Walker Corporation
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Property Development |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Alec Walker and Lang Walker |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
Area served | Australia, United States, Canada, Fiji, Malaysia |
| Website | walkercorp |
Walker Corporation is Australia's largest private, diversified development company, delivering over 1000 projects that span the length and width of Australia, and internationally: in America, Canada, Fiji and Malaysia. Owned and operated by high-profile Executive Chairman AO Lang Walker, Walker Corporation is one of the few property developers with expertise across all areas of the property spectrum from residential through to masterplanned communities, retail, commercial, industrial and resort living.
Most notably, Walker Corporation is responsible for the development and restoration of a number of significant Australian sites, including King Street Wharf, Finger Wharf, Broadway Shopping Centre, Rhodes Waterside and Collins Square. Walker Corporation's recent urban transformation is Parramatta Square, one of the country's largest urban renewal projects and recently topped towers 6 and 8, the country's largest commercial office tower by floor area.
History
In the late 1960s, Lang Walker and his father, Alec Walker, established A & L Walker Pty Ltd in New South Wales as a contractor specialising in earthmoving and excavation to deliver foundation materials for major infrastructure works. Once established, Lang Walker and his father Alec Walker decided to try their hand at a small-scale development. Starting with the purchase of some small, problematic housing lots from the Parkes Development, the restructured lots sold for three times the purchase price. This project earmarked the start of many more residential developments. With six years' civil engineering and excavation experience, Lang and Alec acquired two new quarries in Sydney, which at their peak generated 10,000 tonnes of road base each day used to supply many major road and infrastructure projects initiated by the Whitlam Government stimulus programmes and Councils.
In 1972, Lang Walker founded The Walker Group and expanded the development arm of the business into the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, creating small-scale strata-titled industrial and commercial centres for small to medium-sized businesses. Following this expansion and the sale of the company's three quarries, Lang and Alec adopted a renewed direction on residential and industrial projects throughout the late 1970's.
In the early 1980's, The Walker Group developed an eight-storey apartment tower in Cronulla, followed by securing major earthworks and civil engineering contracts to renew the Brisbane Airport runway. In mid-1980, the business continued to boom, creating a 1,000 lot sub-division in Menai, Sydney, and constructing two office towers that became the Airport headquarters for Qantas. By the late 1980's, the Group diversified its portfolio further to encompass industrial, commercial, residential developments and civil engineering projects in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In 1988, The Walker Group was officially renamed Walker Corporation Pty Limited.
In 1993, as a joint manager with Macquarie Bank, Walker Corporation participated in the establishment of The Industrial Property Trust of Australia, a listed property trust. After two decades in the property development and civil engineering sector, Walker Corporation joined the Australian Securities Exchange in 1994. Lang Walker retained his position as the Managing Director, while projects under the control of Walker Corporation Pty Limited went on to generate over A$2 billion in sales revenue while employing over 375 full-time staff. The major projects delivered during this time included the Woolloomooloo Wharf, Broadway Shopping Centre, King Street Wharf and student housing in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney. In 1999, Lang Walker sold his shares in Walker Corporation Ltd to Australand Holdings Limited to focus on running his private development company McRoss Developments Pty Ltd. Walker reserved the right to reuse the Walker Corporation name after January 2003.
In 2000, Walker Corporation acquired Hope Island Resort in Queensland, which included an 18- hole golf course and approximately 2,000 housing allotments. In 2003, Lang Walker exercised his right to reuse the Walker Corporation name, renaming McRoss Developments Pty Ltd as Walker Corporation. Continuing to seek more diverse and challenging projects, Walker Corporation commenced the largest private development in Australian history, the Rhodes Peninsula, currently known as Rhodes Waterside. In 2006, Walker Corporation sold over A$1.45 billion worth of assets to Mirvac while developing over twenty projects across retail, commercial, residential, and industrial sectors. In 2008, Walker Corporation began its first Malaysian development, beginning work on Senibong Cove, a mixed-use development situated across 213 acres of waterfront land in Johor Bahru. In 2010, Walker Corporation started on Collins Square, Australia's largest mixed-use development, located in the Melbourne central business district.
