Queensland’s commercial real estate market remains vibrant, with heightened investor interest across retail, industrial, and residential sectors. Notable this week is the near-$700 million prospective acquisition of Loganholme’s Hyperdome Shopping Centre by MA Financial ,a potential landmark deal signalling the return of institutional capital to value-add retail assets.

This Week’s Highlights

Hospitality / Pubs & Motels

Queensport Tavern, Hemmant

• Buyer: Smitham Hotel Group
• Price: $13.5 million (freehold and going concern)
• Asset: Historic pub (built c.1890) on 6,737 sqm; 26 motel units, bottle shops, gaming, bar-bistro
• Planned Works: Smitham’s Managing Director, Justin Ham, said the group plans to invest in upgrades to revive the venue’s reputation as a true ‘tradies’ pub’ and local institution. The acquisition complements their existing portfolio, which includes the Waterloo Bay Hotel in Wynnum (Herde, 2025a).

Hotel/ Motel/Hospitality 

Capsule Hostel, Southport

• Owner: Ian Robinson
• Income: $250,000 net annual return
• Asset: 134 “capsule” beds on 1,105 sqm site
• Rental Range: $48/night or up to $350/week during events
• Status: Freehold listed for sale via Ray White Commercial

A compact Gold Coast hostel offering 134 capsule-style beds is returning a solid $250,000 net annually for its owner, Ian Robinson. Located on a 1,105 square metre site in Southport, the property is now listed for sale as a freehold tenanted investment via Ray White Commercial.

Originally designed to accommodate backpackers and international students at rates of $48 per night or up to $350 per week during peak periods, the hostel has increasingly become a last-resort option for local women priced out of the tight rental market.

The rising reliance on this style of short-term accommodation by vulnerable Australians highlights broader housing affordability pressures on the Gold Coast. While not intended as crisis housing, the hostel now plays an unplanned role in the region's social support system (Hyde & Dawson, 2025).

Retail / Supermarket Anchored

St Lucia Marketplace

• Buyer: Local investor
• Price: $18.01 million
• Yield: 5.25% (sharpest for IGA-anchored centres in 2025)
• Tenants: IGA anchor, eight specialty shops, three offices
• Site: 3,033 sqm in affluent inner-west location (Herde, 2025c).

The result reflects strong investor demand for defensive, convenience-based retail assets in tightly held urban catchments. Secure income streams and scarcity of quality neighbourhood centres are driving pricing resilience in this segment.

Woolworths, Maleny

• Buyer: Victorian investor
• Price: $13.75 million
• Yield: 5.12%
• Lease: Through 2031, with options to 2056
• GLA: 2,038 sqm on 5,225 sqm site (Herde, 2025d).

Hyperdome, Loganholme (Pending Sale)

• Prospective Buyer: MA Financial (via IP Generation)
• Price: ~$700 million (off-market)
• Asset: 44 ha site; 181 stores incl. Coles, Woolworths, Aldi; LFR hub with Bunnings, BCF, etc. The centre attracts over 9 million pedestrian visits annually
• Plan: Masterplanned redevelopment potential; QIC to potentially retain strategic involvement
• Significance: One of Australia’s largest mixed-use retail repositioning plays,This move highlights growing institutional interest in repositioning large-format retail assets as demand for mixed-use precincts accelerates. (Wilmot, 2025).

Industrial

9 Kelly Court, Buderim

• Buyer: Local investor
• Price: $3.4 million
• Yield: 4.5%
• Tenant: Fantastic Furniture (since 2014)
• GLA: 1,200 sqm
• Note: Sold off-market; 10-day settlement (Herde, 2025d).

7 Mackie Way, Brendale

• Buyer: Sydney investor
• Price: $4.1 million
• Yield: 4.89%
• Asset: 1,721 sqm warehouse, fully leased (Herde, 2025d).

Land & Subdivisions

Park Ridge Site, Logan

• Buyer: Urbex (BDM Group)
• Price: $38 million
• Size: 15.75 ha (225-lot subdivision)
• Campaign: 15+ EOI offers
• Trend: Strong ongoing demand for developable land in SEQ (Herde, 2025b).

General News

Australian Unity Office Fund (AOF)

• Asset: 150 Charlotte Street, Brisbane
• Valuation: $63.5 million
• Status: Buyer defaulted; revised lower offer rejected by AUIREL
• Impact: Delays in winding down AOF’s portfolio and delisting (Changarathil & Carbone, 2025).

The Australian Unity Office Fund (AOF), previously a listed property trust, is experiencing delays in completing its wind-up due to issues surrounding the sale of its last remaining asset. This property is a commercial office building located at 150 Charlotte Street in Brisbane’s central business district.

The building was originally contracted to sell for 63.5 million dollars. However, the purchaser failed to settle as agreed and later submitted a revised offer of 54.5 million dollars. The responsible entity, Australian Unity Investment Real Estate Limited (AUIREL), considered the new offer and ultimately rejected it, stating that it was not in the best interests of unitholders.

These complications have postponed the final steps in winding down the fund. AOF had already sold the rest of its portfolio and received unitholder approval to delist from the Australian Securities Exchange. Until the 150 Charlotte Street transaction is resolved, the full closure of the fund remains on hold.

Final Take

This week underlines the deepening confidence in Queensland’s commercial markets. The near $700 million acquisition of Logan Hyperdome may serve as a key indicator of renewed confidence in large-scale retail investment, potentially encouraging further activity in the sector. Simultaneously, diverse asset types, from historic pubs to capsule hostels, are proving resilient, thanks to strong fundamentals and adaptive strategies that align with evolving tenant demand.

References

• Changarathil, V., & Carbone, J. (2025, September 5). Australian Unity Office Fund’s final hiccup as delays hit sale. The Australian, p. 14.
• Herde, C. (2025a, September 5). Tradies tavern traded. The Courier-Mail, p. 65.
• Herde, C. (2025b, September 5). Land and Development: Park Ridge site sold to Urbex. The Courier-Mail, p. 65.
• Herde, C. (2025c, September 5). Appetite for retail reels in the buyers. The Courier-Mail, p. 67.
• Herde, C. (2025d, September 5). New owner for Woolies. The Courier-Mail, p. 66.
• Herde, C. (2025e, September 5). Brisbane industrial market attracts southern interest. The Courier-Mail, p. 66.
• Hyde, V., & Dawson, A. (2025, September 5). Hostel space evasion. The Gold Coast Bulletin, p. 7.
• Wilmot, B. (2025, September 11). How peak generations drive housing. The Australian, p. 13.