Whitsundays

The Whitsunday property market is shaping up as one to watch this year as southern buyers continue to flock to the Whitsundays, cementing the area as one of Australia’s key lifestyle markets.&nbsp;

Recent market activity suggests that the Whitsundays is going head-to-head with the long sought-after Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Sunshine Coast regions, proving to be favourable destination for buyers south of the border.&nbsp;

Rob Taylor from Taylors Property Specialists revealed that the Christmas and New Year period has shown continued strong demand from southern states in the Whitsundays area.

“January 2023 has started in a positive manner with continued interest from southern buyers,” said Taylor.

<img alt="Render from the Shute Harbour Marine Resort" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cc3e4a82-8c27-4f6f-8377-6f4ed564b9ed" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Family%20Pool_0.jpg?VersionId=jKYaoUJjfx8g6sQ_udf7Hg.1U5EQDDUZ" />Render from the Shute Harbour Marine Resort. Image supplied.

“We’ve seen steady demand for property from southern buyers who have identified the Whitsundays as a key lifestyle market, especially blue chip locations such as Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach,

“With growth in the state’s south-east coupled with limited stock due to rising construction costs, demand is outstripping supply and attention has turned to markets further north, especially among lifestyle buyers.”

Among the major projects currently marketed by Taylors is the $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort which has drawn inquiry from buyers seeking the lifestyle and value offered by the Whitsundays.

“Already in the first few weeks of the new year buyers have secured numerous $1 million-plus lifestyle homes,” Taylor said.

“The enquiry rate hasn’t shown any real signs of slowing down from southern interest. While we don’t expect to see the hectic market activity of early 2022, we can expect a far more realistic, solid market which is best for the long term.

The Shute Harbour Marina Resort master plan will feature 58 luxury waterfront residences to be located along the marina, each with their own private marina berth of between 25 and 35 metres.

When completed, the marina village will comprise mixed retail and commercial Pier 61, restaurants, cafes, and swimming pool, as well as managed apartments with resort club facilities for berth owners.

<img alt="Render from the Shute Harbour Marine Resort" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f68153f2-b5ec-4b3e-9817-f7e062bac3b8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Entertainers%20Kitchen%20Living.jpg?VersionId=0SlC.4GD6cynyNfKUjiKAwKKi_Dq.lVl" />Render from an apartment in the Shute Harbour Marine Resort. Image supplied

As one of the biggest residential-resort projects in North Queensland in more than a decade, the transformational development is also destined to become the region’s premier lifestyle and leisure precinct – the perfect place to live, work and play.

Development of the first stage of Shute Harbour Marina Resort, which will include the marina and the stage-one release of land and marina berths, is expected to take two years to complete.

“Buyers are more willing than ever to head to the regions for a lifestyle and property that meets their needs - it’s a value proposition that is likely to see the property market in the Whitsundays hold its own for some time to come.”

Taylor believes that the lifestyle markets such as the Whitsundays will continue to perform really strong despite headwinds from inflation and interest rates.

“Talk of interest rates potentially stabilising in the coming months will add to this. However, what we are finding is these southern lifestyle buyers don’t seem to be as greatly impacted by these rate increases,” he added.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=138294]

alisonwarters@gmail.com

Lifestyle buyers pursue value as the Whitsundays sails ahead as the market to watch

Sustained above-average population growth is set to position the Whitsundays region for a golden era of growth, according to a report by research group Aurelius.&nbsp;

Population growth in the Whitsundays looks set to outperform the 15-year average, with Victoria and NSW leading the post-Covid boom.

“The population in the Whitsunday Regional Council area grew by 1.7 per cent per annum over the past five years, ahead of the region’s 15-year average of 1.5 per cent,” said the report.

“With population growth expected to remain above the historical average over the next two decades, it is estimated the Whitsunday region’s population will hit 49,591 by 2041, up from about 38,000 at present.”

<img alt="Render of the Shute Harbour Marine Resort " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="94989fed-19b8-49b7-9323-c237d70a267e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Front%20Executive.jpg?VersionId=kp.hjr86geYF1Trmwnyka9rnHlgbpNay" />

Among the major infrastructure investments currently under way in the region is the $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort which will bring to the market 395 new wet-berth marina berths centred on a residential-resort precinct comprising waterfront homes and a vibrant marina village with a retail and dining precinct, a resort hotel and backpacker accommodation.

Sam Wade, the managing director of the Shute Harbour Marina Development, said the Aurelius research highlights the opportunity ahead for the Whitsunday region and North Queensland more broadly to capitalise on the region’s growth potential.

