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Today, Chinese money makes up the fastest-growing segment of the real estate market in Australia.
Darrell Irwin of Colliers International says that the investment wave is pushed by Chinese immigration and tourism. Chinese see the Gold Coast and Australia as a safe place to invest and a good place to educate their children.
Australia is the southern hemisphere’s Switzerland.
Irwin thinks this Chinese investment boom could end up being bigger than the Japanese wave of the 1980s.
There is a difference, however. As Irwin says: "The Chinese are a lot more astute than the Japanese were when it comes to the acquisition of real estate assets.”
Everyone from property developers to the Gold Coast City Council are trying to work out how to make sure some of that money finds its way into their pockets.
The council wants to create a <a href="https://www.chinatowngoldcoast.com.au/" target="_blank">Chinatown in Southport </a>to serve the 200,000 tourists who fly down from China to the Gold Coast each year.
The Queensland government has put money into the project, contributing $50,000 to create a Chinatown masterplan. Several China-based investors have already invested significant amounts, according to a report published in the Sun.
Even Tom Tate, mayor of the Gold Coast, is getting in on the act. He bought his own tickets to China, Taiwan and Macau, where he met with rich Chinese investors and encouraged them to come to Australia.
It is no surprise that deep-pocketed organizations are targeting Chinese buyers. They have the resources to do so.
But what can individual vendors and agents do?
It turns out that, even with a limited budget, you can do plenty. To find out if you have the kind of property that could appeal to a buyer from China, or a Chinese -speaking buyer from Australia, <a target="_blank" href="/news">read my last article</a>.
 
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Next, the most important thing you can do is list your property in Chinese, either on your own website, on a portal like Juwai.com or both.
With Chinese buyers, presentation matters. One reason that Chinese buy more luxury goods than every other country but Japan is that they live in a very competitive society. The brand of your watch can set you apart from the next person and demonstrate your success.
This has an impact on your property listings. I cannot put it any more simply than this: your listings must be professionally translated by humans -- not by Google Translate or any other software.
Chinese buyers want to feel like they are getting the best, so machine translations do you and your brand damage. They seem unprofessional, and the language they generate often comes across as childish, confusing and even offensive.
My second piece of advice for the property marketer hoping to sell to Chinese buyers is to host your listing on the inside of the Great Firewall of China.
There are two internets today: the global internet and the Chinese internet. China’s central government makes no secret of the fact that it is constantly sifting through web traffic to look for things it considers against the best interests of Chinese society.
When a Chinese user tries to load a web page from Australia, that page will probably be examined by the government’s automatic censors. This takes time.
Some websites are 45 times slower for within the firewall than for users outside of it. Chinese users either get frustrated and give up, or their web browser gives them a “Page can’t load” error. Neither outcome helps you sell property, nor present your brand professionally.
Third, focus on the right audience.
Lets face it, you are not going to sell a $700,000 property to someone earning the equivalent of $625 per month. Make sure your listing reaches high-net-worth Chinese and not the average Chinese.
Many wealthy Chinese expect to apply for Australian residency via the new Significant Investor Visa. Others send their children here for an expensive English-language education (about 150,000 are studying in Australia right now). These people are your audience.
The last tip I have space for in this article is to be patient. Just like you, Chinese buyers prefer to take their time researching the overall market, individual listings and real estate agencies.
The good news is, once they have all three elements in place, they can move surprisingly fast, and often make multiple purchases over a short period of time.
Andrew Taylor is the founder and CEO of sales and marketing of <a href="https://www.juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a>, the number-one Chinese real estate portal for property in Australia and around the world. Find out more about him at <a href="https://list.juwai.com">list.juwai.com</a>.
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ataylor-LB7AWVFTs9

