Cannon Hill’s Minnippi project: From Landfill to Thriving Community

A residential community in Brisbane’s inner-east has become the latest hotspot to live for its lifestyle and urban design. FIND OUT WHERE

Aerial view of the sought after Minnippi community in Cannon Hill. Photo: Urbex

A residential community in Brisbane’s inner-east has become the latest hotspot to live for its lifestyle and urban design, with a select few buyers set to become the final few to get the keys.

The highly sought-after residential community and golf course of Minnippi in Cannon Hill is set to sell its final 13 golf front lots.

The lots for sale average around 401sq m in size and priced from $975,000 to $1.05 million were released this September and saw seven unconditional contracts within days, and the remaining anticipated to be sold within the first week of release.

The Minnippi project is also Brisbane’s first public golf course in 70 years.

General Manager at Urbex Realty Craig Covacich said the Minnippi project had endured the highs and lows of the market since the community launched in 2016.

“We are not surprised by the market success Minnippi has had and it’s prime real estate. When we first came to the site, it was a degenerated forest and the Cannon Hill tip. The project won an award for environmental excellence and sold out reasonably quickly. We’ve wanted to create a very boutique inner urban market and give a high-quality product to our buyers.” Mr Covacich said.

Minnipp by Urbex by Aria Property Group won the Environmental Excellence category at the UDIA awards in 2018.

“This project has provided a great opportunity for the inner eastern suburbs of Brisbane. Our community is predominantly an owner-occupied centric community with DINKS (double income, no kids), active retirees, and families wanting to upgrade. Many of them were living in apartments they purchased the decade prior.”

Mr Covacich said as a developer, the construction shortage around Queensland had impacted Urbex.

“We have been through turbulent times but have come out on the other side,” he said.

“We had issues with the golf course supply, which we navigated through, and the shortage impacted some of the homeowners, but most of our homes were built prior.

“The homeowners in the project’s final stage have pretty good equity and haven’t been significantly impacted.

“I’m pleased to say that the Minnippi project has excellent capital growth compared to the construction cost increases, and we played our part in Cannon Hill going up in median house values.

“Our project’s uniqueness and consumer-centric focus nestled among what we did has created a truly unique environment. We never took shortcuts, which is place-making in its purest form. A lot of developers look at cost-cutting measures, but we stayed steadfast and firm in our vision.

Artist impression of the now completed Minnippi Golf Course.

Mr Covacich also said the benefit of the Minnippi project underpins Cannon Hill’s value in a real estate context.

“We’ve enhanced the value in the Minnnipi Parklands, provided amenities by way of the public golf course and pocket parks,” he said.

“We rejuvenated a lot of the bushland corridors, planted 70,000 trees, and created houses among a squirrel glider habitat that students from the University of Queensland designed. So, a lot of environmental work went on. Our consumers may not realise how much work was involved there.

“The legacy Minnippi has is place-making from within, and the connection to the outdoors of your home is so prevalent in urban design and its enduring delivery, people strive for that now. We’ve all been through an environment where homes weren’t suited to lockdown, and now Minnippi offers that and is one positive out of the Covid pandemic.”

Minnippi is located 11 kilometres from Brisbane CBD and the airport, with easy access to shopping, dining and entertainment, and is interconnected with approximately two kilometres of paths and bikeways, playgrounds and new public golf course.

Originally published as Cannon Hill’s Minnippi project: From Landfill to Thriving Community