Main Beach to be graced with unprecedented $250 million world-class residential icon.

WORDS: Ocean Road Magazine Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

One of the most exclusive luxury apartment projects ever seen in Australia is set to be launched on the Gold Coast.

Developed in partnership by highly credentialled Australian businessman Rory O’Brien and London-based Banda – a world-leading interior design studio and development business founded by Edo Mapelli Mozzi husband of Princess Beatrice – the $250 million ‘Masthead Ocean Club’ will be the most prestigious and first of its kind residential development to grace the country.

 

Promising a 7-star resort experience and ultra-luxe amenities, Masthead has been designed exclusively for the most discerning buyers, flaunting true global appeal. It will comprise an ultra-boutique collection of 28 whole-floor apartments in total – one penthouse, two subpenthouses, five Sky Homes and twenty further residences capturing sweeping, protected views of the Pacific Ocean, Broadwater, and Hinterland.

“We have worked meticulously as a team to create a truly spectacular development,” Mr O’Brien says, “this isn’t your average luxury beachfront development – the planning code has now changed so there will be nothing quite like it in the future.”

“Masthead Ocean Club will be in a class of its own, dedicated to servicing the unique lifestyle demands of the world’s most discerning residents.”

Edo Mapelli Mozzi founded Banda in 2007 and has grown the company from niche London developer into burgeoning global design practice, known for crafting environments which are both intrinsically beautiful and faultlessly functional.

“This project forms part of Banda’s evolution and global expansion journey. We currently have projects underway in London, New York, Doha, San Salvador, Alps and all over Europe,” said Mr Mozzi.  

 

“We had been looking for the right opportunity to bring us to Australia and Masthead is absolutely the project we’ve been waiting for.”

Masthead Ocean Club is nestled within what Rory O’Brien describes as the Gold Coast’s ‘Golden Triangle’.

“The Golden Triangle represents Main Beach’s three most popular and sought-after destinations – the Southport Yacht Club, the Surf Club, and over 140 hectares of perpetually protected parklands at The Spit” says Mr. O’Brien.

“Masthead Ocean Club will become the fourth element to this Golden Triangle, meaning residents will have access to expansive natural parklands, beautiful vacant beaches, and the Broadwater all within a few steps of their front door.”

Masthead Ocean Club will also see the delivery of one of the world’s most elite in-house residents’ only clubs like no other, to be known as ‘The Ocean Club’.

With membership only accessible via a Masthead apartment purchase, the ‘Ocean Club’ spans two full floors 650m2 high in the tower and will encompass premium in-home facilities including a sophisticated wine and champagne lounge, whisky and cigar room, private dining space, coffee bar, sky high library, and business meeting areas – all with spectacular panoramic ocean, coastal, and Hinterland views.

Members will also receive additional benefits from distinguished luxury brands including Chairman’s Club membership to Levantine Hill Winery in The Yarra Valley, participation in Newgates 2023 racing syndicate, which will also include attendance at select race days in Newgates own suite at Randwick Racecourse, and a complimentary new gleaming BMW electric car.

Residents will have 24/7 access to a health & wellness club where they can rejuvenate in a wet edge pool, spa, steam room and sauna, while fitness enthusiasts can relish in a state-of-the-art world-class gym and unwind in yoga and Pilates studios.

“No other project in Australia offers residents such extensive private and secure luxury facilities but shared amongst so few people. In our case just 28 owners. This is true prestige,” Mr O’Brien says.

Each whole floor apartment will provide 317m2 of luxury living, picturesque views from every room, private direct and secure lift access, double garaging, outstanding interior design, and state-of-the-art technology.

Crowning the Masthead Ocean Club development are two ultra-deluxe sub penthouses

spanning a massive 634m2 each, topped by a truly spectacular grand penthouse flaunting over 1000m2 of opulent living including its own pool, gym, golf putting green and much more.

Banda will be designing the five sky residences, two sky homes and the 4 level super penthouse. The 20 residences have been designed by Mim Design who have created a complementary aesthetic. BDA Architects have been appointed as architects of the $250 million structure.

All approvals are in place and construction is anticipated to commence in the coming months with completion scheduled for 2025.

 

Rory O’Brien: The Man Behind Masthead

I first discovered Main Beach some 40 years ago as one of the first guests at the then and in my view, still fabulous Sheraton Mirage Hotel. Apart from the spectacular Desmond Brooks design, the impressive lobby and 5 Star amenities, what struck me most was the truly unique geographical location.

Where in the world does one find vast beachside natural parklands, kilometres of almost deserted pristine ocean beach adjacent to the beautiful waters of the Broadwater playgrounds and linked only a few steps apart?

Main Beach is truly the very best of both worlds.

Following many regular visits over many years, I soon discovered the delights and dining attractions of Tedder Avenue, which is now re-emerging as a delightful village for the locals in the know who appreciate the atmosphere, quality, variety, intimacy, and small-scale venues.

Indeed, any aerial shot of the Main Beach precinct will clearly educate the viewer that we live almost on an island surrounded by ocean and the Broadwater with the intensity of the densely developed Gold Coast left behind in our rear vision mirror to the south.