Four tips to help you sell Australian property to Chinese buyers

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More Chinese left for an international holiday during China's Golden Week holiday in October than ever before in history, according to official data. Many of them came to Australia, hunting for property.
Our Hong Kong call center worked around the clock taking queries from Chinese real estate buyers in locations around the world, including the Gold Coast.
Buyers viewed 66% more property on our international property portal Juwai.com as Golden Week approached. Then, once Golden Week started, traveling Chinese buyers switched to their phones and iPads – giving mobile traffic a 99% boost.
Chinese buyers have spent millions on luxury residences in new towers like the Broadbeach Oracle and the Soul and Hilton buildings in Surfers Paradise, according to recent reports.
As I write this, there is a three-bedroom, four-bath residence on the 22nd floor of The Oracle for sale at $1.8 million. Perhaps it will sell to a Chinese buyer, too.
If so, it might well go during the next peak travel periods of Christmas and Chinese New Year (in February 2013). It is no surprise that Chinese New Year is the busiest travel time of the year, but Christmas?
Yes, Christmas. Santa isn’t just for Westerners any more. Christmas has become a key travel period for high-net-worth Chinese in part because it is the ultimate symbol of the allure of Western culture.
It is during holidays like Christmas and Chinese New Year that many high-net-worth individuals combine overseas holidays with overseas property scouting. And we all hold the purse strings a little less tightly when on vacation.
There has been a significant rise in the number of enquiries about Australia that we receive from potential buyers, with many of our wealthy Chinese customers telling us they plan to take up Australia's new Significant Investor Visa.
Even the Chinese think of Australia as "the lucky country". This new visa exempts the language requirement and is more flexible with residence guidelines, which is lucky indeed.
With so many Chinese investing in Australian property, the question that vendors and agents ask me most often is, "Would my property appeal to Chinese buyers?"
There are already around 230,000 Australian listings on <a href="https://juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a>. To find out if your property should join them, you need to look at it from the eyes of an investor from China.
 
 
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If your property is in a major metropolitan area like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, it could interest a Chinese buyer. But you don't have to be in a city centre. There is high demand for working farms, as well.
Residential properties with income and projected capital growth near mines and mining areas make a good investment case and therefor attract Chinese buyers. Other types of properties that attract Chinese investors are new developments, which even non-residents can purchase.
Even what the Foreign Investment Review Board calls "second-hand dwellings" are very appealing to Chinese buyers. Second-hand housing is popular with buyers who know Australia already, including those who already have one or more properties here. Second-hand housing is also very popular with the Chinese Australians who search for local property on <a href="https://juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a> because it is in Chinese rather than English.
It may be beyond the scope of this article, but there is more demand than ever for large investment opportunities, like those above $50 million. In fact, a journalist contacted me about one such deal as I sat at my desk writing this article.
If your property fits into one of these categories, what should you be doing to reach the Chinese buyer? Here, I'll share my top tip with you. (<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/how-to-understand-chinese-property-buyers/2012020253055" target="_blank">For more tips, read this article</a>)
If you are a vendor, make sure your agent acts on this advice: write your advertising copy and property descriptions with the flavor of destination and lifestyle marketing more than of traditional local property marketing.
Remember, the typical Chinese buyer is part foreign tourist and part savvy investor. Copy like, "Malvern delight – off main road, fully renovated, period charm," does not help sell your listing to the Chinese buyer.
Instead, the copy should focus on Australia as a safe investment, on the lifestyle the property offers, the number of total rooms, transportation links, the quality of schools, suburb highlights, the security of investment and local property value trends.
As <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/the-five-words-that-help-sell-your-home-and-the-five-that-don-t-mike-mortlock/2012111557844" target="_blank">Mike Mortlock has pointed out </a> the right words can help sell your property faster and for a higher price.
When marketing to the Chinese buyer, be sure to choose your words carefully.
Andrew Taylor is the founder and CEO of sales and marketing of <a href="https://www.juwai.com/" target="_blank">Juwai.com</a>, the number-one Chinese real estate portal for property in Australia and around the world. Find out more about him at <a href="https://list.juwai.com" target="_blank">list.juwai.com.</a>
 
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How to sell Australian property to the savvy Chinese investor: Juwai's Andrew Taylor