In 2015, Walker Corporation secured two major contracts to redevelop and revive both Adelaide city centre and Parramatta city centre. In 2021, Walker Corporation topped out all four commercial towers at Parramatta Square, with the newly appointed NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet attending the final topping out ceremony for 6 & 8 Parramatta Square.
Projects
Residential
Australia
- Hope Island – a waterfront residential resort, Hope Island includes 2,000 luxury homes and apartments for over 8,500 residents.
- Riverlea – a $3 billion masterplanned community located 35 minutes from Adelaide CBD and delivering over 12,000 homes.
- Toondah Harbour – located 40 minutes from Brisbane city centre, Toondah Harbour is a waterfront precinct delivering residential dwellings, commercial space, retail and eateries spread across 67ha.
- Wallis Creek – a masterplanned community, located within the Hunter region, Wallis Creek is a 5-minute drive from Maitland and just minutes away from the new Hunter Expressway.
- Altair – located in Sydney, Altair is a luxury 16 level apartment tower with 139 apartments, a 25-metre heated pool and a gym. Altair received the award for 'The best residential block in the world' in the 2011 World Architectural Awards.
- Westmark Milton – a luxury apartment complex located in Milton Queensland, 2km west of the Brisbane CBD. Opposite Milton train station, this building consists of 277 apartments and recreational facilities, including a gym, pool and sun decks.
- Bluestone, Mt Barker – a masterplanned community of 750 homes spread across 130ha, Bluestone Mt Barker is within 30 minutes from the Adelaide CBD.
- Oakwood Kew Residences – 17 luxury apartments designed by Melbourne's Max Architects; these apartments are 15-minutes from Melbourne CBD and close to Kew Junction.
- Appin Valley – a masterplanned community located 90 minutes South West of Sydney in the Wollondilly Shire and 30 minutes from Wollongong. Appin Valley is a 33ha site consisting of 336 blocks of land.
- North Sapphire Beach – a NSW masterplanned community, this residential project is located 10 minutes from Coffs Harbour and offers residents direct access to Sapphire beach. Seventy-three hectares in size, the site consists of 230 blocks of land.
- Reflections Barlings Beach – a beachside community that was completed in 2020, the 34ha masterplanned project has 201 home sites averaging 755sqm in size. Located in the village of Tomakin, Reflections Barlings Beach is situated between Batemans Bay and Moruya.
- Lakesview – a 73ha masterplanned community consisting of 1,500 townhouses and apartments located in Robina on the Gold Coast. With 50 hectares of open space, close proximity to nearby schools, hospitals, train station and the Robina Town Centre.
- Woolloomooloo Wharf – From 1996 to 1999, Walker Corporation invested $300 million into revitalising the wharf and transformed the once derelict site into a dynamic mixed-use development featuring 300 apartments, hotels, retail, restaurants, a marina and commercial spaces.
Malaysia
- Crest at Austin - a modern community, Crest at Austin is a 376-acre integrated development surrounded by nearby open parklands. Delivering 568 residential terraces with functional spaces, this is a secure guarded community established in the township of Mount Austin in Johor Bahru.
- Senibong Cove – an established waterfront community, Senibong Cove is an 86-hectare development featuring 8,000 homes, a marina with 100 berths, 35-acres of outdoor space and two sentinel towers.
Resort
Fiji
- Kokomo Private Island – a luxury resort located on the edge of the Celestial Kadavu Island Group and 45 minutes from Nadi International Airport, Kokomo Private Island opened in 2017 and has 21 Villas and five residences encircled by the Great Astrolabe Reef.
