity Points to help make this dream a reality.

Key benefits of the American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card include:

• 50,000 bonus Velocity Points when you apply online, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months. Offer available to new Card Members only.
• Complimentary Virgin Australia return Economy domestic flight between selected cities each year after your first Card spend each anniversary year.
• Two complimentary Virgin Australia lounge passes each year at selected domestic airports.
• Worldwide travel insurance (when you pay for your trips with your American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card).
• No cap to the Velocity Points you can earn.
• No spend cap on your earn rate.
• World-class Platinum Priority Service available 24/7 including refund protection, purchase protection and an online fraud protection guarantee.

How do the rewards work? You’ll earn 1.25 Velocity Points per $1 spent, except government bodies in Australia where you will earn 0.5 Velocity Points per $1 spent.

You’ll also earn 1.25 Velocity Points per dollar spent, and you can also ‘double-dip’ with one additional Velocity Point magically appearing in your account for every dollar you spend on purchases with Virgin Australia.

That upgrade might be closer than you think.

High rollers will also net 100 Velocity Frequent Flyer Status Credits if they spend $50,000 or more within a year, while card holders with families can earn points faster by distributing up to 4 additional cards to family members or friends for no extra fee.

Keen? Apply now and start enjoying the benefits.

Apply Now (offer no longer available)

The post Score 50,000 Bonus Velocity Points On The American Express Velocity Platinum Card appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australians are finally getting honest with themselves about their sex lives and it’s about damn time. Speaking of time, this year being 2020, it appears some silver linings have come out of The Pangolin Parade.

Namely: Australians appear to be overcoming their egos (and stigma) and opening their minds to bedroom toys.

Sexual wellness brand Lovehoney has just released new data which shows Australians are hoping for more than whisky and chocolate in their stockings this Christmas.

The data comes from a recent survey, which was conducted to curate Christmas wish lists for Lovehoney customers in the following categories – singles, couples, students and essential workers.

The first finding is a big one: over half (53% to be precise) of Australian singles surveyed are hoping for a “Happy Rabbit” vibrator this Christmas.

Made famous by hit sitcom Sex and the City, the Happy Rabbit continues in high demand, topping the wish lists of students (53%) and key workers (52%).

Those in a relationship, however, are hoping for a sex toy kit (54%) to spice things up.

The findings, from over 1,200 Australians, also discovered the item singletons would most like to help improve their sex life. Perhaps to no surprise this was lubricant (32%).

Further findings included couples (29%) and key workers (31%) opting for sexy massage oil to unwind after a stressful 2020, and “cheeky” students (28%) hoping to find some adult
sex games wrapped up under the tree.

RELATED: Woman’s Morning After ‘Expectation’ Sparks 2020’s Most Enlightening Hook Up Debate

This comes after Relationship Expert and Advisor to Channel 10’s The Bachelor Samantha Jayne told DMARGE last month Australia is facing a crisis of “emotional horniness.”

According to Jayne, we are at a point in history where we may be more emotionally horny than ever, “Especially with the mix of social media, coronavirus and more and more people connecting virtually.”

“Not to mention the boost in narcissists out there and people are afraid of getting hurt emotionally. More and more people I speak to struggle living with the fear of getting hurt so they live in their heads, they worry about what a person will do and their stops an emotional connection which leads to no relationship which then leads to more emotional horniness.”

“Seriously whilst technology has its benefits it has got more people in their heads and people need to be touched. We need physical contact to release the love cuddle hormone ‘Oxytocin,’ to release cortisol from our bodies. This improves mental and physical wellbeing.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has also reported on loneliness in Australia, writing in September, “Addicted to our smartphones, alienated by materialism, cynical about politics and disconnected from the wider community: modern life has made many of us feel more isolated than is healthy.”

“Then the world went into lockdown – and the age of loneliness turned chronic.”

The experts at VicHealth have called loneliness a “new public health challenge.” Likewise, high end escort Samantha X has previously confirmed to DMARGE the real reason many men seek sex outside of their relationships is out of a desire for a (or another) emotional connection.

On this topic, Jayne warns apps like Only Fans, downloaded like the plague during this time of… plague… are “total band-aid solutions.”

Whether or not sex toys prove a ‘firmer’ solution to our woes remains to be seen.

What’s not up for debate, apparently, is Lovehoney’s customer’s keenness to try them, with the company, from the data, carefully curating wish lists to include a selection of sex toys, lingerie, bondage items and more, suitable for each customer.