To our north, we are privileged to enjoy immediate doorstep access to the Spit parklands, the Southport Yacht Club, Surf Club, Marinas, and over 5 kms of pristine ocean beach flanked by the protected parklands and the magnificent Broadwater itself.

I sometimes wonder if Main Beach residents really know how lucky they are.

Main Beach can never be replaced nor reproduced and must therefore continue to grow in value as more and more come to understand and appreciate its irreplaceable attributes and uniqueness.

Given this assessment I had long decided to leave Sydney and make Main Beach my permanent home, but how? Where was the very best location within this tiny enclave of quality? Where could I build a building responsive to – and deserving of – all these unique attractions and this very special environment? After years of searching at last the right site became available.

It’s what I would call a ‘sleeper ‘. A site overlooked by others as not obviously developable into something spectacular. However, I could see past the ugly duckling to the swan within.

Hence was born the Masthead Ocean Club dream. This was finally it!

The Masthead site was soon secured, and the team of industry design experts and old friends assembled to realise my dream.

The creative skills of BDA Architects were soon harnessed together with my dear and esteemed mates Banda Design London and Mim Design Melbourne to produce the perfect balance of quality, subtlety, and design excellence needed to embrace and enhance the spectacular ocean, skyline, and hinterland views offered by this unique location.

The results are world-class and truly spectacular.

It needs to be seen to be believed. Apart from the simply beautiful aesthetics, the true value of Masthead Ocean Club is its location, at or almost within, the Coast’s greatest attributes and attractions – quite literally on your doorstep – and all to be enjoyed as an integral part of your life.

Natural beauty, health, wellness, luxury club amenities with absolute privacy, security, and the highest of quality but only for a lucky few members. No wonder my dear friend Edo in the UK responded so positively. For Australia, Masthead was their first and strongest choice. They saw what I saw and embraced it as enthusiastically as I did. This is a nice feeling and true vindication.

 

Behind the design.

Rory O’Brien’s design ethos.

The great Roman architect, engineer and author, Marcus Vitruvius, concluded that great buildings must be “solid, useful, and beautiful.”

Centuries later acclaimed Chicago architect, ‘father of the skyscraper’ and mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, distilled this maxim down to its very essence.

“Form follows function.”

Along with Einstein’s E=Mc2, it is one of the two most elegant descriptions of understated but massive latent power and simplistic beauty within.

In adopting, and indeed enthusiastically embracing this ethos at Masthead, it was essential to consider it in the context of a radically changed new world. If form must follow function, then the burning question and indeed central driver is – what is its function in a post-pandemic world?

In other words: what do I really want? It is no longer about one’s lifestyle preferences. It’s about one’s real imperatives and priorities for a happy, healthy life. After all, what else counts?

For me personally, I have re-prioritised my own life and values. I now unashamedly seek sunshine, warmth, fresh sea air, and breezes. I want to see the sunrise over the ocean and the sunset behind the mountains.

I want to be by the beach to enjoy the walks, sun, and surf. I want to be surrounded by vibrant blue water, lush parklands, and the flourishing Australian bush. I want sailing and boating right on my doorstep.

I want restaurants, cafes, bars, and clubs within a few minutes easy walk. I want world-class amenities in my home. I want state-of-the-art health and wellness facilities, with communal bars, lounges, and meeting rooms to take my friends and business colleagues.

I know what’s right and I know what I want. I want all the above in just one location, but to be truly exclusive, low impact and quiet.

These – and only these – are the essential ‘functions’ that have driven the purity and magnificent ‘form’ of Masthead Ocean Club Main Beach.

If you would like to see how this elegant but demanding design equation was solved read on and enjoy

 

Mim Design ethos.

With a longstanding working relationship with Rory O’Brien, Principal of Mim Design Miriam (Mim) Fanning, was invited to design Masthead’s 20 luxury apartments, the Private Residents’ Ocean Club, and a series of shared amenities.

The elegant apartment tower is designed by BDA Architecture.

With a legacy for enduring, site responsive architecture, BDA Architecture sought to create a visually light building form, referencing the luxury yachts dotted along Main Beach — a one-of-a-kind building, unrivalled on the Gold Coast.

In developing a signature language for Masthead’s apartments, Mim Design was inspired by the nearby Southport Yacht Club and superyacht marina, evoking imagery of smooth, streamlined forms, billowing sails, and seamless detailing — offering synergies with the architecture.

“The design intent was to allow the internal and external finishes to meld and read as a continuous expression,” reflects Mim.

As such, Mim Design folded the architecture’s fluted wall panelling and honed crazy paving into the entry lobby, creating an internal courtyard of sorts, contrasted by a striking, double height wall of ocean green marble.

“Contoured forms and tactile materials subtly introduce the design language of the apartments and common areas to be experienced beyond,” explains Mim.

Connections to the landscape are bolstered by a naturalistic palette of mixed timber, veined marbles, ethereal drapery, and softly polished renders, offering a calm, recessive feel that resonates with the soothing tones of the land, sea and sky.

