Record-breaking developer Graya picks up a near-$25m property in Byron Bay

Record-smashing development duo Rob and Andrew Gray have made their first move into New South Wales, acquiring a trophy address on the Byron Bay waterfront for about $25 million.

The pair behind Queensland-based Graya, who recently set a new price benchmark in Burleigh Heads with one of their high-end builds, will construct a new home on the enchanting Byron property.

Graya is taking the exclusive offering – which they have named Waterlily, to set the tone before a sod is turned – to market. 

The price the Gray brothers paid for the Boarder Street address – a residence and gardens – is not disclosed but it is understood to be in the realm of $25 million.

Waterlily will be a single exceptional property, ready for a prestige buyer to move into.

Rob tells Nine he and the team from Graya – a design and construction firm playing in the upper portion of the market – are in the process of determining the creative forces who will work with them.

They have acquired 2022 square metres with 40-metre water frontage, brokered through Sean Cussell, principal of Christie’s International Real Estate in Victoria, and will keep some within their family.

“We want to carve off a sliver of land for ourselves,” Rob says. “A prestige home will be on a portion and we are looking for an individual who wants to come on the journey.

“The first time we got there, we looked out, and in the first two seconds a huge whale jumped in front of us. That was a sign. We were gobsmacked. It is phenomenal.”

Waterlily will be the third-closest uninterrupted waterfront property to the Byron village and rolls away to the pristine sand and sapphire waves of Belongil Beach.

On the one hand, the buyer will be near to the town’s boutiques, bars and restaurants. On the other, they will look out to the private show of an endless blue horizon. 

The luxury Waterlily is Graya’s debut outside of Queensland. The business – which started in Brisbane – was open to taking their chic, limited-edition projects interstate but required the right land and location.

“We were looking at square metres of beachfront, especially absolute beachfront where there is no road or footpath, and we came across this Byron site, and obviously Byron is a market of its own with a lot of wealthy families from Sydney and Melbourne,” Rob says.

“We saw it as quite undervalued, even though it is quite a big number, compared to other locations we were looking at.

“We have been asked so often why we have not moved into the eastern suburbs of Sydney. And it has always been maybe in the future, but we only branched into the Gold Coast a few years ago and that has gone awfully well.

“Byron is where I got married, and somewhere we visit all the time.”

Rob jokes that they may be building the next home for Hollywood star Matt Damon, who is known to stay for lengthy periods in the Byron region with his family.

Celebrity clientele are a known quantity to Graya.

One of Graya’s projects, which is underway, is Kloud in Palm Beach. Its best known resident will be Ash Barty.

The Grand Slam champ, a long-time admirer and friend of Graya, purchased one of the 23 residences in the waterfront Kloud tower, on Jefferson Lane, in March. Only a small quantity are left and price records for the suburb are expected to be shattered.

Last month, Rob sold his $11 million Moroccan-inspired family home to a major fitness influencer.

Named Dune – and the complete work of Graya – the chic trophy home transacted for a suburb record.

The Burleigh Heads beauty with an ocean-view infinity pool was purchased by health and fitness entrepreneur and online coach Adam Sullivan.

Belongil Beach residents have colossal profiles, and Waterlily’s purchaser will join neighbours including hospitality baron Justin Hemmes, activewear queen Lorna Jane, world-class chef Shannon Bennett, and business elites including hoteliers and household-name retail families.

Matt Damon would be in good company.

Also in Graya’s pipeline are two four-level houses on one of Queensland’s most expensive streets – Hedges Avenue in Mermaid Beach – which will launch soon.