Hillside Gardens Residential Estate has proven a shining jewel in Yumba-Meta Limited’s property development portfolio.

The estate, located on 50 acres of land in the foothills of Mt Louisa, was designed to facilitate pathways to Indigenous home ownership.

Thirty-four of the 41 land lots were sold to private buyers and the remaining lots were retained by Yumba-Meta Limited.

The last 15 lots were sold during the 2020-21 financial year, with the final lot sold in February 2021. Land sales from Hillside Gardens totalled $2.2 million.

Chairman and founder of Yumba-Meta, Dr Ernest Hoolihan OAM, said the development of Hillside Gardens was a “game-changer” for the local Indigenous community.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face multiple barriers to homeownership, including inter-generational poverty resulting from dispossession, low income and insecure employment,” he said.

“The staged development of Hillside Gardens allowed us to fund the subdivision progressively—as we sold blocks to private buyers, these funds financed the construction of the rental housing and supported three young Indigenous families on their path to homeownership.

“We’ve been able to create a well-designed, village-like atmosphere in an enviable location within easy reach of amenities,” said Dr Hoolihan.

Hillside Gardens is located just six kilometres from Willows Shopping Centre, is a short 13-minute drive to Townsville University Hospital, James Cook University and Lavarack Barracks, and is close to public and private schools.