Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

Northern Territory

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The Northern Territory cattle industry is primed for a strong year following on from the momentum gained in 2016, according to Herron Todd White.
Herron Todd White's May report gave on example of the local market's stability as the sale of Mary River East (1,345 square kilometres, 270 kilometres south of Darwin), which contracted for sale in mid April to an experienced local pastoral family.
HTW said confidence in the live cattle export sector and optimising access to the market year round appear to have underpinned this sale.
"The property has around a 70 kilometre frontage to the upper reaches of the Mary River (which also forms the western boundary of Kakadu National Park) and is dissected by the Kakadu Highway giving year round access to the Stuart Highway to Darwin," HTW said.
"Available for sale since March 2016, the property reportedly received reasonable interest around the $6 million WIWO asking price including plant and a small number of cattle and exotic animals (the property was run as a game hunting operation). However, it wasn’t until the last couple of months that competition between interested parties yielded this sale. 
"The deal looks to reflect the same premium generally paid for grazing country with year round access and within a 175 kilometre radius (up to 280 kilometres by road) from the Port of Darwin.
"This is similar to the sale of Ban Ban Springs (1,873 square kilometres) which is directly to the north which made $11.5 million in December 2016 or around $1,470 per AE). Mary River East is located in this very thinly traded pastoral zone (175 kilometre radius of the port) which is occupied by only nineteen pastoral leases and six crown leases. 
"We are also aware of another pastoral holding (this one well developed) around 350 kilometres by road from the port which is under contract to Australian and foreign interests after off-market negotiations," the report noted.
"It has since emerged that Alan and Sara Fisher, who also own Wombungi and Swim Creek properties in the Top End, bought Mary River East Station as a private walk-in-walk-out sale for around $6 million.
"The Pine Creek property had been owned by the Gleeson family.
"The Fishers had owned Mary River East previously, first selling the 1,345 square kilometre pastoral lease in 1983.
"As far as opportunities to buy station country in the NT, the following are the only stations currently being actively marketed for sale (as far as we are aware):
<ul>
<li>Flying Fox (895 square kilometres), Roper District</li>
<li>Conways (1,392 square kilometres), Roper District</li>
<li>Avago (1,578 square kilometres), Sturt Plateau</li>
<li>Middle Creek (602 square kilometres), Sturt Plateau</li>
<li>Sturt Downs(678 square kilometres, Perpetual Crown Lease), Katherine</li>
</ul>
"However we aware of a small number of other stations that are quietly on the market and one medium to large scale operation that is reportedly coming back onto the market. In the Alice Springs region, station availability remains characteristically tight, however we are aware of an off-market negotiation underway for the sale of at least one large area pastoral holding," HTW said. 
"On the freehold farming market front, the month of April yielded limited sales apart from a 65 hectare mango farm in Darwin River (66 kilometres south of Darwin) with a mix of KP and R2E2 mango trees which showed around $30,000 per planted hectare. 
"We are also aware that a Darwin mango grower has leased the old Rewards mango plantation from the Galati family over in the Ord, Kununurra, however details remains confidential at this stage.
"Freehold land for dryland cropping (mostly hay), irrigation land or land with potential for development to irrigation (including available groundwater) remains scarce in the NT.
"We are aware of a small number of corporate fruit and vegetable growers from southern states actively searching for reasonable areas of such land to ll seasonal gaps in their year round supply of fruit and vegetables to Australia’s cities who are becoming frustrated with the apparent lack of opportunity to buy suitable land up here.
"The most recent irrigation land sales have shown between $10,500 and $12,500 per irrigated hectare (including water allocation at around 10 megalitres per hectare per annum) for land (between 40 and 70 hectares in scale) in the Venn horticulture precinct, 25 kilometres south of Katherine."
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Momentum staying in Northern Territory pastoral market

