The Flatiron - 179 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley

The intent of the project will be to create a world-class public realm within the site that will be a drawcard for Docklands, the city and Melbourne as a whole.



Prolific developer GURNERTM has unveiled its most significant and ambitious project yet; a $1.75 billion mega-project that will transform the last major site in Melbourne’s Docklands into a world- class mixed-use, botanical destination.

GURNERtm wants the buildings to rival those in Singapore, New York and London.

The 18,000 sqm island infill site at 208-226 Harbour Esplanade is controlled by development consortium City Harbour – backed by the Liberman family – who hold the development rights. The project, now a JV between GURNERTM and City Harbour, stretches over a substantial parcel of land that will be transformed to become the entrance to the city and Docklands from Melbourne’s west.

The intent of the project will be to create a world-class public realm within the site that will be a drawcard for Docklands, the city and Melbourne as a whole.

“From a destinational and tourist perspective, it will be something Melbourne has never seen before – it will create a lot of excitement, and drive huge interest to the area and be something truly different for Docklands,” GURNERTM CEO Tim Gurner said.

“As the business continues to diversify and grow we are heavily focussed on large-scale, mixed-use precincts like this where we can create something with real point of difference and enough scale to transform the area around it.

“This will be like nothing ever delivered in Melbourne and really put Docklands on the global map.

<img alt="Gurner's Docklands site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="908bf11b-ccd7-4325-8ccf-813eb04022d5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-12%20at%209.36.07%20am.png?VersionId=nDq53useb.YyEgwARx2I5N3GZf.avhEK" />

“There has been some great development progress in Docklands over the years, however what we are going to deliver here will create a true heart and soul of Docklands where the community and visitors can come and embrace life.

“Our whole ethos is all about delivering product that pushes boundaries – and this landmark destinational precinct will be no different, it will feel like you’re stepping into another world and experiencing something you didn’t think was possible in the built form.

Gurner said he's always loved the Docklands, having lived there for a number of years.

"I always wanted to put my own stamp on it, but we needed a site that was large enough to be transformative – we’ll be creating a new world-class precinct, which will take the area to another level and put it on the world stage in terms of architecture, design and luxury property," Gurner said.

The public realm attraction, which will soon be revealed, will be a huge drawcard to the area and connect in with what will becomes Melbourne’s largest and most important wellness, recovery and performance centre, as well as a bustling mixed-use, retail and commercial precinct which will anchor the site, with multiple mixed-use towers floating above.

Each tower will be distinct in its character, form and function – each one draws on a cross-section of the most well-known and ambitious architecture exemplars from the world’s most well-admired cities – including Singapore, Dubai, London and New York.

The towers will include GURNERTM’s signature mix of luxury build-to-rent and build-to-sell residences, hotel and sky-high hospitality venues.

<img alt="Gurner's Docklands site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f7d68f86-bc4c-4387-9596-c203077b2198" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-12%20at%209.33.53%20am.png?VersionId=dz88J5g9_3M.g9DVjV1d0o020ofllsSD" />

“The precinct will inspire a sense of adventure and wonderment in visitors – with more public amenities and interaction between architecture – this will be like nothing people have experienced before, and certainly something never-before-seen in Melbourne," Gurner added.

“We’ve taken cues from some of the best architects in the world, and some of my favourite designers – each tower will be distinct in its identity, centred around the ‘creation’ in the centre of the site, with additional public land and amenities, interaction between each tower and world-class mixed-use spaces.

“Opportunities to create projects of this size and scale come along once in a lifetime – then GURNERTM brand has evolved into a national and multi-faceted business, and our capabilities mean we are among just a small handful of private developers that can confidently take on projects of this scale to deliver something that is transformative and ground-breaking.

“We are committed to helping Docklands become what we all know it must for our city to get back its claim as the World’s Most Liveable City. Docklands is the biggest opportunity in Melbourne for a world class precinct and we look forward to adding to its future.”

Bordered by Wurundjeri Way, Dudley Street, La Trobe Street and Harbour Esplanade, the site will offer immediate Quay and harbour-front views. GURNERTM will be seeking to amend the existing scheme to unlock the full potential of the site, and bring its distinctive ultra-luxury inclusions to each tower, amenity and public space.

The revised plans are currently being finalised, with the team seeking to significantly improve and increase the size of the ground-floor public realm, with a significant focus on pedestrian circulation, public activation, lagoon-like greenery and communal shared spaces.

