SKF Development achieve land sale record for Mermaid Sanctuary project amid sellout
Brisbane-based developers, SKF, has achieved a $24 million sell-out of Mermaid Sanctuary, a rare land offering on the central Gold Coast that has delivered a land sale record for Mermaid Waters.
Released to the market late last year, Mermaid Sanctuary delivered 12 homesites, generously sized from 628 sqm to 1,009 sqm, in an exclusive master-planned enclave on McIlwain Drive.
Located on an exclusive peninsular on the shore of Lake Wonderland, the 1.2-hectare Mermaid Sanctuary achieved a land sale record of $3 million for the lakefront precinct, drawing significant interest from local, interstate, and international buyers looking to secure a landholding in one of the city’s most sought-after coastal suburbs.
SKF wrapped up works on Mermaid Sanctuary early this year, with ten homesites already sold and two lots awaiting settlement.
Render of Mermaid Sanctuary. Image supplied.
The 12-lot waterfront subdivision, was once home to Gold Coast development pioneer and philanthropist Jock McIllwain, who helped shape the Gold Coast through key civil projects from Cavill Avenue Mall to the Isle of Elenberg Fraser and the canal estates of Mermaid Waters.
The former city councillor, who passed away in 2016 aged 89, was a close friend of the renowned father of the modern Gold Coast, Sir Bruce Small.
McIlwain, a great supporter of the arts and culture on the Gold Coast, played a role in many of the city’s transformational waterfront developments including Lake Wonderland at Mermaid Waters where he would later make his home.
SKF’s Director, Eric Zhao said the success of Mermaid Sanctuary pays tribute to McIlwain’s lasting legacy that has made the Gold Coast what it is today.
Render of Mermaid Sanctuary. Image supplied.
“Mermaid Sanctuary achieved a very high inquiry rate from buyers, many of whom were looking to upsize to a waterfront location which is extremely rare to find on the central Gold Coast today,” said Zhao.
Among the buyers to stake their claim in the Gold Coast’s development history are local and Brisbane business owners, property developers and property industry professionals.
Prices achieved at Mermaid Sanctuary ranged from $1.2 million to $3 million, with land sales reaching a high of about $3,000 per square metre among the last sites sold.
The $3 million record represented a 35 per cent price premium compared to similar waterfront lots sold during the same period for a site located across Lake Wonderland.
Each site at Mermaid Sanctuary offers wide lot frontage that allows maximum design flexibility for a new home, while each offers the option of adding a pontoon for direct water access.
The luxurious private community features 24-hour CCTV, security patrols, professionally created and maintained landscaping, including signature 30-year-old Canary Island date palms, a generous internal road with custom granite bands and high-quality LED street lighting to complement the modern home designs planned for the community.
Render of Mermaid Sanctuary. Image supplied.
A Brisbane team of professionals was enlisted by SKF Development to undertake the landmark project. Myers Ellyett Architects was responsible for the concept architectural design of Mermaid Sanctuary, while landscape architecture was delivered by Citicene Landscape Architects and civil works were undertaken by local contractor Alder Civil.
SKF’s current portfolio totals $100 million, with the company recently announcing their major infill development, Ashgrove Sanctuary in Brisbane, which will deliver 18 residential lots on the site of former caravan park where large portions of the site will be devoted to a nature reserve with more than 3,000 new plants set to be implemented as part of the project.
On the Gold Coast, the group is undertaking Baileys Reserve, an 83-townhouse development at Upper Coomera, building on SKF’s recent successful industrial development in Coomera.