“Australians have a growing appreciation of the region and everything it has to offer in terms of lifestyle and growth potential,” said Wade.

“With the growth we have seen over the past three years, and with the level of investment currently under way in North Queensland, this research presents a compelling case for continued growth in the Whitsunday region, particularly as international tourism begins to regain momentum.”

Aurelius Director Peter Bell, a highly regarded advisor and strategist, estimates the Whitsundays could see its tourism economy grow by an extra $600 million to $2.14 billion by 2025 if new initiatives currently in train come to fruition.

Bell highlighted that the region is already a major tourism drawcard with the visitor market expected to be worth $1.53 billion in the next three years, but the infrastructure spending currently under way in the region will significantly accelerate the tourism economy.

The top end of his forecast will see a doubling of the value of the local tourism economy over the seven years to 2025, building on an economic pillar that Bell said remains pivotal to the region’s future.

The Whitsunday economy is heavily reliant on tourism with about 3,000 people directly employed in the industry, and the expected growth in the industry will be significant for the region.

The region has become an increasingly popular destination for the domestic holiday market following an influx of interstate visitors to Queensland during the pandemic.

Tourism supports about 40 per cent of local jobs in the Whitsundays region, which is the highest in Queensland and one of the highest in Australia.

<img alt="Render of the Shute Harbour Marine Resort " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="40801710-b860-4fbd-b595-5caecb28f827" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Family%20Pool.jpg?VersionId=AObyYOROyZ8.jr3bEc8_6auiEAX28Ln1" />

The Brisbane-based researcher presented his findings on the State of the Whitsundays before a host of special guests including the Mayor of Whitsunday Regional Council, Julie Hall, and Deputy Mayor Gary Simpson during a presentation at the Whitsunday Marine Club.

Among his findings, Bell sees potential for the Whitsundays region to leverage off its reputation as a boating haven with new facilities for large and small marine vessels among the essential infrastructure projects that will support an expanding tourism economy.

Signalling the significant growth of the marine industry in the Sunshine State, Bell revealed that the number of boat registrations in Queensland grew almost four times faster than the state’s population in percentage terms during the 2021 financial year, at the height of the pandemic.

Queensland boat registrations rose 2.9 per cent in 2021, well above the 10-year average of 1.4 per cent.

The recent growth in boat ownership highlights an urgent need for increased storage capacity, especially for on-water marina berths which have sustained a high marina occupancy rate of 86 per cent in FY21, despite the pandemic.

Bell estimates the Whitsundays region’s economy is being further supported by a post-Covid migration renaissance from both interstate and intrastate migration with the latest population data showing historically higher rates of growth.

The region has become an increasingly popular destination for the domestic holiday market following an influx of interstate visitors to Queensland during the pandemic.

New research reveals the Whitsundays set for a golden era of growth

The Whitsunday Lakes Trust, $350 million Shute Harbour development has been inundated with enquires, amassing a whopping 520 expressions of interest in just four weeks following its national launch to market.

As the Whitsunday&rsquo;s first major resort development in over a decade, the stage one release has been met by a swarm of interested buyers, eager to put their name to one of the 58 land and berth packages in one of the most sought-after sailing locations across the world.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/land-for-sale/whitsunday-lakes-estate-230-shute-harbour-road-cannonvale"><img alt="" height="768" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/final_terrace_house_render_v3.jpg" width="1200" /></a> 
Render of the proposed Shute Harbour Marine precinct development in the Whitsundays Lakes Estate. Image supplied.

Rob Taylor of Taylors Property Group said the latest wave of interest has come off the back of the Sanctuary Cove Boat show which accounted for 10 per cent of the enquiries to date, with the vast majority coming from boating enthusiasts who recognised the value of large-scale berths in the Whitsundays region.

&ldquo;The immediate market response to the resort has been incredible. We knew we had something special on our hands here, but we have been simply inundated with genuine interest &ndash; it&rsquo;s been a whirlwind,&rdquo; said Taylor.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re already in the process of converting many of these enquiries into contracts for our future Shute Harbour Marina Resort residents.

