Comiskey Group plans new Burpengary shopping village once Sandstone Point and Eatons Hill Hotel revamp are complete

ONE family’s passion for pubs and entertainment is transforming the northside of Brisbane. So what’s next on the Comiskey Group’s radar?

An artist's aerial perspective of the Sandstone Point Development.

SECOND generation publican and developer Rob Comiskey expects to spend around $200 million over the next five years, as his family firm the Comiskey Group ramps up investments in the greater Brisbane area.

The architect, his engineer brother David and builder father Paul are best known as owners of the multi-award winning Eatons Hill Hotel, whose accolades have included best hotel and best beer garden in Australia, and best hotel in Queensland twice in a row.

But the trio behind the Comiskey Group has a multitude of property investments that could see their net worth balloon over the next decade, courtesy of land purchases for projects first envisioned decades ago.

An artist's aerial perspective of the Sandstone Point Development.

“Some of the projects (sites) we’ve owned for 10 to 15 years,” Rob Comiskey says.

“We’re picking our time to outlay this kind of development. We have $200 million worth of construction work on our books at this stage, which is probably five years’ worth of work.”

While the low interest rate environment did help grease the wheels, it was not the main driver for the current round of investment, he says.

“Because we’re family owned, it’s not so much the funding. It is easier funding at the moment but it’s more a natural progression for us. We’re looking at ways to do things properly. For us it’s the quality of the investment rather than the quantity.”

David, Paul and Robert Comiskey with the Australian Hotels Association Best Entertainment Venue 2013 award.

Apart from Eatons Hill Hotel & Function Centre, the Comiskeys also own Beachmere Tavern and will have a range of other big developments to add shortly.

The five-year timeline is intense. Around $50 million is going into the first stage of their massive Sandstone Point development on a 35ha waterfront site leading to Bribie Island.

From January next year, a further $40 million will go into the second stage of their Eatons Hill Hotel development, which involves Woolworths, an 88-room Mercure hotel, restaurants, a gym – all currently in the drawing stage.

“It was approved about a year ago now and we’ve been just talking to tenants and Woolworths. That will be something pretty special,” Comiskey says.

How the second stage of the Eatons Hill Hotel development will look.

The next big one is a $35 million Burpengary redevelopment project, where a small shopping centre will be knocked down for a high quality retail space.

“We’ve owned 2.5ha out there for 10 years. We’ve been waiting for the right time,” he says.

Then the Comiskeys return to Sandstone Point for their $50 million second stage and, as if they didn’t have enough on their plate, they’ve also decided that the planets have aligned enough to start two major housing subdivisions.

“We’re starting our subdivision of a 200-home estate at Lawnton that’s been five years in the planning. It’s just one of our landholdings we’ve had for 15 years.

“We own a lot of big parcels and we’ve decided to subdivide Lawnton and there’s a big parcel at Bald Hills we’re also looking to develop.”

Part of the reason they can move on the investments is better response times and feedback from state and council authorities.

“Previously our biggest problem was getting approvals but councils and the State Government have seen the benefit of development jobs. Things have changed in the last three or four years,” he says.

One of the things the Comiskeys are keen to ensure is that all the developments maintain a high quality and have local support.

David, Paul and Robert Comiskey at their Eatons Hill Hotel. Picture: Darren England

“We have our own construction arm and we bring contractors that we source locally,” he says.

“The Bribie area has twice the national average for unemployment. The Sandstone project will help contractors in glazing, roofing, electricians, plumbers.

It’s probably the biggest thing that anyone’s seen out there.”

First off the block is Sandstone Point, the first stage of which is a 3000sq m hotel, with dining and function facilities as well as a 750sq m liquor barn.

Stages two and three involve a 50-room, 4.5 star motel, boathouse, jetty, caravan park, family resort and caravan and camp sites.

“Work on the ground started about June. We’re about to start on the third floor. It’s going pretty quick, we expect to complete the first stage about early to mid-2015,” Comiskey says.

“We’re also constructing $2.5 million worth of roadworks for two intersections at Sandstone Point. For us getting that main road access to Bribie Island was crucial.

“You can’t do something like this without good access.”

In fact, the Sandstone Point project was on the backburner for three years until the Comiskeys could secure approval for the intersections they needed.

By the time they complete the second stage at Sandstone Point, the Comiskeys expect to have spent more than $100 million on construction at the site – and they’d still have about 20ha “left over” for future development.

“We’ve been in hotels for 15 years but dad’s been developing probably about

40 years. For us at the moment, it’s good,” Comiskey says.