ApartmentsPhil BartschFri 23 Oct 26
Billionaire Pub Baron, Gordon Corp Unveil $800m Springfield Plan
Gold Coast developer Tim Gordon and billionaire pub baron Bruce Mathieson have unveiled the masterplan for an $800-million mixed-use precinct at Springfield, south-west of Brisbane.
The latest move comes just three months after the 12.7ha super lot was secured for $50 million—heralding the expansion of the duo’s high-profile partnership beyond its established Gold Coast project portfolio.
It is one of just two town-centre zoned sites within Australia’s only privately developed city in the booming growth corridor west of the River City.
Under the masterplan, the site will be transformed into a fully integrated commercial, retail and residential precinct with a boutique hotel, midrise apartments and a sports club featuring multiple bars, restaurants and event spaces.
“Bruce and I have a clear vision for this masterplan, and this aligns closely with Springfield City Group’s own vision and values,” Gordon, who heads up the Gold Coast-based Gordon Corp, said.
“The scale of the opportunity here, and the speed at which major retailers have committed to each precinct has been unprecedented and demonstrates the pent-up demand for this catchment.”
Civil works are already under way on Springfield Village—a 10,581sq m retail and lifestyle hub anchored by a Coles supermarket—on the site along Sinnathamby Boulevard in the Springfield Central City West precinct.
“We also have commitment on 90 per cent of our large format retail and convenience retail precinct ahead of construction commencing mid next year,” Gordon said
“This level of take up so early in a project is almost unheard of.
“If you tried this project 10 years ago, it wouldn’t have stacked up. Springfield is not only growing but maturing in a very deliberate and sustainable way.”
The development leverages key social and economic infrastructure within Springfield, which is already home to 55,000 residents, 12 schools, 22 childcare centres, a University of Southern Queensland campus and health precinct anchored by a public hospital.
Construction on Springfield Village is slated to begin in the first half of 2027, with the large format and convenience retail precinct to follow mid-year.
“We’re embedding retail, lifestyle, placemaking and convenience up front, and the final piece of the masterplan will be the sports club, 160-room hotel and residential component,” Gordon said.
Overall, it will include three apartment buildings that will deliver 200 homes.
As previously reported by The Urban Developer, the acquisition of the site represented the largest town-centre land transaction by value recorded in Queensland in recent years, and the largest completed more than 10km from an Australian CBD since 2021.
The divestment by Springfield City Group followed a competitive national expressions-of-interest campaign managed by Colliers and Stonebridge that generated more than 200 inquiries and nine formal bids.
The deal has further cemented the development partnership forged between Gordon Corp and the Mathieson family over a beer at the Mermaid Beach Surf Club, which is also delivering the $400-million Mantaray Marina and Residences on the Gold Coast’s Spit and the luxury Elle on Jefferson tower at Palm Beach.
Springfield City Group founder and chairman Maha Sinnathamby said the City West site’s catchment was forecast to grow considerably, with independent projections pointing to a trade area exceeding 250,000 residents and annual large-format retail expenditure climbing past $1.8 billion by 2036.
“The leasing outcomes now being achieved by Gordon Corp validate the strength of those fundamentals and demonstrate the confidence national retailers have in Springfield’s long-term future as a major economic and lifestyle destination centre,” Sinnathamby said.
