Work has started on one of Newstead’s largest apartment projects. Tom Dooley Developments has commenced construction of Solais Residences, a $486 million, 29 level building of 164 apartments and penthouses at 176 Breakfast Creek Road, on a 2,500 square metre site facing Newstead Park and the Brisbane River.
Designed by Plazibat Architects, the building is oriented to its north-east aspect, looking over heritage-listed Newstead House and the parkland around it, with views that open onto two reaches of the river. Because the outlook is across parkland and water rather than neighbouring development sites, it is protected in a way that is unusual this close to the city. Completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2028.
Founder and managing director Tom Dooley said the company had been looking for a site of this kind in Newstead since finishing its Argyle project on the river at Maxwell Street, New Farm, and that the search had been deliberately patient.
When this site became available, I knew immediately that it had the qualities we look for. It offers the combination of connectivity to the city, protected parkland and river views, walking distance to shopping and dining precincts, while being positioned outside the higher-density Gasworks district in Newstead.
Tom Dooley, Founder and Managing Director, Tom Dooley Developments
He pointed to the orientation as the deciding factor. “The north-east orientation and outlook were particularly important,” Mr Dooley said. “Solais will overlook heritage-listed Newstead House and Newstead Park, with views reaching across the Brisbane River in both directions that are protected from future development. Sites with those characteristics are extremely difficult to find, which is why we undertake extensive due diligence and are prepared to wait for the right opportunity.”
The 164 residences are weighted to larger floor plans rather than volume. The mix runs across two bedroom, two bedroom plus multi-purpose room, three bedroom and three bedroom plus multi-purpose room apartments, topped by a limited collection of penthouses. Prices start from $1,698,000.
Amenity is a significant part of the building, with more than 3,000 square metres given over to residents. A full floor on Level 5 is set aside as a residents’ retreat combining wellness, leisure, recreation and work-from-home facilities, and an elevated rooftop retreat adds further wellness, dining and entertaining spaces at the top of the building.
The apartments are presented by TOTAL Property Group. Managing director Adrian Parsons said the start of construction mattered to buyers at the premium end of the market, where certainty of delivery has become part of the purchasing decision.
Buyers at the premium end of the market are increasingly discerning. They are looking closely at location, apartment size and design, amenity, the experience of the developer and builder and, importantly, certainty around delivery.
Adrian Parsons, Managing Director, TOTAL Property Group
Mr Parsons said demand was coming from three directions: owner-occupiers after larger apartments as long-term homes, downsizers moving out of established houses without giving up space or location, and investors looking at tightly held inner-Brisbane precincts. He added that supply of new premium apartments on what he called genuinely blue-chip inner-city sites remained constrained, “particularly large sites with protected parkland and river outlooks”.
Buyers can see the outlook for themselves before the building rises. Tom Dooley Developments has built a 1,392 square metre sales display gallery on the roof of the neighbouring Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct at 194 Breakfast Creek Road, with full size kitchens and bathrooms finished to the standard planned for the apartments.
The project also sits against a broader argument the developer makes about the city. Mr Dooley said that after more than 26 years working across Newstead, New Farm and Kangaroo Point, the company remained confident in Brisbane’s fundamentals, citing population growth, infrastructure investment, employment growth and constrained housing supply, alongside the investment running into the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Project Rundown
| Development Parameter | Proposed Development |
|---|---|
| Address | 176 Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead QLD 4006 |
| Project | Solais Residences |
| Development Value | $486 million |
| Height | 29 levels |
| Residences | 164 apartments and penthouses |
| Mix | Two bedroom, two bedroom plus multi-purpose room, three bedroom and three bedroom plus multi-purpose room apartments, plus a limited collection of penthouses |
| Site Area | 2,500 m² |
| Prices | From $1,698,000 |
| Resident Amenity | More than 3,000 m², including a full floor residents’ retreat on Level 5 (wellness, leisure, recreation and work-from-home facilities) and an elevated rooftop retreat with wellness, dining and entertaining spaces |
| Outlook | North-east facing, overlooking heritage-listed Newstead House and Newstead Park, with protected views across two reaches of the Brisbane River |
| Developer and Builder | Tom Dooley Developments |
| Architect | Plazibat Architects |
| Sales and Marketing | TOTAL Property Group |
| Display Gallery | 1,392 m² sales display gallery on the rooftop of the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct, 194 Breakfast Creek Road |
| Status | Under construction |
| Completion | Fourth quarter of 2028 |
| Project Website | solaisnewstead.com.au |
Tom Dooley Developments is a Brisbane builder-developer with more than 26 years delivering residential projects in the riverside suburbs of Newstead, New Farm and Kangaroo Point. The company both develops and builds its own projects, which is the point it makes most often to buyers: the group that sells the apartment is the group that constructs it, removing the gap between developer and builder that has caused problems elsewhere in the market.
Its recent work includes Argyle at Maxwell Street, New Farm, the riverfront project Mr Dooley cites as the predecessor to the Newstead search. Solais Residences is the company’s largest project to date by value.
Renders and images supplied by Tom Dooley Developments and TOTAL Property Group; renders are indicative and subject to change.
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