Rebirth of Darwin East gains momentum

Driven by major oil and gas projects, increased spending by Australian and U.S. Defence forces, and expanding Asian tourism, in the last two decades there has been a robust economy in the Northern Territory that has fueled the continual growth of its capital city, Darwin. Housing within the CBD of Darwin has also flourished as its younger population favour the ‘live, work and play’ lifestyle presented in this tropical city centre and a consistent supply of new buildings has been required to meet this demand. The limited and tightly held quantity of development land in the city has however caused keen competition for well-located sites, and $3000 – $4000 per square metre for vacant land has typically been paid for prime positions. To counteract this shortage of land in the CBD developers pushed the Territory Government into making more sites available for commercial and residential projects, and this became the catalyst for relocation of the Eastside tank-farm terminals to free up under-utilised land close to the city centre.

Re-development of the Eastside had always been a key part of the masterplan for Darwin and in recent years the NT Government has committed extensive resources into upgrading services infrastructure in this location. Undergrounding of major powerlines and removal of towers, increasing the electrical load capacity and modernization of the Eastside substation, installing NBN cabling, improving water supply volumes and pressures to meet fire requirements, and extensive replacement of stormwater and sewer networks are amongst the works undertaken in this area to provide developers with certainty about the capacity of services and to make the area visually attractive.

Today the Eastside is benefiting from this infrastructure expenditure and is rapidly transforming from it’s industrial past to become a vibrant and trendy part of the city. Contemporary architecture is now defining new housing, shops and offices in this location and it is expected that this ‘new look’ and the land opportunities will be a drawcard for future city investment.

6 new CB zoned lots for sale

With frontage to Garramilla Boulevard and bordering valuable open space on the Eastside of the city is a new subdivision of 8470 square metres of Central Business Darwin zoned land.

Identified as the ‘Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard’ this land has been divided into six Torrens Titled allotments ranging in size from 1220 to 1680 square metres in area to suit entry level small to medium hi-rise projects, or for large scale development. These affordably priced allotments are accessed from a new culs de sac road, Ryko Court. This new road leads off Harvey Street (a street that has seen tremendous change in recent years with the development of a number of new hi-rise apartments buildings and converted warehouses), and is very close to the intersection of Harvey Street with Garramilla Boulevard providing convenient access to this important new road.

Offering outstanding Darwin Harbour and city skyline views from this elevated land these fully serviced allotments are complete and ‘shovel ready’ for building works to commence. Services to the lots have been designed to accommodate projects of around 60 units on each site, although opportunities for greater yield are also possible. Excavation for basement parking has already been undertaken on most of the allotments and finds sound geotechnical conditions for building.

Current planning approval for a 62 unit residential project on one of the lots confirms the development potential of these sites, and a proposal for a mixed use tower over two of the sites (that was recently designed for a NT Health tender) demonstrates the opportunity for a ‘statement’ building to be built on this land.

The ‘Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard’ subdivision is a comfortable walking distance from central city retailing and eating facilities, and allows convenient access to restaurants and recreation in the nearby Wharf precinct. It is also strategically positioned in relation to planned (and constructed) walkways, cyclepaths, open space corridors, recreational areas and public transport routes incorporated in the Darwin masterplan, making it ideally suited to residential living or business uses.

Good road frontages to the property provide an openness to this site that is typically not available with other CBD properties, and this helps to ensure that the current commanding views from the land are maintained into the future.

All Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard allotments are available for immediate purchase. Further information can be obtained via the web-site or by contacting the Australian Property Projects Adelaide office on 08 84192100.

The following link shows drone photography taken from directly above the Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard land.

Fully serviced and ready to go

The ‘Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard’ subdivision is currently the only vacant, fully serviced development land available for sale that offers affordable development sites with frontage to the new gateway entrance road into Darwin City.

Now that the new road is complete past the land the high quality of this position is evident.

The elevation of the Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard land, the ‘Boulevard’ status of the road and the outstanding landscape treatment have transformed this corner site into a highly desirable location for businesses seeking exposure to passing traffic, or just wanting great views of Frances Bay. It is easy to picture exclusive retailing, ‘gateway status’ offices, prestige hotels and residential buildings on this very prominent site.

Projects that include high profile showrooms and shops, medical facilities and specialist’s offices, child-minding and early learning centres, and private or government office space are among the range of land-uses that could work in this unique location.

And the open nature of the site provides hotels, serviced apartments and permanent residents with both a unique address and uninterrupted city and harbour views.

Darwin’s Eastside is already changing quickly, and when the new road is fully complete it is predicted that developer interest in securing land with an exclusive  ‘Boulevard address’ will escalate. With limited sites available for development along this route and a range of businesses that might need to consider re-locating from Stuart Highway or Daly Street to re-capture passing traffic exposure, it is expected that the capital value of ‘Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard’ allotments will rise accordingly.

Darwin’s future looks sound with many new small, medium and large projects either commenced or soon to commence, and these will open up significant employment opportunities both in the near term and for future years (see also sections on Northern Territory Major Projects, and draft Central Darwin Area plans for further information).  

The ‘Precinct on Garramilla Boulevard’ land is considered to represent sound, strategic investment purchasing for the long term growth of Darwin.