The Tates are selling their 4/1042 Binna Burra Road, Beechmont.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate and his wife Ruth are selling their holiday home in the heritage listed Binna Burra Mountain Retreat.
The Tates purchased one of the 20 exclusive sky lodges that make up part of the retreat’s mixed accommodation offering for $770,000 in 2015.
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The building in which the lodge is located was one of the few in the resort to escape irreparable damage after bushfires swept through the area in 2019, burning most of the historic Binna Burra retreat to the ground.
The lodge has magical mountain views.
The business was closed for 12 months, re-opening to visitors in September last year.
Surrounded by the Lamington National Park, the Tates’ lodge features two bedrooms with ensuites and features natural stone, slate and timber throughout the spacious living areas.
There is also a barbecue, fireplace for cooler winter evenings and a large deck from where you can take in misty mountain views.
Mayor Tom Tate and wife Ruth are selling their Binna Burra sky lodge. Picture: Glenn Hampson
For privacy, the lodge has a separate entrance and lobby area. The freehold property will be auctioned on October 6 at 4pm.
Agent Russell Rollington, who is marketing the property with Bob Rollington of First National Surfers Paradise, said the lodge was not only a place to which the Tates would escape for a weekend but was also a good source of income, with the lodge rented to holidaymakers when not in use.
Both bedrooms have an ensuite.
“It’s a unique agreement with the retreat, where sky lodge owners can use the accommodation for about 56 days out of the year before it is put into a rental pool.”
The lodge has earned the Tates an annual income of about $60,000 a year.
A fireplace is a cosy addition on a cool winter evening.
Although it has only been on the market a few days, Mr Rollington said he had received a strong level of inquiry on the property, particularly from interstate buyers looking for a second holiday home.
He said the retreat, listed in the world’s top ten eco retreats, offered a rare opportunity for owners and investors.
The retreat’s sky lodge buildings.
“There has been interest from Sydney and Melbourne buyers, some of whom have already bought a beachside place and are looking for a counter investment property where they can go for a change of scenery while on their holidays to the Gold Coast,” Mr Rollington said.
“The rest of the buyers are local or from Brisbane, mainly looking for an investment.”
The Tates sold their family home at 36 Buccaneer Court in Paradise Waters in April for $3.675 million, making a tidy $1 million profit on the property, and simultaneously snapping up a mansion on main river in Carrara for $3.825 million.
Owners have use of the lodge for 56 days a year.
The more rural property on 1.5 acres has a 25m pool, tennis court, wine cellar – and even a putting green.
With more room to move, Mr Rollington said the rainforest retreat had become surplus to their requirements.
The Tates still own a three-bedroom, 720sq m apartment in the Kings Row Centre building on Commodore Drive, which they bought in 2011 for $450,000. It was last listed for rent in 2018 for $580 a week.
The lodge has its own private entrance.
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