Property investment fund Quanta acquires more than $20m in Mackay properties, could invest $100m
A Brisbane-based property investor is aiming to invest as much as $100m in Mackay, and has already snapped up a few key locations.
A Brisbane based property investor holding $45m worth of prime Mackay property is on the prowl for off-market deals, aiming to invest up to $100m more in what it sees as a regional property hotspot.
Quanta Investment Funds bought the 5,420sqm transport and logistics cold storage facility at 2-10 Titanium Dr Paget in late April 2025.
This purchase came as part of a move to buy up a 32,000sqm site at 646-658 Ingham Rd, Mount Louisa in a deal that cost more than $20m.
Tim MacKinley, Quanta’s Chief Operating Officer said Quanta was launched in 2022 after chief executive Stacey Jones left her father’s investment group Sentinel to set out on her own.
Now the fund manages $235m in properties across Queensland and is aiming to increase that number to an “optimal” $500m.
Mr MacKinley said Quanta favoured Mackay because of a strong tenant pool, growth, population and the amalgam of mining, agriculture and other industries.
“We’re opportunistic, we buy where is best for our investors.” Mr MacKinley said.
Quanta’s strategy is focused on making medium-term property investments by purchasing properties with existing tenancies and “uplifting value” through rent increases once leases expire and then selling the property for a profit.
“We like to hold our investments for seven years, get in get out … try and extract as much value out of them as we possibly can.” Mr MacKinley said.
Since August, 2024 Quanta have been practicing this strategy in Mackay first purchasing 91 Connors Rd, Paget in August, 2024 — which is understood to be occupied by engineering consultants UGL Group resources — a move which set them back $16.7m.
The property at Connors Rd was previously bought by former premier Campbell Newman for $9.7m in 2016.
Another acquisition Quanta is looking to “extract” value from is office building 9 Tennyson St in the Mackay CBD which it bought for $6.6m in October 2024.
The purchase came with existing tenants Caterpillar Inc and the Queensland government run Mackay Child Safety — which Quanta claims generates 93 per cent of income from the building — as well as civil engineering firm Pentacon.
Mr MacKinley said Quanta bought it off market from construction company Fergus which spent $2m adding extra security measures to make it the ideal tenancy for Child Safety.
“We’re hopeful that whole building can become child safety services.” Mr MacKinley said.
“That’s a great tenant covenant that was very attractive to our investors … there’s about six and a half years left on that lease.”
Mr MacKinley said some of the buildings lease agreements were 34 per cent below market rate and those leases would be renewed “at market rate”.
“We’ll be proposing increases,” Mr MacKinley said.
Mr MacKinley said Quanta was able to make most of its acquisitions off market, and estimated properties may be undervalued by as much as 15-20 per cent.
“We’re trying to acquire good real estate while prices are where they are … we want to sell some of that property in the next five to ten years,” Mr MacKinley said.
“Mackay’s probably no different than anywhere else, but it’s got such strong industry there’s really good tenants there.”
Since August 2024, Quanta have invested more than $33.8m in Mackay, but Mr MacKinley reckons Quanta’s only just broken the top 25 biggest property owners.
“We have no intentions of stopping … it’s just high quality real estate,” he said.
Article by Fergus Gregg in The Courier Mail
