JOHN KEARNEY: Building Across GENERATIONS ON THE GOLD COAST

WORDS: Ocean Road Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

From the family acreage that became Jabiru Estate to the evolution of Greyburn and Immerse Projects, John Kearney’s story is one of grit, integrity and a commitment to building communities that stand the test of time

From the hinterland edges of Mudgeeraba to some of the Gold Coast’s most closely watched residential developments, John Kearney has built a career defined by hard work, steely grit and determination away from the glare of the public eye.

A third-generation Gold Coaster, the story of John and his construction company Greyburn, as well as the emergence of his luxury residential brand Immerse, is a testament to his work ethic that withstands the critical scrutiny by the clients he has served for many years.

John Kearney

“Greyburn hasn’t been built on self-assessment,” he says. “It’s been built through scrutiny from the many clients over nearly 40 years.”

“That’s a big difference. We’ve been heavily scrutinised by our clients over many years and that has enabled us to develop the work ethic and standard of service that represents our core values. “Put simply, we do what we say we are going to do.” John’s integrity and ethic is part of the Kearney DNA, which has been shaped through medicine, law, heritage property, and ultimately the land that would become his first professional canvas.

John’s building and development career is a convergence of disciplines, generations and geographies that eventually formed two businesses: a long-standing construction company and a development brand now shaping parts of the southern Gold Coast.

Kearney’s father, renowned ophthalmologist John Kearney, trained through The University of Queensland before building a specialist medical career in eye care. His work included advanced international training and a clinical focus defined by precision, procedure and long-term patient outcomes.

While medicine defined one side of the household, property and the built environment defined another. His maternal grandfather, John F. Kearney, was a Melbourne QC who built a successful legal career before transitioning into property investment and heritage restoration across central Melbourne. “He was a barrister first,” Kearney says, “but later he moved heavily into property, especially heritage buildings.”

That portfolio included some of Collins Street’s most recognisable heritage assets, including the iconic Block Arcade, which he acquired during a downturn when occupancy had collapsed and the building was under financial stress. “He bought it when it wasn’t performing,” Kearney says. “And over time he helped bring it back to life.”

The portfolio also extended across other Collins Street commercial buildings, reflecting a focus on restoration and long-term value creation rather than short-term trading. For Kearney, these stories were the backdrop of his upbringing and early exposure to how land, buildings and investment decisions shaped cities.

“It was never talked about like ‘development’ the way it is now,” he says. “It was just about buildings and doing things properly.”

When Kearney was two years old, the family relocated from Brisbane to the Gold Coast after his father completed ophthalmology at the University of Queensland, settling on acreage at Mudgeeraba owned by his grandparents.

The property, known as Jabiru, would later become one of the hinterland’s most exclusive residential estates, but in its early form it was a working family property – open paddocks, horses, dirt tracks and a semi-rural Gold Coast still far removed from the high-rise skyline of today.

“My grandparents moved up in the mid-70s,” Kearney says. “Like a lot of people, it was for lifestyle, but also for a change of pace.

Jabiru became the family’s first direct exposure to residential land development on the Gold Coast. By the early 2000s, plans were underway to continue subdividing the original 340 -hectare Mudgeeraba property into a gated acreage estate of roughly 50 lots, now known as Jabiru Estate. It was a major undertaking for a hinterland site at a time when large-lot prestige living was still emerging as a defined market segment.

It was also at a time when the city started to face housing pressures as a result of high migration and demand. Kearney became directly involved after returning from study and early civil engineering roles.

“Jabiru was a passion project, but it was a challenge because we didn’t finish until shortly after the Global Financial Crisis which did halt momentum across the residential market,” recalls John. “We hit 2008 and everything just stopped,” he recalls. “There was just no appetite in the market. ”Despite this, Jabiru ultimately delivered its stages over time, with lots gradually absorbed as conditions improved.

Today, many of those properties are tightly held and valued in the multi-million-dollar range, cementing the estate as one of the Gold Coast’s most established and exclusive acreage enclaves. Kearney’s entry into the industry was not traditional. He attended Somerset College and later Marymount College before leaving formal schooling after Year 10. Rather than continuing directly through academic pathways, he entered construction as a carpenter.“I started on site on the tools and I really enjoyed it,” he says. “While I was working I was determined to complete Years 11 and 12 so I did that externally, before progressing into civil engineering at Queensland University of Technology.

