Tudor Lodge is a landmark property located in Melbourne’s inner east – Armadale. It was built in the 1930’s and represents one of the largest land holdings in the suburbs, boasting 2,250 metres of landscaped gardens. It is certainly a property worthy of preservation. Here is a report of the property sale in 2019 to developer Mr. David Joachim:
Armadale’s Tudor Lodge sold by Cox Plate-
winning Dibb family
Tudor Lodge, the Armadale landmark, has been sold by the horseracing Dibb family, some six months after its listing.
The family home had a bar full of trophies and memorabilia for their many winners, that included the 1965 Cox Plate winner Star Affair.
They had been seeking between $11 million and $12 million for the Avalon Road home which was offered to the open market for the first time in 64 years.
Strong buyer interest had come from the developer David Joachim, director of development firm Third Street.
The five bedroom home, built in the 1930s, sits in 2,250 square metres of landcaped gardens, one of the largest landholdings in Armadale.
Kay & Burton South Yarra agent Michael Armstrong, who is marketed the home with Michael Gibson, called the home a “true A grade property”.
More recently Mr. Joachim had again featured in the news, he had hired a former Liberal Politician to lobby Stonnington Councillors to alter the Heritage Overlay of 2019, to exclude his property. Ultimately, two Councillors from the Greens Party voted to exclude Tudor Lodge from the proposed Heritage Overlay Review, valued at $1M, that covers Toorak, Kooyong and Armadale and agreed to the overriding of Council recommendations. A complaint has been lodged with the Local Government Watchdog citing possible political interference. Although not illegal, the lobbying has left the Councillors open to criticism for being exposed to outside influences and ignoring Stonnington Council’s own policies and recommendations.
It illustrates the fragile nature of Heritage Protection here in Victoria. It is essentially local governments’ role to both quantify and apply heritage status as well as to enforce its application, clearly there are much bigger and more powerful forces being brought to bear in many cases.
It’s not a ‘cut and dry’ process, it’s open to manipulation and considerable pressure from those parties determined to ignore heritage to achieve their ends.
Once again we call for a State-wide review of the Heritage Act and its implementation. It is noteworthy that the greatest transgressions occur where property values are highest – Kew, Hawthorn, Canterbury, Toorak and Armadale. Exemption should not be determined based on profitability.

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