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Amanda Sun bought three houses worth a total of $3 million on the Gold Coast after visiting just once as a tourist.
Sun is Chinese, 33 years old and owns a small trading firm, according to a recent news story. She is typical of the Chinese buyers who have rescued many Australian developers, agents and vendors from deeper price cuts and longer selling times in recent years.
Less than 12 months ago, the Chinese government got a shock when the results of a comprehensive survey of high-net-worth Chinese like Sun were released. The two organizations behind the survey are very respectable, Bain &amp; Co and China Merchants’ Bank, so the results can’t be written off as a fluke.
The survey revealed what many Australian agents had already been feeling: rich Chinese, for various reasons, want to get out of China, and they believe buying property in Australia and other countries enables their escape.
Not just a few rich Chinese want out.
A full 57% of rich Chinese have contemplated emigration. About 20% have actually completed immigration procedures in countries like Australia or expect to do so soon.
These percentages account for huge numbers of individuals, because China has the fourth-largest number of high-net-worth individuals in the world. Each year the cohort grows by nearly 10%.
Many of those rich Chinese emigrants are coming to Australia. China sent more immigrants to Australia in 2010 than any other country, including the UK and New Zealand.
Even as they sink roots in Australia, rich Chinese like Sun are also keeping a presence in China. For example, published research shows that about 80% plan to keep their Chinese passports.
It is common for the wife and child to live abroad, while the husband spends most of his time in China. Chinese émigrés might still run businesses in China.
They are usually moving abroad for their children. They believe that Western schools and universities are better than their Chinese counterparts, and that living overseas gives their children an advantage.
Foreign residency could also be useful in case China goes through policy shifts, like massive new wealth taxes, or social unrest. China is a rapidly changing country. Riots, strikes and protests recently doubled over the last five years to 180,000.
Emigration and educating children are just two of the reasons wealthy Chinese are buying property in Australia. The third is for investment.
As Sun puts it, Australia’s “legal system is better”. She plans to migrate to Australia to live in one of her new homes. She will find renters for the other two.
Australian property is an attractive investment in its own right, with <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/residential/house-prices-will-be-55-higher-in-a-decade-christopher-joye/2011082551288">credible economists predicting</a> prices will be 55% higher in 10 years.
It also represents a diversification of risk. Instead of only investing in property in China, they put some of their money overseas so that they don’t lose everything if the Chinese property market goes down.
Buyers like Sun have made a real impact on the Australian property market. As one agent told the Sydney Morning Herald about Chinese buyers, “They're the only ones that have got the big dollars at the moment”.
The Financial Times has reported that Chinese buyers account for 20% of all purchases in Sydney. This may be an overestimate, but it reflects the trend. They tend to seek out property that has water views or is close to the ocean or major universities and CBDs.
Many developers depend on Chinese buyers for their off-the-plan unit sales. Chinese parents often buy Australian apartments for their children to live in while studying.
At the Stamford Residences, a 30-level tower at The Rocks in Sydney, one buyer recently bought a $2 million apartment to serve as this sort of student housing. In total, mainland Chinese buyers snapped up about six of the building’s 122 apartments.
In Melbourne, developer Morry Schwartz of PanUrban says, "Chinese buyers, both local and from Asia, account for about 60% of enquiries and purchases at Pan Urban's developments. That's up substantially from a few years ago.”
Meriton general manager Peter Spira told the Australian Financial Review that Chinese buyers enabled the company to keep up production rates in Melbourne and Sydney through the global financial crisis.
"We build between 1,300 to 1,500 new apartments each year in NSW and south-east Queensland," Spira says.
Schwartz reckons, "You are not doing a good job at selling real estate in Australia today if you're not marketing to the Chinese buyer”.
Chinese buyers also make their mark on the higher end of the market. Just this month, a luxury penthouse at Lumiere Residences in the Sydney CBD was reported sold for $8.1 million to an Asian, possibly Chinese, investor.
But, while new developments and luxury properties grab the headlines, the overwhelming interest I see is from Chinese buyers enquiring about affordable second-hand property in good locations.
Andrew Taylor is  the founder and CEO of sales and marketing of<a href="https://www.juwai.com/" target="_blank"> Juwai.com</a>, the number-one Chinese real estate portal for property in Australia and around the world. 
 
 
 
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How to understand Chinese property buyers

Buyers considering a residence at boutique Gordon townhouse development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/lume-gordon-43-47-dumaresq-street-gordon-nsw-2072">Lume</a>&nbsp;now have another reason to bring forward their decision.

For a limited time, purchasers of a residence at Lume will receive a BMW iX3 50 electric SUV, valued at more than $120,000, as part of their purchase. The offer is designed to add value for buyers while complementing the lifestyle envisioned for the architecturally designed Upper North Shore development.

Scott Timmins, Development Manager at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/winim">WINIM</a>, said the partnership was created to provide buyers with a compelling reason to act.

"In today's market, buyers need a compelling reason to act now, and the BMW partnership was designed to create that catalyst. We wanted to add genuine value for our future purchasers. Choosing the all-electric BMW iX3 50 also reflects the values behind LUME, forward-thinking design, innovation and a more sustainable way of living. It's a premium incentive that complements the lifestyle our buyers aspire to and rewards those who commit early."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374893]

Delivered by WINIM in partnership with Burtonwood Investment Partners, Lume comprises 14 architecturally designed two, three and four-bedroom townhomes created for families seeking the space of a freestanding house with the ease of modern, low-maintenance living.

