Gordonvale hub on the rise
Stage two of large project released
Gordonvale is poised to be the new growth hub for the Far North, gaining momentum with the much-anticipated release of stage two of the large development Cutters Rise.
It is on a whopping 42.5ha and will ultimately have more than 400 lots.
It is very much a family affair for the Straguszi family, with father-and-daughter team Ross and Renee Straguszi at the helm.
The land has been held by the family since 1935 and the existing home has been semiconverted into a sales office for Ms Straguszi.
Ms Straguszi’s grandmother, the late Rose Straguszi, lived there until she died, aged 92, in April 2019.
The development launched in late 2021 and 41 lots in stage one have sold.
The project has two key points of difference – the lot sizes are very generous, and infrastructure is being built in to Cutters Rise.
It has development approval for a medical precinct, child care centre and the up-market Casa Mia retirement project, comprising 150 villas.
Ms Straguszi said the block sizes meant there was plenty of room to store a caravan or boat off-street, and there were wide streets and pathways.
Stage two comprises some 70 lots with prices starting from $189,900.
Lot sizes start at 600sq m and are as big as 1006sq m.
She said many buyers were locals building their third or fourth home, but there was also investment interest from Sydney in stage two.
Ms Straguszi said people’s perceptions of the southern suburbs being a long hike away were changing, particularly with the Bruce Highway duplication project.
It is 22km or 30 minutes’ drive from Cairns CBD.
“Perceptions are definitely changing, especially with all the infrastructure going in and the money being spent upgrading roads, it’s just making Gordonvale better and better,” she said.
She pointed to the Woolworths’ shopping centre opening last year, and development that would occur around that.
“We’ve got a lot of land to sell, and we’d like to think we are leaving a legacy here – we don’t want to build a Lego town,” Ms Straguszi said.
Mr Straguszi said with many areas offering small lots, people were looking to industrial areas to store toys like boats.
“You can move into a larger piece of dirt here and have all the amenities wrapped around you,” Mr Straguszi said.