The residential transformation of St Kilda Road is set to continue into with more new apartment plans for the sought-after boulevard.

Wing Tai Asia has lodged plans for a major residential tower at 464-466 St Kilda Road, replacing the former VACC House with an 18-storey mixed-use development designed around a retained heritage podium and a sculpted contemporary tower.

The proposal, prepared under Victoria’s Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway, would deliver 325 apartments and ground-floor retail across the prominent 4,653 sqm boulevard site in Melbourne’s St Kilda Road North Precinct.

The project centres on the adaptive reuse of the site’s heritage-listed VACC Building, an eight-storey office designed by Bernard Evans that has occupied the address for decades. Planning documents state the development would involve “carefully dismantling and conserving off-site the original metal fabric of the podium visible from St Kilda Road,” before reinstating it as the defining frontage of the new scheme.

Above the restored podium, Wing Tai is proposing a curvilinear residential tower. The scheme includes 172 one-bedroom apartments, 63 two-bedroom apartments, 66 three-bedroom apartments, and 24 four-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor food and beverage tenancies fronting St Kilda Road.

The tower has been designed with substantial articulation and variable setbacks to minimise perceived bulk and maintain view corridors along the boulevard. Urbis, which prepared the planning report, said the design “has been significantly articulated through a curvilinear design” with “an interplay with materials, façade expression and depth” to create visual separation and visual interest.

The proposal also includes 254 basement car spaces, landscaped pedestrian links connecting St Kilda Road and Queens Lane, and a biophilic landscape strategy featuring canopy trees, raised planters, cascading greenery and a glass oculus pool overlooking the eastern frontage.

Planning documents confirm the $270.1 million development will contribute 3 per cent of project costs to the Social Housing Growth Fund as part of the application process.

Wing Tai acquired the St Kilda Road property in 2018 alongside Abacus Property Group for $95.38 million, before later consolidating ownership of the site. The property previously served as the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce headquarters for around 60 years.

The transformation of the St Kilda Rd boulevard is already beginning to materialise, with a number of high-profile projects recently completed, launched, or approaching launch as developers continue to back the long-term appeal of the precinct.

Among the most notable recent completions is Louise by Samuel Property Group, just off the strip on Queens Lane, the same pocket Hirsch &amp; Faigen recently launched The Queensbury. Mirvac is too on the same street with The Albertine, which is approaching completion.

Dexus recently secured approval for its slice of St Kilda Road, while Gurner also has approved plans for the precinct.

Joel Robinson

Wing Tai unveils 325-apartment St Kilda Road tower on former VACC House site

Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
</section>
</section>

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Queensland

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The coal baron Nathan Tinkler has relisted his mega-mansion on a four hectare acreage outside Brisbane. 
Rebecca Tinkler bought the property in 2007 for $5.2 million from Brad Sugars. It's among several trophy homes owned by the Tinkler family.
"All serious offers considered," the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-pullenvale-116314759" target="_blank">advertising by First National Bayside agent Peter McDonald</a> says.
It hit the market in May 2013, but withdrawn from marketing around September last year.
Offers have been made at $3 million plus, but not yet at $4 million plus.
The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom Pullenvale home is nestled in the hills 15 kilometres west of Brisbane.
It has a resort-style spa and pool with two waterslides and a poolside bar. 
There is a floodlit champion size tennis court and a private golf green at the front of the four hectare block.
There are also stables and paddocks  for a number of horses.Tinkler has spread his collection of sports memorabilia and Hollywood minutia around the timber-floored house.
Tinkler currently retains homes at Merewether in the Newcastle beachside precinct and his $11.5 million oceanfront mansion on Sapphire Beach, Noorinya. 
Noorinya sits at the top of the list of Nathan Tinkler's private property assets.
The mining magnate smashed the mid north coast record in 2008 when he purchased Noorinya, on a Sapphire Beach headland, for $11.5 million from Microsoft pioneer Jaybe Ammons.
Noorinya, with 1.8 hectares of private headland, comes with lap pool and a secluded beach.
The following year Stockland’s David Pitman and ABN Amro’s Simon Perrott purchased oceanfront properties from developer Barry France on the next headland along at Sapphire Beach.
{qtube vid:=BYSuZ5PkBg8&amp;feature=plcp}
Video source LJ Hooker, 2008 marketing campaign
Video prepared by HTM Digital
Ammons and his wife, Shelly, had spent about $2.75 million on the site amalgamation, including a $1.85 million purchase from the late hospital industry operator Paul Ramsay in 1999. Locals say the family used it regularly during the early years of ownership, but not much recently since the family relocated from their Newcastle base to Singapore.
Tinkler retains his Merewether holding, a two-block 1,587-square-metre amalgamation overlooking Bar and Dixon Park beaches, which cost an $8.8 million total in 2008. It’s been in limbo since a development application for a six-bedroom Rosie Stollery-designed compound overlooking Dixon Park Beach was approved in June 2011.
And there's suggestions there's actually been an off market sale of the Merewether holding, although that will need to first dispense with the March 2014 caveat by the Office of State Revenue before any settlement.
The properties have been mortgaged to New York-based investment bank Jefferies.
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Nathan Tinkler relists Pullenvale acreage  

