Mackay businesses that sold in 2023, 2024 — and who’s bought them
From Mackay-based medical professionals banding together to buy a $9m medical centre to well-known identities moving on from their agritourism empires, more than $100m has changed hands in 20 recent business sales.
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From Mackay-based medical professionals banding together to buy a $9m medical centre to well-known identities moving on from their agritourism empires, almost $60m has changed hands in recent business sales.
Scroll to read about the transactions which caught our eye including who was behind the purchases from tradies to giant corporations and how much they paid.
Rural View Medical Centre
Brisbane-based property investment group Quanta Investment Funds sold its medical centre at 1 to 3 Old Eimeo Rd to a consortium of general practitioners, psychiatrists, dentists, and a gynecologist who are familiar faces across Mackay-based practices.
Brisbane agent Cushman and Wakefield brokered the $9.75m sale of the 5603sqm property in February.
The buyer was the newly-formed company Mackay Medics Group, which was registered in October 2023.
Its shareholders are all companies directed by professionals living in Mackay including Family Health Care Mackay GP Dr Sunil Kumar Purohit with Swaroopum; Caneland Medical Centre GP Dr Ram Dammalapti and Mount Pleasant Medical and Dental Care GP Dr Surekha Puri of Dammalapti Landholdings; Mackay Private Mental Health and Mackay Base Hospital psychiatrist Dr Ashish Rana and his wife, Ritu Rana Medical gynecologist Dr Ritu Rana, with Ashrit; Mackay Private Hospital psychiatrist and adjunct lecturer in psychiatry at James Cook University Dr Alok Kumar Rana of Ishana; and Sarina Smile Studio dentist Dr Syed Basheer Ahmed and Sarina Medical Group GP Dr Shahanaz Meer of Rushda.
Joining Dr Ahmed and Dr Alok Rana as directors of Mackay Medics Group is Northern Beaches Dental dentist Dr Anand Prathap Kripakaran, with all three born in India within two months of each other.
Ballantyne’s Strawberry Farm
After nearly two years on the market, the family-owned Ballantyne farm has sold for $1.2 million.
Located at 33 Brodies Rd in Mount Charlton, or better known as Cameron’s Pocket, the farm of more than 30 years gained a reputation across the Mackay region for its annual season of pick-it-yourself strawberries and blueberries.
Along with its 60,000-plus strawberry plants, the business boasted a photo-session worthy sunflower field and sweet treats like ice cream and fresh scones.
Margaret Ballantyne and her husband Allan moved to the property from Middlemount so they could raise their children on a farm.
There were fears their farm would shut for good in 2016 after three major rain events within a year turned profits upside down but the Ballantynes pulled through.
Ray White Rural Sarina brokered the sale of the farm to Adex in January.
Adex was registered in October, 2022 with its director Timothy Molloy, of Hyd-Elec Equipment Services, living in the Mackay region.
The Ballantynes posted to Facebook that they were thrilled to transfer their farm to Tim and Rose.
“We have every confidence that under their stewardship, the farm will continue to flourish and remain a cherished community gathering place for generations to come,” they wrote.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to the public for their unwavering support over the years.”
Old Nab Building
Andrew Busch and Duncan Smith of Mackay snapped up part of 79 Victoria St, better known as the old Nab building, for $786,500.
The purchase of Lot 17 from Sydney-based Ioncall in February follows Blacks Real Estate selling the other part of the building to a mystery Mackay identity for a price that is also yet to be revealed.
Mackay Private Hospital
Catalyst Mackay outlaid $10.5m to buy Mackay Private Hospital in late 2023.
The 1.3ha property at 14 Raymond Ave in Mount Pleasant, which connects to frontage along Norris Rd, was owned by NSW-based The Trust Company (Australia) Limited.
Catalyst Mackay’s major shareholder is MH Carnegie and Co, which manages an investment portfolio worth about $900 million with assets including healthcare real estate like the Gold Coast’s Odyssey Private Aged Care.
MH Carnegie’s partners, Sydney-based Matthew Beach and Catherine Thompson, are listed as two of Catalyst’s directors with the third director, Justin Laboo, based in Brisbane.
But the trio’s newly-acquired hospital may soon face fresh competition with ReNew Mackay having lodged plans with Mackay Regional Council to build a 60-bed, six-storey private hospital directly opposite the Mackay Base Hospital.
Greenfields Boulevard Shopping Centre
Home to Sam’s Warehouse and the site of the infamous Toys R Us inferno, 17 Greenfields Boulevard in Mount Pleasant has new owners.
Sydney-based wealth and asset management company Perpetual Corporate Trust Limited — which has operations across Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK and the US — purchased the multi-tenanted retail precinct for $12.3 million in December.
It had been owned by Mpg Mackay, which despite the name is actually based in Victoria.
