Lifestyle and Climate Make Bargara a Unit Growth Winner
A leading national property sales information service has ranked the Coral Coast’s Bargara in Southern Queensland as Queensland’s No 1 suburb for unit capital growth.
This latest beachside hideaway to work its way onto the sea change map is 15 minutes drive from Bundaberg, mid-way between the whale watching centre of Hervey Bay and the beaches of 1770 and Agnes Waters.
The Investment Report from the online service PropertyValue.com.au, a division of Baycorp Advantage, recorded a 245% growth rate for Bargara unit sale prices over the past five years. Taking No 1 spot in the top 100 List reflects close to $100 million in construction and announced developments over the past 18 months. This newfound popularity has seen one oceanfront development sold-out in less than a week and property consultants struggling to get any sleep during the vacation season.
Given such a phenomenal take-off, it comes as a surprise to discover the area is still providing affordable oceanfront property for investors and southerners searching for a dream lifestyle north of the Gold Coast and Sunshine coast.
Sites on the 1km Esplanade ocean drive that has a 5-floor council zoning restriction on any high-rise are the most sought-after. A recent $960,000 off-the-plan sale set a new benchmark but is still well below comparable units further south. The top-floor apartment is in a $26 million 40 unit resort-style complex within strolling distance of three beaches, an 18 hole golf course and al fresco dining at a township that remains friendly to all comers.
Climate has always been a big drawcard for anyone moving to the Sunshine State but Bargara has something special. When southern cities were recently recording high 30-degree scorchers or multimillion dollar damage bills from summer storms, Bargara stayed cool and unscathed. It has an average temperature that ranges within 5 degrees of the magical 25-degree mark most of the year.
The thermometer avoids the high 30 or below 10 degree temperature extremes of Sydney and Melbourne and Bargara out-performs Brisbane and Cairns when it comes to sunshine hours, rain days and humidity. Month in and month out, locals enjoy steady sea breezes, an average 8 hours of sunshine and around 50% humidity.
So far Bargara has escaped the extreme pressure expressed by local council CEOs at a recent Sea Change Summit on the Sunshine Coast at Maroochydore that called for a national task force to address the infrastructure problems caused by rapid growth. The conference communiqué saw the ‘drift to the coast’ continuing for the next 20 years creating demand for more roads, drainage, public transport, health care and police.
Bargara has an edge over other coastal centres. It still has no traffic jams or intersection lights however its proximity to the regional centre of Bundaberg gives residents four daily 45 min services to and from Brisbane, a twice daily high speed tilt train ride to Brisbane, three hospitals, major shopping centres and its police station is a stone’s throw away from the township’s main street.
Space for development on the Esplanade is tightening up with some saying there is room for only a further 200 units at maximum. PropertyValue.com.au predicts a slower 25% growth rate for unit sales this year. The only problem with these forecasts is that they have been always been over-run by sales in the past. | 
