A Sunshine Coast cattle property atop the largest alluvial sand deposit ever discovered in Queensland has come onto the market.
Situated at Meridan Plains, near the Corbould Park racecourse, the 208.55 ha property has been the site of a cattle fattening operation for the past few decades.
The large property could be retained for cattle production or suit conversion to a solar farm.
However, it is the sand mining potential of the land that makes it such an exciting investment opportunity according to the marketing agents - CBRE Sunshine Coast managing director Rem Rafter and Simon Cudmore, director of CBRE Agribusiness.
The Meridan Plains sand deposit contains more than twice the known resources of sand under extractive approval in the state.
The massive deposit could supply southeast Queensland’s sand needs for the next 35 years, or the Sunshine Coast’s requirements for 200 years.
This is particularly significant as alluvial sand is an essential ingredient for construction purposes, and the Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions, with its population forecast to increase by another 184,000 to more than 520,000 by 2036.
A development application to extract as much as one million tonnes of sand a year from the property was lodged with Sunshine Coast Council in 2016, with a decision expected shortly.
“The potential of the Meridan Plains sand deposit - estimated at more than 100 million tonnes and worth at least $1 billion wholesale - is enormous,” Mr Rafter said.
“This is certain to attract the interest of investors, particularly as Sunshine Coast Council has already granted a licence to excavate sand on a neighbouring property.”
Mr Rafter said the site, which is on three adjoining lots and has frontages to Kawana Way Link Road, Rainforest Drive, Westaway Road, Sattler Road and Honeyfarm Road, is also suitable site for a major solar farm.
“Energex’s new 132,000-volt powerline from Mooloolaba to Bells Creek runs adjacent to the property,” Mr Rafter said.
“With a national focus on exploring every possibility for renewable energy, the prospect of a new solar farm on the Sunshine Coast is particularly exciting.”
The property has long been recognised for the beef cattle it has raised and fattened and remains a prime site for cattle production – particularly because of its proximity and accessibility to markets, and for the reliable rainfall the area enjoys.
A future residential could be another possibility, adding further value to the asset, although Mr Rafter said there was no indication from Sunshine Coast Council of a change to the current zoning.
The property is situated close to the Bruce Highway, which links Brisbane with all of Queensland’s northern coastal towns, and is only a few kilometres from Caloundra, the hub for the fast-growing southern end of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The property is for sale by Expressions of Interest closing Wednesday, 2nd December 2020 at 4.00pm.
Exclusive marketing agents are:
Rem Rafter Simon Cudmore
Managing Director Director
CBRE Sunshine Coast CBRE Agribusiness
M: +61 408 714 420 M: +61 433 160 413
[email protected] [email protected]
About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2019 revenue). The company has more than 100,000 employees (excluding affiliates) and serves real estate investors and occupiers through more than 530 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