Perpetual Corporate Trust Limited, created in 1886 by businessmen including the would be first prime minister of Australia Sir Edmund Barton, managed about $200bn in assets which includes about 100 properties across Queensland.
They include shopping centres, professional and commercial offices, industrial warehouses, units, medical centres, residential estates, service stations, houses, and a hotel.
In Mackay, it also owns 118 Sams Rd in Mount Pleasant home to Hot Property and Needleworks; 142 Nebo Rd in West Mackay, better known as Fourways.
Coral Cay Resort
Driving down the Bruce Highway you may have noticed the bright, white makeover of Coral Cay Resort.
That is because the motel at 14 Nebo Rd in West Mackay sold for $9.8m to Kevin and Christine Rebetgz in late November, a considerable drop from its $14.8m sold tag in March, 2011.
CBRE Hotels, which brokered the sale, stated the four-star resort turned over about $1.5m net each year.
Its former owner Acf Mackay (Property) CT, actually based in WA, had bought the 9148sqm hotel for $8.325m in July, 2019.
Mr and Mrs Rebetgz also own Mid City Motor Inn at 2 Macalister St in Mackay which they purchased for $2.39m in mid-2016, and co-own 39 Beaconsfield Rd East in Andergrove, the vacant lot opposite Andergrove Caravan Park.
Mr Rebetzg is also a co-owner of Mackay Indoor Sports Arena at 225 Harbour Rd in Mackay Harbour, bought for $180,000 in April 2001.
Cattle Farm
Brahman breeders Trevor Pullen and Lyn Mccartney Pullen, of St Lawrence, forked out $8.525m to buy a 415.8ha cattle farm from Strathdee Properties, directed by Cameron Strathdee.
The property is located along the Peak Downs Hwy in Victoria Plains.
Mr Pullen further owns a 2093ha cattle property along Saint Lawrence Rd in Ogmore, and a 4730ha farm also in Ogmore.
Freckle Farm
Anna and Brendon Black bought the 264ha hectare property, fondly known to locals as Freckle Farm, for $4m late last year.
The cattle farm along Olletts Rd in Brightly had been owned by Rdco, directed by Robert Bauman of Eton.
Mr Bauman and his wife Deb McLucas are fourth-generation farmers who made the national award-winning Freckle Farm into a household name in the Mackay region with their guided tours and fresh produce.
They even had Better Homes and Gardens’ Fast Ed visit for a cook-up of bacon and eggs.
“Our special piece of paradise ... is now the home of another young farming family who are running cattle and using it as a base for their helicopter mustering business,” the couple posted to Facebook on January 12.
“We wish them all the very best for the future and know they will make wonderful memories just as we have over the past 14 years.”
Red Rooster Mount Pleasant
Parveena added Mount Pleasant’s Red Rooster store to its retail collection which also includes the Oliver’s fast food store at a Maryborough service station.
The Victoria-based company paid $2.867m for the 1900sqm restaurant along Grandview Dr from Vicki Eva Clarkson—Jones, who herself bought the property in 2009 for $1.9m.
The Grove
Formerly known as the Andergrove Tavern, SCHF paid $12.25m for the 1.96ha property at 64 Andergrove Rd in Andergrove late last year.
Its former owner and subsidiary of NSW-based Redcape Hotel Fund, Mahf Custodian, had bought The Grove tavern for $7.6m about six years earlier.
Mahf Custodian still owns two taverns in Townsville, a service station in the Gold Coast, and the Shamrock Hotel and accompanying hotel along Nebo Rd and Dunn St in West Mackay for which it paid $13.68m for in 2017.
Brisbane-based SCHF is part of the Star Hotels Group which boasts 30 hotels across Queensland and South Australia.
The Grove, before it became a tavern, was the site of one of Mackay’s two drive-in movie theatres operated by Birch, Carroll and Coyle with the other at Racecourse.
Rover Motel
Sui-K and S K bought the 29-unit Rover Motel at 174-176 Nebo Rd in West Mackay for $2.9m late last year from Victoria-based Cero Nominees.
NSW-based Sui-K and S K is directed by Sui Kheng and Sui-Kuang Kang who migrated from Cambodia.
Carinya Takeaway
M and K Herring Holdings, directed by Kayci and Matthew Herring of Rural View, paid $820,000 to buy the Carinya Takeaway store at 60 Tolcher St in Mount Pleasant late last year.
It had been owed by Margherita Angela Del Simone who paid $269,000 for the 825sqm property in 1989.
Premier Caravan Park
Mackay-based company Sharrock Family, directed by Beverley and Edward Sharrock, sold its 50-site caravan park at 152 Nebo Rd in West Mackay for $1.546m.
Buying the 8160sqm property in December was Jitendrasinh Udaysinh Gohil, Nisarg Naresh Gandhi and Jignashaben Gohil.