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In the past 12 months, $61 million worth of commercial scale Northern Territory freehold has sold - a strong increase on 2015, according to a recent Herron Todd White (HTW) report.
The property valuation firm says that despite the uptick in sales, water allocation and soils rights in the area are very tight.
“We are aware that Indian Sandalwood growers Quintis (formerly TFS) and also local African mahogany growers are finding it difficult to secure any expansion land that fits the bill,” the report stated.
“This tight supply has potential NT farmers (including foreign buyers) looking at pastoral leasehold land and its potential for landing a diversification permit to develop farm land.
“With improving profits from record live cattle export prices, local cattlemen have also been more active in acquiring smaller freehold (depot type) blocks.”
Sales included <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-commercial+farming-nt-douglas+daly-501718973" target="_blank">Early Storms</a> (above) a well established, 629 hectare melon farm in the Douglas Daly (200 kilometres by road south of Darwin).
It made $9,765 per irrigated hectare over 279 hectares with 7.7 megalitres per hectare per annum ground water allocation.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-mixed+farming-nt-katherine-7821686" target="_blank">Phoenix Park</a> (below), on the outskirts of Katherine, was a strategic acquisition by a subsidiary of Hancock as a cattle spelling, feeding and processing facility for the company’s expanding herd in the NT.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/26/Phoenix%20Park.jpg" alt="">
This property last sold in 2008 for $5.8 million with relatively little improvement in between. It comprises a mix of irrigation land (plus land for irrigation expansion), dry land cropping and a spelling yard registered for 20,000 head of 350 kilogram cattle.
Two Rivers, a 14,120 hectare freehold with Stuart Highway frontage, was sold for $2.4 million to a southern family to develop as a live cattle export depot.
HTW said that in the past 12 months, there has more mango plantations sales throughout the Top End than in the past five combined.
Five commercial scale mango farms sold to locals or Australian based companies with long term experience in the NT.
Value rates are steady, generally between $20,000 to $30,000 per planted hectare for mature, old variety trees, with a premium for Calypso at around $40,000 plus per planted hectare.
The Oolloo Farms aggregation of four farms in Darwin, Katherine and Mataranka, sold for around $18 million.
However, HTW noted that the sale included an onerous lease in place to the sitting tenant for a net return of about 8%.
Northern Territory rural purchasers were concerned with long-term goals, according to Herron Todd White’s December 2016 report.
It noted the first Month in Review for 2016 stated that the year was shaping up to be another active year on the pastoral sales front in the Northern Territory and Kimberley.
"It’s fair to say that the year has not disappointed,” the HTW report stated.
"A lot of the interest has come from the big end of town, both overseas and Australian purchasers.
"Many of these purchasers appear to be more concerned with positioning themselves in terms of long term food security than short term price movements.
"However, they are also no doubt benefiting from buoyant live export prices at present.
"Despite the volume of sales this year, there are still parts of the Territory which have not been sold."
Of special interest is Kalala, 3,760 square kilometres at Daly Waters and Mount McMinn, 809 square kilometres, both being actively marketed at present.
At the time of writing these had not sold but we understand that they have both attracted good interest.
The NT government has recently announced a $4.1 million upgrade of the Berrimah Export Yards (the major marshalling point for live cattle exports).
The upgrade will involve construction of two shelters which will accommodate up to 4,000 head of cattle and assist in the year-round processing of cattle.
It has also been an active year for horticultural properties, especially mango plantations. Larger scale plantations such as Pine Creek Mango Plantation and Jabiru Tropical Orchards have sold.
A major Calypso plantation aggregation at Mataranka, Katherine and Berry Springs is also being marketed.
“For our local office, the highlight of the year was definitely the review of the unimproved capital values for the pastoral estate across the Northern Territory, which we carried out on behalf of the Territory Government.
"This project involved re-assessment of the unimproved carrying capacity of every pastoral lease in the Territory on an individual basis, then assessing their unimproved capital values based on this information.
"It was a big undertaking that required us to call in a variety of expert opinions to assist in providing consistency of approach across a variety of country types from Alice Springs to the Top End,” the report stated.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

