105 Wongawallan Road, Tamborine Mountain

A luxury retreat built by Dreamworld founder John Longhurst has been listed in a Hinterland hotspot favoured by crypto traders.

The striking A-frame home at 105 Wongawallan Rd, Tamborine Mountain was designed as a holiday retreat for the late Gold Coast theme park creator and remains the suburb’s highest recorded residential sale. It last sold sight-unseen for $5.025m in 2021 to a crypto-trading family from New Zealand.

Sprawled over 7.11ha, the property is marketed by Ivy Realty agents, Ivy Wu and Aidan Knox, and goes to auction on June 1.

An A-frame design with expanses of glass captures stunning views

John Longhurst founded Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. Picture: Supplied

It includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a self-contained guest suite, and a triple garage.

There’s also a huge shed, a caretaker’s cottage, dams, a horse facility, and a fully irrigated food forest packed with fruit trees and climbing grapevines.

A lift connects the home’s three levels, with floor-to-ceiling glass framing coastal and Hinterland views.

The interiors feature quirky touches like an elk antler chandelier, while the master bedroom suite is housed in a dramatic wing that juts into the forest canopy, complete with a marble spa ensuite.

A lift connects the home’s three levels

An elk antler chandelier enhances the US ski lodge-inspired style

Mr Knox said the rare estate had drawn unexpected levels of inquiry from overseas and interstate buyers.

“It’s an awesome home and such a different lifestyle,” Mr Knox said. “We’ve had calls from New Zealand, Perth, and Melbourne – all wanting that unique vibe.

“It is such a beautiful estate in a picturesque location with standout architecture.”

Mr Knox said the owners had made their fortune trading digital currency, rolling profits into high-end real estate.

The home has five bedrooms

The marble spa ensuite

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It’s a trend reflecting the broader national interest in cryptocurrency, with new data revealing 57 per cent of Australian coin holders have reported profits over the past year.

The 2025 Independent Reserve Cryptocurrency Index shows 31 per cent of Aussies now own some digital coin.

While 25 to 34-year-olds are the largest cohort of investors at 53 per cent, Baby Boomers are increasingly buying in, with 8 per cent of all owners now aged over 65 — up from 2 per cent five years ago.

Sydel Sierra rolled crypto profits into real estate. Pic: Glenn Hampson

Sydel Sierra, dubbed the Gold Coast’s “crypto queen”, is another cashed-up trader calling Tamborine Mountain home.

Ms Sierra also churned Bitcoin profits into bricks and mortar, splashing $4.63m on a luxury retreat in the Hinterland suburb in December 2021.

She views real estate as a strategic way to “lock in profits from crypto’s volatile cycles”.

“I like to say, it’s time in the market and timing the market,” she said.

“The [Cryptocurrency Index] shows 73.5 per cent of all Australian investors made a profit if they stayed in the game for six to 10 years.

“Bitcoin has had an average annualised return of 86 per cent over the past 10 years — how do you argue with that?”

Movie nights in style

Mr Knox said his clients had put the home on the market as they contemplated their next international move.

M. Longhurst, who died in 2022 aged 90, purchased the site for $2.3m in 2010 from former Gold Coast councillor Eddy Sarroff and reportedly spent $5m redeveloping the estate.

PropTrack data shows the median house price in Tamborine Mountain is $1.015m.

This is general information and not intended as financial advice.

The post Dreamworld founder’s Hinterland retreat hits the market appeared first on realestate.com.au.

What would you do with an extra $1200? Plan a weekend getaway? Pay off some debt or some big bills?

That’s roughly what an average borrower with a loan of $666,000* will have back in their pocket over the course of a year if the Reserve Bank decides to drop the cash rate by 0.25 per cent on the 20th — and banks decide to pass this on to borrowers.

It’s double that if they issue a so-called ‘super-sized’ 0.50 per cent rate cut that’s been floated as a possibility by some senior economists.

Compare the Market economic director David Koch. Photographer: Jono Searle.

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It’s much needed relief for homeowners buckling under the pressure of expensive loans and high interest rates.

I asked the experts at Compare the Market to crunch some numbers.

