$250m Burnett Heads marina will transform the community

Work is underway on construction of a luxury 318-berth marina complex with 46 apartments, shops and cafes looking out on the Coral Coast. Watch the fly-through video, see the first images:

Work officially started on the $250m Burnett Heads Gateway Marina complex on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

The development includes 318 cyclone-proof marina berths and 46 apartments.

Bondi-based developer Simon Harvey said interest in the site and its development had been huge, with more than 500 expressions of interest in the 46 apartments ready for prospective purchase within five weeks.

The site will be a luxury location for the Qld east coast, with two five-storey buildings containing 23 apartments each already confirmed.

Mr Harvey and his team at BeauGroup will invest $250 million into the project they overtook in 2016 and said on Thursday the beauty of the region drew him in.

“When this opportunity came to me it fell into the ‘no-brainer basket.’ There really wasn’t a lot of downsides,” he said.

The key goal of the enterprise is to bring in owner-occupiers, and keep people in the region enjoying everything the north facing location has to offer.

“We are trying to create a new place, we don’t want people who buy an apartment and lock it up for the better part of the year,” said Mr Harvey.

The Great Barrier Reef and closeness to Fraser Island are other factor in the initial buy-in pricepoint of $795,000 for first stage apartments.

THEN AND NOW: A side by side of proposed artist’s impression of the new Gateway Marina and existing Burnett Heads visage.

“This location, this real estate, this outlook deserves something of quality and Bundaberg has been lacking that premium quality product that we want to deliver,” said Mr Harvey.

The project is aimed at bringing in those who have been priced out of other luxury markets such as those in Noosa, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

“It’s no secret what’s happened with the property boom, and we can provide a product that's of equal, if not better quality at a better price point,” Mr Harvey said.

Substantial work has been undertaken to get the development to the construction stage, with Mr Harvey confirming that geotechnical work, underwater mapping and marine studies were just some of the factors considered.

“A lot of people observing a project like this don’t see a lot happening but what’s going on behind the scenes is a huge amount of planning,” he said.

The project promises to bring thousands of jobs to the area, not just for the construction phase but also for the future accommodation and retail stages.

“Then as you start bringing on commercial jobs that has a flow-on effect to the traffic in Burnett Heads which is going to rise significantly,

“There is more opportunity more retail and commercial on the journey into Bundaberg,” said Mr Harvey.

With many Bundaberg environmentalists wary of the impact major constructions will have on the precious turtle habitats in the region, Mr Harvey said anyone buying into the marina was “buying into the story of turtle preservation”.

Work has begun on the new Gateway Marina, with an artist's impression showing the future development design.

Mr Harvey said an extensive turtle management report was completed as part of the pitch to the Bundaberg Regional Council, and studies were undertaken with foremost turtle researchers.

“We ourselves created a whole range of conditions around turtle preservation. We are adopting those, and council has taken them on as conditions of our approvals.”

The conditions were “well thought out”, down to the sheen of paint on the buildings “so it’s not too shiny,” Mr Harvey said.

The cyclone proof marina berths were a key incentive for potential buyers, with the safe sheltered harbour set to be ready for its first occupants before the apartments themselves.

“I definitely want to have the marina berths in so by the time people are moving in, there is a marina in front of them,” Mr Harvey said.

Construction on the first apartment complexes will start by the second quarter of 2023, with marina berths ordered for instalment by mid 2023.

Gateway Marina artists impressions show a spectacular view from the proposed apartments over the marina.

The Gateway Marina is set to offer a luxury experience that Bundaberg has never seen before.

Further artists impressions of the proposed Gateway Marina apartments.

The marina will include 318 cyclone safe berths with quick and easy access to the ocean and the Burnett River.