Kooralbyn Valley Resort disassembled: Airport sold, 21 lots remain in $100m Scenic Rim golf resort offering

Now, the remaining 21 titles – including the main resort, golf course, polo fields and renowned international school – are on the market.

Owner Peter Huang is seeking a buyer willing to take on what’s being billed as “Australia’s most comprehensive integrated resort and master-planned community”.

“We are currently talking with multiple buyers both locally as well as internationally, from overseas, and hopefully we could have something happening within the next few weeks,” says Huang, who is also marketing the property as founder of Yong Real Estate Commercial.

The sprawling subdivided property at 1 Routley Drive, Kooralbyn, formerly the Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley, could be yours for $100 million.

Frequented by bouncing kangaroos, it features a 102-room main resort, with the largest rammed-earth eco-construction in the Southern Hemisphere, along with the exclusive 30-room Packer Lodge that the media tycoon frequented during his stays.

“Kerry Packer used to frequently fly his whole polo team from Sydney to play polo and golf in Kooralbyn,” Huang says.

Additional resort facilities include a 230-seat restaurant and a 240-seat convention and wedding centre, as well as an award-winning pool and a large spa centre. The resort has four food and beverage offerings. 

A subdivision of the expansive land mass into smaller, more affordable bite-sized urban and rural titles surrounding the golf course and resort allows for a master-planned community, ideally suiting those aged 50-plus, to take shape.

“In total, there were around 800 acres [323 hectares] with 27 lots,” Huang says. “Six of them have sold recently, and there are still 21 lots available. 

“We have already sold the airport, four small rural lots and a studio unit.” 

The 5.7-hectare resort will set you back $35 million, as will the golf course, while smaller rural lots have sold for $390,000.

The property has been on the market for years, with several deals falling through.

“It was actually under contract a number of times, but the contract crashed because of funding issues from the buyer during COVID,” Huang says. 

Now, “the resort is one title, the golf course is one title, the local tavern is one title, the airport is one title – but that airport has just been sold. And the two polo fields are on three separate titles. The international school is a separate title. They are all separate titles.”

The Kooralbyn International School is a prep to year 12 independent co-educational boarding and day school situated next to the resort, golf course and airstrip.

It is known for its elite sports and mastery programs, with notable alumni including Olympic gold-winning athlete Cathy Freeman and golfing legends Adam Scott and Jason Day.

“It’s the only school in Australia to have produced two Young Australians of the Year: Cathy Freeman [and] Dr Scott Hocknull,” Huang says.

Hocknull, a vertebrate palaeoecologist, won the award in 2002 and Freeman in 1990. She was coached at the school in 1987 under Mike Danila, who later became a key influence throughout her career.

The unusual property boasts equestrian facilities, a ski lodge, and a caravan and camping ground, and has the potential to create 1000 more dwellings.

The local council has reduced the amount of developable land, making it much harder to undertake large-scale development in Kooralbyn. 

As a result, the resort’s land – now one of the few areas left that can be developed – has become more valuable.

Huang says the existing buildings and land could suit a NDIS and 50-plus lifestyle community, or anyone seeking a quieter scenic escape close to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The resort’s future master plan includes expanding the hotel capacity from 138 to between 300 and 500 rooms, developing 1000 to 2000 retirement residences around the golf course, and upgrading the international school to accommodate 500 to 1000 overseas students.

With its strong reputation, the school is expected to generate $20 million to $40 million in annual revenue, including income from boarding.

The resort was established in 1973 by Sydney entrepreneurs Sir Peter Abeles and Sir Arthur George, and was first used as a luxury private getaway. 

By 1979, the property debuted its new Desmond Muirhead-designed golf course, opening as Australia’s first golf resort with Greg Norman linked as its tour professional.

“Australia has only had three world number one golfers, and all three of them are associated with the Kooralbyn resort,” Huang says. “Greg Norman is actually the tour pro for the club and golf course. Jason Day and Adam Scott studied in The Kooralbyn International School, and this club and golf course was their home course.”

Huang has owned the property since 2013, taking it on following a five-year closure during a period of receivership. 

He says comparable sales include a 25-room beach hotel resort on 4585 square metres in Byron Bay, which sold for $104 million, the 145-room The Vibe Hotel Darling Harbour, which realised $108 million, and a penthouse at One Barangaroo Sydney, which sold for $140 million.

Huang says that, while Sydney and Melbourne real estate markets have peaked, Queensland is on the rise, especially in the surrounding areas. 

“With tens of millions of dollars invested by the current owner for the resort renovation and operation so far, this iconic premier golf course and large integrated resort will surely and eventually become a part of successful Australian business history,” he says.

The site was poised to become a satellite Olympic village site for Brisbane 2032 under plans by the former Queensland government, which was considering an investment of about $200 million to develop 1000 beds on the resort land for use during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but the plans changed following the election.

The South East Queensland residential population is rising, and is estimated to sit at around four million, a 2.54 per cent boost on the year prior, based on mid-2024 figures.

This figure covers the metropolitan area, including the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Toowoomba regions.