That combination of trade and engineering education gave him a hybrid understanding of construction – both physical execution and technical design. After university, he worked in regional New South Wales, including Port Macquarie and Cessnock in central NSW, gaining early exposure to subdivision planning and residential development cycles.

A return call from his grandfather brought him back to Queensland to assist with Jabiru, but another opportunity soon followed. John was introduced to Greyburn, a Melbourne-founded builder established in 1987 by Graeme Ballinger and Michael Byrne.

Originally focused on commercial refurbishment and industrial construction, Greyburn developed a reputation for technical delivery and long-term client relationships before expanding into Queensland. John Kearney started working with Greyburn in 2011 and became sole director and shareholder in 2014, before transitioning its focus toward residential and multi-residential development construction. “My expertise was always residential,” he says. “That’s where I understood the product and that’s where I started naturally heading the business toward. “After Jabiru, I slowly expanded into townhouse and apartment delivery across South East Queensland, working with private developers, family offices and institutional partners.”

Key projects currently include work for another multi-generational family, Lewis Land Group, which is bringing the multi-stage Harbour Shores to life. Greyburn also expanded through partnership with long-time construction executive Aaron Hook, strengthening delivery capacity and leadership depth.

Kearney is deliberate in how he positions Greyburn within the industry. He draws a clear distinction between long-standing contracting firms and emerging builder-developer models. “When you’re building for external developers, architects and consultants, you’re constantly being reviewed,” he says. “That creates discipline.” “By contrast, self-contained builder-developer models often lack that external oversight or scrutiny. “A lot of those models are self-assessing their own product,” he says. “But buildings don’t really show their true performance until years later. “It’s not about what happens at settlement,” he adds. “It’s about what happens five or ten years down the track.”

Alongside Greyburn, Kearney had been developing his own residential projects for more than 20 years. As that portfolio grew, advisers encouraged him to create a distinct identity for his development work. The result was Immerse Projects. “The name came from other people more than me,” he says. “They kept saying I immerse myself in everything I do,” he says.

The name also reflects his personal connection to the ocean, freediving and coastal living – Influences that now shape much of the brand’s design philosophy. He is a longtime member of the Tweed Gold Coast Freediving Club.

Immerse’s early manifestations included Wynd Villas, Clover Hill Terraces, Artisan and Tempus, all located in the Gold Coast hinterland. Each project contributed to a growing reputation for boutique residential delivery in lifestyle-driven locations.

The latest expression of the Immerse brand to date is Kaiya Kirra Beach – a multi level boutique residential project underway in Kirra. Located at 5-7 Haig Street, the boutique luxury project will deliver 65 apartments, including a limited collection of three beach houses. Designed by BDA Architecture, the project includes two, three and four-bedroom residences shaped around liveability and coastal integration.

He says the intention was not to reinvent the Kirra precinct, but to ‘immerse’ a new residential project that would allow new residents to enjoy one of the Gold Coast’s new residential gems.

The project follows the recent success and completion of the first major beachside apartment tower, Rhythm Kirra Hill, and reinforces Immerse’s growing footprint in the southern coastal corridor. Kearney is clear about where Immerse sits in the broader property landscape, now and into the future. “We don’t chase ultra-luxury penthouses,” he says. “That’s not our space.” “Instead, we focus on the middle market – downsizers, professionals and owner-occupiers seeking quality design without excessive cost or complexity. “Immerse is about providing residences tailored to these markets with practical functionality – everything people want is there but it’s practical and keeps reasonable body corporate fees.”

That positioning, he argues, provides resilience across cycles. “It’s a market that exists through good and bad times,” he says. “It’s not dependent on speculation. There is high demand as the city continues to grow and evolve.” Projects are designed with larger floor plates, functional kitchens, and reduced body corporate complexity – reflecting lifestyle over investment speculation.

As the Gold Coast moves toward a projected population of over one million people by 2040, John sees both opportunity and responsibility. The city’s linear coastal form, transport investment and lifestyle appeal, he believes, create long-term structural demand. But delivery remains the key issue.

“It’s not about building more,” he says. “It’s about building properly.” With Olympic infrastructure accelerating growth and construction demand tightening, he believes experienced builders will play a critical stabilising role. For Kearney, however, the philosophy remains unchanged. “What I want to build is something that lasts beyond me and is part of the legacy that has defined our family for three generations on the Gold Coast. “The Gold Coast has an amazing future and we are delighted to be playing a small part in its evolution.”