Location Overview | Real Estate Overview | Property Investment | Tourism Opportunities at Mission Beach

Mission Beach - Location Overview

Mission Beach is located on the east coast of Australia, in the region known as the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland. It is 120km south of Cairns (which has an international airport) along the main north/ south Bruce Highway. Positioned on 14km of pristine golden beaches, Mission Beach is Australia's gateway to the Great Barrier Reef (only 38km offshore being the closest mainland point to the reef) and swimming distance to a stunning group of tropical islands including Dunk and Bedarra which show case 4.5 - 5 star boutique holiday resorts managed by the Voyager Group.

Mission Beach is surrounded by two World Heritage areas, creating a unique location where the tropical rainforest literally touches the Coral Sea. The Great Barrier Reef features 1500 species of reef fish, 360 species of hard coral and 23 species of marine mammals.

Mission Beach is part of the Queensland Wet Tropics and is one of a handful of sites worldwide which meet all four criteria for World heritage listing. Occupying just 0.2% of the continent the diverse rainforest around Mission Beach and Tully contain a large proportion of Australia's plant species including 65% of fern species. They provide habitat for over half the nation's bird species (including the rare Cassowary), 60% of the butterflies and 30% of mammals.

One is spoilt for activities in Mission Beach including fishing; snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef, day trips to the Family Island Group's "aquatic playground", enchanting rainforest and wetland walks, skydiving on the beach and white water rafting. Separated from neighbouring communities by natural rainforest buffers, yet large enough to encompass all essential services, Mission Beach is a unique location on the Australian Tropical Coast.

Real Estate Overview

Mission Beach has seen high levels of growth in recent years with huge amounts of investment being pumped into the area; consequently having a significant and extremely positive effect on property values. PRD Nationwide Research identified Mission Beach as one of the Australian key "hot spots" for property investment and stated that "infrastructure improvements and the ongoing sea change phenomenon should see this region become part of the North Queensland lifestyle market". This was reflected in 2006 and 2007 with a 4.9% population increase and rising Real Estate values with beachfront median values increasing from $450,000 in 2003 to $830,000 in 2007.

Mission Beach and its environs represent a wonderful opportunity to invest in Australia's rapid property coastal growth area. However opportunities to invest are becoming increasingly limited due to a number of key factors. Mission Beach and its surrounds are protected by World Heritage Rainforest and sensitively controlled by State planning controls. The State Government's 2025 Regional Plan for North Queensland enforces stricter development restrictions on the coastal areas of Far North Queensland. This Plan intends to protect the "lifestyle" smaller centres of Mission Beach from over development freezing the release of any non urban land for residential use for at least the next 25 years. In Mission Beach, there are only a few large sites remaining with beach frontage that represent major long term development opportunity making this area one of the rare and unique opportunities to invest in one of the few pristine beach front locations on the east coast of Australia.

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Property Investment

Our research has shown that when looking to buy in a coastal location, the following factors help to ensure strong capital growth potential:

• Strong tourism growth, especially growth in domestic tourist numbers;
• Proximity to a major urban environment, preferably with an airport within an hours' drive;
• A seafront location;
• Lifestyle & entertainment facilities such as restaurants, cinemas & retail within 30mins travelling time;
• Pristine surroundings, or close to untouched environmental areas; and
• A high proportion of people on higher incomes (over $1,000 per week) moving into an area.

Mission Beach meets most of these parameters with major services and facilities available in Innisfail (a 40 minute drive north of Mission Beach).

Summary of Key New Investments in Mission Beach

Investors have now turned their eye on Mission Beach's untapped potential, looking set to inject hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years into the prestige tourism, retail and real estate sector. This has been clearly reflected in the most recent investments in the Mission Beach area including $28 investment into the new sewage system; $20m Woolworths shopping centre; State Government support and approval for an 18 hole championship golf course; approval of 20 new boutique shops and major refurbishment of 2 key boutique hotels.

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Tourism Opportunities at Mission Beach

The future is demanding a lifestyle experience absorbed in the natural environment with space; pristine beauty and safety being the key elements. Remoteness is also key to experiential luxury. Mission Beach meets all of this criterion plus more with access to a large range of outdoor activities such as white water rafting, skydiving, deep water diving, fishing, bushwalking, sea kayaking, horse riding, spas and yoga retreats.

Major Attractions in Mission Beach are "environmental", and include:

• Dunk Island the Family Group of Islands, including Bedarra Island
• World Heritage listed Tropics Rainforest
• The Great Barrier Reef
• The home of the rare Cassowary Bird

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