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Read Next

• Addiction, Lies & Shame: How Porn Is F*cking With Australian Men
• A High End Escort Explains Why She Would Never Pay For Sex

The post Researchers 'Uncover' Cold Hard Truth About Australians’ Bedroom Skills In 2020 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The global recession that’s been the result of the Pangolin Parade might not have affected Australia as badly as some other countries, but we’re hardly back to normal. Couple that with China’s banning of Australian exports such as barley, wine and coal and economic conditions are likely to be tough for a while yet.While the stock market is an increasingly tantalising prospect for many, particularly for young would-be investors, the volatile and abstract nature of trading remains intimidating for a great deal of Australians.A tastier opportunity might be to invest in whisky. Not only is it a far more tangible (and readily enjoyable) investment than gold or shares, it might also be a financially prudent move.According to Knight Frank’s Luxury Investment Index, whisky has outperformed other typical investment goods such as watches, art or wine in Australia by a huge margin. Indeed, whisky recorded more than double the performance of the next best asset, coins, over both a 12 month and 10-year period.While there’s certainly a market for investing in single bottles of whisky, another market that’s potentially more appealing – and offers an almost unparalleled degree of flexibility – is investing in whisky barrels.For example, Coburns Distillery in country New South Wales gives regular investors the opportunity to own whole barrels of their single malt, offering an “8% annual return with guaranteed appreciation”, according to their website.Basically, you purchase a 225 litre American Oak barrel of whiskey for 10,000 AUD (plus GST), and leave it with Coburns to mature, which takes around 5 to 7 years. The company buys the barrel back from you at the cost price + 8% for each year, and you are able to keep up to half the whisky in the barrel on a pro rata basis. The barrel also comes with a buyback contract attached, making it suitable for ownership as part of a self-managed super fund.But that generous 8% return isn’t the only reason that you might want to invest in some amber nectar.RELATED: The Superannuation Switch That Could Save Young Australians Thousands In The Long Run“We have found that many more people buy barrels for consumption,” the distillery relates.

“Often a group of friends or family club together to buy a barrel, because they may want something to bottle for gifting in the future, perhaps to celebrate a marriage or the birth of a new baby. Others buy whisky barrels because they are fascinated by its evolution, and love to follow the progress of the spirit as it matures.”

So not only is it a solid investment, but it’s one you can enjoy; one you can celebrate in a more personable way than a coin collection, say. People choose to invest in fine wine for a similar reason.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Coburns Distillery (@coburnsdistillery) on Aug 15, 2020 at 4:34pm PDT

However, if something sounds too good to be true, it often is, as the Eureka Report’s Scott Francis cautions.“The first challenge I see in promoting whiskey as a cash style investment is around ‘counter-party risk’, he starts.“For the return to be paid with certainty the company making the promise is going to have to be in the financial shape to make the payment in the future, including that they will be receiving income from the future sale of barrels of whisky. Keep in mind that there are no payments along the way – the total investment outcome is based on one final payment a number of years into the future.”

“I am not in any position to make any judgement about the financial situation of the company making the offer, as an example from a similar investment scheme, I am well aware of the distress caused to many investors who had bought barrels of whisky through Nant Whisky, and were impacted when that company collapsed.”

Nant Whisky, a Tasmanian distillery which offered a similar barrel investment opportunity to what Coburns is currently offering, went bankrupt in a huge scandal that saw many investors left high and dry, as this ABC News report from 2019 investigates.“The next challenge is around liquidity,” Francis continues. “Cash plays a crucial role in portfolios offering quick access to money, something that is often important from a personal finance perspective during challenging times including periods of unemployment, poor health or unexpected expenses. A quick sale of a barrel of whisky is more challenging, and clearly that investment does not offer the same level of liquidity for an investment portfolio.”RELATED: ‘Cash Is King’: Australian Economist Explains Why We Should Hold On To Our Notes“The third challenge is around the relationship between risk and reward, which I think is a profound investment relationship,” he explains.“From an investor’s point of view, the eight per cent per annum is their investment return. However, from the point of view of the company making the offer the eight per cent is their ‘cost of capital’, their cost to borrow the money. We can assume that any company is going to want to make as much money for their business activities, as is their absolute right. A reasonable question is, why are they offering a return four times the cash rate, and 300 basis points higher than the starting rate for business loans?”

“Surely a bank loan would be simpler and cheaper compared to dealing with individual investors with investments in $10,000 blocks, with the challenge of having to find more investors over time? My thinking is fairly simple – any investment with a ‘cost of capital’ of 8 per cent per annum must have underlying risk or they would have put in place a cheaper lending arrangement.”

