This $22 million Melbourne penthouse comes with its own office one floor down

Property

This hotel-branded penthouse sits atop 1 Hotel & Homes’ Docklands tower. It comes with its own private office one floor down, months after its sister residence traded for close to $20 million.

The hotel-branded penthouse tower, 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne at Seafarers, Docklands
Image: Forbes Global Properties

Forget converting the spare bedroom. This Docklands penthouse comes with its own office one floor below, taking working from home to a whole new level.

It’s on the market for $22 million. A decade ago, that number would have seemed unlikely in Docklands, a precinct better known for glassy investor stock than owner-occupier trophies. A sister penthouse in the same building sold for close to $20 million in February. As a result, Melbourne’s wealthiest are starting to agree a hotel-branded penthouse is worth paying for.

The tower rises from Goods Shed No. 5, a heritage-listed relic of North Wharf’s industrial past. It sits on what was the last stretch of undeveloped river frontage in Melbourne’s CBD. Riverlee’s $600 million redevelopment, Seafarers, stacked 114 hotel-branded residences above Australia’s first 1 Hotel. That’s a 277-room outpost of the nature-inspired brand Barry Sternlicht built at Starwood Capital in 2015.

So, what does $22 million of Docklands waterfront get you in 2026?

Living area inside the hotel-branded penthouse, Penthouse 1801 at 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne
Image: Forbes Global Properties

The entire 18th floor, for a start: 688 square metres inside plus another 53 outside. It was designed by Riverlee’s own chairman, Clement Lee OAM, working with FK (Fender Katsalidis). Light runs the length of the northern side through the principal suite and its walk-in Ployform robe. Three more bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, sit off to the side.

Behind the kitchen sits a full scullery, these days more a signal of household staff than home cooking. Formal and informal dining areas sit alongside it, plus a cocktail lounge angled to catch the Yarra and the skyline beyond. Four car spaces are tucked away below.

A private office

That office is what actually makes Penthouse 1801 different: a private suite with its own entrance and lobby on Level 17, one floor below the residence itself. It’s a small architectural decision. But it says a lot about how ultra-high-net-worth buyers are redesigning home life around work, rather than away from it.

Downstairs sits Australia’s first Bamford Wellness Spa, a vitality pool, sauna, steam room and gym. There’s also a bar and a restaurant, From Here by Mike, run with chef Mike McEnearney. Pantry restocking, dog walking, valet: the small frictions of daily life become, at least in theory, someone else’s problem.

Docklands is 1 Hotel & Homes’ 11th location worldwide, and its first in Asia-Pacific.

It follows Miami, New York, Toronto, London and outposts across Europe and the Middle East. Before signing on, Riverlee’s team flew to New York to tour 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. The same language, native flora, reclaimed timber, recycled materials, carries from that hotel lobby into the residences here.

“We want to create a place that Melbourne can be truly proud of, a place that inspires, excites and brings the Yarra River to life,” said Clement Lee, founder and chairman of Riverlee.

The cocktail lounge and terrace inside the hotel-branded penthouse, Penthouse 1801
Image: Forbes Global Properties
The hotel-branded penthouse's health club: the vitality pool at 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne
Image: Forbes Global Properties

Penthouse 1801, the hotel-branded penthouse, is listed with Nick Peters of Private Property Global.

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Head of News & Life