&ldquo;Many of these buyers have been long awaiting a marina project of this calibre to arrive in the area. Large scale berths are difficult to secure along the coast right now &ndash; all nearby marinas are close to capacity for the forthcoming season.&rdquo;

Once complete, the Shute Harbour Marina Resort will encompass a 395-berth marina with individual berths ranging from 10-metres to 30-metres on a 99-year lease, in addition to private berths ranging from 25-metres to 45-metres.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/land-for-sale/whitsunday-lakes-estate-230-shute-harbour-road-cannonvale"><img alt="" height="706" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/v1-4_0.jpg" width="1200" /></a> 
Render of the proposed Shute Harbour development in the Whitsundays Lakes Estate. Image supplied.

The project will also deliver a 100-plus room hotel resort, with function and meeting rooms, bars, restaurants, a swimming pool, and undercover parking, along with 58 freehold land allotments, and 100 managed apartments with resort club facilities.

The free-hold residential waterfront sites cover 440 sqm and are earmarked for two- and three-storey design concepts.

According to Taylor, the enquiries have come from a broad demographic of parties, including veteran boating enthusiast, first-time boat owners, and future retirees.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing the project timeline align with those buyers looking to lay the foundations for future plans two to three years down the line &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s retirement, or the eventual purchase of a larger boat,&rdquo; he said.

The land and berth packages have arrived to a market limited in supply for waterfront lots. With just 28 vacant residential waterfront lots currently available in the area, almost half of these are not located within or close to a marina development.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/land-for-sale/whitsunday-lakes-estate-230-shute-harbour-road-cannonvale"><img alt="" height="674" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/waterfront_homes_interior.jpg" width="1200" /></a> 
Render of a proposed waterfront home interior. Image supplied.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Although the property market in the Whitsundays has increased about 20 per cent over the past 12 months, units are still about 25 per cent below their 2007 peak and land is only just matching the levels of 15 years ago,&rdquo; added Taylor.

Development of the first stage of Shute Harbour Marina Resort, which will include the marina and the stage-one release of land and marina berths, is expected to take two years to complete with construction targeted to commence in 12 months.

Expressions of interest are also being taken on future stages which will include marina loft apartments and plaza terrace homes.

[smartcode_project_cta: project_id=28292]

The first Whitsunday’s development in over a decade, Shute Harbour inundated with inquiries following launch to market

The first resort and marina precinct in almost 20 years is set to be launched in the Whitsundays.

The approved $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort&nbsp;aims to transform Shute Harbour into an extensive foreshore with a&nbsp;resort hotel and a&nbsp;residential precinct featuring restaurants, retail outlets and marine services.

A new near 400-berth marina will also be part of the development.<img alt="" height="3095" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/211208_v1_final.jpg" width="5000" /> 
The $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort masterplanned development. Image supplied.

Shute Harbour Marina Resort will be the first major marina and residential development in the Whitsundays since 2006 and will create the ultimate waterfront lifestyle for residents and tourists in one of the world&rsquo;s most sought-after sailing locations.

The multi-use marina, located on a prime 28-hectare waterfront site, will tap into a critical shortage of secure cyclone protected boat moorings in the state&rsquo;s north.

The marina resort will provide a much-needed boost for post-Covid tourism in the Whitsundays region and create 700 jobs during and post-construction.

Shute Harbour Marina Resort will also include a new commercial hub known as Pier 61, as part of a master-planned marina plaza that will create a range of new retail and commercial outlets for the waterfront development.

<img alt="" height="1500" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/final_waterfront_house_courtyard_renderv2.jpg" width="1200" /> 
The $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort masterplanned development. Image supplied.

&ldquo;This is a development of regional and state significance that will deliver enormous benefit to the local economy,&rdquo; said Project Director Mark Daniels, who heads the&nbsp;consortium developing the project.

&ldquo;Shute Harbour is the gateway to the Whitsundays, with an outstanding marina location, and our plans will bring much needed tourism infrastructure to the region and complement the township&rsquo;s existing tourism and marine facilities.&rdquo;

&ldquo;In particular, we&rsquo;ve seen growing demand for marina berths in recent years and this is an exceptional offering that delivers a highly accessible mainland residential marina resort with a superb range of amenities and supporting services,&rdquo; he added.

The Shute Harbour Marina Resort master plan comprises 58 managed resort dwellings, each with their own private marina berths of 25 to 35-metres at their doorstep, along with managed apartments with resort club facilities, and a 100-plus room resort hotel, including function and meeting rooms, bars, restaurants, swimming pool and undercover parking.

<img alt="" height="706" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/v2-4.jpg" width="1200" /> 
The $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort masterplanned development. Image supplied.

The entire precinct will be linked by public boardwalks, lookout spaces and seating throughout, with plans to also establish new public parks and a community cyclone shelter on site.

