Gold Coast’s Five Standout Penthouses for 2025

The calibre of penthouse apartments on the Gold Coast has skyrocketed in recent years. The pandemic truly shone a light on the lifestyle and livability of the Gold Coast – a gem long overlooked, particularly by those from the southern States.

But now, well-heeled buyers from Sydney and Melbourne are casting their eyes north, looking to the Coast for retirement, or at the very least, a luxurious holiday base to escape the cold southern winters.

These buyers, who won’t get much change out of $8 million when shopping for a sky-high home along the Glitter Strip, expect all the bells and whistles. A private pool is a must, as are top-of-the-line appliances, natural stone finishes, and, of course, sweeping ocean views.

Gold Coast developers have answered the call, delivering some of the finest apartments on the East Coast. From Main Beach to Palm Beach, here are five standout penthouses currently on the market.

Lagoon, Main Beach. Developer: Drew Group

One of the largest developments Main Beach has ever seen is nearing completion, and the final residences, The Signature Collection, include several sub-penthouses and penthouses that will be “hard to replicate.”

“The unrepeatable nature of these apartments hasn’t been lost on buyers,” says Drew Group Managing Director Jon Drew. “It will be hard to replicate the sheer size of these apartments. No expense has been spared to create these luxurious sub-penthouses and penthouses. At this price point, it’s an opportunity that may never be repeated in a new Main Beach development.”

The penthouse atop the Sunrise tower is the highest apartment in the dual-tower project. Priced at $7.15 million, the Sunrise Penthouse spans 460 sqm and features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and three-car parking.

It offers sweeping views of the ocean, Gold Coast skyline, and hinterland from the kitchen, living, and dining areas. The kitchen includes Gaggenau appliances and natural stone benchtops, complemented by a wine cellar, bar area with Vintec wine fridge, and a private heated rooftop pool with an adjoining outdoor BBQ kitchen.

Lagoon’s name nods to its lagoon-style central swimming pool, available to all residents. They also have access to a podium-level entertainment lounge and garden with designer cooking stations, a fitness centre with adjoining yoga terrace, a 24/7 connected boardroom, and dedicated workspaces.

Pipis, Bilinga. Developer: SIERA

One of the penthouses crowning SIERA’s absolute beachfront development, Pipis, is expected to set a new Bilinga record, with pricing around $8.5 million.

There are two penthouses atop the 11-level Golden Four Drive building – SIERA’s first Gold Coast development after moving up from Brisbane.

The two-level residences each span 446 sqm of internal and external space, designed by Ellivo Architects. Each features four bedrooms and is finished with high-end materials including natural stone, Navurban Balmoral and Plytec Blossom joinery, and white-oiled natural timber flooring.

Kitchens are appointed with premium appliances, including an induction cooktop, steam oven, speed oven, ZIP tap, InSinkErator, built-in coffee machine, and a butler’s pantry with wine cellar.

A sculptural spiral staircase serves as a dramatic centrepiece, while a private lift also connects the levels. On the rooftop, residents will find a private plunge pool and sun deck with ocean views.

Residents are expected to move into Pipis in the coming months.

Kloud, Palm Beach. Developer: GRAYA

There’s arguably no better address in Palm Beach than Jefferson Lane – and luxury Brisbane-based developer GRAYA clearly agrees.

“When selecting a site, we look closely at all of the fundamentals — demand, future infrastructure investment, and lifestyle,” said Graya Managing Director Rob Gray.
“After carefully assessing these criteria, it was a no-brainer when selecting Palm Beach as the ideal location for our next multi-residential development.”

Local site specialists, GV Property Group, amalgamated a prized 824 sqm block, which will soon be home to Kloud, a boutique 10-level project with just 20 apartments, ranging from two to four bedrooms.

Topping the building is a 507 sqm, two-level penthouse with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and three parking spaces. Finishes include European oak flooring, fluted stone, curved walls, and soft, tonal hues that reflect the coastal setting.

