Graya founders Andrew and Rob Gray snap up Byron Bay block on Belongil Beach for $25m
Brisbane-based brothers Andrew and Rob Gray have paid a whopping $25m for a block at Belongil beach with plans for a one-of-kind home, which will be their first project outside Queensland.
The brothers behind Brisbane development company Graya have snapped up an oceanfront block of land in the Byron Bay millionaire’s enclave of Belongil Beach for $25m.
Andrew and Rob Gray bought the property at 6 Border Street with plans to build a one-of-kind beach home, which will be their first project outside Queensland’s booming southeast corner.
They also plan to retain part of the block, which they have dubbed Waterlily, for their family legacy, given its proximity to the centre of Byron Bay.
Graya’s in-house design team is already talking with local consultants about bringing their vision to life. Rob said they were excited to snap up what he believed was the finest lot along Byron Bay’s, and potentially eastern Australia’s, coastline.
“We have spent 15 years mastering luxury homes, and we require only the finest blocks to deliver our vision,” he said.
“There isn’t much absolute beachfront anymore, and you can’t beat it.”
The 2022sq m block was owned by local investor and developer Adam Garrison. It offers 40m of beach frontage, and has a view of the Cape Byron Lighthouse.
The deal with Graya was secured by Sean Cussell, principal of Christie’s International Real Estate Victoria, who approached the brothers with the plan, complete with architecturally designed renders.
The sales contract is understood to offer a $2m discount for an early settlement, which will not be taken up.
The beachfront of Byron Bay has been transformed in recent years into a millionaires row.
Hospitality baron Justin Hemmes spent $38m to buy two non-adjoining beachfront homes at the Belongil Beach strip last year. High-profile Melbourne chef Shannon Bennett spent $2m on a block of land nearby in 2020, while Glen Norman – the son of late Harvey Norman founder Ian Norman – paid $10m for a Belongil retreat in 2017.
The Queensland developer behind Brisbane’s Calile Hotel, Michael Malouf, sold his Belongil Beach holding in 2022, before taking on a high court battle with his wife, fashion designer Heidi Middleton, to secure a beachfront block at Noosa Heads at auction.
Media boss Anthony Catalano is upgrading his home at nearby Wategos Beach, which he purchased for $9m last year, and has an additional $24.7m holding in the area.
Mr Cussell said Belongil Beach had proven popular with Sydney and Melbourne buyers, and still offered great affordability and rare direct-beach access.
“It you compare it to Hedges Avenue, it looks cheap compared to that Gold Coast millionaires mile,” he said.
The property next door to Waterlily, 8 Border Street, is also on the market. The contemporary mansion took four years to plan and build. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom home makes the most of the views while also offering privacy. While no price guide was available from McGrath Byron Bay agents Nick Dunn and Ollie Charkos, it had previously been touted to be worth between $30m to $40m.
Last month, Rob Gray and his wife Meghan sold their Burleigh Heads trophy home, Dune, for $11m to online health entrepreneur Adam Sullivan. The Moroccan-inspired contemporary mansion was designed and built by Graya and smashed the previous suburb record of $9.7m.
As the business continues pivoting towards the luxury apartment market, Graya’s freestanding houses are still drawing attention from wealthy buyers. The hillside mansion Casa Espri, in the blue-chip Brisbane suburb of Hamilton, sold for $9m in May to local buyers.
Meanwhile, a neighbouring Graya property called Scorpia sold to Jude Turner, the wife of Flight Centre founder Graham Turner, for $10m last November.
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