Canada
- 46' North, Quebec - 46N is a luxurious resort located on the 46th parallel in Quebec, Canada, set on the edge of Lake Mitchell in 500 acres of wilderness. Comprised of 150 three, four and five-bedroom architecturally designed log homes, the development was part of a joint venture with AXE Immobilier; Walker Corporation still occupied 80% ownership.
United States
- Slopeside, Montana – a masterplanned community made up of 24 duplex style luxury condominiums; Slopeside Montana is a private neighbourhood located on 3,000 acres of ski, hiking and biking terrain.
- Sunnyside Ridge, Aspen – a private estate located on 4.9 acres of picturesque hillside, Sunnyside Ridge includes eight bedrooms and two true master suites. This luxury estate is located 10 minutes from Aspen City.
Commercial
Australia
- Parramatta Square – A $2.7 billion redevelopment and one of Australia's largest urban renewal projects, Walker Corporation delivered four towers, with Tower 6 & 8 being the largest CBD commercial office building in Australia by Gross Floor Area.
- Collins Square - Australia's second-largest commercial mixed-use development. The $3AUD billion project covers an entire city block with 190m of frontage on Collins Street. The development comprises five commercial towers, 10,000 m2 of retail podium, the refurbishment of the historic Goods Shed and over 185,000 m2 NLA of commercial space. The development's NABERS-rated buildings have been granted 6-star energy ratings.
- Festival Plaza is a $1 billion project that will deliver a 5,000sqm city square with 40,000sqm of premium office space. Located in Adelaide CBD behind old Parliament House, Festival Plaza will overlook the River Torrens.
- Country Road Headquarters – Located in Richmond, the Country Road HQ is a restored heritage building with 10,000sqm of A-Grade commercial office space.
- DEEWR Headquarters – The Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Head Quarters was a $40 million client integrated fit-out designed by May & Russell Architects.
- 150 Charlotte Street Brisbane – Complete in 2012, 150 Charlotte Street is a $90 million building that offers 10,500sqm of office space over 18 floors.
- Maroochydore City Centre – A 53ha City Centre located 10 minutes from the Sunshine Coast Airport. Walker Corporation's $2.5 billion investment will deliver 160,000 sqm of commercial and retail space and 4,000 residential apartments over the next 15 to 20 years.
- Western Sydney University Bankstown – Walker Corporation partnered with Western Sydney University to deliver a new $430 million vertical city campus with more than 26,000 square metres of floor space. Located between Bankstown Council administration building, library and knowledge centre, this new campus is situated at 74 Rickard Road, Bankstown.
- Point Cook Shopping Centre – in partnership with VicUrban, Walker Corporation constructed Point Cook Shopping Centre, a $150 million town square. Located 25 kilometres south-west of Melbourne CBD, this town centre is comprised of 150 retail stores, two supermarkets and departments stores.
- Georges on Collins – located on the east end of Collins Street, Georges on Collins is an iconic heritage refurbishment that Walker Corporation successfully transformed into a mixed-use precinct that offers 6,000sqm of floor space for a combination of commercial, retail and hospitality tenants.
Industrial
Australia
- Citiswich Business Park – Queensland's largest industrial development, Citiswich Business Park is a 350ha masterplanned industrial estate located in the logistics hub of Brisbane's south-west corridor, 25 minutes from the Brisbane CBD.
- Vicinity Industrial Base – Adelaide's largest masterplanned industrial estate, located in the established industrial precinct of Direk Vicinity Industrial Base. Three kilometres from the new $900 million Northern Connector and a 35-minute drive from Adelaide Airport. The precinct offers lot sizes ranging from 2,750sqm to 20ha and Level 3 B-Triple road train access.
- Monaro Industrial Park – a 30ha industrial estate 15 kilometres from Canberra CBD and 13km to Canberra Airport. 25km to Brisbane Airport and 30 minutes north of Brisbane CBD, this industrial park is located in a rapidly growing region of Kallangur.
- North Point Industrial Business Park – located in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland, North Point Industrial Business Park is 30ha in size with lot sizes ranging from 2,120sqm to 2.8ha.