The top level is devoted entirely to entertaining, featuring a covered alfresco space with bar, lounge area with firepit, and a private pool and spa.

The penthouse is priced at $8.95 million, with completion due later this year.

La Belle, Palm Beach. Developer: Marquee Development Partners

While Jefferson Lane may be the crown jewel of Palm Beach, The Esplanade is a very close second. Marquee secured a premium 3,300 sqm beachfront parcel from former world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan, and from it launched La Belle — their 11th Gold Coast apartment project.

More than 80% of the 75 apartments have sold, and late last year, Marquee unveiled the Penthouse Collection: 10 sub-penthouses and the flagship Grand Penthouse.

“We’re beyond excited to unveil what we believe will be the pinnacle of penthouse living on the Southern Gold Coast,” said Marquee Director Jacques Winterburn.
“Our commitment to creating exceptional spaces where every detail elevates the living experience is what makes this collection truly unparalleled.”

The Grand Penthouse offers 520 sqm of internal living and an additional 162 sqm of outdoor space. It includes five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a multi-purpose room, four car parks, an indoor cinema, a wine display, a large home office, and a statement fireplace.

Residents will have access to 1,500+ sqm of wellness and lifestyle amenities, including a heated outdoor pool and spa, teppanyaki bars, private offices, a resident lounge with billiards and bar, and a world-class wellness centre with infrared and Nordic saunas, a hydrotherapy pool, and dual cold plunge baths.

La Belle is slated for completion in mid-2026.

Perspective Helm, Chevron Island. Developer: Sherpa Property Group

Chevron Island isn’t typically known for boutique ultra-luxury, but Sherpa Property Group’s waterfront project, Perspective Helm, is a standout exception.

Penthouse 10 recently sold for around $10 million to a Brisbane couple, setting a new record for the island.

Just one residence remains — Penthouse Nine — priced at $9.99 million. It spans nearly 800 sqm over two levels and includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a cinema, a multi-purpose room, and a secure four-car garage.

The penthouse also features a rooftop pool alongside a full outdoor kitchen with BBQ, pizza oven, firepit, and lounge area — plus a 60-foot private marina berth.

“Every detail of these penthouses has been meticulously crafted to offer an indulgent lifestyle, where effortless luxury meets serene sophistication,” said Sherpa CEO Christie Leet.
“We’re seeing strong interest from downsizers drawn to the quality and convenience of this location. The combination of true riverfront living and marine access is rare, and it’s clearly resonating with the market.”

For Jack Freeman, a compelling interior should not look as though it was completed in a single shopping trip.

The founder and designer behind FREEMAN & CO prefers rooms that develop through art, travel, commissioned furniture and objects collected over time. It is an approach that treats the home less as a decorative project and more as an evolving portrait of its owner.

“I am a true believer in collecting versus decorating,” Freeman says.

That distinction underpins the international practice he has built across private residences, hotels, property developments, yachts and private aviation. Its projects stretch from Point Piper, Vaucluse, Circular Quay and Toorak to Mayfair, Bel Air and the Caribbean.

Although the locations and architecture vary considerably, the work is connected by a restrained design language. Natural stone, warm timbers and sculptural furniture establish the foundation, while art, bespoke lighting and individual objects give each interior its identity.

The objective is not to overwhelm a room with obvious symbols of expense. It is to create an environment that feels calm, layered and particular to the people living within it.

“The greatest luxury isn’t about excess,” Freeman says. “It’s about creating an oasis where you come home and feel immediately grounded — effortlessly chic and deeply personal.”

Collecting instead of decorating

Decorating can imply the completion of a room: selecting the required furniture, filling the available walls and producing a coherent finished image.

Collecting is less conclusive.

A collected interior has room to change as its owners travel, discover artists, inherit pieces or reassess how they use their home. Its character comes from the relationship between objects rather than adherence to a single brand or season.

That does not mean placing unrelated pieces together without discipline. The designer must understand scale, proportion, material and provenance well enough to create a dialogue between them.