The three-storey residences, designed by award-winning architecture practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a>, have been tailored for families and multi-generational living, featuring private internal lifts, flexible lower-level spaces, generous open-plan living and entertaining areas, media rooms, and landscaped outdoor spaces with custom outdoor kitchens.&nbsp;

Inside, engineered oak flooring, bespoke dining joinery with integrated wine fridges and backlit bars, sculptural porcelain bathrooms, Parisi freestanding baths and Astra Walker tapware create interiors that balance functionality with refined finishes.

Each townhome has been designed to combine generous internal spaces with sustainability initiatives such as EV charging infrastructure, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>'s landscaped communal areas, centred around a restored creek line and native planting, encourage residents to connect with nature and spend more time outdoors.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=269527]

Rothelowman's Gary Tsui said the architecture was conceived to respond carefully to its Upper North Shore setting.

"Our vision was to create elegant, uplifting homes that draw on and positively contribute to the local character through meticulously considered design and an interaction with the surroundings."

The communal landscape has been designed as more than an open space between homes. Arcadia's Ben Newell and Kate Phillips said the adjoining reserve provided an opportunity to create a distinctive natural retreat for residents.

"Just as waterways carve their way through Ku-ring-gai's landscape, a raised boardwalk weaves through the reserve, connecting the homes to this tranquil oasis."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7354 project_image_fid=374892]

Located just 300 metres from <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/gordon-nsw-2072">Gordon</a> Village and Gordon railway station, Lume offers convenient access to Sydney's CBD while placing residents close to some of the North Shore's leading schools, including Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies' College and Knox Grammar. Lane Cove National Park, Gordon Golf Club and a range of cafés and restaurants further reinforce the family-focused lifestyle on offer, with the BMW iX3 50 complementing everything from local trips around Gordon to weekend drives and city commutes.

Construction is underway with completion expected in mid-2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7354]

Joel Robinson

Boutique Gordon townhomes now come with a BMW iX3 50

Two apartments have sold for more than $10 million at EADE Byron Bay, setting some of the highest apartment prices ever achieved in the coastal town and underlining the growing appetite for luxury beachfront apartments in Australia's most popular coastal locations.

The $210 million project by Vitale Property Group has now secured more than $70 million in sales, led by residences that changed hands for $12.75 million and $11.75 million.

The record-breaking transactions reinforce the shift occurring in Byron Bay's premium property market, where affluent downsizers and lifestyle buyers are increasingly opting for high-end apartments over large beachfront homes.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/eade-byron-bay-29-shirley-street-byron-bay-nsw-2481">EADE Byron Bay</a> occupies a rare 6,000 sqm absolute beachfront site on the corner of Shirley and Milton Streets overlooking Main Beach and The Wreck surf break, just 350 metres from Byron Bay's town centre.

The 25-residence development is the first beachfront apartment project approved in Byron Bay in more than a decade and is currently under construction, with completion expected in May 2027.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359521]

The project has attracted a mix of local Byron Shire residents downsizing from larger homes, alongside interstate buyers from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane seeking a permanent coastal lifestyle without compromising on space.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hayball">Hayball</a> and with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/alexander-co">Alexander &amp; Co</a>, EADE comprises&nbsp;10 garden apartments ranging from 284 sqm to 622 sqm, nine with private pools, five full-floor apartments and 10 rooftop residences with private plunge pools, expansive outdoor entertaining areas and uninterrupted ocean views.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359527]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/vitale-property-group">Vitale Property Group</a> Managing Partner Chris Vitale said the project's combination of scale, location and limited future supply was driving buyer demand.

"There isn't another beachfront holding in Byron Bay of this size and position that could be developed again," Vitale said.

"Buyers are responding to the scarcity and the irreplaceability of a site of this calibre and to floorplans they can't find elsewhere in the market.

"We are seeing buyers place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of the location. The sales achieved to date demonstrate that discerning purchasers recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay.

"Many are coming from larger homes in the Byron region, or from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and are after the space, security and convenience, without the upkeep of a house."

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=145590 project_image_fid=359523]

The Byron Bay project follows Vitale Property Group's delivery of the Mondrian Hotel and Private Residences at Burleigh Heads, with EADE continuing the developer's focus on luxury coastal developments.

Residents will have access to a resort-style swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, cold plunge pool, concierge services and dedicated workspaces, while the project is targeting an 8-Star Green Star rating.

