Offering more than 1,600 residential lots across eight precincts, Beachside Dundowran Beach will be the largest new community in Hervey Bay’s history.
The sprawling masterplanned development by QM Properties—set on Queensland’s popular Fraser Coast—will offer homesites ranging between 450sqm and 2,200sqm, released in stages over the next decade.
Precinct 1, known as Brush Box, has already hit the market, offering 2,000sqm premium lots surrounded by bushland and within walking distance to the beach.
Damien Ross, General Sales Manager at QM Properties, said Beachside Dundowran Beach is an “infill site” with 2.1km of coastal land, and the added benefit of established amenities and infrastructure nearby.
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Beachside Dundowran Beach, aerial view.
“It’s the biggest estate of its kind in Hervey Bay history, in a unique location,” Mr Ross said.
“What’s so special is that it’s actually some of the last beachfront land anywhere in that area, but especially at that size.
“Dundowran Beach has always been known as a high-end area because the properties are quite prestigious, on large, half-acre blocks, whereas the average Hervey Bay block would be around 600sqm.”
Mr Ross said the estate’s first couple of stages would have “over 200 lots around 2,000sqm” and the rest of the estate will offer more standard 450 to 800sqm lots.
Buyers waking up to former “sleepy” seaside town
Home to pristine family-friendly beaches, and close to the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage-listed K’gari (formerly Fraser Island), Hervey Bay is an idyllic coastal township long popular with retirees and holidaymakers.
Hervey Bay is coming of age and attracting attention.
However, its wealth of natural attractions and relative affordability are drawing attention among buyers seeking a more permanent coastal lifestyle.
“Hervey Bay has been known as a retirement type of town, but in the last couple of years we’ve realised there’s a lot of opportunity there—particularly for people priced out of the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane area who are looking for seaside [locations],” Mr Ross said.
Positioned on the Fraser Coast, about 290km north of Brisbane, Hervey Bay enjoys a laid-back pace in a scenic setting, but with access to amenities including an airport, town centre, hospitals, schools and convenient transport links.
It is also an accredited whale heritage site that offers some of the world’s best whale-watching experiences.
“It’s that great lifestyle and it’s quite affordable, but there’s also a lot of infrastructure,” Mr Ross said.
He added that a Sheraton hotel has been approved for the waterfront, and the recently completed
The area offers some of the world’s best whale watching opportunities.
Gympie Bypass—linking Hervey Bay to the Sunshine Coast and other Queensland regions—has reduced the travel time to Brisbane “by about 15 to 20 minutes”.
“So there’s a lot more focus and interest in the Hervey Bay area. Instead of being a sleepy little seaside town, it’s really come of age.”
The median house price in Dundowran Beach is currently $1,180,000 for the 12 months to January 2025, realestate.com.au data shows, with annual price growth of 19.5%.
The suburb has recorded solid growth across the last five years, with the median house price increasing steadily from $565,000 in February 2020.
Lots currently selling at Beachside Dundowran Beach are listed around the $500,000s to $600,000-plus, which includes the larger sites.
Strong interest from local upgraders, seachangers
Despite only starting construction on the site in December, Mr Ross said “word of mouth got around” in Hervey Bay, leading to strong buyer interest and early sales.
“We’ve only released two stages, and I think we’ve sold 70% of the first stage and roughly 20% of the second stage,” he said.
Two stages of Beachside Dundowran Beach have currently been released.
“A lot of people have found out that we own the site, so they’ve been contacting us over the last two years. We have had a few hundred clients that have shown interest.”
So far, buyers into the community have been between 30-60 years old and primarily owner-occupiers upgrading to their second home or seeking a lifestyle change. Some are interstate buyers from Victoria but primarily they are local to the Fraser Coast or Brisbane areas.
“It’s been mainly people who are upgrading from a standard residential lot to a larger home, but there are a lot of people who live in the established Dundowran Beach area where they’re living in a 20 or 30-year-old home, or older,” Mr Ross explained.
“So they’re selling those to buy this land because they want to build something new—whether it be with a shed, storage for a boat or caravan, or a couple of extended families looking to build a larger house with a granny flat.
“With these sizes you have a lot of options.”
The first release offered 2,000sqm premium lots surrounded by bushland and within walking distance to the beach.
As the community grows over the next 10 years, Mr Ross said there will be more shared spaces for residents to enjoy. Future stages are proposed to include playgrounds, a district park and recreational areas.
The eight precincts will be named after local flora as a symbol of the setting’s special connection to nature, he added.
“We’re really going to make sure that it’s an environmentally sensitive, well-designed estate that is going to be a real landmark for Hervey Bay.”