NT rural market heats up with $61 million of sales: HTW

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Pastoral firm Hewitt Cattle Australia has made its largest cattle station purchase to date with two acquisitions in the Northern Territory for about $50 million.
Hewitt Cattle will take two central Australian pastoral assets, Ambalindum Station and Numery Station, about 140 kilometres east of Alice Springs, covering 650,000 hectares with an estimated carrying capacity of 20,000 head of cattle, reported the Australian Financial Review.
Late in 2015, Hewitt Cattle attracted the Foreign Investment Review Board’s scrutiny for its purchase of three cattle properties from Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) in Queensland. The sale got the regulator’s attention because Hewitt Cattle is partially owned by Canada's biggest pension funds, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. 
Hewitt Cattle Australia chief executive Mick Hewitt confirmed the latest deals to AFR and was cited as saying, "this acquisition means we are well-positioned to access multiple markets throughout Australia, including both live export and processing. In particular, we are drawn to the prospects of accessing the burgeoning southern Australian live export trade to China”. 
In addition to the properties, the deal includes about 15,000 head of cattle as well as several assets from the property vendor, Tim and Emily Edmunds' Hale River Pastoral Company.
These assets include extensive livestock freight assets, staff accommodation and administrative headquarters located in Alice Springs, and a small pastoral asset used as a spelling complex for livestock transitioning to South Australian markets.
"In our view, Ambalindum is one of central Australia's iconic assets and will ultimately act as a cornerstone breeding operation for HCA," Hewitt said.
"The property is highly regarded within the region, as is the quality of its herd."
Hewitt said the property will supply high quality stock back to the company's eastern seaboard assets and markets. The deal will also bring the company's total holdings to more than 1 million hectares and 75,000 head of cattle.
The Canadian fund backing the HCA, PSP, manages $115 billion in assets and seeks investment returns for the pension plans of the Canadian Public Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force.
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Hewitt Cattle buys two NT pastoral assets for $50 million

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Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart has further expanded her beef cattle empire in northern Australia.
She has bought Aroona Station near Katherine in the Northern Territory, a 147,510 hectare property with 15,000 head of cattle.
Aroona Station sold for $13.5 million having previously sold for $6.4 million in 2006. The $13.5 million figure is for the land only and excludes cattle and plant.
It was bought from beef producers, John and Kate McLoughlin.
Rinehart says Aroona will complement her existing investments in the North.
"It is near to the Phoenix park export depot and it will assist part of the wet season growing program for Riveren and Inverway as well as help to provide better market timing options for some of Hancock Beef's Kimberley cattle stations," she said.
Colliers International's national director of rural and agribusiness, Rawdon Briggs was the listing agent for Aroona Station.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Gina Rinehart buys NT cattle station Aroona

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The rural sector in the Northern Territory welcomes 2017 in a very positive fashion, with a promising start to the wet season and very good commodity prices generally, according to Herron Todd White’s latest report.
The property valuation firm says that it brings an air of confidence which will hopefully result in increased activity and investment.
In the pastoral sector, strong live export prices are still being experienced out of Darwin and other northern ports.
Although it would appear that most NT properties changed hands in the course of 2015/6, there are in fact a number of properties still on the market.
“We are aware of at least three pastoral lease transactions to have exchanged not only in the Top End but also in the Centre, and hope to report on these once they are finalised.
Additionally, the purchase of Phoenix Park at Katherine by the Hancock Group has seen renewed interest in larger freehold blocks with good highway access, which are suitable for depot blocks, especially for owners of more remote pastoral leases that do not have good access.
Again, we will provide details once these properties have settled,” the report stated.
Many of these types of properties also have horticultural potential.
Through 2016, the sandalwood industry continued to show its dominance in this sector, purchasing and developing more country.
The latest sale of Early Storms in the Douglas Daly district further consolidated this trend.
Early Storms had previously been a very productive melon farm, however its conversion to sandalwood is indicative of changing land uses in this district.
The emergence of the sandalwood industry is also part of the reason for an increasing focus on water allocations in the NT.
“At this time, we are not aware of any arm’s length sales of water licences between properties in the NT.
However as investment in horticulture increases, it is expected that demand for water will increase.
Over time, we expect to see the value of water allocations in the NT become much more important to the same extent seen in irrigation areas in southern states,” the report stated.
The NT has an abundance of water and an abundance of land but there are relatively few places where good quality soil types and reliable water intersect.
Certainly the NT Government wants to ensure that the mistakes of over allocation of water licences which occurred in other jurisdictions is not repeated here.
“We therefore see that the limited amount of allocated water will become more valuable over time, possibly at a faster rate than the land on which it is used,” the report stated.
A rural property at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-mixed+farming-nt-katherine-7818338" target="_blank">6755 Florina Road</a>, Katherine (above), the Florina Station, was sold for $6,802,534 last August.
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Northern Territory rural market on a positive note: HTW

