Why demand for Queensland's jaw-droppingly unique homes has never been stronger

By
Sarah Webb
August 11, 2021
Prestige buyers from all around the world are eyeing up Queensland's extraordinary homes. Photo: Supplied

As the appetite for unique high-end homes across Queensland roars beyond insatiable, the world’s attention is turning to some of the state’s most interesting luxury abodes – from historic manors in Brisbane to opulent coastal chalets.

Just a stone’s throw from the pristine Whitsunday Islands, a sprawling mansion at 5/383 Mandalay Road, Airlie Beach, has accrued incredible buyer interest from across the globe thanks to its exclusive location surrounded by national parks and the Coral Sea.

Marketed by Mark Beale of Ray White Whitsunday, it features a private helipad and an extravagant 200-square-metre main bedroom.

Expressions of Interest
383 Mandalay Road, Airlie Beach QLD 4802
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On the Gold Coast’s exclusive Sovereign Islands, Isaac Kim of Ivy Realty has just listed a French-colonial inspired mega-mansion at 17 Queen Anne Court with a whopping 1035 square metres of interior space.

Featuring wainscoted walls, coffered ceilings and shell-inspired French artisan lighting in the spherical main bedroom suite, the home oozes a high-end sophistication that Kim says is being embraced by prestige buyers more than ever.

“Buyers want comfort now … they can’t spend their money overseas, so they’re spending it on their homes,” he says.

The property will go to auction on August 22 in a move that speaks volumes about the appetite for singular high-end homes – properties of that calibre have traditionally been marketed in a private treaty campaign that lasted months, if not years.

In one of the Sunshine Coast’s strongest performing pockets, Sunshine Beach, a remarkable two-bedroom beach house recently hit the market for offers above $3 million thanks to its distinctive coastal design.

SOLD - $5,900,000
17 Queen Anne Court, Sovereign Islands QLD 4216
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Century 21 Conolly Hay Group principal Mike Hay is selling 16 Adams Street and says that within the first four days of marketing, he received about 100 email inquiries.

“This home has had some of the highest inquiry we’ve had on any property we’ve listed this year … and I think it’s probably because of the mixture of the modern and the original and the shape of the quintessential Australian beach house,” Hay says.

“As soon as you walk in, you feel that lovely beach vibe … in fact, you’re pretty much on a sand dune. The owner is a surfer, and she loved the idea of walking out the back gate to the beach break. It even has surfboard storage.”

Down south in Brisbane, one of the city’s most unusual and oldest manors hit the market just weeks ago in a landmark move that sparked a buyer frenzy.

Looking like the beloved family mansion of a Jane Austen protagonist, 18 Tarranalma Avenue in Clayfield offers Victorian elegance in one of the city’s blue-chip pockets. The five-bedroom residence is tipped to sell quickly thanks to the sheer rarity of the offering.

SOLD - $3,250,000
16 Adams Street, Sunshine Beach QLD 4567
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Selling agent Marianne White of Ray White Ascot says what makes homes such as Tarranalma so compelling is that they are unlikely to be replicated due to the prohibitive cost involved.

“She’s something special, and prestige buyers are searching for something very special,” she says.

It’s a sentiment shared by joint managing director of Place Estate Agents Bulimba, Sarah Hackett, who says local and overseas home-hunters are pouncing on rare luxury pads across the city at a higher rate than ever.

“We launched 107 King Arthur Terrace in Tennyson to top offers two weeks ago, and we’ve already received three contracts above $10 million,” she says.

“There never used to be $2 million sales two years ago in Brisbane … now, the strongest offer is from a local buyer, but we have an overseas buyer with an offer that’s strong, and a Sydney couple as well.”

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