Ray White Commercial’s Between the Lines live webinar attracted more than 300 listeners this month as experts discussed south east Queensland’s green and gold decade.

The session was hosted by Ray White head of research Vanessa Rader who was joined by Ray White Commercial QLD managing director and partner Michael McCullagh and Ray White Special Projects director Tony Williams who spoke about the impact of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, including all things infrastructure, population and the effects on commercial and residential development.

Ms Rader said there were many projects in the lead up to the Olympics that seemed to provide plenty of opportunity to grow the population and vibrancy of south east Queensland. 

“It’s all happening at once,” Mr McCullagh said. 

“Northshore-Hamilton will have 10,000 athletes housed there which will have ongoing impact. 

“There’s Woolloongabba with the Cross River Rail and stadium investment. Now Brisbane City Council have identified in their Productive Cities plan these Urban Enterprise Areas nearby. These core projects have great opportunities surrounding them. 

“Whether it’s the Eagle Street Pier redevelopment and connecting bridge to Kangaroo Point for pedestrians and cyclists, Brisbane Live arena over Roma Street, or you head north to Bowen Hills and Albion and there’s a lot happening there. 

“You point the compass in any direction and there seems to be an exciting project popping up.” 

Mr Williams said there were also exciting developments happening outside of Brisbane. 

“For that Beaudesert catchment to house the rowing and canoeing athletes, it's a huge benefit for that area, with major infrastructure spending drawing attention to the area. 

“There will also be the athletes village on the Sunshine Coast, it’s a really cool development to be able to place strategically in the middle of Maroochydore.” 

With migration to south east Queensland set to continue, Mr Williams said the state had some work to do to cater for the increasing population, which he believed could be positively impacted by the Olympics. 

“There's fair pressure on the infrastructure we have right now,” he said. 

“We have a lot of challenges and having a world event such as the Olympics to strategically enhance our region, it’s a massive win for SEQ. 

“I think the State Government is starting to make steps towards housing affordability and supply, by releasing more land to provide opportunity for more people to live here more affordably. 

“If we don't cater for people to come here there’ll be a massive opportunity missed.” 

Mr McCullagh said there was still plenty of investment activity in Brisbane, particularly in the sub $8-10 million market, with buyers starting to focus on the longer term. 

“In the 10 year runway to the Olympics there’s plenty of time to plan and get it right,” he said. 

“Local buyers have never been more excited about what's happening in their city, and there’s a lot more investment coming out of Sydney and Melbourne. 

“The Brisbane commercial market has been holding strong, buyers believe in that medium and long term investment.”

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