EADE Byron Bay is being exclusively marketed by Projx Australia in conjunction with WHITEFOX Projects.

WHITEFOX National Projects Director Phillip Rand said demand had been driven predominantly by owner-occupiers.

"We are seeing buyers at EADE place significant value on quality, space, design, resort-style amenities and the rarity of this location," Rand says.

"The sales achieved to date demonstrate that purchasers at this level recognise the long-term significance of what is being created at EADE Byron Bay."

Residences at EADE Byron Bay are currently priced between $4.75 million and $15.95 million.

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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145590]

Vitale breaks Byron Bay records with EADE sales flurry 

When buying an apartment, most people compare the big-ticket items first. Floorplans. Kitchens. Balcony size. Natural light. The view.

But there's one everyday consideration that often doesn't come up until after moving in: how parcels are delivered.

As online shopping has become part of everyday life, parcel deliveries have shifted from an occasional event to a regular occurrence. Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally.

For apartment residents, that can present a challenge.

If nobody is home to accept a delivery, parcels may be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in a building lobby or common area, or require building management to step in. In higher-density buildings, where dozens or even hundreds of residents may receive deliveries each day, parcel management has become an increasingly important part of everyday living.

That can create a range of frustrations. A missed delivery often means making time to collect a parcel elsewhere, while packages left unattended in foyers or mail areas can create clutter and increase the risk of theft. What seems like a minor inconvenience can quickly become a recurring issue for residents who shop online regularly.

It's one of those details that rarely features in a display suite but can have a noticeable impact once residents move in.

As a result, buyers are beginning to look beyond traditional apartment features and consider how a building supports day-to-day convenience, including whether there are secure options for receiving deliveries.

Australia Post's Parcel Lockers provide one solution.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CkF2oKmlACg?si=C50sDaoUUn2nuLmq" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than having a parcel delivered directly to an apartment, eligible deliveries can be sent to a nominated Parcel Locker. Once the parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can collect it using a QR code or one-time PIN at a time that suits them.

The Parcel Locker network now includes more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with installations at Post Offices, shopping centres, transport hubs and an increasing number of residential developments. By providing a secure collection point, Parcel Lockers help reduce missed deliveries and avoid parcels being left unattended in common areas.

For developers, parcel infrastructure is becoming another way to improve the resident experience. Rather than relying on concierge staff or leaving parcels in communal spaces, secure collection points help streamline deliveries while preserving the presentation and functionality of shared areas.

For buyers, it's a reminder that the best apartment features aren't always the most obvious.

A generous floorplan or quality finishes might help narrow the shortlist, but the conveniences that simplify everyday life, whether that's EV charging, secure bike storage or reliable parcel delivery, often become the features residents appreciate most once they're living there.

The apartment feature many buyers don't think about, until their first missed delivery

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hg-developments">HG Developments</a> is doubling down on Maud Street in Newstead, filing plans for a new apartment tower just a few doors down from its under-construction Aire Newstead development.

Recently submitted to Brisbane City Council, the proposal is for an 18-storey building designed by bureau^proberts, which has drawn heavily on Brisbane's subtropical design principles while referencing the suburb's industrial heritage.

A total of 64 apartments are planned for the amalgamated 1,518 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/17-21-maud-street-newstead-qld-4006">17–21 Maud Street</a>, a short walk from the Brisbane River and Newstead Riverwalk.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a400c7fd-bd15-48f8-a63b-10ede92efe00" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20bldg.png?VersionId=.0vPmjpbC7CNP7kqGWa6L7rGIwsNExaw" />

"The building is defined by a series of vaulted motifs that reinterpret the arches, colonnades and layered facades evident throughout Newstead's historic built fabric," the Urban Design Report states.

"Combined with recessed glazing and generous balconies, these elements create a layered building envelope that provides shade, weather protection and opportunities for natural ventilation whilst establishing a distinctive architectural identity."

The proposal comprises 64 two, three and four-bedroom apartments across 18 residential levels, positioning it alongside a growing number of taller residential projects transforming Newstead's northern precinct. The tower incorporates extensive subtropical landscaping, with cascading planter boxes, deep planting at street level and a landscaped rooftop recreation area.

<img alt="First look: HG Developments plans 18-storey subtropical apartment tower for Newstead" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1d8140f4-8b98-45cd-b1b8-1efe8c8e266b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Maud%20st%20podium.png?VersionId=VAZtbCoD44YCJ57N99fQCAKeSJx7ldZs" />

Bureau Proberts has prioritised passive environmental design throughout the project, with generous balconies, recessed glazing and operable façades helping reduce solar heat gain while maximising natural ventilation. River views become available from the upper levels, while the building has been orientated to capture prevailing breezes from both the Brisbane River and the west.