Emphasising a sculpted approach to space, organic curves and rolled motifs are expressed in the home’s pebble-shaped island bench and bespoke cabinetry, offering a suite of crafted elements to engage and embrace residents.

“These insertions create a beautiful sense of depth and shadow play,” reflects Stephen Tieppo, Design Associate of Mim Design. “Each detail was carefully considered and customised, similar to the curated design of a luxury yacht,” he continues.

Masthead’s exclusive Ocean Club, set across two upper floors of the coastal development, delivers a series of aspirational spaces to entertain, with a focus on leisure and relaxation. Mim Design sought to establish a common thread between the apartment design and club facilities while fostering a thriving community atmosphere that allows for “incidental moments of social serendipity,” says Mim.

The residents’ lounge on levels 24 and 25, housing a whisky bar and lounge, crafts a curated offer of premium living and entertaining. A private dining room with adjacent chef’s kitchen fosters a more intimate feel, while a double height library creates a dedicated space to conduct business meetings or retreat to in solitude.

The floor above hosts the Levantine Hill Bar and Champagne lounge, complemented by personal wine lockers housed within temperature-controlled wine cellars – a place for residents to store their acquisitions in a convivial, hospitality context.

On levels one and two, a private resort experience combines pool, lounge, outdoor dining space, and day spa facilities brimming with lush, subtropical foliage. Above, an expansive gymnasium, yoga and Pilates studio promote a holistic, health-conscious lifestyle for residents.

An organic-shaped stairwell connects the two levels, elevated by honed crazy paving and softly rendered walls, “sparking synergies with Masthead’s entry-level,” says Mim.

Understanding that luxury buyers seek a lifestyle of comfort and connection, Mim Design’s skilful rationale of Masthead’s apartments, Private Residents’ Club and amenities embraces unique opportunities to elevate daily life and foster a vibrant community for residents.

Extending the parameters of lavish coastal living, Masthead is a creative collaboration between industry leaders that delivers an exclusive lifestyle proposition, global in scale and ambition.

 

Leading property group, Highland, appointed as exclusive selling agent for Masthead Ocean Club

In a major coup for Highland, joint venture partners Rory O’Brien and Edo Mapelli Mozzi have enlisted Highland to present their landmark development to the market.

Highland will assist in selling a collection of 28 full-floor boutique-style apartments including five sky residences, two dual-level sky homes, and a sprawling super penthouse in a stunning design that offers residents a seven-star resort experience and ultra-luxe amenities.

The ultra-luxe sky homes will offer 634 sqm of sophisticated living spaces each while the penthouse will span 1,000 sqm with its own pool, gym, and golf putting green. A private owner’s study will be located in the ‘crow’s nest’ at the very peak of Masthead Ocean Club.

Director of Highland, David Highland, says Masthead Ocean Club has been designed for the most discerning buyers and each residence will capture sweeping, protected views of the Pacific Ocean, Broadwater, and Hinterland.

Masthead Ocean Club will offer residents the pinnacle of a premium lifestyle that will appeal to local, interstate, and international buyers,” David says.

“Our team is thrilled to be appointed as exclusive selling agent for arguably the most exclusive residential offering available in Australia. Masthead Ocean Club has set a new benchmark for Gold Coast residential lifestyle.”

“Never again will a product of this calibre be delivered to the Gold Coast. Masthead Ocean Club will offer buyers something very special and unique,” he says.

Highland is a full-service real estate company with more than 40 projects currently in market along the eastern seaboard from southern Sydney to the Gold Coast.

“Highland was an obvious choice to lead the sales and marketing programme for Masthead due to their network of interstate buyers and the aligned synergies and long-standing business relationship with Bill Malouf,” Rory O’Brien explains.

“The opportunity to participate with Rory on a project of such prestige, with marvellous and unique amenities, coupled with first-of-its-kind inclusions, was an opportunity that certainly stirred the imagination of myself and Highland,” David says.

“In my view, members of Masthead Ocean Club will receive premium living, spectacular picturesque coastal views, state-of-the-art amenities, exclusive club membership, and real value for money,” he says, “A purchase in Masthead which includes 650 square meters of Ocean Club, is like getting 2 apartments for the price of one.”

“The Gold Coast continues to be a vastly undervalued destination when compared to the likes of Sydney where prices for similar, however largely inferior product exceed $150,000 a square meter,” he says.

The real estate group has grown its footprint last year through a merger with Bill and David Malouf, the most experienced prestige real estate professionals in Australia, opening a new Double Bay office and expanding their buyer network to the eastern suburbs.

For all sales enquiries, please phone Highland Project Marketing 1300 176 070

Project credits:

Developer: Joint Venture Partner’s Rory O’Brien Property Developers and Edo Mapelli Mozzi Banda Property

Architecture: BDA Architecture

Interior Design (20 apartments, residential club and lounge areas, lobbies, wellness, and gym): Mim Design

Interior Design (Sky Residences, Sky Homes and Super Penthouse): Banda Design Studio Styling: Mim Design in association with Banda Design Studio

Builder: GCB Constructions

Renders: Mr P