Griffin Childcare Centre Changes Hands in $7.7 Million Deal

A private investor has paid $7.7 million for the Goodstart Early Learning centre, in a deal that drew more than 135 enquiries and reflects strong investor demand for childcare property in Brisbane’s northern growth corridor.



The sale was brokered by Stonebridge Property Group and completed via an on-market campaign in June 2026 after initially launching as part of a National Portfolio Auction campaign in March. The transaction settled at a yield of 5.30 per cent, which agents described as a benchmark result for the childcare asset class in the current market.

For families in Griffin, the sale changes nothing about the centre’s day-to-day operations. Goodstart Early Learning continues as tenant under a 15-year net lease running to 2035, with options extending to 2055 and CPI-linked annual rent increases built in throughout.

A centre designed for a suburb that needed it

The Griffin Goodstart centre was purpose-built in 2021 specifically to address an undersupply of childcare places in the suburb. At the time it was developed, Griffin had approximately 3.3 children aged between zero and five for every available childcare place, a ratio that signals significant unmet demand.

Photo Credit: Stonebridge

The 110-place facility sits on a 2,405 square metre landholding with 27 car parks and nearly 79 metres of dual street frontage. Its position directly opposite Griffin State Primary School was a deliberate development decision, creating a natural pathway for families moving between early learning and primary education on the same street.

Photo Credit: Stonebridge

Griffin State Primary School recently completed a $22 million extension bringing its capacity to 1,159 students, a figure that underscores how rapidly the suburb has grown since the Goodstart centre was built.

Griffin’s growth story is not slowing down

Griffin sits roughly 23 kilometres north of Brisbane’s CBD and has been one of the faster-growing suburbs in the Moreton Bay region for the past decade.

Population forecasts put growth in the immediate area at more than 61 per cent between now and 2046, a trajectory that makes infrastructure assets with long lease terms particularly attractive to investors looking for passive income in a growing catchment.

The suburb currently has a new Woolworths-anchored retail centre under construction approximately 450 metres from the Goodstart site, and is within 1.2 kilometres of Westfield North Lakes.

What Goodstart is, beyond a property investment

Goodstart Early Learning is Australia’s largest not-for-profit early learning provider, operating more than 677 centres nationwide and supporting around 64,000 children each year.

Photo Credit: Goodstart Early Learning

It was formed in 2009 when a consortium including Brotherhood of St Laurence, Mission Australia, The Benevolent Society and Social Ventures Australia acquired the former ABC Learning network after its collapse.

In the 2025 financial year, Goodstart delivered a solid surplus of $28.9 million, which it reinvested into quality improvements, safety upgrades and centre network expansion rather than distributing as profit.

The Griffin centre’s structure as a net lease means Goodstart pays rates, insurance, general repairs and maintenance, and land tax, keeping the investment fully passive for the new owner.

For enrolment enquiries at the Griffin centre, contact Goodstart here or on 1800 222 543.



Published 4-June-2026

Newly Built Griffin Childcare Centre to Go Under the Hammer as Demand for Places Soars

A purpose-built Goodstart Early Learning centre on Wesley Road, Griffin is heading to auction later this month, listed as part of a national commercial property portfolio campaign.


Read: Childcare Centre Added to Neighbourhood Hub Plans in Joyner


The 110-place centre at 60 Wesley Road, Griffin, has been listed by commercial real estate firm Stonebridge Property Group as part of its March National Portfolio, with the auction scheduled for Wednesday, 25 March at 11am (AEDT).

Goodstart Early Learning will continue operating the centre under its existing lease arrangements. The not-for-profit childcare operator holds a 15-year net lease running through to 2035, with further options that could see it remain in place until 2055, according to the listing.

Photo credit: Stonebridge

The listing highlights a combination of factors that have been reshaping Griffin over recent years.

The suburb’s population is forecast to increase by more than 60 per cent by 2046, making it one of Brisbane’s fastest-growing residential catchments. That growth is visible on the ground — Griffin State Primary School, which sits directly opposite the Wesley Road childcare centre, underwent a $22 million expansion in 2020 and now enrols more than 1,159 students. A new Woolworths-anchored shopping centre is also under construction in close proximity to the centre.

Against that backdrop, the childcare numbers are telling. Griffin currently has a demand ratio of approximately 3.3 children aged zero to five for every available childcare place, according to data cited in the Stonebridge listing. That means for every available childcare place in the suburb, there are more than three children aged zero to five in the catchment — a ratio that points to significant unmet demand.

Photo credit: Stonebridge

Stonebridge Partner Tom Moreland described the listing as a rare opportunity, saying it is “extremely rare for a newly built Goodstart childcare freehold to hit the public market.” He noted that Goodstart had identified Griffin as an under-supplied metropolitan growth catchment and selected a site directly opposite the primary school.

His colleague Thomas Proberts pointed to the broader investment picture, noting that recent sales of metro childcare centres had demonstrated sustained demand for well-located assets in South East Queensland’s growth corridors. “South East Queensland in particular continues to benefit from strong population growth,” Proberts said, singling out Griffin’s projected 60 per cent expansion over the next two decades as a key drawcard.

The auction is being managed by Stonebridge’s Tom Moreland, Michael Collins, Thomas Proberts and James Freemantle, and forms part of the firm’s wider March National Portfolio campaign.


Read: Retirement Village, Childcare Centre, and Residential Care Facility on Mango Hill Proposed


For the local community, the transaction raises a question that goes beyond property investment: as Griffin continues to grow, will childcare supply keep pace with demand? The centre at Wesley Road was completed in 2021, purpose-built for a suburb already experiencing rapid population growth. With population forecasts pointing sharply upward, and a demand ratio that already leans heavily against families seeking a place, it is a question worth asking.

Published 14-March-2026

110-Place Childcare Centre Proposed to Meet Growing Demand in Griffin Region

Leyton Property, a real estate developer based in Adelaide City, has lodged a development application for a single-storey childcare centre on 1105 Wesley Road, Griffin to accommodate the growing demand for childcare in the area.

A report prepared by Urbis on behalf of the applicant states that the proposed development of the facility will help ease the stress on the child care system in the Griffin region.



“Although there are several existing and proposed child care centres in the area, the experienced operator is confident that the location and particular demands of the market are amenable to accommodate the proposal,” the application said. 

Presently, there are three childcare centres operating within the area offering a total of 226 places. There are four other centres that have received the approval, with two of them opening in 2020 and the others opening in 2022 and 2025. 

Site location (Photo credit: http://pdonline.moretonbay.qld.gov.au)

Based on development application lodged to Moreton Bay Regional Council, the 110-place childcare centre will be located on a 2,404sqm vacant site and will have a gross floor area of 766 sqm. Designed by ON Architecture, the childcare centre will feature:

  • large shaded verandah 
  • large outside play area
  • planter box landscaping
  • open car park with 27 spaces
3D view from street (Photo credit: http://pdonline.moretonbay.qld.gov.au)

The subject site is located in a residential subdivision and nearby newly establishing residential uses and the Griffin State School, which only opened in 2016. 

The site and its adjoining sites were previously used for agricultural, rural residential purposes and a plant nursery before being cleared for the purpose of a residential estate.

Wesley Road childcare centre floor plan (Photo credit: http://pdonline.moretonbay.qld.gov.au)

Once approved, the childcare centre will operate between 6:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. For further details about the proposed childcare centre along Wesley Road in Griffin, see 2019 / 39038 / V2C