Toowoomba farmers and business owners are investing in Gold Coast waterfront property. Budds Beach median prices hit $1.25M as major tower development gets council approval.
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Budds Beach median house prices reached $1.25 million in the June quarter, up 18 per cent from the same period in 2025, according to CoreLogic data released this week.
The lift follows Gold Coast City Council approval last month for the $360 million residential tower on the former surf club site. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2027 and will add 280 apartments directly on the Nerang River foreshore.
Local buyers drive demand
Toowoomba farmers and business owners have accounted for six of the 22 waterfront sales at Budds Beach since January. Many cite the $10 billion Inland Rail project and new housing estates at Highfields and Glenvale as reasons they are locking in coastal assets now. The agricultural sector continues to underpin local wealth, with grain and livestock exporters using the rail link to reach Brisbane port within four hours.
Properties on River Drive and Skiff Court have cleared at 8 to 12 per cent above reserve in the past three auctions. One four-bedroom home at 14 River Drive sold for $1.48 million on 28 June after three local bidders competed.
Market signals and next steps
Statewide, Queensland’s median dwelling price sits at $490,000, but waterfront suburbs within an hour of the Gold Coast airport continue to outperform. The little-known first-home buyer stamp duty concession, available to three million eligible Australians, has also encouraged younger Toowoomba families to consider entry-level units in the approved tower once released.
Buyers should inspect blocks along the river before the next round of titles are released in September. Local agents report 14 contracts currently under offer in the immediate Budds Beach precinct, with settlement dates clustered around December 2026.