Plans are expected to be lodged with council in Q4 2022.

Joel Robinson

Gurner targets $1.75 billion Docklands precinct

The developer’s national pipeline now well exceeds $10 billion, with over $2 billion of that now focussed in Queensland


Multi-billion-dollar developer GURNERTM has solidified its Queensland presence with a high-profile local senior team and a new office location, building on the developer’s Melbourne Head office and recently announced Sydney expansion.

GURNERTM has recently appointed Rob Cooke as Chief Delivery Officer and Jaime Cali as its Queensland Project Director, who joins the team after five and half years as Project Director of the Destination Gold Coast Consortium.

Rob Cooke has been an industry leader for over 30 years, working at Far East Consortium for 20 years and prior to that employed at Multiplex. Rob joins the GURNERTM team to work across all major projects as the brand continues to push into large-scale mixed-use precincts across Australia.

While Jaime Cali in her previous role led the development of the Consortium’s $2 billion dollar masterplan and the delivery of the first two stages at The Star Gold Coast.

Jaime will join three other local GURNERTM team members in Queensland at a recently established Brisbane head office, to be led by GURNERTM founder and CEO, Tim Gurner, and Chief Delivery Officer Rob Cooke, as the brand rapidly expands its Queensland pipeline.

The developer’s national pipeline now well exceeds $10 billion with over $2 billion of that now focussed in Queensland across six residential towers and existing investment assets.

That pipeline includes GURNERTM’s city-shaping $1.5billion La Pelago island precinct, which is expected to hit the market sometime in 2023, consisting of four residential towers and hotel.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108339 project_image_fid=200435]

The pipeline also includes a recently acquired Burleigh development and a 250+ apartment project in Fortitude Valley next to GURNERTM’s completed half-a-billion-dollar FV asset, which was completed in 2017 and consists of 1,000 apartments over three 30-storey towers.

GURNERTM is also looking at further acquisitions in Brisbane, Gold Coast and surrounding locations, to continue to bolster the QLD business.

“Queensland is a big part of our brand’s history and will continue to be a huge strategic focus for us in the next two to five years," Gurner says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108339 project_image_fid=200438]

“We are very excited to establish the office in Queensland and ensure we have the absolute best local team to ensure we can deliver these projects to the exacting standards by which the GURNERTM brand has become so well known.

“We believe the Gold Coast in particular is going through a once in a generation reinvigoration and we plan to be at the forefront of this with a presence across residential, hotel, hospitality and wellness brands.

“Our aim is for Queensland to represent roughly 10-15% percent of our pipeline in the coming years so this investment into a best-in-class local team means we can continue to raise the bar for luxury residential design in Australia.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108339 project_image_fid=200437]

“It is a very interesting time in Queensland with construction pricing causing a lot of angst in the industry. We are aware of what is going on and that upheaval in the market is one of the big reasons for our focus on the region.

“We have been through this cycle before in Brisbane with FV and so we are aware of how it plays out and confident that the market will calibrate and construction prices will drop again, as there is absolutely no work in the pipeline beyond mid-year for anything major scale residential, with a large number of jobs pulled or not going ahead.

“That huge drop in supply combined with the incredible demand from state migration is setting up Queensland to be a great place for us to invest into the future."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108339 project_image_fid=200436]

GURNERTM Chief Delivery Officer Rob Cooke said the team are&nbsp;looking to create in Queensland is going to set a new benchmark for the state.

“We are investing heavily in our team and the state as we strongly believe that COVID has really changed the outlook for Queensland with immense immigration from the southern states as people prioritise this lifestyle and weather.

“We are putting together a world class team in Queensland that will be lead by Jaime who is best in class, and a great asset for the future of the business.”

GURNERTM Queensland Project Director, Jaime Cali, said, as a Queensland local, she has&nbsp;witnessed the area’s transformation over the past decade.

"I've never been more excited about the future of this city than right now," Cali said.

“Joining GURNERTM at this pivotal moment as the team prepares to launch and deliver La Pelago is an exciting milestone. I’m excited to bring my expertise to the team and help lead the creation of this once-in-a-lifetime precinct.”

The GURNERTM team is currently finalising plans for its $1.5billion La Pelago precinct, which has been designed by international architects, Warren &amp; Mahoney, and is centred around the concept of a luxurious ‘private island resort – a truly unique offering for Australia and the Gold Coast’.

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Gurner targets $1.75 billion Docklands precinct

Gurner to open QLD office to service over $2 billion local pipeline

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