Dairy Farm
After 37 years of running a dairy and cattle grazing property, Philip James Hall sold his farm for $1.215m last year.
Brokering the sale of 4 Lex Creek Rd in Crediton to new owners Michael and Shannon Mcevoy was Elders Real Estate agent Robert Murolo.
Mr Murolo stated the 110ha property, which includes a three-bedroom home had ran up to 180 milking cows when it was a full-blown dairy operation, and can carry up to 150 mixed cattle.
Eton Hotel
R and H Tanner Investments is the new owner of the Eton Hotel, buying it for $950,000 from Roy Edward Butlin.
The company, registered in March last year, is directed by Robert and Helen Tanner of Hay Point.
The hotel at 1 Telegraph St in Eton opened in 1866 and is one of the Mackay region’s oldest pubs.
Shakespeare St Retail Precinct
Brisbane-based PMAHC Property paid $1.03m to snap up the four tenancies at 326 Shakespeare St in the Mackay city.
Gardian Real Estate agent Chris Bonanno managed the sale of the 608sqm precinct which had been owned by Elaine Mary Gregor since 2010 after paying $1.2m.
Mr Bonanno stated the tenancies — which include Indian Aroma Grocery and Spice, Natasha Mills Cosmetic Tattooing and Beauty, About Hair Mackay - generated about $74,000 per year plus GST.
Sea Breeze Lychees
Laurence Wayne Dixon sold his 21.5ha lychee farm for $390,000 to Jodie and Martin Cameron.
The property at 986 Sarina Beach Rd in Sarina Beach produces lychees which are sold to the public from November to January each year under the name Sea Breeze Lychees.
The Camerons also own Sarina-based Marty Cameron Homes, with Mr Cameron having worked in the building industry for more than 20 years.
Central Lodge Motel
Alfred St paid $1.75m for the Central Lodge Motel at 231 Alfred St in the Mackay CBD.
The motel had been owned by Gordon Galletly of Mackay, who paid $1.4m for the property in September 2019.
Alfred St is directed by NSW-based Bernard Ellevsen and Ruth Ellevsen-Waters.
Lindeman Island
China-based White Horse Australia Lindeman sold its 66.28ha on Lindeman Island for $8.8m, after buying it in 2012 for $10.46m.
The buyer was Well Smart Investment Holding (Bris).
The company is registered in Victoria but two of its directors, Ruitao and Ruize Jia are based in Singapore, with the third director Lin Lee in Glen Waverley, Victoria.
The state government announced in February that it was chipping in funds for Well Smart to build a 50m jetty to open visitor access with work to begin this year.
This precedes a redevelopment of the abandoned Club Med resort into a five-star hotel with 210 rooms, a restaurant, bar, pool, spa and gym, accommodation for 200 staff, a 100-person event space, two 19m catamarans to act as ferries, a solar farm, and a nine-hole golf course.
Former Snap Fitness Gym in Mount Pleasant
Brisbane-based GMF Advisory 2 paid $3.815m for the old Snap Fitness gym building at 7 Discovery Lane in Mount Pleasant.
The 3078sqm warehouse had been owned by Victoria-based Alcajust Holdings since 2019.
Empty Commercial Shop with High Rise Potential
A 2035sqm block that is largely a patch of dirt bar a small vacant building fetched $800,000 for its CBD location and now-expired development approval for multi-storey mixed residential and commercial project.
Artbluff, directed by Mackay-based dentist Peter John Monckton, bought the property at 11 Nelson St via Mackay Regional Real Estate agent Robyn Faa.
Tattoo Barber Shop and Possible Adult Store
Mackay tattoo artist Kate Foxley-Connolly is making over the end of Wood St buying both 162 and 164 in recent months for a collective $750,000.
She has already transformed no. 164 into the new home of Gold Empire Tattoo Barber, and has earlier this year signed permission for FX Clinics Rejuvenation to lodge plans to Mackay Regional Council to turn no. 162 into an adult store.
Cane Farm
Wilmar Sugar (Proserpine) spent $3.4m to buy a 262.5ha sugar cane farm at Bloomsbury.
The property at 9548 Bruce Highway was owned by Scott William Simpson.
Wilmar Sugar (Proserpine) also owns 1748ha at 599 Midge Point Rd in Bloomsbury which it bought for $8.93m in June 2011 from the Proserpine Co-Operative Sugar Milling Association Limited.
The company’s co-director Jean-Luc Bohbot, who was born in France, has been described by the Australian Financial Review as the “most powerful sugar trader in the world”.
The other co-director Shayne Rutherford is Wilmar’s head of sugar and renewables and is also a director of the Australian Sugar Milling Council.
Editor’s Note:
This article originally stated SMH Property Group had bought Fusion128 for $1m. It should have stated the company bought 36 Wood St for that amount. This publication apologises for the error.
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