Coburns has only been active since 2016, with this barrel ownership program more or less the equivalent of ‘crowdfunding’ a distillery. While they’ve had several seasons of successful barrel sells, there’s still a degree of risk involved, being that they are such a small distillery. They’re by no means the only Australian whisky producer that sells barrels – award-winning distilleries like Archie Rose and Manly Spirits Co. also sell casks – but they’re many orders of magnitude more expensive than Coburns’ offerings.Ultimately, investing in whisky is an investment of passion, so it’s not all about the money. But making bank as well as making drank? Cheers to that.

Read Next

• ‘Neat’ Whisky Drinking Rules You Need To Know, According To Experts
• Why Australians Should Spend This Year’s Holiday Money On Luxury Goods

The post Investing In Whiskey Trend Has Us Ditching Dollars For Drams appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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This feature has been produced in partnership with Rolex.

Filmography is the art of signs and symbols, and few possessions have the same sort of cultural cache as a Rolex watch. Prestige, power, steadfastness and elegance all rolled into one – Rolex makes a statement like no other.

The Swiss brand’s watches have appeared in scores of the world’s most famous films. From Datejusts in The Color Of Money and American Psycho to GMT-Masters in Speed and Apocalypse Now, actors both on and off set have donned Rolex as their timepiece of choice.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that Rolex has not only been the exclusive watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and sponsor of the Oscars since 2017, but is also a founding supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, as well as sponsoring the Annual Governors Awards that recognize life(time) achievement in film, and the pre-stage Greenroom at the Oscars.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”275901″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_separator][vc_column_text]During this year’s Oscars ceremony, Rolex shared a short film where Academy Award winners and Testimonees Kathryn Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and James Cameron – titans of film who’ve won 57 Academy Awards between them – shared the impact that mentors have had on their work. It is this idea of continuity and dialogue, the passing down of knowledge from one generation to the next, that Rolex aspires to perpetuate across many of its sponsorship and philanthropic platforms. 

Rolex’s Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative pairs industry-leading creatives with emerging artists, in order to pass on their creative legacy. Appropriately, one of the four mentors this year is Spike Lee – one of the most influential and socially conscious filmmakers active today, creator of Academy Award-nominated film Do The Right Thing and Academy Award winning film BlacKkKlansman.

It’s the perfect initiative for a company like Rolex to support. Wisdom, like watches, is precious. Just as a Rolex might be passed down from generation to generation, supporting the sharing of creative wisdom is culturally invaluable.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”275907″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”275908″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

Read more about Rolex’s commitment to supporting the arts at rolex.org.

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The post Film’s Most Iconic Watch Brand Helps Shape The Next Generation Of Filmmakers appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Chatham Islands may not be as photogenic as Ubud, but they make up for their lack of Instagram steeze with sheer wilderness.

Boasting fascinating marine and wildlife, this remote archipelago’s “outstanding scenery and welcoming hosts… will leave a lasting impression on you,” its official website claims.

Where is it? New Zealand of course.

The Chatham Islands consists of two main islands, Chatham Island and Pitt Island and sit about 800 kilometres east of New Zealand.

Another point of difference right now between The Chatham Islands and Bali or, say, the majority of the world’s travel industry, is that while tourism worldwide is struggling in the vacuum left by Covid 19, the Chatham Islands have the opposite problem.

 

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A post shared by CNN Travel (@cnntravel) on Nov 10, 2020 at 6:16am PST

As NewstalkZB reports, “The Chatham Islands has a population of just over 600 people, and usually see about 2000 tourists a year.”

However, as increasing numbers of New Zealanders are now eying the Chathams as a tasty quarantine-free holiday destination, they now run the risk of experiencing overtourism (a problem the once tourist lite paradise of Bali is well acquainted with).

CNN Travel has described the islands as “2020’s hottest getaway for Kiwis.”

For the time being, at DMARGE, we’re calling them, ‘The New Bali’ for Kiwis.

Chatham Islands Tourism Manager Jackie Gurden says unless they can get their infrastructure up to scratch, the islands could quickly become overburdened, according to NewstalkZB.

Gurden has also said, CNN Travel reports, “It happened quite quickly,” explaining that though the island is normally a sedate getaway (“you don’t get young people looking for a cheap holiday, and there are no beach resorts or anything”) now international borders have closed, there is more (human) life on the islands.

“Tourism New Zealand… had to pivot from marketing their country to foreign tourists to encouraging domestic travel. That suddenly made the usually-sleepy Chathams a hot commodity.”

In other words: it’s not just grandparents keen to see rare birds and seal colonies anymore.

 

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A post shared by Sam Wild (@saminthewild_) on Mar 9, 2018 at 7:05pm PST

According to CNN Travel, demand is now far outstripping supply, with Gurden estimating there are 150 beds on the islands in total, in a mix of hotels, lodges, guesthouses and local residences listed on sites like Airbnb, all of which are booked out.