The average borrower* on an interest rate of 6 per cent is paying roughly $1,500 more a month (that’s about $18,000 more a year) compared to what they would have been paying when some of the most attractive rates in the market were around two per cent during the pandemic.

RBA Governor Michele Bullock. Picture: Nikki Short.

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And remember that’s $18,000 after tax dollars. No wonder borrowers are feeling the cost of living crisis. While it’s unlikely interest rates will ever be that low again, they really shouldn’t be as high as they are now.

Australian homeowners have borne the brunt of the war against inflation. It’s high time we had some relief.

When those well-deserved rate cuts do start to come through, here are my top tips to stretch every dollar a bit further.

Economists are tipping a 50 basis point cut to the official cash rate on May 20. Picture: Gaye Gerard.

1. Make every dollar count

Homeowners may be able to turn their cash rate cut into a five-digit saving over the life of their loan by directing the savings into an offset account.

Compare the Market did the numbers and someone with a $600,000, 30-year loan could save$58,077 over the life of their loan by diverting their $97 in savings from a 0.25 per cent rate cut into an offset account each month.

Offset accounts offer a great incentive to save. And unlike regular savings accounts, you won’t pay tax on the interest you offset.

You’ll also have flexibility to withdraw money from the offset account should you ever need to. Just make sure you’re happy to pay any additional fees your bank might charge for these features.

2. Work that equity

If you’ve owned your home for more than five years, chances are, it’s gone up in value. National property values were up 39 per cent in March 2025, compared to five years ago, and 68 per cent over the decade, according to CoreLogic’s Hedonic Home Value Index.

Homeowners in Adelaide and Brisbane have experienced the biggest increase, up 94 per cent and around 91 per cent, respectively, in that 10-year period.

What that potentially means, is that a lot of people that are lucky enough to own a home, could have a fair bit of equity, assuming they haven’t taken on more debt.

As an added bonus, they could be saving on their home loan with a cheaper rate. Borrowers with a lower loan to value ratio (LVR) are typically seen as a lower risk, which

banks love. Often there are great discounts for people with LVRs of 60 per cent to 70 per cent.

It’s worth doing a quick comparison to see if you could be on a better rate.

Finance guru David Koch has revealed his tips for how to make the best use of any savings from rate cuts. Picture: Monique Harmer.

3. Say you’ll walk

Your bank may have passed on a rate cut but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good deal.

If you haven’t refinanced for a few years, now could be a great time to shop around and look for a better rate. Mortgage brokers can help do some of the heavy lifting for you, calling lenders to negotiate discounts on your behalf.

Remember, if you have a good track record for making repayments on time, and have a

healthy loan to value ratio, banks want your business!

If your lender can’t beat the new rates on the market, it may be time to walk.

*Average loan size of $666,000 published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in December 2024

The post Kochie: How to ‘supersize’ your May rate cut appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Too many Aussies looking for a safe haven for their money are squandering their investments with this simple mistake. Picture: Jason Edwards

Australians who invest in property are typically risk-averse people who perceive bricks and mortar as a safer and simpler investment than shares, bonds and other assets, according to a new study.

The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has just published a research paper on the characteristics and behaviour of landlords based on two decades of data from 2001 to 2021.

AHURI found the main motivations for investing are wealth generation through capital gains, rental income and the tax advantages of negative gearing and the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount. Most landlords see their investments as cornerstone assets to be held over the long term for retirement.

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Australians who invest in property are typically risk-averse people. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

In terms of timing, Australians are more motivated to buy an investment property when the economy is strong or interest rates are low. Landlords are typically sheltered from poor economic conditions because interest rates tend to fall, thereby reducing the biggest cost of holding a property.

There was a mild upward trend in the number of Australians buying investment properties over the two decades. By 2021, there were 2.2 million landlords, which is about 8.7 per cent of the population. About 72 per cent of them owned just one investment property.

AHURI sought to identify the typical Australian landlord through demographics data. It found that Australian investors are more likely aged in their late 40s or early 50s and are tertiary-educated, employed full-time and earning higher than average incomes. They are typically married and own their own homes with a lower than average home mortgage. Geographically, they are spread across the country but there are more in Sydney and Melbourne.