A contemporary artwork might sit beside a historic piece of furniture. A precisely detailed new interior may be interrupted by an irregular object made by hand. Smooth stone can be balanced by timber, textiles or a patinated metal surface that becomes richer with age.

The tension between those elements is part of the appeal.

For Freeman, art is not an accessory to be added once the furniture plan is complete. It forms part of the architecture and atmosphere of the room from the beginning.

Lighting is considered in the same way. Beyond its practical purpose, a bespoke fitting can operate as a suspended sculpture, changing both the room’s composition and the way its materials are experienced after dark.

A design perspective shaped by travel

International travel plays a significant role in Freeman’s creative process.

Design fairs such as PAD Paris and Salone del Mobile in Milan provide opportunities to encounter emerging designers, established galleries, new materials and collectible furniture away from the filter of social media.

More spontaneous discoveries can prove equally important.

“Sometimes it’s the simple things,” Freeman says. “That piece found on a shopping trip with a client in Paris, stumbling across an artisan’s workshop, or a special memory that forms the narrative of the story.”

Objects selected during travel bring more than visual interest into a home. They carry an association with a place, maker or experience, giving the client a connection that cannot be reproduced by ordering an entire interior from a catalogue.

Freeman’s influences are international, but his projects are not conceived as replicas of Parisian, Milanese or Californian style. Each commission responds to its architecture, setting, natural light and the daily lives of its occupants.

A waterfront Sydney residence demands a different treatment from a Mayfair townhouse. A Caribbean estate shaped by brutalist architecture and reflecting pools calls for another response again.

The designer’s role is to absorb those references without allowing them to overwhelm the individual qualities of the property.

Designing the complete experience

FREEMAN & CO extends beyond conventional interior decoration.

The practice’s stated services include interior design and architecture, project management, property acquisition, development advice, concept design, documentation, furniture and lighting design, procurement and art curation.

That breadth allows the team to become involved before a room’s dimensions and finishes are fixed.

Early participation can be important at the top end of the residential market, where architecture, landscape, interiors, technology and art must operate as one environment. Decisions about ceiling heights, wall dimensions, sightlines and lighting can directly affect where art is installed or how custom furniture is proportioned.

The practice can then carry those decisions through to procurement and final installation, maintaining the design narrative as a project moves between architects, builders, specialist craftspeople, dealers and suppliers.

Its residential portfolio includes a South Coast retreat conceived as an escape from urban life, a Caribbean estate with reflecting pools, an East Coast-inspired Palm Beach residence and a Mayfair townhouse organised around an expressive drawing room.

The studio also says it has worked on highly tailored Sydney residences with values exceeding $100 million, although the private nature of such commissions means individual addresses and clients are not always disclosed.

A home that can keep changing

The risk in creating a perfectly resolved interior is that it can become too static — a composition that looks exceptional in photographs but leaves little room for life.

Freeman sees the home as something that should evolve with its owners.

“I love the evolution of design,” he says. “We are talking about people’s lives, and as they evolve, so too should their private sanctuaries.”

That evolution might involve adding art, reupholstering a significant piece, adapting rooms as a family changes or making space for objects gathered through future travels.

The original design needs to be strong enough to accommodate those layers.

This may be the clearest expression of Freeman’s approach to luxury. It is not simply access to rare stone, collectible furniture or commissioned craftsmanship. It is the creation of a personal environment whose meaning deepens rather than diminishes with time.

Fact box

Designer: Jack Freeman

Role: Founder and managing director

Practice: FREEMAN & CO

Base: Australia, with international projects

Project locations named by the practice: Point Piper, Vaucluse, Circular Quay, Toorak, Palm Beach, the NSW South Coast, Mayfair, Bel Air and the Caribbean

Sectors: Private residences, hotels, residential developments, private aviation and superyachts

Services: Interior design and architecture, property development, project management, property acquisition, documentation, furniture and lighting design, FF&E procurement, interior dressing and art curation

Design philosophy: Collected, personal interiors shaped by art, craftsmanship, travel and enduring materials

Website: free-man.co