“Normally, tourism season lasts from about November to March, which is summer in the southern hemisphere. But now, all on-island accommodation is booked solid through June 2021,” (CNN Travel).

Camping is prohibited.

Government grants and intelligent growth management will play a crucial role in preserving the very attractions people are now flocking to the islands to see.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ashton Reiser (@ashtonreiser) on Aug 23, 2020 at 10:43pm PDT

Of course, nothing will replace the tropical allure of Bali. But until international travel opens up more for New Zealanders, let’s hope the (low key) ‘Balification’ of The Chatham Islands can be exploited to make them a better, sturdier tourism destination for the future.

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• Western Australia Ghost Town Slated For ‘Ubud Like’ Transformation
• The Little Known Tropical Travel Bubble Most Australians Have No Idea About

The post Remote Archipelago Becoming 'The New Bali' For New Zealanders appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

How many calories are you willing to burn to speed up the process of moving house? While this may not be a question that crosses your mind on the regular, it is one you will at some point have to answer, as you decide how many removalists to hire.It’s also a question one Australian man regrets not taking more seriously over the weekend. Grappling with not just boxes and photo frames but also his calorie intake (and niggling injuries) the Sydney resident – and DMARGE correspondent – was almost more shocked by what his Fitbit told him at the end of the ordeal than by Sydney’s insane house prices.Why? Despite hiring two burly removalists our correspondent still managed to burn 5,197 calories, cover 128 floors, complete 30,849 steps, walk 24.09 kilometres and spend 161 minutes in “the zone” (that coveted heart rate, or state of cardio, you only reach when working out intensely).To put that in perspective, the second tallest building in the world, The Shanghai Tower, has the same number of floors (128) as what our correspondent trudged up and down.Not bad for a day’s work.Online energy expenditure calculators suggest an average 150-pound person should burn just over four calories a minute while doing moderate cardio exercise like walking (3 mph), according to moving company Mayflower.

“Using those figures as a base guideline for calorie burning during a move, about 250 calories may be burned per hour.”

By this metric, our correspondent did about 21 hours work in about 9 hours. No wonder his back’s sore.This measurement should also provide a baseline for anyone out there wondering how many calories you can really expect to burn when moving house – our correspondent started moving at 7:30am and stopped at about 4pm. So adjust your own expectations of the number of calories you will burn accordingly.It’s also worth reminding yourself moving doesn’t have to be a complete waste of time. Done correctly (i.e. without putting your back out), it can contribute to your health and fitness goals. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the insane physique of the likes of cardio strongman Ross Edgley, whose philosophy is to “train anything and everything, anywhere and everywhere,” and The Rock, who lets nothing get in the way of a good workout.As for recovery, DMARGE spoke to Cristina Chan – The Face of F45 Recovery – who said:“It’s no surprise that those areas of the body are tight! You’re using a lot of upper back and hips/core when moving, so any mobility surrounding those areas are good to do after a strenuous day of moving. For example, posterior shoulder stretch, child’s pose, upward dog (abdominal stretch), pigeon or figure 4, and quad stretch are all good places to start.”

“Also a nice epsom salt bath if you have the resources can be very helpful for circulation in tight muscles.”

Chan also gave us some preparation tips: “Just like you would do a warm up before a work out, doing a mobility warm up targeting the muscle groups mentioned above will help prevent injury from tight muscles . Also a long day of moving is tough on the body in more than one way so making sure you’re well hydrated, eating energizing foods and getting good sleep are all part of how the body handles stress and recovers from it as well.”There you have it: the choice is yours. If you need to move; get after those 128 floors.

Read Next

• Mark Wahlberg’s Brutal ‘Superman’ Workout Could Banish Your Back Pain
• ‘Gyms Are The New Nightclubs’: Pandemic Sparks Australian Fitness Revolution

The post ‘Half Marathon’: Man’s Fitness Tracker Captures True Horror Of Moving House appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

One of the best (or worst) things about being in a relationship is having someone to take photos of you for social media. Not only are they going to want to make you look good, but they’re cheaper than a professional photographer.This is fine if you’re the model, but if you’re the amateur photographer in question, it can wear a bit thin after a while. In heterosexual relationships, it’s usually the dude taking all the photos – hence the term ‘Instagram husband’. Destined to always be behind the camera and rarely in it, they’re the unsung heroes of social media.Even celebrities aren’t immune to it – just take popular British comedian Jack Whitehall, who was spotted on Monday on the streets of London’s exclusive Notting Hill neighbourhood being roped into taking photos for his girlfriend Roxy Horner.

