Mountain Breeze Estate - Land

Area Profile:

Cannonvale

Cannonvale is on the way to Airlie Beach and is fast becoming a prominent business centre. There are two good size shopping centres, two primary schools (one public, one private), plus many other large businesses. Cannonvale is the support base for the boating and tourism industries, plus caters to the tastes and activities of younger families.

Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, a colourful, cosmopolitan and inviting holiday town lying on the shores of a palm fringed beach and overlooking the calm waters of Pioneer Bay dotted with yachts. Airlie is part of a picturesque peninsula that reaches out to the Whitsunday Passage and provides the ideal mainland base for holiday fun and adventure in the Whitsundays.

As you drive into Airlie Beach through the neighbouring community of Cannonvale the road climbs above Abel Point Marina, providing expansive views of the indented coastline, the aquamarine sea and the shapes of distant islands on the horizon. You can't avoid the holiday feeling that scene evokes, nor the relaxed tropical ambience as you wander around the village streets and down to the vast lagoon. Set in landscaped parkland overlooking the bay, Council's Award Winning Airlie Beach Lagoon provides stinger free swimming with lifeguard attendants and a children's pool.

Airlie Beach offers visitors a broad array of accommodation from stylish resort hotels on the water's edge and apartments on the hillside overlooking the panorama of beach, bay and islands, to bed and breakfast options, motels, camping and caravan parks as well as a host of backpacker accommodation. Airlie provides many of the essential services for travellers in the region and the town's shopping areas are open seven days a week. Every Saturday the foreshore parkland turns into a bustling market with stalls selling fresh fruit and veggies, local arts and crafts and all manner of goods under the shade of coconut palms.

The mainland's dining and entertainment options centre around Airlie Beach, ranging from silver service resort dining to al fresco cafes and cheap eats, while Airlie's clubs and bars provide plenty of entertainment well into the night.

Airlie Beach Lagoon

The Airlie Beach Lagoon was officially opened by the Premier of Queensland on 8 January 2001.
Once the Lagoon was built, its physical attributes were and remain there for all to see and appreciate, and even outperform the natural attractions of other venues.

The experiences on offer are not just a result of the physical facilities but rather a combination of natural and man-made attributes that allow a visitor to enjoy Airlie Beach, with all its security and support.

Within three short years, the Lagoon has become the focal and topical point of the area. When you want to meet someone, you meet at the Lagoon. If you want to position your accommodation venues, it is a few hundred metres from the Lagoon. If you want a great day of relaxation with no admission fee.... spend a day at the Lagoon. And the most rewarding thing of all is that the people of The Whitsundays have taken the Lagoon to their heart as much as our tourists and visitors.

Awards

WINNER 2006 Australia's Friendliest Beach Challenge (Airlie Beach)
WINNER 2006 Queensland's Friendliest Beach Challenge (Airlie Beach)
WINNER 2005 Whitsunday Tourism Awards, Significant Attraction (Airlie Beach Lagoon)
WINNER 2006 Whitsunday Tourism Awards, Significant Attraction (Airlie Beach Lagoon)

The Airlie Beach Lagoon is 4,300sqm and 4.5 million litres of fresh, self chlorinated water, located parallel to the Main Street, on the foreshore of Airlie Beach. It is built on a raised breakwater, giving an excellent view out to the Coral Sea and Whitsunday Islands.

Area Major Initiative

Recent meeting by Bowen: Collinsville Economic Consortium (BCE). The purpose of the presentation was to confirm current, future and growth forecasts for the Northern Economic Triangle (NET). Presenters included:

Ergon Energy David Shepherd CEO Ergon Asset Management

Queensland Rail Bryce Jones GM QRail

Ports Coal Queensland (PCQ) Matthew McGinn Regional Relationship Manager Abbott Point

There were significant positive factors for consideration by investors emanating from each of the presenters:

1. The expansion of Abbott Point to be developed into a dedicated harbour with bulk commodity multi-export function to service the NET at a cost of $700 million for completion by 2010. Abbott Point is 40 minutes from Mountain Breeze Estate.

2. Currently Abbott Point exports 20 million tons of coal P.A. to China. The expansion will see this increase to 75 million tons by 2012 and 100 million tons by 2014. This expansion creates potential for the establishment of an Aluminium Smelter, Nickle and Oil Shale facilities. There are other ports at Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point but they are both land locked and close to residential housing inhibiting further expansion.

3. The contract has been awarded to Hollands for commencement in October 2008 attracting a workforce of 1000 men into the area.

4. QRail have approved the electrification of the line, replacing the current cost ineffective, diesel-powered locomotives between March 2010 and 2014 that will include track improvements and infrastructure at an estimated cost of $1.4 billion.

5. The fundamental driver of the expansion program is the export growth of coking coal to China from Abbott Point.

6. There are talks currently underway between State Governments to build a rail link from Kalgoorlie WA to Abbott Point due to the capacity at Abbott Point.

This area, favourably located at the gateway to the fabulous Whitsunday Islands, provides a wonderful opportunity for investors who are seeking income from property investment in an area of residential growth that is facilitated by Australia's current resource boom. The demand for rental properties in the area is far greater than the existing supply, with a vacancy factor well under 1%.