Long-empty CBD Chinatown block a rare chance for NT developers

An historic CBD block has hit the market presenting a rare opportunity for developers in Darwin. Read what the space could lend itself to.

Two CBD legacy blocks from Darwin’s pre-World War Chinatown era are on the market.

The prominent blocks on the corner of Cavenagh and Bennett streets have been owned by Darwin’s Chin family for the best part of 80 years.

Located at 5 and 7 Cavenagh Street, the combined blocks are 1302 square metres and zoned Central Business.

The site was once home to the Hong Kong Cafe and the blocks have been empty since fire destroyed the building in the early 1990s.

The Hong Kong Cafe in old Darwin

More significantly, they are the final vestige of Darwin’s old Cavenagh Street Chinatown, that was destroyed by Japanese bombs and commonwealth bulldozers during World War Two.

In 1945 after a request from NT administrator Aubrey Abbott, the commonwealth compulsorily acquired about 200 hectares of land in Darwin CBD, of which about 20 hectares was owned by the Chinese community.

About half of Cavenagh Street was taken by the commonwealth, which gave the Chinese families replacement land in Stuart Park, but the Chin family retained the Bennett Street site.

Chin patriarch Jimmy Tang and grandmother ‘Grannie’ Lumloy had settled in Pine Creek early in the 20th century to find wealth during the gold rush.

5-7 Cavenagh Street Darwin

Family members ran the shop on the corner of the Stuart Highway and Henry Street for many years.

Agent Frank Schembri from United Realty NT has a reserve of $3.45m on the block, which he said had a number of potential uses.

“When you look around town given its location, it’s a corner block right in the CBD and just 400m from the new university campus,” he said.

“It’s in close proximity to the waterfront, in the city and its location is what’s driving interest.

Hong Kong Cafe Darwin back in the day.

“It lends itself to a multitude of uses given its zone. Whether it becomes a multi use development, whether it’s hotel or office space, standard accommodation, university style accommodation or a combination, or retail. It’s up to the individual developer.

“There’s been a lot of talk around shortages in the rental market, but it could definitely be a hotel or ground floor retail with a combination of hotel and residential above.”

The site is currently used for casual parking and a coffee shop and a bicycle repair shop trade at the site.

“Development opportunities of this calibre are rarely presented,” Mr Schembri said.