Sundale Motel: Southport site bought by developer MRCB for tower proposal

A historic Gold Coast motel has been bought by a major international developer which has plans to transform the site into something quite different.

The historic Sundale Motel in the heart of Southport has been bought by a major international developer which has plans to transform the site.

Malaysian developer MRCB International secured the 1743sq m Queen Street parcel in a deal brokered by Ray White Commercial Gold Coast’s Brad Merkur.

It is the second Gold Coast site for the company, which is already building the $500m 26 Vista project in central Surfers Paradise.

MRCB sales and marketing executive Kevin Zhang said the company was “firming up” plans for a new tower which would “cater to the demand for high-quality apartments in the Gold Coast”.

“The Southport development is aimed at capitalising on the prime location, close to Broadwater Parklands with breathtaking waterfront views and easy access to the light rail network,” he said.

The Sundale Motel has been bought by MRCB

“The north-facing apartments will have unobstructed views of the Broadwater, while residents will also enjoy easy access to all the popular dining, entertainment and shopping precincts of the central Gold Coast right at their doorstep, with access to the light rail.”

Mr Zhang said the company was “buoyed” by the strong sales of units in its 51-storey Surfers Paradise tower.

He said the project “not only aims to attract diverse buyers but also addresses the pressing issue of housing shortage in the region”.

MRCB, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad, has secured design firm Plus Architecture to create the project with a brief to “meet the needs of an under-represented market” and “premium living in a highly sought-after location”.

The existing motel will be redeveloped.

It will “take advantage of expansive Broadwater views”.

The tower is tipped to feature a mixture of one and two-bedroom units, with resort-style amenities including a recreation deck, pool, barbecue areas, sauna and gymnasium.

The project is expected to be unveiled in early 2025.

The existing motel, which has 25 units, was built in 1969 to coincide with the opening of the nearby Sundale shopping centre which was, at the time, the state’s largest retail outlet.

The motel was built in the late 1960s. Picture: Jerad Williams

It remained one of the Coast’s most famous landmarks through the 1970s and 1980s before the opening of the expanded Australia Fair in 1990 marked its end.

The building remained until the early 2000s while it was used as a marketplace before it was demolished to make way for development.

The MRCB plan is the latest attempt to redevelop the site.

Plans were unveiled in September 2015 for a 14-storey tower which was to have 133 units — 61 with one-bedroom, 54 with two-bedrooms and 18 with three-bedrooms.

The project was put forward by the site’s then-owner, Real Properties Qld, which bought it for $4.5m.

Its sole director was Paradise Waters resident David Dickson Spankie who moved to sell the site in mid-2019.