Shute Harbour Marina Resort is poised to become a popular destination for residents, locals and tourists who will be drawn to the village-style precinct that will host a marina cafe and bar, marina club, supermarket, bottle shop, marina office, chandlery, marine electronics and charter operators.

The project is being undertaken by an Australian consortium headed by Mark Daniels, Mark McLachlan, Greg Phillips and Sam Wade.

The consortium members have a combined 70 years&rsquo; experience in the development industry with a collective delivery of projects to the tune of $1.25 billion, including Encounter Lakes, Encounter Bay SA &ndash; an award winning regional residential development set around a man-made environmentally sustainable saltwater self- flushing lake, Holdfast Shores, Glenelg SA &ndash; an integrated residential, tourism, retail and commercial development involving co-operative action between Commonwealth, State and Local Government, and Seaford, Noarlunga SA &ndash; a major urban &ldquo;Greenfield&rdquo; development comprising the transformation of 730 hectares into an integrated community development with a projected population over 15,000. 
<img alt="" height="674" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/final_waterfront_house_internal_render_v1.jpg" width="1200" /> 
The $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort masterplanned development. Image supplied.

Daniels, who has extensive experience in project delivery in the Whitsundays region over the past decade, said the development is a game-changer for Shute Harbour which is set to benefit from the recent reopening of international borders.

Marina berths will range from 10 to 35 metres for mono and multi-hull craft, while the proposed land and berth packages will include marina facilities to accommodate boats up to 35-metres.

Berths are priced between $175,000 and $1 million, with each berth sold on a 99- year lease. Stage one will offer free-hold residential waterfront sites of 440 sqm which are earmarked for two and three-storey design concepts, with the land-and-berth prices starting from $1.75 million.

Expressions of interest are also being taken on future stages which will include marina loft apartments and plaza terrace homes. Development of the first stage of Shute Harbour Marina Resort, which will include the marina and the stage-one release of land and marina berths, is expected to take two years to complete.

Construction is targeted to commence in 12 months.

<img alt="" height="706" src="https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/v1-4.jpg" width="1200" /> 
The $350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort masterplanned development. Image supplied.

Shute Harbour Marina Resort has taken 20 years to gain all necessary approvals to proceed and was identified as a project of significance by the Queensland Government in 2006. The project benefits from its accessibility by air with three regional airports located within 30-minutes to 90-minutes drive.

The Whitsundays has a population of more than 35,500 people with tourism among the major contributors to the region&rsquo;s $5.9 billion economy.

The master planned foreshore development will feature a resort hotel alongside an extensive residential precinct featuring restaurants, retail outlets and marine services.



$350 million Shute Harbour Marina Resort set to boost property and tourism market in the Whitsundays

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The private investor David Kingston has his Whitsundays island listed with $20 million hopes.
Long Island Resort was originally developed by Contiki.
Kingston, a former managing director of investment bank Rothschilds, has owned it for the past two decades.
The island will be offered for sale with the Club Crocodile Airlie Beach Resort which could bring up to $9 million through Wayne Bunz and Hayley Manvell of CBRE Hotels to market the properties with Christie Leet of PRD Nationwide Airlie Beach.
The 8-hectare property has opportunities for expansion.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

David Kingston lists Long Island, in the Whitsundays

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Whitsunday achieves record month of sales as Melbourne buyers in lockdown dream of a tropical getaway.
Ray White Whitsunday sold more than $21 million worth of stock in August, with principal Mark Beale claiming he is fielding “dozens of calls” a day from southerners prepped to travel at the end of lockdown.
“So many people are looking to buy a holiday home in Airlie Beach with the option of living here full time or working from home", Beale says.
"It feels like everyone from down south wants to have a property here.
"So many of our buyers are working remotely anyway."
Recently, Hog’s Breath Café founder Don Algie sold his Whitsundays mansion Chesapeake Whitsundays through Beale.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/9/9/Chesapeake.jpg" alt="">
The off-market sale was the highest price achieved in the Whitsundays mainland since 2018 when Mandalay House sold for $14 million.
The buyer was revealed to be Alan Thomas Galloway of the world famous Alabar horse breeding stud in Victoria.
“I was flying and I saw the mountain with Chesapeake on the top at 1000ft above sea level, it was like a beacon", Galloway says.
"I have fallen in love with Airlie Beach, it’s like a hidden gem, a slice of paradise."
Set on 22 hectares, the gated Chesapeake estate has a three bedroom, four bathroom home with a number of living areas, a full stainless steel chefs kitchen and an upper pool.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Surge in demand for tropical paradise as Whitsunday's nets big sale