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The post Comedian Jack Whitehall Proves Celebrities Not Immune From Being 'Instagram Husbands' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Sydneysiders love to complain their houses are too expensive (longingly when they haven’t got one, gloatingly when they have).Meanwhile, Sydney’s median income isn’t that much higher than other major global cities (in various cases it’s actually lower).Yet harbour-city dwellers continue to pick up massive mortgages in order to be in the thick of the action (or in a desirable suburb).Studies have shown Sydney is not only the most unaffordable market to enter in Australia but, by certain metrics, “more expensive than New York, London, and Singapore.”It’s getting worse too: a 2019 Yahoo Finance report suggested median income households in Sydney needed at least three years’ more income to afford a median-priced home than they would have in 2004 (even after a significant property downturn in 2018).Enter: a recent photo, taken by James Whelan, an Investment Manager at VFS Group in Sydney, whom DMARGE has previously spoken to about investing.

$2m first bid. 2.1 straight after pic.twitter.com/g753Nq0Fts

— James Whelan (@jameswhelan42) October 24, 2020

DMARGE recently spoke to Whelan in his capacity as a weekend jogger, after he posted an image of a property auction on his Saturday afternoon run.“$2m first bid. 2.1 straight after,” Whelan captioned the post.

“I kept jogging. There was more bidding. If it all goes tits up on the market I can flog my pile for a few dinaris.”

Other Twitter users responded with classic comments like, “lol Sydney is farked” and “madness.”However, Sydney’s insane property prices may be more justified than such commenters believe.In response to the comment: “Stupid. Drive 45 minutes north and you can literally buy 750 acres for less,” Whelan wrote, “Yeah I tried living a few minutes north it was unbearable.”

AND THE REST!! What a great city!! pic.twitter.com/p96R5mStEF

— James Whelan (@jameswhelan42) October 25, 2020

Whelan elaborated to DMARGE: “I learnt a lot about sales on that trip. My wife drove me up north a few suburbs and said ‘look! Only 6 minutes further from town!’ So I bought this nice place that was bigger and spent the next 2 years on a bus stuck in traffic getting home.”

“It would add 30 minutes to the commute, which was fine when I was studying (because I’d tear through notes on the bus), but not fine with 2 little ones at home and a wife who needed me there.”

“There wasn’t the sense of the village either. No school community to speak of, minimal charity (which is a big deal for me). No real dad’s group to talk to either. These things I started and we had on the lower north shore but not on the beaches. Eldest was miserable at preschool. The kids weren’t friendly and the boy/girl ratio was ~80%.”

“I’d been sold on 6 minutes more on a quiet Sunday morning – but I’d bought much more than that.”

In light of insights like this, as well as the remarkable resilience so far of Sydney property prices even after the dire predictions that came out of Covid, the question: “will the bubble ever pop?” seems more valid than ever.RELATED: The ‘Tasty’ Sign An Australian Suburb Is Set To BoomGavin Rubinstein, one of the Eastern Suburbs’ leading estate agents told DMARGE the Sydney property market is underpinned by real value: “Sydney is the greatest city in the world. There is no land left in the Eastern suburbs and demand is growing daily.”

“We are surrounded by water and the lifestyle is second to none. There will be peaks, there will be troughs but ultimately as precedence has shown, the market around here only goes one way and that is up.”

Does Rubinstein have a vested interest in saying that? Absolutely. Is he wrong? We’re yet to hear a convincing argument to the contrary (that said: there are certainly ‘safer bet’ suburbs than others, and Rubinstein was speaking specifically about the Eastern ones).DMARGE also recently spoke to Edward Brown, Director at leading Australian real estate provider Belle Property, to ask: is now really a good time to buy?Though he couldn’t comment on anyone’s individual situation, Brown said, “Interest rates are sitting just over 2% at the moment – what a great time to borrow money [or] invest in your own home [if you can afford it].”It seems savvy buyers really are taking this so-called golden window of opportunity to get their mitts on a house.According to Budget Direct, Australia’s median gross household annual income is currently $88,4525, with national median house prices across Australia’s capital cities sitting at $637,701, making “the median house price 7.2 times the current median gross household income.”Looks like we’d better get saving.

Read Next

• Property Expert Reveals ‘Lowball’ Mistake Australian Buyers Often Make In A Falling Market
• NSW Stamp Duty Freeze Gives Sydney First Home Buyers New Hope

The post Sydney Man's 'Unbearable' Experience Reveals The Perils Of Moving Too Far Away From The City appeared first on DMARGE Australia.