Molonglo Group

Molonglo is a well known and established property investment and development group with origins in Canberra since 1964.

Its founders have been major contributors and supporters to Canberra for over 40 years, employing thousands of people through its many business ventures and contributing to the ACT and the wider Community. In addition to its development experience, Molonglo has an ongoing commitment to the ownership of commercial property in the ACT.

Molonglo has completed property transaction valued at in excess of $280 million, and is currently engaged, among other projects, in the formulation, design and construction of the $240 million New Acton precinct, a 58,000 square metre high quality mixed-use urban project in City West, the new highdensity cultural heart in Canberra’s city centre.

Stage one of New Acton, with phased completion by September 2007, includes the development of the new headquarters for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) set within a high quality mixed-use development combining residential, 80 room boutique hotel, gallery, and various hospitality and retail functions within reinterpreted heritage buildings surrounded by contemporary gardens, art and craft, and highrise buildings.

Molonglo previously established, owned and operated one of Australia’s largest independent food retail and wholesale operations, being Canons Supermarket and Australian Independent Wholesalers. The combined business had sales in excess of $260 million dollars annually, employed 1,500 people and served more than 200,000 customers per week.

During this time Molonglo developed and built a number of retail and industrial complexes, both independently or through joint venture arrangements, including the Chisholm Shopping Centre, Erindale Shopping Centre, G&L Warehouse (now owned and operated by Metcash), Temora Shopping Centre (now occupied by Woolworths), Flax House in Tuggeranong Town Centre, and the construction of two Shell Service Centres in Tuggeranong and a BP service station in Chisholm.

The retail and wholesale business was sold to Woolworths in June 1996.

Following the sale to Woolworths, more than 10 years ago, Molonglo focused exclusively on its property development and property investment business. Since then, it has established itself as one of Canberra’s most well-respected and successful property groups.

In addition to its current property portfolio, Molonglo has recently developed a number of residential complexes, in consortium or independently. This includes a 142 unit residential and 2,000m2 commercial development on Northbourne Avenue (Phoenix), and two smaller high-end specialist residential developments in Kingston and Garran.

The Molonglo Group currently holds a diverse property portfolio of assets across the ACT. Molonglo is committed to the development and restoration of high quality, environmental sustainable property. This is evidenced by its commitment to the restoration of the historic Melbourne Building on West Row, its restoration and development of the Sutherland residential block in Griffith, and now its large scale redeveloped of the Heritage-listed New Acton precinct.

Below is a list of the group’s current property developments under construction:

NewActon

The Hotel Acton site, which sits on more than 2 hectares in West Civic, is ideally located within walking distance to the lake foreshore, the CBD and the Australian National University.

The largest to date of the Molonglo Group’s projects, the old Heritage-listed Acton House will be refurbished into NewActon Pavilion, and surrounded by three new strikingly elegant buildings; NewActon Place to the East, NewActon Tower to the South and NewActon Terrace to the West.

The Molonglo Group’s major redevelopment of this site will combine a number of new residential, retail and office areas with spectacular vistas across the lake to the National Museum and up toward Parliament House. NewActon will be set within the most exquisite contemporary gardens within a rich mixed-use art and design-based precinct.

Wetlands Foreshore

The Molonglo Group purchased the 14,365hectares industrial complex from the Federal government in June 2002. The site was originally constructed for the use of government business enterprises.

It is located 2 kilometres from the Canberra Airport and some 8 Kilometres from the CBD.

Since purchasing the site the Molonglo Group, together with Colin Stewart Architects, has formulated a sensational vision for a totally new mixed-use urban village adjacent to the vast wetlands of Lake Burley Griffin. The Molonglo Group will create an outstanding urban mixed use development of the highest possible order and quality.

The site is 1.65 kilometres from the Kingston Foreshore development. The master plan has been openly endorsed by the ACT government and is included as “short term priority one” in the Government’s recently published strategic Spatial Plan. The Wetlands foreshore is one of Australia’s most exciting urban renewal projects.