How Roberts Bros developed Gympie, Noosa over 40 years

Two brothers and a backhoe started out in Cooroy 40 years ago, and grew their business into a multi-million dollar empire that is behind great swathes of development in the Gympie region, Somerset and on the Sunshine Coast.

The Greendale Downs Estate at Pie Creek is one of more than two dozen developments opened up by Robert Bros Holdings across the Gympie, Noosa and Sunshien Coast regions over the past 40 years.

Four decades ago the Roberts Bros name was synonymous with building and construction work around Cooroy, about half an hour south of Gympie.

Now it has become one of the driving forces behind a Gympie property market many believe is experiencing a golden age.

Roberts Bros has become one of the region’s largest developers, with a list of more than 24 projects spanning four decades under its belt.

It is an impressive list, including 23 stages of the Noosa Outlook, the Noosa Retreat and Noosa River Park, Sunrise Hills at Tinbeerwah, Madill’s Toyota Showroom at Gympie, Chatsworth Premier Estate, Grange Estate and Greendale Downs.

And it all started at Cooroy with two brothers, Phil and Steve Roberts, and a backhoe.

“They did a lot of different jobs in and around Cooroy,” company spokesman Brian Roberts said.

Mr Roberts - Steve’s son, Phil’s nephew and a member of the company - is one of six Roberts family members working in the business today.

Roberts Bros was started by Brian Roberts’ father Steve and uncle Phil 40 years ago.

There are no plans to pull back on the reins either, with projects at Gympie’s McIntosh Park, Glastonbury Rd and Fritz Rd, all in one stage or another of development.

“Developed land is not something you can have up in five minutes like at the supermarket,” Mr Roberts said.

“We’ll have other applications in shortly.

“We’re going to be up there (in Gympie) for a fair while.”

Mr Roberts said wider opinion of the Gympie region has undergone a major transformation and people now view it as the place to live.

The region’s thriving property market was driven by the reality there was “not a lot of land to develop in and around Noosa”.

“It’s rarer than anything,” Mr Roberts said.

Gympie’s reputation had taken a dramatic U-turn in recent years, which was only good news for the region.

“If you mentioned the word ‘Gympie’ in the past people would recoil,” he said.

“We now have the majority of buyers shifting up to the area from the Sunshine Coast.

“They’re sick of living in an area where there’s a lot more traffic and they are walled in on all four sides.

Mr Roberts said he understood people’s reservations about development but it creates jobs and boosts the economy.

“It’s a great country area to move to.

“I don’t think a lot of people realise that yet.”

The competitive prices compared to what blocks were now selling for in Noosa and the Sunshine Coast were a big draw, he said.

“Places at the coast are getting so expensive.”

He understood the “good and bad” of development, saying it “certainly changes the landscape of places.

“But you can only do everything under the terms of what the council wants,” he said.

“As long as it’s fair and reasonable.”

At the end of the day he thought everyone benefited.

“As much as people don’t like to see development it gives people jobs and brings income into the region,” Mr Roberts said.

Other Roberts Bros developments:

• Noosa Retreat (Noosaville)
 
• Noosa Outlook (Noosaville)
 
• Noosa River Heights (Noosaville)
 
• Noosa Summit (Doonan)
 
• Noosa Auto Park (Noosaville)
 
• Cooroy Park (Cooroy)
 
• Cooroibah Park (Tewantin, Cooroibah)
 
• Lake Entrance Blvd (Noosaville)
 
• Sunrise Hills (Tinbeerwah)
 
• Wallace Estate (Noosaville)
 
• Swift Park (Cooroy)
 
• Park Drive (Kilcoy)
 
• Belleden Estate (West Cooroy)
 
• Forest Acres (Cooroy, Lake McDonald)
 
• Oak Street (Cooroy)
 
• Overlander Ave (Cooroy)
 
• Pheasant Lane (Doonan)
 
• Noosa Hills Estate (Black Mtn, Cooroy)
 
• Madill’s Toyota Showroom (Gympie)
 
• Hedley Park (Kilcoy)
 
• Erindale Park (Cooroy)
 
• Grange Estate (Gympie)
 
• Chatsworth Premier (Gympie)
 
• Greendale Downs (Gympie)