Location is everything for these luxurious new developments, whether overlooking the Brisbane River or a stone’s throw from glamorous Surfers Paradise.

Buyers in the market for an apartment well may be spoiled for choice.

Boutique Chevron Island

Even if you’re not a Gold Coast local, you’ve probably heard of Surfers Paradise, famous for its glitz and glamour.

You’re perhaps less likely, however, to be familiar with Chevron Island, an exclusive and slower-paced urban island in the very same neighbourhood.

This boutique development offers 42 luxury apartments on the north-east corner of the island, surrounded by the Nerang River.

The 14-storey building, designed by award-winning BDA Architects, hosts several floor plan options, from two-bedroom homes to four-bedroom penthouses.

The majority of apartments available in the project are two and three-bedroom stock, starting from $499,000.

The development will be home to several high-end amenities, including a pool and spa, gym, rooftop yoga centre, residents’ lounge, barbecue facilities, zen garden and a specialised co-working space.

CEO of Draycon Building Howard Dabit said the project’s design had been responsive to lifestyle changes brought about by the pandemic.

“What we’ve done, which makes this building very unique compared to a lot of the others that are being built at the Gold Coast at the moment, is we adopted the co-work space environment, right from day one,” he said.

“A lot of people are saying because of covid, they want to work from home, they feel more comfortable, and it’s giving them a lot more flexibility.”

The communal space will feature free internet, meeting booths, lounges, a kitchenette, and an array of snacks and drinks. Residents will also have the option to work outside, and to socialise within the space.

Interiors will feature sound-insulated timber floors, European appliances and for those on upper floors, the option to customise elements of the kitchen and butler’s pantry.

Mr Dabit said the superior quality of the project was aided by the fact Draycon was both builder and developer.

“The ideology of the building is the same, you don’t have the developer thinking one way and the builder trying to lessen the quality to ensure that he can make a bigger profit,” he said.

“Because we’re one, we get to integrate that and make it so that we’re happy with the profit levels that we’re making, and we want to provide the quality for the end user, and that’s the advantage of having a builder/developer in such a project.”

The project has begun construction, and is set to be completed about July 2022.

Brookfield Gallery House

Gallery House, 7-11 Wharf Street, Hamilton Photo: Supplied

This riverside development in the blue-chip Brisbane suburb of Hamilton is selling fast, with more than 90 per cent of apartments sold across the two towers.

With both stages completed last year, Gallery House offers 300 apartments, including one to four-bedroom homes, skyhomes and penthouses.

Many of the homes are afforded sweeping views of the Brisbane River, with others facing north to overlook the city’s inner suburbs.

Remaining on the market is a small cross-section of apartments on offer, starting from $387,000 for a two-bedroom unit and from $2,295,000 for penthouses.

Managing director of TOTAL Property Group Adrian Parsons said the development had attracted strong interest from local Brisbane residents.

“We’ve found that the development has been in very high demand since June, where people have either been buying their first home from our one and two-bedroom range, or people have been downsizing from larger homes into a prime riverfront two, three or four-bedroom apartment,” he said.

“People really just love the aspect of living on the river, and the location at Portside Wharf with the recent completion of the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade makes accessibility from Portside into the city more convenient.

“With the River Walk that has been established, it’s added a new lifestyle element to living in the precinct.”

Mr Parsons said the apartments’ oversized design was perfect for the downsizer market.

“I think one of the main things when people are looking at downsizing from a house is they’re worried that they’re going to compromise too much by moving into an apartment in terms of space, so when these apartments were designed, it was clearly understood who the target market would be,” he said.

“Whether they’re a three-bedroom or a four-bedroom, they’ve got really large living areas, lots of open wide living areas that front onto the river, also with large balconies.

“Not only do the apartments have generous storage inside, but buyers can also buy basement storage areas for other things they may want to store.”

Market Lane