Bastion Reveals 30-Storey Slender Surfers Paradise Tower

Bastion Group is maximising the yield of a small but significant corner site sandwiched between Northcliffe Beach and the Nerang River. 

The developer wants to build a luxury 100-unit, 30-level tower dubbed Surfer on the site at 25 and 27 Vista Street and 2959 Surfers Paradise Boulevard.

It is 50m from the Northcliffe light rail station and 170m from the Gold Coast Highway.

The block is within Gold Coast Light Rail Urban Renewal Area overlays, which aim to encourage revitalisation and densification of areas near light rail stations.

The Gold Coast developer, led by chief executive Alex Wood, filed its $180-million plans to develop the 1231sq m site in the high-density residential zone.

According to Cotality’s RP Data, 25 Vista Street was sold for $3.5 million in May 2025, and the site was amalgamated with 2959 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, which was acquired in 2023, and 27 Vista Street, which was acquired for $3 million, also in 2023. 

The proposal filed with the City of Gold Coast comprises 25 apartments and 75 units for short-term accommodation, all of two bedrooms.

▲ Renderings of the proposed slender tower that would sit on the irregular-shaped lot that was amalgamated from three sites.

The apartments would deliver more of an “underrepresented unit mix and typology” in this part of Surfers Paradise, the DA filed during the December holiday season said. 

Designed by Studio Snell Architects, the apartments would sit atop food and drink premises and a retail outlet on the ground floor.

A communal open space on level 4 would include a gym, barbecue area, pool and sauna as well as lounge and dining facilities for residents.

Two low-density homes would make way for the tower, which would not include a basement, the development application said, therefore minimally disrupting the nearby light rail service. 

▲ The Tower, which would include extensive landscaping, would cover 44 per cent of the site.

It would have 45 carparks. Norfolk pine trees on the site would be retained. 

The application said that the development “represents a logical and desirable form of land use” with a built form that is  “respectful of, and complementary to” the character of the area, which is quickly densifying.

Construction, expected to take two years, is planned to begin in July and will be delivered by Bastion’s in-house construction team.

Bastion chief executive Alex Wood said that the Gold Coast was rapidly evolving.

▲ The developer has also partnered with professional surfers Dane Henry and Milla Coco Brown to develop its health and wellness amenities.

He said the development’s location “moments from the beach and tram”, meant it was “perfectly positioned for holidaymakers looking for convenience and lifestyle”. 

Bastion has several Gold Coast projects to its name, including its 30-level Nera Residences on Chevron Island. It secured a height lift for that highrise project late last year.

While Surfers Paradise apartments vary considerably with size and location, median apartment prices have grown consistently across the year, according to realestate.com.au.

Two-bedroom apartments had a 9.2 per cent uptick in the past 12 months, rising to $830,000.