Ex Turf Farm

No need for curb and channel in development or clear tree’s, ex turf farm easy development.

Take this opportunity to develop in one of Queensland’s Top Hot Spots.

Gatton Lockyer Valley, about 90km west of Brisbane

$500 million prisons facility; upgrade of Ipswich Motorway; University of Queensland campus (new veterinary school in planning); strong economy based on agriculture and education; $300 million residential estate.

Having a major prison next door is generally not something that delights a town’s residents.
But when government decides to spend $500 million creating a facility that will employ over 1,700 people in a town of 8,000, the economic and property benefits are inescapable. Gatton, a country town in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, faces the prospect of having its population almost double as a result of a single project. The Queensland State Government announced late in 2006 that Gatton was the chosen location for the purchase of 680show more hectares on which to build, eventually, five separate prison facilities. The first phase of this major undertaking will see a 300-bed women’s prison and a 500-bed men’s prison constructed at a cost of about $500 million and scheduled to be operational in 2011 or 2012. Other facilities will follow and by 2016 the site will have five correctional facilities and 3,000 inmates. Within three years the facility will provide 380 staff jobs and ultimately, when all the proposed facilities are built, there will be 1,750 working there. If the typical employee has a partner and two kids, this will add 7,000 people to the area’s population. Other businesses will spring off the new complex, creating further jobs and new residents.

Gatton, with a town population of 8,000, could almost double in size because of this government decision. Neighbouring towns like Laidley and Esk may also benefit, and larger centres such as Toowoomba (30 minutes away) and Ipswich may experience some real estate impact from the influx of workers.

Gatton was already a healthy rural community, with an economy based on agriculture and a university campus, prior to this decision. Gatton is the main town in the Lockyer Valley, which is blessed with rich soil and has evolved into a major source of vegetables for South East Queensland. The town centre – tidy, nicely landscaped and busy – reflects a prosperous rural centre. The town also has a significant campus of the University of Queensland, a facility which was previously known as the Queensland Agricultural College. UQ Gatton offers courses in agribusiness, agriculture, animal studies, environmental management and horticulture. The campus website says: “Graduates of UQ Gatton include a Deputy Prime Minister, state premiers and ministers, a Rhodes Scholar and many distinguished industry leaders.” A new Veterinary School is planned for the university campus, which will bring in more students and increase pressure on local rental accommodation.

Other major employers in the area include
- Nolan’s Transport,
- Pohlmans Nursey and
- Helidon Explosives.

The decision to build the prison complex there gives the town three major pistons driving its economy and fuelling demand in its property market: agriculture, education and the correctional facility.

There has been a lot of inquiry from investors around Australia and from people who work in the prisons industry. The Sunday Mail reported: “Queensland’s newest correctional facility is transforming the sleepy town of Gatton into a goldfield – ripe for fossicking. Gatton locals are ready to welcome their new neighbours, excited by the prospect of an economic boom.

“The State Government will inject $15 million into community infrastructure in the next 18 months and it’s a trade-off which has converted even the most earnest prison sceptics. The result of the debate and bargain process was a $7.5 million library, art gallery and truck museum; a 50-metre heated swimming pool; and a combined emergency services complex.”

“All of a sudden, people are interested in the town.

Gatton is the principal town of Gatton Shire, which has a population of about 17,000. The council elections of 15 March 2008 herald its merger with Laidley Shire to create the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.

It sits on the Warrego Highway which links Ipswich City, southwest of Brisbane, with the city of Toowoomba. There is also a rail link between the two cities.
“Today Gatton lies in the heart of a rich farming area where the fertile black soils provide huge crops of potatoes, onions and vegetables for the Brisbane markets.
The area is also known for its beef and dairy industries.”

Please note: advertised price is without GST, GST will need to be added.