How Strata Delivered this Hinterland Retreat

A picturesque 120ha of land in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland isn’t a location you’d initially pick for a strata development.

Known for its relaxed coastal lifestyle and picture-postcard landscape, Booroobin, a 10-minute drive from Maleny, is the place of romantic weekend getaways and idyllic country weddings.

Yet it was the synergy of these two unlikely elements that led Sunshine Coast developers John O’Brien and Magnus Olson, to create The Ridge at Maleny. A development that, through strata, delivered 16 freestanding, low-maintenance lots, without compromise to the space and beauty of this unspoiled location. 

Michael Deane from strata management company BCsystems worked closely with O’Brien, Olson and their development team from the outset.

The Ridge was not a typical strata project, Deane said.

“Not only because it was 300 acres (120ha) in the Sunshine Coast hinterland but unlike your usual developments, nothing was set in stone.

The number of stages was uncertain and in the early days we didn’t know what most of the cabins would look like—even the number of lots kept changing.

It meant thinking outside the box, Deane said.

“Strata not only gave John and Magnus the ability to stage the project but to the extent where they had the flexibility to vary the number of stages, the timing of the stages, the type, and the number of lots within each stage.

“This is what made the development unique. While 16 lucky lot owners essentially got a slice of 300 acres, a strata development also ensured that maintaining both the cabins and the surrounding land was the responsibility of the body corporate.”

O’Brien and Olson applied strata to a rural site. While not common, it was the recipe for success for The Ridge at Maleny, giving them the right product for the location and the flexibility to adapt within each stage of the development.

The result was a resounding success—16 architecturally designed cabins catering to short-term rentals, weddings, corporate retreats and weekend getaways.

O’Brien said: “Not a location you’d traditionally consider for a strata property but at the end of the day, it was the perfect partnership.”

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