The most popular commercial properties of the year
From castles to farming mega-mansions to ‘glamping’, Australians had diverse tastes when it came to commercial property over the last 12 months.
These are the most popular properties on realcommercial.com.au throughout 2016.
1) One farm to rule them all
Is it a farm, or the ultimate playground for adults?
The lines were blurred at “Wirraway”, a 565ha Queensland property that was the most viewed listing on realcommercial.com.au throughout all of 2016.
Sadly, the stunning 1250sqm home that provided the centrepiece for the rural property was engulfed by fire in late December. About half the house was burnt in the blaze.
The property, which lies about an hour from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast, also features a private airstrip with two hangars, a 30m pool, a ballroom, cinema, library, a fully equipped gym, a pair of three-bedroom guesthouses and a tennis court. There are also farming and cattle facilities.
2) Anyone for “glamping”?
Commercial property seekers must love the Gold Coast hinterland, with the second-most viewed property on realcommercial.com.au just one town away from the first – “Wirraway”.
Luxury eco-tourist resort Tuckers Retreat attracted plenty of interest, with both the Canungra resort and the business offered for sale as a package.
The Queensland eco-tourist resort in features luxury tents.
Potential buyers were clearly intrigued by the property’s staple offering of “glamping”, which, for the uninitiated, involves camping in pimped-out tents, complete with bathrooms, beds, balconies and spas.
It, too, remains on the market as of late December, with offers invited over $700,000.
3) The pick of the industrial bunch
The appetite for modestly-sized industrial properties in Sydney’s west is clearly as strong as ever, with a new industrial subdivision at Auburn our third most viewed listing of 2016.
The industrial complex at Auburn in Sydney’s west.
The small collection of factories and offices at 22 Princes Rd, near Parramatta Rd, the M5 and Hume Highway, were put up for sale or lease, with prices starting at $340,000 and sizes ranging from 119sqm to 340sqm.
4) A property fit for royalty
It’s not hard to see why this Queensland property was popular.
Tourist attraction Sunshine Castle hit the market in January last year, complete with moat, turrets and a drawbridge, giving buyers the chance to secure both the castle and the business that occupies it.
Queensland tourist attraction Sunshine Castle.
The unique property near Maroochydore, about 90 minutes north of Brisbane, was built in 1972, sits on a 4751sqm site, operates as both a tourist destination and function venue and includes a fully licensed cafe and themed gift shop.
Price expectations are understood to be in excess of $3 million. Want to buy it? View the property here.
5) An iconic outback pub
Roadtrippers, caravaners and adventurous types took notice when Queensland’s Nindigully Pub was listed for sale in October.
The iconic pub, built in 1864 and understood to hold the state’s longest continuous liquor licence, has everything you’d expect of a legendary outback watering hole: pig races, Endeavour Rallies and a 2kg “Roadtrain” burger.
Nindigully’s old general store, which is included as part of the property.
Renowned as a stopover for ‘grey nomads’, campers and caravan tourists, the property includes the hotel, a freestanding kitchen, amenities block, cold rooms, camper showers, beer garden, an owner’s house and an old timber general store that was once the Nindigully Post Office.
6) Melbourne’s newest retail hotspot
The most popular retail destination among realcommercial.com.au’s listings in 2016 wasn’t anywhere near Sydney’s Pitt St Mall or Bourke St in Melbourne.
Instead, it was at a developing region in Melbourne’s outer northern suburbs.
Craigieburn Central is set to open in late 2017.
Large format lifestyle centre Craigieburn Junction came won’t be completed until late 2017, but it has already generated significant buzz in the leasing market, driving it to sixth place on our list.
To be constructed adjacent to Craigieburn Central Shopping Centre, the property will feature 21,000sqm of large format retail, with leases ranging from 430sqm to 3000sqm.
7) Strata to the top
Size isn’t everything in Australia’s red hot office market.
A fourth-storey office measuring just 120sqm on Melbourne’s Flinders Lane was the most viewed office in Australia during 2016, according to realcommercial.com.au’s data.
Competition is hot for this Melbourne office.
Touted as “New York style” and offered with vacant possession, along with access to a rooftop with entertainment, BBQ facilities, a tennis court, outdoor gym and sauna, the newly refurbished office at Level 4, 517-525 Flinders Lane is a prime example of what’s on offer when it comes to strata offices in Australia’s capital cities.
