Prestige villas at Palm Cove turn Amphora St into millionaire’s row

A rundown street close to the beach in a hot northern suburbs locale is undergoing a transformation and is set to become a new millionaire’s row.

THE transformation of a little street at Palm Cove is a tale of two cities as the seaside village transforms from worn-out 1980s block unit complexes to ultra-glamorous abodes.

Amphora St at Palm Cove is just 200m from the beach, toward the northern end.

It was home to weary complexes with matchbox-sized units and some tired-looking houses, but its potential, so close to the ocean, did not go unnoticed by developers.

A four-bedroom townhouse at Luxe at 16 Amphora Street, Palm Cove is on the market – no price is listed for the new property one block from the beach. Picture: Supplied

Developer and builder Nathan Verri has just completed four townhouses under the banner Luxe and is now building Luna Villas, which will be completed toward the end of 2023.

“It was a sleepy, tired and unloved street,” Mr Verri said.

“But the location is great, we saw its potential with proximity to the beach, restaurants and a relaxing lifestyle location.”

What the Luxe site at Amphora St in Palm Cove looked like before the prestige development. Picture: Supplied

The four Luxe properties at 16 Amphora St sold off the plan or during construction, although one is on the market with no price listed.

Mr Verri said the Luna Villas sold off the plan before work started.

“The Luna and Luxe sites consisted of eight dwellings that were extremely dilapidated,” Mr Verri said.

The Luxe townhouses at Palm Cove represent super-stylish medium to high density development. Picture: Supplied

He appears to be specialising in small scale, bespoke development, repurposing good-sized house blocks for upscale medium-density development on more compact footprints.

Mr Verri has a development application in for a beachfront restaurant at Kewarra Beach and several prestige Port Douglas projects underway.

A separate development across the road, Santana at the Cove, is a pair of modern townhouses on an 809sqm block bought for just $560,000 in 2019.

A four-bedroom townhouse at Luxe at 16 Amphora Street, Palm Cove is on the market – no price is listed for the new property one block from the beach. Picture: Supplied

Each has four bedrooms and three bathrooms and one is on the market, with no price listed.

The two-storey Luxe townhouses have the advantage of no body corporate fees.

They have four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens and a pool.

Flowing interiors and contemporary design combine sanctuary, sustainability and entertainment to create a space that draws nature into the heart of the home.

The Luxe property on the market comes with a Freedom Furniture package.

It is on 304sqm and has an outdoor kitchen overlooking the glass fenced pool, and a double lock-up garage.

Two dwellings are nearing completion as Santana at the Cove at 17 Amphora St. Each has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Picture: Supplied

The Santana villas boast high-end fittings and fixtures and an outdoor freestanding bath and rainshower.

Palm Cove is Cairns’ most expensive address, with a median price of $970,000 at November 2022.

An apartment at Shara – a swanky three-storey complex on Williams Esplanade overlooking the ocean – is listed for sale for $2.75m after selling initially for $1.6m off the plan.

Santana townhouses offer an outdoor bath. The development at 17 Amphora St in Palm Cove is nearing completion. Picture: Supplied

The developer behind Shara, Bob Simkins, is seeking to build a five-storey apartment complex called Maya, on Veivers Rd.

Cairns Regional Council recently unveiled plans for a new streetscape for the esplanade at Palm Cove.

Originally published as Prestige villas at Palm Cove turn Amphora St into millionaire’s row