The Queensland government has officially passed a plan that will see hundreds of new homes built in these key inner-city Brisbane neighbourhoods.  

The Woolloongabba Priority Development Area (PDA) has been officially amended and implemented by the Queensland government, paving the way for an influx of new housing in Brisbane’s inner city. 

A PDA is a designated area in Queensland identified for land development to deliver benefits for the surrounding community and support economic growth. 

First declared in 2023, the Woolloongabba PDA covers about 106 hectares across Woolloongabba, Kangaroo Point, East Brisbane and South Brisbane. Under the amended scheme, the plan is expected to fast-track the delivery of over 16,000 new homes for up to 24,000 residents. 

In addition to housing, the scheme also enables key infrastructure projects, including a new indoor sports stadium, planning for the future of the Gabba Stadium, and the retention of East Brisbane State School. 

In August 2025, the government opened community consultation for the development scheme after revising the Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area. Initially earmarked to include an athletes’ village for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, that area could now see up to 10,000 new homes built. 

At that time, the government said the amended Woolloongabba scheme would feature a new entertainment precinct and transform the Gabba Stadium into a lifestyle hub following the Olympic Games. 

Queensland deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie said the updated Woolloongabba PDA scheme would cut delays in getting new homes built. 

“This plan will accelerate the delivery of up to 16,000 new homes and reduce the end cost of a home by removing unnecessary red tape and increasing flexibility,” Mr Bleijie said. 

“Industry has told us repeatedly that it can deliver more housing in Woolloongabba by removing onerous conditions and better responding to market constraints. 

“This plan will support a more flexible, performance-based approach to housing and infrastructure delivery that is in step with the area’s growth – delivering the right infrastructure, at the right times in line with local needs.” 

Queensland Property Council executive director Jess Caire said the industry backed the amended scheme. 

“It is reassuring that the government has listened to industry’s concerns about the barriers to delivering more housing that were present under the previous development scheme,” Ms Caire said. 

“The updated PDA has been supported and informed by industry and will unlock the property sector’s capacity to deliver housing in Woolloongabba at a time when constrained project feasibilities remain the single biggest impediment to new housing supply.” 

Are you interested in learning more about buying and building new? Visit our New Homes section. 

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A shocking discovery on an elderly Victorian homeowner’s roof has sparked a stern $44,000 warning to Australians, as possum infestations skyrocket across the country, wreaking havoc in homes.

Wildlife rescuers were recently called to a property in the Macedon Ranges after a young brushtail possum was found trapped in a wire cage and left exposed to harsh overnight conditions.

The native animal, suffering facial injuries and dehydration, had been caught on a frustrated pensioner’s roof, a spokesperson for the volunteer-run Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network told Yahoo News.

Another person had set up the trap to assist the pensioner, but “unfortunately no follow-up plan was put in place” for its welfare or release, they explained.

“Once the homeowner realised the possum had been caught, they did the right thing by reporting the situation to Wildlife Victoria so that help could be provided.”

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While the homeowner’s intentions weren’t malicious, the incident highlights a growing trend of Aussies taking matters into their own hands to deal with a national increase in possum invasions – often without realising the hefty penalties for breaking strict wildlife protection laws.

The $44,000 possum problem

Under Victorian law, homeowners are allowed to trap and release possums from their roof spaces, but only if they follow stringent regulations.

These include using approved traps, checking them within two hours of sunrise, and releasing the possum no more than 50m from where it was caught.

Breaching these rules can result in fines of up to $44,380 or even two years in prison.

In this case, the elderly homeowner avoided penalties after reporting the situation to Wildlife Victoria, allowing the possum to be rescued and treated by licensed carers.

Across Australia, it is illegal to trap possums, or catch and release them without a licence.

Possum infestations on the rise

The warning comes as new data reveals a surge in possum-related issues across Australia.

According to new Airtasker data, possum infestations are peaking right now, with demand for possum removal services soaring 40 per cent in August compared to previous months – and a 15 per cent year-on-year rise in September.