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Saltwater Properties has purchased the leasehold over Berkeley River Lodge in the Kimberley region on the north coast of Western Australia, with price suggestion of under $10 million.
The property features 20 spacious villa units with Timor Sea, Berkeley River and Kimberley views, restaurant, bar, conference and pool facilities, staff accommodation, workshops and a dedicated airstrip on a 4704 hectare site.
The leasehold on the four year old 5 star resort is 20 years with a 20 year option. It was was sold by Berkeley River Holdings through Savills senior hotels executive Nic Simarro.
Mr Simarro said said the property had attracted 36 enquiries from a mix of local and offshore investors, but was exceptionally well suited to Saltwater which owns and/or manages up to 30 hotel/resort/apartment properties across Australia including Broome properties, Kimberley Sands Resort &amp; Spa and the Pearl of Cable Beach.
"This is really an extraordinary property from the flight in over some of Australia’s most iconic outback landscapes to the beautiful expanse of the Timor Sea, the Berkeley River, panoramic views, and the high level of individual accommodation and service which includes a 5 star restaurant,’’ he said.
"The fact the Berkeley was offered at well below replacement cost and that the resort offered exceptional growth potential, given occupancy had grown exponentially since its 2012 opening, were also important factors."
For more information, <a href="https://www.berkeleyriver.com.au/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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Saltwater takes Berkeley River Lodge leasehold through Savills 

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Access to natural waters is key to the rural leasing and property market in the Northern Territory, according to Herron Todd White's rural report for November.
According to HTW, the main attractions of the two leases that have sold to businessman Kerry Stokes is access to natural water.
"This is the second holding in the Kimberley that Kerry Stokes has purchased this year with the purchase of Napier Downs at the start of the year, HTW said.
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"The northern section forms part of the Isdell River catchment and drains into the Walcott Inlet and the southern section is formed by the Adcock and Hahn Rivers. At the time of the sale, the property was relatively undeveloped, however since settlement, the purchaser has embarked on a development program of pastoral infrastructure.
"Another possible sale in the Kimberley is Yakka Munga, located approximately 100 kilometres north of Derby. The property has reportedly sold to an international purchaser for an unconfirmed amount. Although the property is a fair quality cattle station, it has good access and proximity to Broome and the ability for further development. 
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"There is continued momentum in the NT pastoral market, with Mount McMinn now offered for sale. This 809 square kilometre pastoral lease reportedly has a carrying capacity of about 5,000 head. We hope to have further details next month."
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Natural water key to big Northern Territory sales: HTW

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The NT, SA and WA housing markets are a either beginning to rebound or approaching the bottom of the market, according to Herron Todd White’s latest monthly market report.
The property advisory firm says that these areas are in a reasonably balanced position with Darwin and Perth reporting an oversupply of houses.
The demand for houses is fair across the board with only Darwin, Perth and South West WA's market softening, while the volume of houses being sold remains stable.
<a href="/images/2016/10/14/NT%20units.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/10/14/NT%20units.jpg" alt="">
Units in the NT, SA and WA areas, however, are currently either at the bottom of the property cycle market or approaching.
HTW report a steady amount of units being sold with only Darwin, Perth and South West WA reporting a decline in units being sold.
Darwin and Perth's rental vacancy unit market is increasing.
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Units in NT, SA and WA areas at bottom of property market cycle despite steady unit sales: HTW

