Byron Bay’s Raes on Wategos to Double in Size

Under the lighthouse atop Cape Byron—the Australian mainland’s most easterly point—one of the country’s most exclusive hospitality plays is afoot.

Longstanding boutique beachfront retreat to the rich and famous Raes on Wategos is expanding.

The flagship luxury tourism asset of media entrepreneur Antony Catalano is opening a second property featuring 10 suites within 100m of the existing landmark resort at Wategos Beach.

It will occupy the former Victoria’s at Wategos site, increasing Raes accommodation offering to 17 rooms when it opens in October after undergoing an extensive rebranding fitout.

Catalano’s son and Raes on Wategos managing director, Jordy Catalano, told The Urban Developer negotiations to secure the property had been under way since January and the deal had been finalised in July.

No sale price details have been disclosed.

Even with rack rates for some of its rooms above $3000 a night, Jordy Catalano—pictured above with Raes on Wategos general manager Marty McCaig (left) and interior designer Tamsin Johnson—said Raes on Wategos was booked out six months in advance during some periods.

“Being able to welcome more guests has always been part of the plan but there is difficulty in doing so given the location and finding the right property was imperative,” he said.

“But this property’s always been on our radar as the most appropriate property to expand into. It’s well designed and that allows us to maintain that boutique nature.

“And because it’s two separate properties, guests can spread themselves across multiple different common areas. So it still feels very, very small and intimate.”

The Tuscan-style former Victoria’s at Wategos sits on a 1214sq m Marine Parade site and also features several lounge areas and two heated lap pools, one with a waterfall.

Johnson, who refurbished Raes on Wategos original site in 2016, has been tapped to undertake its fitout that is touted to “mirror the minimalistic and unpretentious coastal look synonymous with Raes on Wategos”.

“We’ve been in Wategos for a long time now,” Catalano said. “Byron itself is a beautiful place but Wategos is even more special. So I guess that’s why we’re drawn to it…it’s like nowhere else in the world.”

▲ Raes on Wategos, left, and the new acquisition, the former Victoria’s at Wategos.

The Catalano clan’s other Byron property play—The Bonobo by Raes—is also progressing and due to open late next year.

Formerly named The Barbotine, it is a joint venture with developer Podia and comprises 41 two, three and four-bedroom hotel-apartments that have been designed as a part-time coastal retreat and a short-term rental when owners are not in residence.

Last week Antony Catalano’s View Media Group (VMG) announced it had acquired The Property Agency (TPA), an Australian specialist property communications agency.

Formed in 2004 it has a staff of 35 in Sydney and Brisbane and specialises in creative services for the property category with a focus on strategy, branding and advertising campaigns for off-the-plan developments.

Catalano is VMG’s executive chairman.

Meanwhile, Vitale Property Group has rejigged its $45-million plans on the Byron beachfront, resubmitting plans with the Byron Shire Council.

A trio of three-storey boutique apartment buildings on the 6000sq m site at 2-4 Milton Street and 29 Shirley Street was approved in October 2023.

The high-end developer, headed by Chris and Letitia Vitale and son Louka, now wants to adjust floor heights and reduce the size of accessible rooftop areas.

Still planned, however, are 25 three-bedroom apartments to replace the 45-room Backpackers Inn on the site.