Melbourne has been crowned the nation’s possum capital, with licensed Pest Technician and Tasker Ibby El-Jamal naming the city’s inner east as ground zero for possum chaos, with removal tasks there running at three times the national average.

“Melbourne’s combination of possum-friendly old housing with gaps and roof cavities can make DIY removal tricky, which when breed like wildfire,” he says.

“The noisy breeding and fighting is a nuisance at all hours, especially when it’s dark, as they are nocturnal, and people would rather pay a pest control expert than do it themselves.

“That leads to high demand, as proven by the amount of possum removal tasks posted on Airtasker.”

The inner east is followed closely by Melbourne’s inner south, with both regions having a rate of tasks per 100,000 population 300 per cent higher than the national average.

Sydney suburbs like North Sydney, Hornsby and the Northern Beaches also made the top 10 possum hotspots, but Melbourne still takes the crown, with 60 per cent more removal jobs than Sydney.

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On the northern beaches of the Coffs Harbour region, a rare opportunity to secure an address in a unique coastal village is on offer.

In the tightly held town of Woolgoolga, new land releases are scarce despite the keen amount of interest in the area’s relaxed coastal lifestyle.

With its first release just launched, Swell Woolgoolga by Clarence Property is a one-of-a-kind chance for buyers to secure an affordable property in the heart of this vibrant community.

“Large land releases and master-planned communities in northern NSW are hard to come by particularly this close to the beach and amenity,” says Jim Hillery, Development Manager at Clarence Property.

The Coffs Coast’s vibrant hidden gem

Woolgoolga is a dream for tourists and property seekers alike, beloved for its rugged coastline and headland outlook, village charm and nature to explore including Woolgoolga Falls in nearby Wedding Bells State Forest.

“It has an abundance of amazing surfing beaches with a unique coastal village atmosphere and culture,” says Mr Hillery.

“It really is an unmatched lifestyle opportunity.”

The area is also proudly multicultural, with the famous Curryfest celebrating Woolgoolga’s Punjabi community every year through food, music, and dancing.

The town’s appeal has only grown over time, with the median house price in the area increasing by 53% in the past five years according to realestate.com.au data.

Even with this price growth, the town remains closely held with developments like Swell being a rarity.

“Vacant land sales in the Woolgoolga catchment have been at their lowest volume for over a decade since 2022,” says Joshua Brinkley, Associate Director of Urban Economics.

“Ongoing population growth in the locality suggests that demand and price growth will continue to outpace new supply for the foreseeable future.”

Design with lifestyle in mind

Swell Woolgoolga will ultimately hold over 210 homesites, ranging from 472sqm to 1,018sqm.

“Most homesites have been benched and retained to maximise the useable area and provide efficient house building platform for buyers to build their dream home,” says Mr Hillery.

“A large percentage of these lots also benefit from direct frontage to open space.”

Beyond each individual homesite, Swell is a community that has been crafted with the coastal lifestyle that buyers are looking for in mind.

Swell surrounds the newly built $28M Wiigulga Sports Complex, giving easy access to a cafe, playground, indoor and outdoor sport facilities, and function rooms that host community events and classes.

Along with picturesque walking paths, the masterplan encourages activity and connection for residents.

“Swell is also only 1.5 kilometres from Woolgoolga Beach which was recently named Australia’s best mainland beach by Tourism Australia for 2025,” says Mr Hillery.

Swell is surrounded by amenity and convenience, only a short walk from Woolgoolga High School and close to local supermarkets, libraries, medical services, and more.

While residents in Swell will enjoy Woolgoolga’s real coastal village atmosphere, Mr Hillery explains that the city life is within reach as well.

“Woolgoolga is only a 25-minute drive to Coffs Harbour, which provides access to universities, the airport, private schools, hospital, and specialist medical facilities,” he says.

Why demand is building fast

Developed by the expert team at Clarence Property, Swell is the latest quality residential community by the local developer.

Following on from their success at Casuarina Beach, Epiq Lennox Head, and Yamba Quays, Swell draws on the developer’s experience in creating communities with meaningful impact and smart design.