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Mary Valley, the Queensland area that saw its Economic Development Strategy launched in July 2012, has seen 48 purchases in the last six weeks and $11.67 million sales over 2014 so far.
Selling properties here has previously been noted as<a href="/news/mary-valley-revival-depends-on-property-sales"> a crucial step for the revival of the Mary Valley area</a>.
In total over 2014, there have been 109 sales in the area, explained Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jeff Seeney. This is 50% faster than 2013.
“We hoped to crack a century of sales in the first five months of this year and we achieved this aim. It’s an impressive record given last year 98 sales were made over the entire year,” Seeney said.
“Our government’s Mary Valley revitalisation strategy has provided an affordable opportunity for Queenslanders to enter the housing market, with 48 of the 109 sales made by existing tenants of the properties.”
The average property price purchase was $248,300. Price ranges vary from a vacant piece of land at $71,000 to $590,000 for a large rural site.
In 2012, 13 properties were sold.
“There has also been strong interest in <a href="https://www.maryvalleyproperty.com/" target="_blank">eight properties that have been heavily discounted</a> as they are being offered with tenants on long-term leases,” Seeney said.
“Selling agent Oliver Hume received 15 expressions of interest in the eight properties within two weeks of their release.”
Among the properties currently listed for sale in the Mary Valley is the 30 acre grazing farm at 3435 Mary Valley Road, <a href="/news">Imbil</a> (pictured above).
<a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/3435-mary-valley-rd-imbil/Property-Details-buy-residential-7062053" target="_blank">The property has been listed</a> for $450,000 plus through Ron Jeffery of Assest Agents.
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jduke-EHk3XBmHkn

Mary Valley property sales see $11 million of transactions this year

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Queensland’s building and construction industry, including residential, is a state focus and will be outlined in a new blueprint, according to Minister for Housing and Public Works Tim Mander.
The blueprint, ConstructionQ, aims to grow construction as one of the pillars propping up Queensland’s economy.
In order to help push residential construction, they note that they have already scrapped mandatory requirements for rainwater tanks and greenhouse efficient hot water systems in new homes.
They are looking into speeding up approvals even more, and Mander points to the total number of trend dwelling approvals at 64.3% more than January 2012.
“ConstructionQ is about building on those gains and putting in place a vision which will unleash the industry’s full potential and generate benefits for decades to come,” he said, asking industry members to come forward with suggestions.
“Although we’re hosting ConstructionQ, the Government will work with the sector to help deliver the initiative as we want stakeholders in the construction industry to take the lead.”
Master Builders deputy executive director Paul Bidwell said that it’s time to look at the long-term growth of the industry.
“This is a great opportunity to work with the Queensland Government in charting a course for growth and to shape the policy on issues that have a major impact on builders and trade contractors across Queensland,” said Bidwell.
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Boosting Queensland residential construction a state focus

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Mackay is expected to see residential and commercial growth in the CBD area, with Ergon Energy undertaking a multi-million dollar underground cable project for future development.
Energy Minister Mark McArdle said that this was part of the plan to support the region and underpin future development.
The $5 million project, which includes installing a 2.7 kilometre high voltage underground cable from Hume Street to Alfred Street, may be of interest to business and commercial operators looking to move into the area.
“The project will meet the current load and improve the security of supply in the busy CBD area,” said McArdle.
He also pointed to its ability to cater for future residential and commercial development – suggesting that the River Street area would benefit.
A total of $73 million is planned for electricity infrastructure across Mackay, Whitsunday and Moranbah.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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Mackay planning ahead for commercial and residential growth