The architects say landscape is intended to be integral to the building rather than an applied element.

"Vertical greenery, cascading planter boxes and elevated gardens are woven throughout the architecture, softening the built form and strengthening the connection between residents and the subtropical environment."

"Through the integration of landscape, high-quality materials and passive design principles, the development delivers a refined residential address that celebrates Newstead's heritage character while contributing positively to Brisbane's evolving subtropical identity."

Newstead has remained one of Brisbane's most active apartment markets in recent years, with a number of developers continuing to back the inner-city suburb.

HG Developments is currently delivering the 40-apartment Aire Newstead at 25 Maud Street. Fortis recently launched the 65-apartment <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crest-walker-newstead-12-kyabra-street-newstead-qld-4006">Crest &amp; Walker</a> on Kyabra Street, while builder-developer BPG and Don O'Rorke's Consolidated Properties are both expected to launch their respective Newstead projects before the end of the year.

HG Developments doubles down in Newstead with second Maud Street apartment development

Walk past a new apartment development promoting its sustainability credentials and it's easy to picture rooftop gardens, mature trees, landscaped courtyards and residents surrounded by nature.

But in many cases, that's not actually what those sustainability ratings guarantee.

Australia's leading environmental rating tools have played a significant role in improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings. Yet despite their focus on reducing emissions, many don't require developers to include trees, biodiversity or meaningful green space.

In other words, a building can achieve one of the country's highest sustainability ratings while containing little more than concrete, glass and hard landscaping.

That disconnect has led to the emergence of a new movement across Australia's property industry: nature-based cities.

The concept goes beyond designing buildings that consume less energy. Instead, it encourages developers to treat nature as essential infrastructure, integrating biodiversity, tree canopy, living landscapes and green spaces into projects from the earliest stages of planning.

Research has consistently linked access to nature with better physical and mental health, cooler neighbourhoods, improved biodiversity, stronger climate resilience and more connected communities. As Australia's cities continue to become denser, advocates say those outcomes should be considered just as important as energy efficiency.

Nature Based Cities (NBC) was established in 2022 to help accelerate that shift.

Founded by Hamton Executive Chairman Paul Hameister OAM, the not-for-profit was created after research highlighted a significant gap in Australia's sustainability framework. While existing environmental rating tools rewarded energy performance and emissions reductions, they placed little emphasis on the inclusion of living landscapes.

"We've always wanted to do more, and we know other developers who want to do more, but the ESD rating tools just aren't there," Hameister says.

"In Australia, you can have a five-green-star rated building that's concrete and glass with not a blade of grass.

"The focus is on reducing emissions, which is laudable, but there hasn't been enough attention paid to protecting and re-establishing nature. We need both for the health of the environment and for communities."

Since its launch, NBC has developed independent design guidelines and accreditation frameworks that encourage developers to prioritise ecology, biodiversity, tree canopy, walkability and living landscapes alongside traditional sustainability measures. The organisation first focused on medium and high-density residential developments before recently expanding into precinct-scale communities and masterplanned neighbourhoods.

Jan Talacko, founder of sustainability consultancy Ark Resources and a member of the Nature Based Cities Advisory Council, says the initiative addresses an area that has largely been overlooked by the property industry.

"Throughout my 25 years of working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the property sector, I've always favoured a pragmatic approach to sustainable design which encourages initiatives that not only meet environmental expectations but also improve amenity," Talacko says.

"Whilst we are making steady progress in relation to energy and carbon emissions from buildings, there has been much less emphasis on encouraging biodiversity and tackling the urban heat island effect.

"The Nature Based Cities initiative responds to a gap in the suite of tools currently used by the property development sector, which don't provide sufficient incentive, or recognition, for the integration of landscaping and greenery."

For apartment buyers, the shift is also changing the questions worth asking.

Rather than assuming a sustainable building will naturally include abundant green space, buyers are increasingly being encouraged to look beyond environmental ratings and ask what nature is actually being delivered. How much tree canopy will the development create? Has biodiversity been considered? Are landscaped spaces designed for people as well as appearance?

As Australia's cities continue to grow upwards and outwards, the next generation of sustainability may not simply be measured by lower emissions, but by how successfully developments bring nature back into everyday urban life.

Andrew Taylor

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