The forthcoming Western Sydney airport is set to prove fruitful for the wider region, specifically industrial hubs, when it opens in late October this year.

New research from Commonwealth Bank shows $24 billion in industrial development has been proposed around the new Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport, set to increase the region’s floorspace for the asset class by 55% or 5.5 million square metres over the next 10 to 12 years.

CBA found the outer central west region now has the largest industrial development pipeline of 17 Australian regions the bank monitors.

“It’s been 56 years since the last public airport in Australia, at Tullamarine, Melbourne, was completed, so the chance to create completely new industrial and business areas of this type and scale, doesn’t often present itself,” said Kevin Stanley, CBA’s director of commercial property.

The region’s population growth is set to support the supply, which by 2041 is expected to increase by 26% or 653,000 people; Western Sydney’s population share of Greater Sydney is set to rise from 44% to 47%.

In addition, around $22 billion of transport and enabling infrastructure is set to be delivered; the new airport is curfew-free unlike Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Mascot, which will support demand for cold storage facilities supporting the handling of fresh food and refrigerated products for food retailers through the night.

Some of the most popular keywords in industrial buy and lease searches on realcommercial.com.au so far in 2026 relate to food storage and freezers.

The industrial sector has been one of Australia’s sustained commercial property bright spots; yields are compressing strongly, while Sydney’s industrial sector has the tightest yields in the country at 4.2%.

Enquiry levels for Western Sydney industrial properties on realcommercial.com.au are also strong, which experts attribute to the growth of e-commerce and logistics to support large retailers.

Four out of the 10 most-viewed listings in New South Wales in August were industrial properties in western Sydney; specifically, seven out of 10 of the most viewed and enquired industrial properties in NSW over the month were in the region.

Drivers will be able to access the airport from the M12 Motorway, initially known as Western Sydney Airport Motorway.

On the leasing side, five out of 10 of the most-viewed properties in NSW were industrial properties based in Sydney’s west.

While the new supply pipeline is welcome for the region, Ray White Commercial Western Sydney agent Andrew Sacco said it will lead tenants to chase higher-spec properties further west.

“We are seeing a lack of serviced and ready-to-be-developed industrial land available in existing precincts. As a result, we anticipate these areas will become quite competitive among owner-occupiers and developers,” he said.

“Due to the strong connectivity – servicing the western suburbs via the Northern Road and M12 motorway – we predict that tenant demand for quality industrial assets will be strong as tenants seek to minimise transit time and costs for goods and services.”

Western Sydney’s Nancy Bird Walton Airport will open in October. Picture: Britta Campion

The flight-to-quality phenomenon has been well-documented in the office asset class, where tenants covet newer, A-grade and premium offices – financial results from Mirvac illustrate this strongly – but this could be a relatively new phenomenon in industrial.

“Demand remains strong within the industrial sector, however, tenants, owner-occupiers, and developers want more value for their money,” said Joseph Assaf, RWC Western Sydney director.

“We are witnessing these groups move further out west as they begin to be priced out of the more established inner industrial precincts and are willing to travel slightly further for better value.”

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A rare 7,801 sqm industrial landholding has hit the market, offering developers a “generational” opportunity in one of the Gold Coast’s most supply-constrained commercial precincts.

The site, including 17 Rudman Pde and 3–5 Bee Court, Burleigh Heads is being marketed by Lacey West Commercial directors Josh Cruden and James Borbidge.

It is marketed as a key strategic acquisition for owner-occupiers, institutional developers, or land banking investors.

The cleared block has medium impact industry zoning which permits heavier industrial operations, broader manufacturing capabilities, and logistics uses.

Aerial view of Miami and Burleigh Heads.

Mr Cruden said the combination of the site’s scale, versatility and location made it a holding of untapped potential.

“Burleigh Heads has evolved into one of the most enticing and high-performing commercial hubs in the city,” Mr Cruden said.

