Ausbuild Reveals $400m Masterplan at South Ripley

One of South-East Queensland’s fastest-growing corridors could soon be home to another major residential project, with Ausbuild announcing a $400-million masterplan for South Ripley.

Eight developers competed for the 64.74ha South Ripley masterplan site that attracted 146 enquiries from Queensland and interstate groups, with Ausbuild securing the land this week for $45 million.

The site was sold by Ray White Special Projects Queensland on behalf of the long-standing landowners, the Rawlings family, after an expressions-of-interest campaign.

Ray White Special Projects Queensland director Mark Creevey said the campaign had eight formal offers from “well-credentialled groups”.

Creevey said the sale “highlights not only the confidence in Ripley Valley, but also the ongoing development demand of well-located, large-scale development sites in South-East Queensland”.

Ausbuild head of acquisitions Dean Barwick said the South Ripley acquisition “further strengthens our housing supply pipeline and aligns with Ausbuild’s long-term acquisition strategy of procuring large well-located development sites”.

“South Ripley represents exactly the type of opportunity we look for—a substantial landholding in a high-growth corridor with strong infrastructure planning and community amenities already in place,” Barwick said.  

On the heels of the sale, Ausbuild has announced a proposal for 58-116 Coleman Road of 429 lots from 262sq m to 908sq m, at 410sq m on average, with potential to expand close to about 500 homes.

Ausbuild joint managing director Matt Bell said the masterplanned community would be a significant investment in one of South-East Queensland’s most promising growth corridors, with the broader region projected to deliver 48,750 homes to house more than 130,000 people.

▲ A rendering of Verso’s planned Ripley Town Centre retail expansion.

“With $400 million in gross realisation and approximately 500 or more homes planned, this project will make a meaningful contribution to addressing housing supply in the Ipswich region while creating substantial green space for the community to enjoy,” Bell said.

Almost 46 per cent of the site would be preserved for conservation, with around 30ha dedicated to environmental protection and nearly 5.5ha for parklands and recreational spaces.

The site is near the Coles Ripley Town Centre, Ripley Valley State School, Ripley Valley State Secondary College and Harmony Early Education Centre.

The Ripley population was 20,406 as of June 2024 and recorded a 15.27 per cent year-on-year increase—more than 2000 new residents—in the 2024-2025 financial year.

Other developments in the Ripley area include Verso Development Group’s $1.5-billion Ripley Town Centre expansion, which would add 9000sq m of retail and 94 townhouses, and MG Land’s $107-million proposal for 335 townhouses at 770-774 Ripley Road.

Griffith Group this month sold five freestanding retail assets at Ripley Central for a combined $26.1 million. The mixed-use precinct featuring retail and services precinct anchored by brands including Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Subway and Bottlemart attracted more than 400 enquiries.

The development follows Ausbuild’s $40-million acquisition last month of a 13.9ha development site at Chambers Flat, which is the largest residential land transaction in Brisbane’s southern growth corridor this year.