Gold Bullion Australia launches sixth store at Buderim, Sunshine Coast

As fear of youth crime and break-ins increase, Queenslanders are turning to gold as an investment and trusting in safety deposit boxes over banks.

Cassie Blanck and Peter Hobson open a Gold Bullion shop front at Buderim. Picture: Patrick Woods.

A Sunshine Coast-based business specialising in gold bullion is set to open it sixth store as demand grows for solid investments in uncertain financial times.

Gold Bullion Australia has launched a new store front offering gold investment and safety deposit boxes with high security and insurance at Buderim on the Sunshine Coast.

It is the only business of its kind on the Sunshine Coast and its sixth store.

The expansion of the business occurred after its number of Sunshine Coast clients visiting the Brisbane business rapidly increased.

Established in 1980, the Gold Bullion Australia Group is an industry leader in precious metals trading with a longstanding history and strong understanding of gold and silver in addition to the Platinum Group Metals (PGM) market.

With store fronts at the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and overseas, the Sunshine Coast store services range from bullion buying and selling – gold, silver and platinum bars and coins, pooling, and safety deposit boxes.

They also deal with company trusts and specialise in SMSF portfolios.

Peter Hobson and Cassie Blanck, of the Sunshine Coast, are leading the team.

Cassie Blanck and Peter Hobson open a gold bullion shopfront in Buderim. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Blanck’s family has lived on the Sunshine Coast for more than 100 years with her grandfather Adolph Blanck being a “founding father of Maroochydore”.

There’s a park named after him, too.

The business has already been open for nine weeks with the grand opening this Thursday, June 19.

The old Buderim Westpac bank storefront on Burnett St has been transformed into the new luxurious gold trading storefront.

“We’ve increased the security ten fold … we even have cameras on the roof and there’s sensors for everything. Compared to a bank’s security it’s far greater,” Mr Hobson said.

“There’s kilometres and kilometres of cables for our integrated security system.

“We can accommodate virtually anyone’s storage needs.

“Also being a private facility is very important.

“Our entity has no legal right to touch their goods or go near them. It’s designed to legally protect the client.

“When you leave something with a bank then the bank owns it and you don’t … to a point where a person can’t even insure their goods with a bank.

“They are also the only key holder with access to their safety deposit box.”

Cassie Blanck and Peter Hobson open a Gold Bullion shop front at Buderim. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Blanck said it was previously banks that offered safety deposit box facilities.

“With the banks mostly closing and downsizing they’re no longer offering the option for customers to store personal items,” she said.

“We’re stepping in to offer a service for people that has been taken away from them with the bank closures.”

The safety deposit boxes are available in a range of sizes and offer Sunshine Coast locals somewhere to store cash, jewellery, original documents and anything of high value.

Mr Hobson said they were having to meet an ever-increasing demand for this as break-ins and crime were on the rise, with many people feeling their homes were not safe from criminals.

The pair agreed they often saw locals looking for somewhere to store valuable jewellery and family heirlooms, with fear of items being stolen as a part of the ongoing youth crime epidemic.

“As financial times get harder and there’s more unemployment that’s when you’ll see this rise in break-ins and home invasions,” Mr Hobson said.

“That’s when the average homeowner might look for another way to protect anything of high value.

“It’s a small space but a peace of mind.”

Cassie Blanck and Peter Hobson open a Gold Bullion shop front at Buderim. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Gold Bullion also offers locals the change to invest in gold and other precious metals.

“We physically will give you metal. It’s not paper traded it’s real. If you can’t touch it you don’t own it,” Mr Hobson said.

“To us it’s extremely important people have control of their own metals that it’s not held by a third party.

“It’s safe and holds its own inherent value.”

The pair said people were turning to bullion investment because it held its value during uncertain financial times.

“Because there’s financial uncertainty at the moment a lot of people are unsure where things are going … with house prices and share markets,” Mr Hobson said.

“It’s almost like a bubble is about to burst so a lot of people are getting cautious.

“A lot of people are learning about bullion after being removed from it years ago by the banks.

“It’s all just about wealth preservation.”

“Gold is an insurance hedge against uncertainty,” Ms Blanck said.

“We’re seeing daily growth in investments.”

Originally published as Gold Bullion Australia launches sixth store at Buderim, Sunshine Coast