“Securing an industrial site of nearly two acres in this precinct is exceptionally rare.

“When you factor in the medium impact zoning and dual street access, it presents an unparalleled blank canvas for developers or major occupiers looking to establish a dominant footprint.”

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James Borbidge says the Gold Coast is now a sophisticated, high-performing commercial market.

Mr Borbidge described the site as a generational commercial asset.

“The Gold Coast is no longer just a regional growth story; it is a sophisticated, high-performing commercial market,” Mr Borbidge said.

“Opportunities of this scale in its key business corridors are becoming rarer and rarer as the Burleigh Heads commercial hub, and other key areas across the region reach capacity.”

The property is close to the M1 Pacific Motorway, the Gold Coast Airport, and the broader Burleigh Heads retail and lifestyle precinct.

Expressions of interest close September 30.

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Popular giant Bunnings has swallowed two large firms whole in a mega merger – including the owner of Hard Yakka and Australia’s biggest industrial and safety supplies firm.

This after parent company Wesfarmers handed Bunnings Group control of Australia’s largest industrial and safety distributor Blackwoods as well as a national workwear empire Workwear Group which owns brands like Hard Yakka and King Gee – as well as a network of distribution centres stretching from Canningvale to Carole Park.

Bunnings will absorb WorkWear under its banner, which includes popular tradie brands Hard Yakka and King Gee. Pictured tradies Liam Austin (chainsaw), Chris Stones (grinder) and Cameron Dymock (sledge hammer). Picture: David Caird

Both companies will transition under Bunnings Group in less than a month on July 1 when the new financial year kicks off – with all brands expected to continue operating under their own names for now.

Blackwoods is not a small bolt-on, operating six national distribution centres – in Canningvale, Regency Park, Scoresby, Greystanes, Carole Park, and Mackay – as well as more than 45 branches across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia.

Its Canningvale facility alone is serious industrial real estate, running to 13,500 square metres of purpose-built distribution space.

Workwear Group brings its own warehousing, design, and distribution infrastructure to the table, covering eight brands including NNT Uniforms, Hard Yakka and King Fee plus a customer base that spans every tradie, construction crew and government department that needs a uniform and a steel-capped boot.

Bunnings is already one of Australia’s largest single-tenant occupiers, with 312 stores nationwide, controlling tens of thousands of square metres of large-format retail space.

The additional distribution and supply chain resources are set to give it unprecedented leverage across retail, industrial, logistics and last-mile fulfilment real estate.

Bunnings has become a weekend institution for many Aussies including its famous sausage sizzle. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Wesfarmers chief financial officer Anthony Gianotti said the decision was made to boost shareholder value.

“Blackwoods and Workwear Group hold market-leading positions and have continued to grow share following the successful implementation of Blackwoods enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and the simplification and reset of their operating models last financial year,” he said.

“With this transition, we see a significant opportunity to leverage greater scale and capabilities to further enhance the customer experience.”

He said working more closely with Bunnings would unlock growth in the small and medium sized customer segments.

Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider said the transition would give greater access to Blackwoods’ extensive product range and national fulfilment capabilities.

“Customers will have more choice, better product availability and an enhanced customer experience.”

A WorkWear composite celebrating 100 years of King Gee. Source: WorkWear.

The man who quietly built the machine that Bunnings just inherited is walking out the door when the transition goes through. Tim Bult joined Wesfarmers in 1999 – when most of today’s tradie customers were still in primary school – and spent 27 years shaping some of the biggest moments in Australian corporate history. He helped steer the demerger of Coles in 2018, oversaw the sale of Coregas, and then spent his final chapter doing something characteristically unglamorous: sitting in rooms with Bunnings figuring out exactly how to hand over everything he built. With that work done, he is retiring in July.

Mr Gianotti said Mr Bult was “instrumental in the growth and success of the group”.

“Tim has the gratitude and best wishes of the Wesfarmers board, leadership team and the broader group,” he said.

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