PHOTO: The Trump family is circling Australia. PROPERTY NOISE
🇺🇸➡️🇦🇺 Trump family eyes first-ever Australian property play
The Trump family is circling Australia for what could become its first Trump-branded development, with the Gold Coast emerging as the frontrunner — and Surfers Paradise beachfront firmly in the crosshairs.
Behind closed doors, conversations are reportedly underway about building a Trump Tower on the sand, marking a major escalation of the family’s global property ambitions.
📍 The site: prime beachfront, long stuck in limbo
At the centre of the speculation is 3 Trickett Street, Surfers Paradise, a vacant beachfront block that has sat dormant since 2013.
🌊 Directly on The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise’s main beachfront strip
🏗️ Formerly home to the demolished Iluka Resort
🕳️ Only basement works currently remain
The site has become infamous on the Gold Coast for years of stalled plans — earning a reputation as being stuck in “development hell.”
The previous plan for a skyscraper on the property. (DBI)
🏗️ Trump Organisation expansion mode: branding, not building
The Trump Organization, now run by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has been aggressively expanding its global footprint.
Current and upcoming Trump-branded projects span:
Saudi Arabia
Dubai
Oman
Qatar
India
Vietnam
Indonesia
Romania
⚠️ Importantly, most Trump towers are branding deals, not ownership stakes — developers pay to use the Trump name, marketing power and prestige.
Whether the Gold Coast proposal would follow this model remains unknown, with deal details tightly held.
🏢 A skyscraper that almost was
The Surfers Paradise site already has history with mega-projects.
In 2016, developers won council approval for what would have been Australia’s third-tallest building, featuring:
🏙️ 479 luxury apartments
🍽️ Multiple restaurants
🏊 Rooftop pool
💰 Estimated value: $1.2 billion
Despite approval, the project never proceeded. The site later sold at a loss in 2019, further cementing its troubled reputation.
🏛️ No DA — yet
As of now:
❌ No development application lodged with Gold Coast Council
❌ No official confirmation from the Trump Organisation
✔️ Growing speculation among property insiders
If a Trump-branded tower does proceed, it would instantly become one of the most polarising developments in Australian property history.
🕰️ Trump & Australia: a long memory
When Donald Trump visited Australia in 2008, he publicly ruled out solo investment.
“If I do something in Australia, I’d want to have a partner in Australia,”
— Donald Trump, Australian Financial Review
Fast-forward to today, and the Trump brand’s global reach — and balance sheet — has grown exponentially, reigniting interest in Australia as a prestige market.
🔍 What happens next?
With beachfront land scarce, luxury apartment demand rebounding, and global capital hunting trophy assets, the Gold Coast may finally be ready for a name as divisive — and powerful — as Trump.
Whether this becomes Trump Tower Australia or yet another stalled dream remains to be seen.
SOURCE: 9 NEWS