Industrial remains Queensland's largest asset class, though its share of state turnover eased to 29.3 per cent from 36.4 per cent in 2024/25. That moderation says less about waning appeal than a genuine broadening of where capital is being placed within the state. Industrial buying activity this year was notable for its breadth, spanning everything from small owner occupiers and private investors active in strata industrial product through to large distribution facilities changing hands to institutional and offshore capital. A number of self storage portfolios also traded during the year, reflecting the continued maturing of that sub sector as a genuine institutional asset class rather than a niche private investment. The Gold Coast has been a beneficiary of this depth of demand, with limited industrial land availability continuing to place upward pressure on values and yields holding firm against other growth corridors across the south east.
Retail was the standout performer of the year, climbing to 23.4 per cent of state turnover from 17.5 per cent in 2024/25. Strong population growth across the south east, including Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, has underpinned trading performance at neighbourhood and sub regional centres, restoring investor confidence in retail's income security after several years in which the sector was largely overlooked in favour of industrial and alternative assets. Again the breadth of buyer interest in retail this year, spanning private investors and syndicates through to institutional capital, with offshore buyers increasingly naming Queensland as a key market for retail exposure rather than treating it as a secondary consideration behind Sydney and Melbourne.
The most significant shift in the data was the surge in aged care and medical aligned assets, up to 9.6 per cent of state turnover from just 1.5 per cent the previous year. This was driven in large part by a number of substantial aged care portfolios changing hands during the year, as operators and institutional owners moved to consolidate holdings ahead of continued sector reform. Queensland's ageing population, and the Gold Coast's own demographic profile, continues to support long term demand for this asset class well beyond the portfolio activity that defined this particular year.
Hotels lifted their share to 6.4 per cent from 3.6 per cent, consistent with strong visitor demand across the state, though these transactions tend to be larger and more institutional in nature, with offshore capital (notably from Singapore) a regular feature of ownership given the scale of investment required. Office and development sites both eased back, to 12.8 and 13.9 per cent respectively, reflecting a more cautious approach to feasibility and a preference for income producing assets in the current environment.
Taken together, this year's results point to a Queensland market that is broadening well beyond its industrial base, with retail's resurgence, the surge in aged care activity, and a widening pool of buyers across every asset class suggesting the state's fundamentals are supporting a genuinely diversified opportunity set. Both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast's own growth trajectory looks set to remain closely tied to this broader story in the runway through to the Olympics.
