Sydney’s Q Station sells as tourism tipped to return

An iconic property at the entrance to Sydney Harbour is in for a revamp under new owner.

Sydney’s Q Station, above, at North Head in Manly has sold to northern beaches hotelier Glenn Piper.

Sydney’s iconic Q Station at North Head in Manly has sold to northern beaches hotelier Glenn Piper, with the deal signalling confidence in the recovery of local and international tourism.

Mr Piper, owner of the Harbord Hotel at Freshwater Beach, will take over the leasehold interest from current owner Mawland subject to formal approval from the National Parks & Wildlife Service.

The Q Station Manly lease was expected to change hands for $15m to $20m but a price is yet to be disclosed.

“This is an incredibly special asset and I am absolutely thrilled to be given the opportunity to operate Q Station and enhance its offering,” Mr Piper said.

Mr Piper said that as a food, hospitality and tourism destination, Q Station was “unparalleled” due to its stunning views of Sydney Harbour, natural settings and rich history. It is the historic former quarantine station.

“When the leasehold of the Q Station was put on the market, I immediately saw it as an extremely rare opportunity to acquire the rights to operate on a site of national significance,” he said.

He noted the site’s historic value, saying this would remain a “core focus” for the Q Station. “My approach to hospitality is to enhance a venue’s existing heritage values to create an authentic and unique offering inspired by the stories surrounding the venue,” Mr Piper said.

Q Station is a diverse hospitality venue with a 105-room hotel, multiple food and beverage outlets and expansive grounds with its own private beach fronting Sydney Harbour.

Mawland directors Suzanne Stanton and Max Player, who commenced operating Q Station in 2008 under a lease from the NPWS, said the property could be revamped.

“Q Station is ready for a new layer of history and we are excited to see value added to the property and operation under the care of its new leaseholder, with a continued focus on complying with the needs of the local community, which over the years has taken Q Station to its heart,” they said.

The leasehold sale was negotiated by Andrew Jackson and Nic Simarro of HTL Property and Tom Gibson and Vasso Zographou of CBRE Hotels.

“There’s no doubt the nature of the offering with a hospitality and tourism focus appealed to all investor types. Given the timing of the offering through NSW’s harshest lockdowns, it was incredible to see the level of confidence from the market,” Mr Jackson said.

The campaign extracted significant domestic and international interest with 13 bids and over 250 inquires.

“The sale of Q Station is a great example of the resilience of Sydney’s hotel investment market and the continued interest in institutional grade tourism assets,” Mr Gibson said.

Interest in the 30ha Sydney Harbour site was intense, as bidders were drawn to the 29-year lease. The site has billed as having the capacity to operate boats from Manly, Watsons Bay and Circular Quay, building up the wedding market and offering luxury accommodation surrounded by nature at up to $2000 a night.

Mawland Group developed the Q Station on the edge of the National Park into a popular venue, with historic guest cottages, accommodation, conference rooms, restaurants and nightly ghost tours.