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The Danish pension fund Pensionskassernes Administration (PKA) has secured a stake in $60 million worth of Queensland cattle stations.
The stake in around 480,000 hectares, from Blackall to Cunnamulla, is held through the SLM Australia Livestock Fund.
The fund raised $75 million from PKA in 2012 with SLM Partners director Tony Lovell telling the AFR that the SLM fund was still looking to expand.
The market value of the assets managed by PKA across the world was DKK 194 billion (A$38 billion).
The AFR noted SLM Partners kept a low profile as it aggregated its properties.
The Cunnamulla aggregation includes the 43,000ha Padua Park hub purchased for $10 million, sold in part by the Sunshine Coast engineer David Wimhurst. There was also the 49,000 hectare Willacora hub for $9.3 million; the 71,000 hectare Eureka Plains for $7.4 million; the 48,000 hectare Amenda at $11.8 million and the 79,000 hectare Garrawin for $4.3 million.
At Quilpie, SLM put together the 165,000 hectare Colac hub for $6.4 million.
At Blackall it secured the 25,000  hectare Listowel Downs for $11.2 million.
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Danish pension funds take Queensland cattle station stake

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The expatriate Australian billionaire philanthropist Sir Michael Hintze has added the Goondiwindi district property, Boolarwell to his east coast farming portfolio.
The South Tallwood property totalling 7800 hectares cost $9.2 million.
Talwood is 450 kilometres west of Brisbane, between <a href="/news">Goondiwindi</a> and <a href="/news">St George</a>.
Bought from the Turner family, it is a mixed cropping and irrigation farm using precision agriculture technologies.
The grazing farm in the Boonarga district was pioneered by the Gunn family the 1890s.  
It was Sir Michael's first known purchase since last year when <a href="/news/expat-billioniare-sir-michael-hintze-spends-another-3-75-million-on-nsw-rural-empire">he bought</a><a href="/news/expat-billioniare-sir-michael-hintze-spends-another-3-75-million-on-nsw-rural-empire"> a 609 hectare Wee Waa farm</a> in the New England, NSW district. 
But the London-based hedge fund founder who has amassed one of Australia’s fastest-growing farm portfolios, has in recent times appeared to have an elevated interest in Queensland property.
His other recent purchases in Queensland include a $2.35 million acquisition of a 166 hectare sugar cane farm which took his Horseshoe Lagoon holdings to 572 hectares costing $9.3 million.
His Australian freehold acquisitions total around 60,000 hectares since 2007 through his private pension fund, MHPF, which has spent about $135 million on the freehold land along with an estimated $10 million plus on water licence purchases.
Hintze founded CQS Management, a London-based hedge fund with assets of $US11.5 billion, in 1999. The CQS Directional Opportunities Fund has been ranked by Bloomberg at number three on its list of the 100 top-performing hedge funds, returning nearly 36% net of fees last year.
He was raised in Sydney after the family arrived from China as ethnic Russian refugees in 1953. He holds a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics and a BEng in Electrical Engineering, both from the University of Sydney. He also holds an MSc in Acoustics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a Doctor of Business and an Honoris Causa from the University of New South Wales. 
Prior to beginning his career in finance, he served for three years in the Australian Army as a captain in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The hedge fund chief, who spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs in roles such as head of European emerging markets, left Sydney in 1980 for Salomon Brothers in New York.
In June 2013 he received a knighthood in recognition of his substantial charitable contributions to the arts in the United Kingdom. 
On the weekend's annual Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Michael was given a £1,055 billion net worth, ranked 92nd richest UK resident, up £155 million from 95th place in 2013.
Hintze, whose wealth had been previously estimated by the rival Forbes magazine list  at US$1.6 billion, has said he was not just looking for capital gain from the properties. He says he seeks solid returns on production.
His purchases have been driven by the view that rural land in Australia represents good value in light of the strong global demand for “soft commodities”. 
Hintze's buying spree began when he spent $12.5 million for a Breadalbane, NSW property in July 2007. <a href="https://mhpremiumfarms.com" target="_blank">The Hintze portfolio</a> has been accumulated and managed by Richard Taylor, a director of Growth Farms Australia. 
''I'm not a farmer, but I do the numbers. It's got to make money,'' Hintze once said.
More recently he noted: “I wish the dollar were lower as it would be easier in farming.”
He added Australia was expensive even for dining.
“The days when there was an arbitrage in saying, ‘Don’t worry I’ll buy you a meal when I come to Australia and you buy me one when you come to London.’ It’s gone the other way around,” Hintze quipped.
In March this year Queensland's Valuer-General released 1 October 2013 annual land valuations for properties in the Goondiwindi Regional Council local government area.
They showed Goondiwindi Regional Council area's land values had decreased by 10.5% overall since the last valuation issued in 2012.
"Generally the market for primary production land throughout the local authority has shown a decline, with sales showing large reductions in values primarily throughout the Brigalow Belt and the Traprock country.
"The exception to this trend is the coolibah country associated with the Macintyre and Weir Rivers, the irrigation country along the Macintyre Brook and Dumaresq River, the red soil box country at Talwood and the mixed farming country in the Inglewood district where there has been no change in unimproved value levels."
Feature photo: Stock.
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Expat Rich List billionaire Michael Hintze buys $9.4 million Gooniwindi farm

