Living at LUNA

Kelly Mitchell says the fantastic family-friendly facilities at Meriton’s LUNA Lewisham makes raising a baby easier.

She and her partner, Ben Rumble love taking their one-year-old son, William to LUNA’s Aquatic Centre where there is a 25 metre heated lap pool, sauna and spa. They’re also looking forward to the children’s playground opening soon.

“Buildings like LUNA make raising a baby easier,” said Kelly. “If we’re tired or the weather is hot, it’s so nice having something close by for William. He loves the pool and the other families we’ve met there have been lovely. It’s nice to keep seeing the same people and have a chat. It’s a friendly community here.”

Fellow resident, Shaun Andrews loves LUNA’s central location and uses the fully-equipped gym and sauna most days.

“It’s so close to the light rail so I can get in and out of the city quickly or pop down to Newtown or Enmore to see friends. You can walk to everything, including Summer Hill’s village, Marketplace Leichhardt and Norton Street,” he said.

“The pool and spa facilities were also really appealing to me. I was going to join a gym but now I don’t have to. I also go to the sauna four or five times a week, it’s a great way to switch off after a busy day.”

Located in the burgeoning Inner West suburb of Lewisham, just 7km from the CBD, LUNA is a brand new luxury development by Meriton with 298 apartments across seven separate buildings of four to 10 levels each.

Designed by award-winning architects PTW, LUNA’s exceptional lifestyle facilities including 3,400 sqm of lush parklands, the aquatic centre, gym, a convenience store, café and a direct 350 metre pathway to Lewisham West Light Rail station. There is also an on site building manager and a comprehensive security system. Located at 22 Hudson Street, Kelly said LUNA’s parklands will actually give her son a better backyard experience than a house.

“Ben and I both grew up with big backyards so we think it’s important for William to have outdoor areas to explore and have fun with. If we moved to a house, he’d probably ask ‘what happened to my big playground?’

“We recently had his first birthday party in the residents’ barbecue area. My nieces and nephews had an amazing time in the pool and played games on the grass. There was plenty of seating for everyone and it worked really well.”

The couple are renting a two bedroom, two bathroom, one car space apartment for $680 per week in G Block.

Kelly said a range of small but impressive features at LUNA reflect Meriton’s thoughtful approach to designing buildings that reflect how people want to live today.

“Security is important and I feel completely safe here. Everything is a swipe card in and I really like that the letterboxes are in the car park rather than outside so our mail is safe.”

Kelly and Ben also appreciate the parking for 189 bicycles. “Everyone has bikes these days so having so many spaces is brilliant. Ben is a keen cyclist, the Cooks River Cycleway is one of his favourites and not far from here.

“I also like that there is a lot of free visitors’ parking, which you don’t see very much in other blocks.”

The couple moved into LUNA in September. “Dealing with the building manager has been delightful, he made moving day easier,” she said.

Kelly and Ben describe their apartment as low maintenance with great storage space.

“The bathrooms are spacious, the rooms are great sizes and having a separate laundry is fantastic. The awning on the balcony provides added privacy and we’re not looking into other people’s apartments.”

Shaun Andrews moved into his one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in F Block in September and is paying $470 per week.

Not often seen in one bedroom apartments, Shaun loves having a storage cage on title and a separate laundry room rather than a European laundry (a laundry in a cupboard). He also likes the study nook concealed behind two doors that fold completely back.

“If you have it open it just becomes part of the living space. There’s a built-in desk and great lighting,” he said.

Shaun sees LUNA as beneficial for the Lewisham community.

“I think it’s bringing more people to the area, which will influence local shops and restaurants. It’s been nice watching LUNA come to life, it will be finished very soon and it’s nice to feel part of it from the beginning.”