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Mandalay House, a 4200-square-metre Mediterranean-style trophy home mansion located 11 kilometres from Airlie Beach, has had its asking price reduced to $19 million.
The six-bedroom, nine bathroom house, is located at <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://sydneysothebysrealty.com/5141735" target="_blank">383 Mandalay Road</a>, Whitsundays. It is listed through Carol Carter at Sothebys International, inconjunction with Ray White Whitsundays.
The property developer Neil Murray has dropped his initial asking price of $25 million to a more “realistic” $19 million, telling News Ltd papers the past year had been about testing the water.
“We’ve had a lot of inquiries from overseas, but also a lot locally,” he said.
“If this house was in Sydney it would be worth $35-$40 million.”
Title Tattle suggests even more, not that it is relevant.
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Whitsundays' Mandalay asking price reduced to $19 million

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The United States-based hospitality group Delaware North has put Lizard Island Resort and Heron Island Resort set in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef up for sale.
It was in 2009 when Delaware North purchased the two luxury islands from the GPT Group.
It has since spent about $50 million on the upgrade of Lizard Island Resort.
JLL Hotels and Hospitality has been appointed to find the buyer for Delaware North, a private company controlled by the Jacobs family.
Earlier this year the Shanghai-based China Capital Investment Group paid about $30 million for former vitamin entrepreneur Vaughan Bullivant’s Daydream Island in the Whitsundays.
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Lizard Island, Heron Island resorts up for sale

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Ten waterfront allotments, fronting the north-facing beach at Funnel Bay and surrounded by national parks on three sides in North Queensland’s Whitsundays, are up for sale.
The development, called “The Beaches”, recently launched with individual allotments bearing the names of famous beaches like Bondi, Cottesloe, and Waikiki rather than lot numbers.
Prices start from $825,000, with the average being under $900,000.
The marketing is being handled by PRDnationwide.
The site was previously owned by a Resort Corp and approved for 174 apartments as a 6-star lush tropical resort.
A group of local investors and developers have since secured the site and modified the approval to produce 10 waterfront allotments of 1000 sqm and five garden view allotments (each with direct access either to the beach or to the private pool area).
The beachfront lots have an additional 700 sqm or more of landscaping area on each title.
Each allotment is fully serviced but has the feel of a deserted tropical island, with sweeping views across Funnel bay and out to the Great Barrier Reef.
Despite being only six minutes from the main street of Airlie Beach, The Beaches are hidden behind a low ridge giving residents the feeling of being a million miles from anywhere.   
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

A chance to grab waterfront allotments in Whitsundays

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Queensland's Whitsundays property market was at the start of recovery cycle for houses while it was approaching the bottom of the market for units, according to valuation firm Herron Todd White's latest property clock.
It occupied the same position in April too, which also covered the fringe areas of Whitsundays.
Whitsundays has a few fringe suburbs and rural townships scattered mostly to the south and west of Whitsundays. The properties in these areas are small residential lifestyle and these continue to show a stable market.
However to the south, the areas of Midge Point and Bloomsbury are showing a downturn in the market and seem to be more affected by the Mackay market as when times were good, people where looking for their beach hut or fishing weekender and most buyers were from Mackay.
Now that the market in Mackay has had a large downturn and with the continuation of job losses there, fewer buyers are heading into this area. Laguna Quays was once a thriving golf course resort with unit and townhouse style accommodation.
"Since the golf course and all the amenities were closed, parts of the complex are now extremely run down with the exception of the units which the body corporate ensures are presented in a good condition," it noted.
These are currently selling at a fraction of the price they once were, however, maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel for this area as there is a new owner so we will wait with interest to see any resulting changes. 
Property Observer went looking for recent sales in the fringe areas of Whitsundays and found two recent ones in Midge Point. There was no recent data for median sales for Midge Point on CoreLogic RP Data.
A three-bedroom holiday home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-midge+point-120079325">8 Peters Avenue Midge Point Qld 4799</a> traded for $245,500.
 <img src="/images/2016/05/31/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-01%20at%208.07.07%20AM.png" alt="">
 
A one-bedroom house at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-other-qld-midge+point-118427623">33 Nielsen Pde. Midge Point Qld 4799</a> sold for $270,000, according to RP Data.
 
<img src="/images/2016/05/31/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-01%20at%208.19.47%20AM.png" alt=""> 
 
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