“Clarence Property Corporation has found a niche in developing new communities in coastal northern NSW,” says Mr Hillery.

“Over time, we have learned that new developments need to add value to the communities they are going into, and we really do strive to do that.”

Mr Hillery explains that in their developments, they have listened to what northern NSW buyers are looking for: comfortably sized land, access to lifestyle, amenity, and beaches, and well-connected communities.

With such a strong offering in a highly sought-after, yet undersupplied location, Swell has already seen very strong demand in the first two weeks, with over 60% of Stage 1 homesites already sold.

Woolgoolga agency Cardow + Partners have been appointed as exclusive agents for Swell.

Nicole Cardow, Principal, says many locals had registered their interest ahead of the recent launch to be the first in line to secure their preferred homesite.

“There has been a lot of interest from local families so far, but the types of buyers have been a real mix including downsizers as well as those looking to relocate to the Coffs Coast,” says Ms Cardow.

“People love living in this area so there has been significant pent-up demand due to a real lack of quality land releases in the area.”

Swell’s first release, The Retreat, comprises just 30 homesites priced from $490,000 and, with land settlements anticipated in mid-2026, buyers are urged to act quickly to secure their choice of homesite now.

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Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor Michele Bullock has expressed concerns over Australia’s housing supply crisis and its reliance on investors who can “exacerbate the cycle”.

Governor Michele Bullock has shared her views on the current state of the housing market while also facing questions on inflation, interest rates, and jobs at a Senate hearing in Canberra this week.

Ms Bullock was pushed to provide a view on Australia’s housing shortage crisis, including what steps she believes the government should be taking to address rising prices and continuing low stock concerns.

“The issue with the housing market is supply and demand – we have demand for housing that outstrips the supply of housing and it’s occurring both in housing prices and rents,” she said. “There’s more demand for rental properties than there are rentals available.”

Ms Bullock was quick to acknowledge there was no easy fix for the government but said the country has “got to get supply of housing moving”.

“My observations, certainly living in New South Wales, is the governments are trying very hard,” she said. “But it involves planning, it involves construction and a whole series of other things governments are looking at and I encourage them to keep looking at.”

The governor acknowledged the market was further complicated by innate structures that relied on investors.

“Investors can exacerbate the cycle of the housing market,” she said. “It’s complex because on one hand investors do buy houses, but then they rent them out to people.”

Ms Bullock said there had been concerns in the past that people were borrowing too much, causing Loan to Value Ratios (LVR) to rise.

“That introduces vulnerabilities into the system, which is a concern,” she added. “But at the moment though, we don’t see it manifesting in a severe way. We aren’t seeing LVRs and debt-to-income ratios rising substantially. That’s a positive.”

Despite this, Ms Bullock acknowledged the Reserve Bank had previously highlighted that investment in Australia needs to be watched closely in order not to aggravate property cycles further.

The government took a substantive step with international investment earlier this year, introducing a ban on foreign buyers for two years in order to help stabilise the market.

While the step is expected to make a tangible difference, Ms Bullock pointed out that Australia is still unusually heavily reliant on investors and housing stock is not as diversified as in other major economies.

“It’s not just the lack of public housing stock in Australia but build to rent, corporation-owned housing and pension fund-owned housing options,” she said.

“In Australia, the rental stock is a bit unusual because it’s effectively owned by investors. The question is if there were less investors, would there be more houses to buy? You’d still have a need for renting so, who is going to provide the rental stock? It’s a complicated situation.”

Ms Bullock told the Senate she remained confident that investor behaviour was currently in line with the bank’s expectations.

“At the moment, what we observe with investors is typically what we observe in these cycles, which is that investors are the first ones to pick up,” she said.

Despite being pushed by the committee, Ms Bullock said she was not going to suggest government policies on housing or other levers the government could pull to improve Australia’s housing crisis.

“My policy that I have control over is the interest rate,” she said. “But supply is the big thing here. It’s been a structural issue for many years.”

This article first appeared on Mortgage Choice and has been republished with permission.

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