GRAYA Secures Approval for Silk, St Lucia Apartments
3 min
South East Queenslander developer GRAYA has received development approval for Silk, its riverfront project at 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia.
The approval clears the way for one of the suburb’s most significant boutique residential addresses in years, on a tightly held bend of the Brisbane River.
Occupying a defining bend of the river, the 810 sqm site holds a northern aspect over Orleigh Park to the Brisbane CBD skyline. The approved scheme delivers 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences across 15 levels, designed and to be built by GRAYA. The breadth of river frontage and dual direction views the bend affords are increasingly difficult to secure across Brisbane’s riverfront, underpinning the long-term significance of the location.
Genuine riverfront development sites in St Lucia are almost exhausted. Silk moves the suburb into its next phase as a boutique apartment enclave, defined by lower density, larger-format residences and long-term owner-occupier demand. The approval allows construction planning to begin without delay.
The approved design places weight on scale, privacy and outlook rather than yield. Residences have been planned as permanent homes, with proportion, separation and river orientation carried through. Buyers in this market are not seeking typical apartment product. They are seeking the scale and privacy of a private home, with the ease of apartment living and far less to maintain.
The approval signals GRAYA’s continued confidence in Brisbane’s premium riverfront market and its focus on rare, irreplaceable sites in established inner-west suburbs.
GRAYA recently completed ARC in Toowong as builder for developer Spyre, delivering the project through challenging site conditions on the banks of the river. Building on a constrained riverside site is the same execution challenge Silk presents, and it is one GRAYA has already met on the same stretch of the river.
Rob Gray, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, GRAYA, said St Lucia is a suburb people do not want to leave.
“They know the river, the trees, UQ, the golf course, Toowong and Indooroopilly, and that familiarity is hard to replace. True riverfront opportunities here are exceptionally scarce.
“What we have designed at Silk is a way to stay in the suburb people love, with the scale and privacy of a private home and far less to maintain. This is not typical apartment product. It is a proper home on the river, and that is exactly what this market has been missing.”
Brother and fellow co-founder Andrew Gray, GRAYA’s Managing Director, said genuine riverfront sites of this quality in St Lucia are not something that comes up regularly.
“The approval removes a substantial layer of execution risk, and the location underwrites demand in a way very few innercity sites can. The fundamentals here are as strong as anything we have assessed in Brisbane.”
The approval follows sustained buyer demand across GRAYA’s riverfront and Gold Coast portfolio, reinforcing its position as an emerging authority in Brisbane’s premium riverfront apartment market. GRAYA designs, develops and constructs its projects under a single point of accountability, from first drawing through to aftercare.
Silk further strengthens GRAYA’s portfolio across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It sits alongside projects such as Enclave, The Gallery, Coral, and Ripple, reflecting a focus on blue-chip locations and design-led residences in tightly held markets. GRAYA has also recently submitted a development application for The Silo, a $700 million mixed-use project in the James Street precinct and the next major development in its pipeline.
While several residential projects are entering the wider St Lucia and Toowong corridor, genuine riverfront opportunities remain tightly held. Positioned directly on the river, Silk is expected to draw strong interest from local homeowners and prestige buyers seeking a permanent address in Brisbane’s inner west.
Registrations of interest are now open. Further detail will be released as the project progresses.
Project summary
| Project | Silk |
| Address | 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia QLD 4067 |
| Local authority | Brisbane City Council |
| Approval status | DA Approved |
| Site area | 810sqm |
| Approved built form | 15 levels |
| Approved yield | 16 split-floor & 6 full-floor |
| Ground-level uses | Lobby, gym, integrated rivers edge and leisure space |
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A new study models a potential $80.6 billion lift in Australian GDP after a decade, as national testing shows a decline in Year 10 digital literacy.
2 min
Australia trails Singapore and Malta in a new Commonwealth index, while national testing shows fewer than four in 10 Year 10 students meet the standard for digital literacy.
Australia has ranked third among 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness, with researchers estimating that artificial intelligence could lift the level of Australian GDP by $80.6 billion after a decade under their middle scenario.
The Ayre Think Tank released the index at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Australia scored 71 out of 100, behind Singapore on 77.6 and Malta on 75. The United Kingdom followed closely on 70.8, with Canada fifth on 70.2. Only 15 countries reached the study’s benchmark of 53.
What the $80.6 billion figure measures
The researchers applied International Monetary Fund estimates for broad groups of economies to Australia’s 2025 GDP. The resulting scenarios put the potential lift in Australian GDP after 10 years at between $40.9 billion and $120.3 billion, with $80.6 billion representing the midpoint.
The figures describe how much larger the economy could be at the end of the period under each scenario. They represent a change in the level of GDP in year 10.
Digital literacy falls as schools roll out AI tools
Australia scored 8.7 out of 10 for access to technology and 7.5 for digital, data, media and AI capability. Separate national testing found that 37 per cent of Year 10 students met the proficient standard for information and communications technology literacy in 2025, down from 46 per cent in 2022. About one in 10 students reported receiving substantial teaching on AI-related tasks. National assessment results
The report points to two state initiatives aimed at building those skills. Queensland began rolling out an AI education platform in state schools in 2026, while Victoria introduced free specialist training for workers looking to develop AI skills or move into related roles.
The index draws on 1,128 sources and examines the conditions facing people aged 15 to 29, including access to technology, education and pathways into work. Australia had usable data for 76 of the 102 indicators used in the rankings. The researchers found too little comparable evidence to score an eighth area covering critical judgement and people’s ability to exercise control over AI systems.
Professor C. Justin Robinson, campus principal of the University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, said young people should be equipped to question and improve AI tools and supported in building alternatives suited to their needs.
The report calls for affordable access to technology, more practical education and stronger links between training, employment and entrepreneurship. It also urges governments and educators to support AI tools suited to local languages and give young people ways to challenge automated decisions.
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