Stonebridge and HTL bring 12 Apostles hot springs & resort project to market

Stonebridge Property Group and HTL Property will imminently bring to market a 79-hectare freehold site at the doorstep of one of Australia’s most iconic and visited tourist destinations; The 12 Apostles.

Designed by Neil Architecture, The 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort is shovel ready, with permits in place to deliver a natural bathing experience plus multiple food and beverage outlets and a luxury wellness resort.

The project has been significantly de-risked with planning approval, a thermal bore license, EPA approval and a conditional State Government grant for over $7 million.

The Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles are widely renowned as two of Australia’s most significant tourism icons, with more than 7.4 million people passing through the region annually and 2.2 million visiting the 12 Apostles each year. The project only requires a very small catchment of those visitors to underpin the projected visitation and trade rates modelled by the project team.

Projections see the resort thriving year-round – hot spring bathing promotes the concept of hot and cold therapy which is an experience that can be carried out 365 days of the year.

“The 12 Apostles is one of the most visited regional tourism attractions in Australia, but there is limited accommodation, or other complimentary experiences in the precinct, making this an incredibly rare development and business opportunity,” says Stonebridge National Partner, Julian White.

“With both domestic and inbound tourism levels rebounding sharply, experiential assets with unrepeatable magnets such as the inimitable 12 Apostles are as rare as they are sought after investment opportunities. And in respect of both the scale and dress circle positioning of this development, I can’t recall a more compelling long term tourism investment so meticulously curated for a successful purchaser,” adds HTL Property Managing Director, Andrew Jolliffe.

Not only has the Government recognized the importance of this project through its award of the grant, it has already commenced construction on a new, architecturally designed visitor viewing area at a cost of $9.2 million. In addition, the Shipwreck Coast Masterplan includes a total of $108m of State and Federal government expenditure to enhance the 12 Apostles experience for the millions of visitors that come to this iconic location which will include a brand-new state of the art visitor centre for the 12 Apostles.

The project itself has 4,092sqm of Gross Floor Area (GFA), made up of:
• 3,363sqm of state-of-the-art bathing facilities
• Up to 150 luxury eco-pods for accommodation
• A twelve-room spa catering to public and resort guests
• Conference facilities for corporate and private events
• Multiple food and beverage operations
• An amphitheater and visitor centre
• Ample on-grade car parking

The project has been designed to be environmentally sustainable and to respect the pristine nature of the site and its surrounds. The natural hot spring allows for no significant heating of pool water and the water used for bathing is then re-injected back into the aquifer making the resource renewable & sustainable. Water from the bore can also have minerals removed and used for irrigation throughout the site. A significant kitchen garden and nursery also forms part of the project.

Naomi Gregory of Spa Sessions was instrumental in creating an operational blue-print for the project:

“I have been fortunate enough to work with some of Asia Pacific’s most coveted spa and wellness projects.

“This project has some unique aspects that bring great opportunity. Having a geothermal water source in such a remarkable location is rare. The irreplaceable natural wonder
of the 12 Apostles and the wild and rugged beauty of the landscape draws millions of visitors a year.

“Never has there been a catchment of people this large in any project I have worked on.

“People are seeking wellness experiences more than ever before. The global wellness economy was recently valued at USD 4.4 trillion and is estimated to reach USD 7 trillion by
2025.”

12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort will be offered for sale by International Expressions of Interest closing Friday 8th September 2023 at 2pm (AEST).

The campaign will be conducted by Stonebridge Property Group’s Julian White and Chao Zhang and HTL Property’s Andrew Jolliffe and Andrew Jackson.