The Daintree Rainforest near Cairns in Queensland Australia is considered one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, and is also seeing a very active real estate market, according to real estate agent Mark Whitham from Raine & Horne Mossman.
Whitham, who is currently the only real estate agent living in the area, said: “We have approximately 300 homes in the Daintree Rainforest and about 120 land blocks, yet I’m selling 30 properties a year.”
“I attribute the high turnover to the Daintree’s climate, which is hit with up to six metres of rainfall annually, coupled with the local fauna that you must deal with on a daily basis, such as crocodiles. It really separates the toughies from the rest.”
Despite the challenges of living in such a harsh terrain, there is no shortage of buyers looking to buy a Daintree Rainforest property, revealed Whitham.
“There’s a small segment of second home buyers looking to get out of the city. Many of these people want a block where they can erect a structure or park a caravan to enjoy the natural delights of the rainforest.
“There are also retirees with cash looking for a peaceful and quiet lifestyle, and they make up about 30 percent of buyers, as well as families, who represent another third of buyers.
“We also get a lot of people from Darwin moving away from the humidity of the Top End. It’s hot here but the rainforest does provide some relief from the heat, which you don’t get in the Northern Territory.”
As there are no power mains in the region, every house in the Daintree relies on solar energy backed by generators.
Aside from offering a unique lifestyle, the area’s real estate affordability is also luring buyers.
For instance, Raine & Horne Mossman recently listed a rustic two-bedroom, one bathroom property on nine acres for A$230,000. Whitham has also listed three acres of land at Daintree for A$130,000.
For buyers considering investing in a rainforest property down under, Whitham says now is the time to look into the local property market.
“The dry season between July and December is the best time to visit the Daintree Rainforest if you’re thinking about inspecting a real estate listing in our region,” he noted.
Image: Daintree Rainforest.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