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/65155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Katter's Australian Party federal MP Bob Katter said 30 percent of the Northern Territory's farmland and 22 percent of Tasmania's farmland is foreign-owned. Is that true?
Foreign ownership of Australian agricultural land is not new. Foreign cattle barons owned large areas of land in the Australian outback throughout much of the 20th century.
However, foreign investors' interest in large tracts of farmland, and the federal treasurer’s decision to block the sale of the S. Kidman and Co cattle properties to a Chinese buyer, have helped fuel public debate on the issue.
When the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) released a new Agricultural Land Register in early September, federal MP Bob Katter said that 30 percent of Northern Territory farmland and 22 percent of Tasmanian farmland is now foreign-owned.
Is that right?
Checking the source
The Conversation asked a spokesperson for Bob Katter for sources to support his assertion but did not hear back before deadline.
Nevertheless, it’s clear Katter was referring to the Australian Taxation Office’s new Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land.
The register lists investors who are legally required to report their interests in Australian agricultural land - whether that interest is freehold (meaning owned outright) or leasehold (meaning the land is rented).
Under rules announced in early 2015, investors must now notify the tax office within 30 days if they:
<ul>
<li>Are a foreign person starting to hold agricultural land</li>
<li>Are a foreign person ceasing to hold agricultural land</li>
<li>Become a foreign person while holding agricultural land</li>
<li>Cease to be a foreign person while holding agricultural land</li>
<li>Are a foreign person holding land that becomes agricultural land or</li>
<li>Are a foreign person holding land that ceases to be agricultural land</li>
</ul>
To build the register, the ATO collects investors' names, contact details, country of incorporation and Australian Business Number or equivalent identifier. For individual investors, the ATO recorded their nationality, and passport and visa details. It also collects the land title details.
The ATO report covers registrations made between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016.
What does the report show?
The report shows that the largest amount of foreign agricultural land is held by investors from the United Kingdom, in control of 27.5 million hectares. Investors from the the United States (7.7 million hectares) hold the second largest amount of land, followed by the Netherlands (3.0 million hectares). Chinese investors hold the fifth largest amount of land, with about 1.5 million hectares.
<a href="/images/2016/09/22/image-20160921-12468-1wprtdj.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/09/22/image-20160921-12468-1wprtdj.png" alt="">
<a class="source" href="https://firb.gov.au/about/publication/register-of-foreign-ownership-of-agricultural-land/">The Conversation/Foreign Investment Review Board</a>, <a class="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a>
<h2>Leasing vs owning</h2>
Bob Katter correctly quoted the percentages from the report, but his wording wasn’t quite accurate. He didn’t differentiate between foreign-owned and foreign-leased land.
To be fair, though, it’s not unusual for land to be leased for long periods of time – even as much as 99 years. So in practice, the difference between owning and leasing may be moot. The register doesn’t specify the length of the leases, saying only that:
"An interest in agricultural land includes a freehold interest or the right to occupy land under a lease (including a sublease or licence) where the term of the lease or licence (including any extension or renewal) is reasonably likely to exceed five years."
What we do know is that the register shows that 30.1 percent of agricultural land in the Northern Territory and 21.8 percent of agricultural land in Tasmania is held by foreign interests.
The register shows that almost all of the foreign-held agricultural land in the Northern Territory is leased (but the register doesn’t say exactly how long the leases are).
In Tasmania, the numbers are very different. The register shows that of the farmland there that is held by foreigners, about 88 percent of it is freehold – meaning it is owned by a foreign interest.
Much of the land identified in the report, particularly in the Northern Territory, is likely to be Crown leasehold. This means ultimate ownership rights remain with the Australian government, and lessees are required to manage the land in line with Australian property, agricultural and environmental laws.
<h2>How does this compare to the past?</h2>
We don’t know for sure, because the ATO register is the first of its kind.
The main previous source of official data on this issue was the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Agricultural Land and Water Ownership Survey, run in 2010 and 2013.
The 2013 ABS survey found 12.4 percent of Australian agricultural land had some level of foreign ownership, saying that:
Of the 400 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia, nearly 50 million hectares had some level of foreign ownership; this is up by around 5 million hectares, an increase of 11 percent on the 2010 result.
The ABS reported 31.7 percent of Northern Territory farmland as foreign-owned in 2013. Unfortunately, the Tasmanian data from the 2013 survey was not published.
