Newstead emerging as Brisbane’s new gateway as developments boom
A flurry of landmark office and residential towers, a green bridge, craft brewery, retirement village and more are transforming a long-neglected Brisbane suburb into the city’s new gateway.
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A spate of pubs, unit blocks, offices and an Olympics athletes village are predicted to transform the strip from Hamilton to Newstead into the city’s new gateway.
The announcements just kept coming last year as developers, Council, the State Government and small businesses revealed their plans for the long neglected riverfront area.
The most recent announcement, Breakfast Creek Quarter, was approved in September by Council as one of Brisbane’s first commercial/office buildings specifically designed to accommodate post-pandemic, new-look office spaces.
Churchill Development Group unveiled designs for the eight-story landmark tower on a huge, 6778 sqm disused warehouse and industrial site near the prominent Mercedes HQ on Breakfast Creek.
Construction on the $300 million project is expected to start early this year.
As well as offices, it will house entertainment, hospitality, health and beauty, major retailers and grocery.
Bunnings opened a multistorey store complete with rooftop nursery in 2019, reviving what was a quiet, light industrial area.
The Mercedes building, which has a massive rotating, rooftop Mercedes “badge’’ visible from kilometres away, is thronged on weekends by foodies attracted to ground floor tenant Mica.
The upmarket French bakery and brasserie had huge queues of customers lining up right from its opening at the start of the 2020 lockdown.
In October last year, Council revealed concept designs for a nearby $67 million “green’’ cycling and pedestrian bridge which will make it easier to access the Mercedes building from the river.
A game changer for the strip will be the planned Hamilton Athlete’s Village.
The State Government released further details of the sprawling riverfront site in October, including suggestions it could eventually house a skate rink, circus cinemas.
It could also play host to concerts, boxing tournaments and more in the countdown to the 2032 Olympic Games.
The Government declared the 340ha precinct a Priority Development Area in 2008 and last year announced it would “activate’’ the site ahead of the Games, when 14,000 athletes will call it home.
Property guru Paul Broad, from Property Research and Advisory, predicted quality medium-rise to low-rise units would gradually replace much of the low-rise commercial and industrial properties from Breakfast Creek back to Newstead’s trendy Gasworks precinct.
“The area is already a gateway as so much traffic is coming from the airport and the cruise ship terminals at Hamilton and Luggage Point,’’ Mr Broad said.
“While the cruise market will take a while to recover from Covid, the athlete’s village will ensure that area becomes an even busier thoroughfare.
“You have two outstanding buildings — Breakfast Creek Quarter and the Mercedes headquarters — that will be a visual gateway, and when the green bridge is completed that will encourage more active travel through there.
“It’s very encouraging to see so much mixed-use development in the planning.’’
Recent examples included a 57-unit project in Austin St and a 52-unit, 10-level mixed-use project at the old Goldsworthy and Perkin’s Boot Factory in Maud St.
Nearby, in Longland St, developers are planning a 22-storey mixed use, 239 apartment tower with retail and a hotel.
In Evelyn St, retirement giant Ozcare has proposed a two-stage, multi-use development.
Mirvac has a residential project in the pipeline at Cunningham St and Dibcorp is planning a second residential tower at Longland St.
The beloved Italian Club in Wyandra St has also been earmarked for a 15-storey, 129 apartment development.
But it is not just units in the offing.
In August, boutique brewers Range Brewing applied to increase its capacity five-fold, to one million litres a year, to meet expected overseas demand. It is also hoping to revamp its onsite pub/entertainment area.
Churchill Development Group executive director Jonathan Leishman said Newstead was set to continue the suburb’s transformation which began two decades ago.
“That’s why the area appealed to us,” he said. It is a significant entry corridor into Brisbane,’’ Mr Leishman said.
“The whole area is being transformed from an industrial area to a high-density residential and contemporary commercial precinct, thanks to multiple development applications now approved.
“Work is already under way on Skyring Tce on the State Government’s first build-to-rent project, LIV Anura, which aims to make affordable housing more accessible in the inner city.
“This once, somewhat neglected spot will soon transform from industrial into a prominent entry corridor becoming of an Olympic city.”
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