Accounting and advisory firm BDO is betting on Brisbane, believing the city's property market will be stimulated beyond the CBD thanks to the multi-billion dollar redevelopment of Queen’s Wharf. The firm believes Destination Brisbane Consortium’s planned resort and entertainment precinct on the Brisbane river will have flow-on effects that reach city-fringe areas and major transport corridors. By the time the development is complete in 2022, Brisbane's population is expected to hit 2.7 million.

“Interest in Brisbane’s housing market is already heightened, due to low interest rates and relative affordability compared to other capital cities, and the Queen’s Wharf announcement is likely to compound with existing demand from local, interstate and international buyers,” said Hung Tran, lead partner of Real Estate and Property at BDO. “While the redevelopment and its effect on the CBD market has been the primary focus since last week’s winning bid announcement, riverside suburbs and those with good accessibility to the precinct may also benefit.”

"Brisbane is already experiencing good rates of growth, and the Queen’s Wharf precinct itself is expected to welcome 8,000 workers to the site, in addition to more than 6,000 public servants and other workers forecasted for the 1 William Street building,” said Tran. "The introduction of multiple luxury hotels to the site and international retail brands will also expose many interstate and international travellers to Brisbane, possibly for the first time, who may then consider a move or investment in the city.”

Tran advises property buyers and developers looking to capitalise on that demand to look to suburbs with existing or proposed river or transport links to Queen’s Wharf, such as those on the CityCat route.