If we compare the ATO and ABS data, it appears that the percentage of foreign-held agricultural land in Australia increased slightly between 2013 and 2016. It also appears that the percentage of foreign-held farmland in the Northern Territory fell slightly.
But care must be taken when comparing the results from the ATO register and the ABS survey. The ABS survey presents estimates based on a sample of agricultural businesses listed in the ABS business register, and must be used with care because of potential sampling errors.
It’s likely that the ATO register reflects a more complete record of foreign ownership and leasing than the earlier ABS data.
<h2>What don’t we know about foreign control of agricultural land?</h2>
Not all the information collected by the ATO has been made public.
The publicly available report doesn’t show who owns the land – it doesn’t show what proportion of the foreign-held land is owned or leased by foreign governments or foreign government investors such as state-owned enterprises.
The register’s guiding legislation states that any publicly reported statistics must not identify investors, which limits what information the ATO can release for public perusal.
<h2>Verdict</h2>
Bob Katter got his figures right but his wording was not entirely accurate. It would have been more accurate for him to say that 30% of the Northern Territory’s farmland and about 22% percent of Tasmania’s farmland is now foreign-held – not foreign-“owned”.
In the Northern Territory, most of the foreign-held land is leased; in Tasmania most of that foreign-held land is owned outright by the foreign entity.
However, the register doesn’t include the length of land leases. For those tracts of land held under very long leases, the practical difference between owning and leasing may not be meaningful. – Erin Smith and Bill Pritchard.
<h2>Review</h2>
This is a sound FactCheck. I have independently confirmed all data and calculations used in the analysis. The authors are correct in confirming Katter’s claim, with the caveat that the term foreign “held” rather than “owned” should have been used.
Some further – and significant – qualifications of the ATO data can also be drawn out:
While Tasmania and NT have relatively similar overall levels, their sectoral patterns are qualitatively different. As the ATO data show, most foreign-owned land in NT is for livestock production, while in Tasmania nearly all is in the forestry sector.
The legal differences between ownership and leasing are very slight in terms of assessing control and legal compliance matters. While the authors claim that leaseholders are required to meet “all Australian property, agricultural and environmental laws”, this is equally true of freeholders as well.
The ATO report appears not to adjust for the share of a property held by a foreign interest. For example, it does not differentiate between a farm that is 20 percent foreign-owned and one that is 100% foreign-owned. It is possible that some or even much of the “foreign held” land is actually a minority share in a joint-venture with Australian partners.
Significantly, the report only identifies the “place of incorporation” of the investor, rather than the nationality of the ultimate owner. Much of the British and American interests may well be held by legal persons of third countries, who have incorporated businesses (or bought shares in property trusts) in these jurisdictions. The dominance of the US and UK might therefore reflect a practice of incorporating agribusinesses in these countries, rather than ultimate ownership residing there. – Jeffrey Wilson
Erin Smith is post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/erin-smith-94841" target="_blank">here</a>.
Bill Pritchard is professor in Human Geography, University of Sydney and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bill-pritchard-126" target="_blank">here</a>.
Jeffrey Wilson is fellow of the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeffrey-wilson-12717" target="_blank">here</a>.
All are authors for The Conversation.
 
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Is 30 percent of Northern Territory farmland and 22 percent of Tasmanian farmland foreign-owned?

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Back around this time in 2015, a half-a-million dollars in Northern Territory’s Alice Springs would have net an investor or owner occupier a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, possibly with a pool and situated in an established area, claim valuation firm Herron Todd White. 
In their July report on residential property market, HTW reiterate that claim as the broader market has softened over the past 12 months, with the homes providing varying levels of renovations. 
“We have also seen the completion of the first dwellings in the new suburb of Kilgariff. With land starting at $160,000 there are opportunities for first home buyers to take advantage of a First Home Buyers Grant and build their first home,” say HTW in the report.
“There have yet to be any completed dwellings sell in the subdivision, however, we note that a brand new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with rendered finish, rear verandah and double carport is available at $555,000.”
Property Observer looked up recent sales under $500,000 on www.realestate.com.au and found a two-bedroom, one bathroom house at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nt-alice+springs-107622519" target="_blank">15 Tietkins Avenue, Alice Springs, NT 0870</a> (above) sold for $427,000.
 
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