Sentinel shows fresh faith in city’s growth

SENTINEL Property Group has bought a city-fringe Cairns office building for $8.5 million in a high-profile off-market transaction.

The company now owns the four-level complex at 139 Grafton St, marking its first local investment since taking over DFO Cairns Shopping Centre last year. “Cairns is a market that we know very well and has been a major focus for us in successfully turning around the DFO Cairns centre over the past year through continual improvements and investment,” Sentinel managing director Warren Ebert said.

“We see a lot of upside in the Cairns market on the back of its resurgent tourism sector and … development projects that will drive further tourism and economic growth.”

The Grafton St property is fully leased by two tenants: Queensland Health, which has recently signed a new five-year lease, and a “well-established” medical practice.

Mr Ebert said the complex would be a “high-quality” addition to the Sentinel Regional Office Trust.

“We have a number of further regional office acquisitions in the pipeline,” he said.

Apart from DFO Cairns, Sentinel also owns the home of Big W at Atherton.

The sale of the Grafton St property was brokered by Danny Betros of CBRE Cairns, who described the transaction as a “good result for Cairns”.

“The investment market is very active. There is good demand,” he said.

“In my view this was a good buy all-round, the Melbournebased vendors wanted out.”

Based in Brisbane, Sentinel Property Group has a national property portfolio worth in excess of $1 billion.

The Cairns Post reported earlier this month that DFO Cairns had turned over a new leaf since being bought by Sentinel for $40 million in March 2016.