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The former world motorcycling ace Mick Doohan has sold his Tallebudgera Valley holding which went to auction last August.
<a href="/expert-insights/buying/mick-doohans-tallebudgera-valley-property-passed-in">Passed in on a seller's bid of $1 million</a>, and later listed at $1.375 million, the 65 hectare two-title Tallebudgera Valley property fetched $1.15 million.
It was marketed by John Natoli from McGrath Estate Agents who secured the Gold Coast hinterland sale last month.
Doohan bought in 1996 for $855,000.
The larger lot, at 1332 Tallebudgera Creek Rd, included a two-bedroom caretaker's cottage with workshop.
The smaller lot, at 1368 Tallebudgera Creek Rd, measuring 7,057 square metre vacant land.
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Mick Doohan sells Tallebudgera Valley, Gold Coast hinterland holding

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A Redcliffe mixed-used redevelopment site, with DA approval, has been listed through Ray White Commercial Queensland, coming with 32 residential units and a ground floor retail or office space.
At 11-13 Anzac Avenue, Redcliffe, the 1,646 square metre site is asking for expressions of interest, explained Ray White Commercial Queensland director of sales and marketing, Peter Alexander.
“The site is strategically located directly opposite the new Bluewater Square Shopping Centre Complex which is anchored by a Woolworths in addition to several specialty retail outlets,” said Alexander.
<img src="/images/2014/05/14/redcliffe-may-14-three.jpg" alt="">
The site includes views to Moreton Island, and Alexander notes it is close to the Kippa-Ring Railway Station that looks to be completed in 2016.
Meanwhile, Ray White Special Projects Queensland associate director Matthew Fritzsche said that it is highly sought after in this area, considered an ‘up and comer’ in Queensland.
“The Redcliffe waterfront is a picturesque location overlooking Moreton Bay and the Pier is a drawcard for tourists,” he said of the area.
Expressions of Interest on the site must be made by 4pm May 21.
<img src="/images/2014/05/14/redcliffe-may-14-two.jpg" alt="">
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DA-approved Redcliffe site with 32 residential units listed

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A new 11-unit development has been built for Coopers Plains seniors under a government decision to reduce the burden of larger houses on the elderly.
Queensland Housing Minister Tim Mander said that this development would assist those in three-bedroom plus homes to downsize into more physically and financially appropriate properties.
The development is managed by the 4Walls housing group.
“These tenants were in houses that were too large for their needs and they wanted something more manageable, while we have many needy families waiting for houses with three or more bedrooms to become available,” he said.
“Historically, larger families were occupying the majority of social housing dwellings in Queensland, so most of the state’s housing stock comprises three and four bedroom houses.”
He also noted that a challenge for tenants and the government is the upkeep, with more than 60% of the homes being 20 years old or more. More than 50% of the social housing tenants are individuals, requiring one to two bedroom apartments.
“Now that these senior residents have more suitable accommodation, the larger three-bedroom properties are available for families who have urgent housing needs,” he said.
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Coopers Plains builds Queensland seniors’ homes to encourage social housing downsizing

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Northbrook Corp, which looks to develop Noosa on Weyba, have filed an appeal in the Planning and Environment Court after being refused their development application by two Sunshine Coast Councils who said it did not fit their planning schemes.
The move to court was said to come as “no surprise” to Noosa Council officials and the Friends of Lake Weyba, who are “vigorously anti-development”, according to The Queensland Times.
Co-developer of the project, which sits in both Noosa and Sunshine Coast Council areas, is Mantle.
The developers submitted a 10-page document responding to the refusals.
The <a href="https://www.noosaonweyba.com.au/" target="_blank">official website for Noosa on Weyba</a> notes that they look to provide a range of housing options, parks, cycleways, aged care amenities and access to Lake Weyba. They also said that they would adopt sustainability principles.
A maximum of 50 apartments, and a range of aged care apartments, retiring living cottages, residential lots and townhouses, as well as a kiosk/tea house for the public at the gateway to Noosa National Park, are proposed. Overall, there would be 850 new dwellings.
The development would sit on a 303 hectare landholding. A total of 19% would be developed over the eight year timeline.
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