After 25 years in Melbourne, Oreana is expanding its footprint across Australia, recently completing our first Queensland acquisition and our first project in Western Australia. These two states have been strategically targeted due to their growth opportunities, particularly Queensland, where we are making substantial investments to build our presence. This includes the relocation of Project Director Nimai Hawkins to Brisbane where he is focused on the strategic acquisition of land developments.

Our first Queensland project will kick off in 2025 in Morayfield, where we have secured a prime 21-hectare masterplanned community with approval for 252 lots, and to include a new park, infrastructure upgrades and neighbourhood hub. It follows the completion of our first early education centre in Baldivis in Perth with our partner Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten.

Oreana Managing Director and co-founder Tony Sass says the intent is to apply Oreana’s successful model to new markets, specifically targeting growth areas.

“In Australia’s growth areas we see a huge opportunity to bring integrated housing and community amenity together, servicing the needs of new communities,” he says. “Greenfield development is key to solving Australia’s housing affordability and supply issue and requires an approach that delivers housing alongside essential community and social infrastructure such as early education and retail, delivering critical social and economic benefits to these areas.

“Over the past 12 months we have focused on placing ourselves in a position to take advantage of opportunities in the current market. We now have the ability and capability to expand nationally and see Queensland as critical to our success.” Hawkins says Queensland offers substantial opportunity as internal migration continues to drive population growth.

“This acquisition stands out as one of the few DA approved sites of scale that has come to market in the burgeoning Moreton Bay growth corridor. This project fits our vision of delivering integrated communities with extensive on-site facilities, including retail and recreational amenity.”

To support our national expansion we have placed an increasing focus on securing high-calibre hires, including luring Hawkins from Development Victoria in 2020. We also appointed Kate Aston as Director of Marketing, Communications & Sales recently. With noteworthy experience on the ground in multiple markets – Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane – Kate has led teams who have successfully launched masterplan communities of state significance for Peet, Avid Property Group and Wel.Co. Kate joins General Manager Ken Munro, also recruited for his national experience leading major award-winning developments for Frasers Property, Dennis Family Corporation, Dahua Group Australia and MAB Corporation.

“The decisions we are making all ladder up to a strategic purpose to turn our sights to new markets, which will enable exponential growth over the next five years,” Sass says.

“We have a lot of confidence in Australia’s growth areas and believe increased immigration and various government housing initiatives all bode well for ongoing expansion.

“We see ongoing opportunity in growth areas interstate, where Oreana can deliver land lots, residential built form, convenience retail and early education. It is critical in these new areas that this social amenity and mix of residential product is available to residents from day one.”