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Australians are more motivated to buy an investment property when the economy is strong or interest rates are low. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

HUGE MISTAKE MANY LANDLORDS ARE MAKING

AHURI also found there are two cohorts among landlords. The first cohort tends to buy and hold their investment properties for the long term, while the second cohort sells within one or two years.

The two decades of data revealed approximately one in five investment properties are sold within the first year or ownership, while 28 per cent are held for more than 20 years.

The median investment period is just two years, which is very concerning. This is because the key to building wealth through property is capital growth, which takes time. This means you have to hold on to your property for several years to truly reap the rewards of your investment.

Additionally, property involves considerable transaction costs, such as stamp duty on the purchase which can be tens of thousands of dollars. Selling within one or two years means you are highly likely to make a net loss on your investment.

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It found that Australian investors are more likely aged in their late 40s or early 50s and are tertiary-educated, employed full-time and earning higher than average incomes. Picture: Richard Dobson

HOLD ON

Time in the market is crucial.

This is why it’s extremely important to do everything you can to ensure you can hold on to your investment through difficult times, such as when high interest rates are higher. The AHURI research found those who sold their investments quickly were typically younger investors aged under 35 years on lower incomes, who had lost their jobs or were not working enough hours.

Some investors sold their assets due to divorce, whilst others couldn’t maintain the loan repayments on both their homes and investments – perhaps because of rising interest rates. Other typical sellers of property investments are older Australians aged 45 to 54 who are nearing retirement. The report suggests some of these investors sell to access their equity so they can help their adult children buy a home. Some transfer their investment properties directly to their children.

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Other financial drivers for selling include increased costs of maintaining the investment, which we’ve seen in recent years due to surging inflation, and tax changes that disincentivise investment, such as the massive land tax increases in Victoria.

Importantly, AHURI found that negative gearing helps landlords manage the costs of holding their investments over the long term. This not only benefits landlords but also tenants by ensuring a large and diverse pool of rental properties remains available for the growing number of Australians who rent their homes.

The post Huge money mistake too many Aussies are making appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Rob and Jacinta Orth have gone from shelling out thousands of dollars a week in rent during Covid to finally having a home to call their own.

The couple were renting on the Sunshine Coast when the pandemic hit, but were soon priced out of the area.

“We got smashed pretty hard when there were no houses available to rent,” Mr Orth said.

“We had to stay in holiday apartments and Airbnbs, and we were paying up to $2000 a week.

“If we didn’t have a newborn baby, we would have slept in cars.

“Then we did get a house, but they kept upping the rent.”

The Orths moved to Caboolture chasing affordable rent while saving to buy a home.

Last month the couple, who have four children, were able to buy a fixer-upper in Caboolture for $640,000.

“Buying the home was a pure fluke,” Mr Orth said.

“We were driving by and saw it was an open house, so we thought we’d come in and sort of practice trying to buy a home.

“We put in a bid in, not thinking we’d get it, but we did.”

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New homeowners Robert and Jacinta Orth with their kids Hamish 3, Mckenzie 5, and Lucus 21, at their home in Caboolture. Picture Lachie Millard

Mr Orth said saving for a deposit in a constantly shifting market was the hardest part of getting onto the property ladder.

“We started saving pre-Covid, but house prices just kept going up,” he said.

“We had to bite the bullet and get into the market, because if we kept waiting we would need to keep saving more and more.”

Now the couple have a mortgage, they are hoping for a rate cut come May 20.

“My oath, that would be lovely,” Mr Orth said.

“Just paying interest alone is $750 a week.

“Any savings we get from a rate cut, we’ll be able to put back into the principal.”

Mr Orth said considering a drop in interest rates may result in prices surging further, he was relieved they had managed to buy now.

“If that happened, we couldn’t buy in Caboolture,” he said

“I was already preparing to move further out to around Kilcoy, travel for work and change the kids’ school before we managed to get this house.”

Mr Orth, a carpenter and electrician said he and his wife chose an older property on a big block so they could add value to it.

“We’re turning it into the house we want,” he said.

“You have to do it that with how the market is – you can’t buy the house you want if you want a decent yard, too.

“Our goal is to bring the value of house up, so if the market does go down we’re still paying a good price for the house.”

The post Qld family moves to afford first home appeared first on realestate.com.au.