Queensland’s Holiday Hotspots Are In High Demand

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Demand for luxury homes across Queensland’s most prestigious coastal hideaways is rising as southern buyers pour millions into glamorous holiday abodes in lieu of a European getaway. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the back of the global pandemic those

BY Realty Plus
Published - Apr 17, 2021 4:31 AM

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Demand for luxury homes across Queensland’s most prestigious coastal hideaways is rising as southern buyers pour millions into glamorous holiday abodes in lieu of a European getaway. Off the back of the global pandemic those oft-tumultuous markets from Port Douglas to the Gold Coast have become the playground of high-end home-hunters from Sydney and Melbourne who are fleeing more than just strict lockdowns, but a tropical escape where elite homes cost less than their southern counterparts and come with white sand just metres from their opulent steps. The wave of multimillion-dollar sales has breathed life back into key coastal spots such as Port Douglas and Whitsunday Islands, where in years gone by hurricanes and financial crises have all but crippled them. Some property punters are now reporting price rises of up to 20 per cent in the past year alone with sale numbers tripling in what they’re calling a gift from the pandemic. Ray White principal Mark Beale Whitsunday said while his patch of tropical paradise had always been popular with Brisbane buyers, the virus had sparked Victorian and NSW home-hunters to look beyond Byron Bay, resulting in a buyer tidal wave. “Right now, Airlie Beach is where it’s at and in the past six months alone we transacted 16 sales above $1 million. The 12 months before that we only sold five,” Beale said. Interest remains for new prestige properties coming on the market including a three-bedroom home with expansive water and rainforest views in Airlie Beach being sold by Ray White Whitsundays. Farther north in Port Douglas, tropical north Queensland director of Sotheby’s International Realty, Barbara Wolveridge, said high-end sales were now transacting at rapid rates with the latest buyer wave rolling in from NSW. On the Gold Coast, Ray White Sovereign Islands agent Edin Kara said the $5-$6 million market was again on the move in the city’s exclusive pocket thanks to the interstate buyer swell. We used to rely on Chinese buyers but now we have a lot of Sydney and Melbourne people and this is a permanent move for them. This is because of the lifestyle here and prices have absolutely increased by 20 per cent just here on Sovereign Islands over the past 12 months. Before the pandemic we were struggling to sell properties over $5 million but now we are getting four times the usual level of inquiry. It’s the best market I’ve seen in 10 years.