Alkira at Cape Tribulation, is listed for sale at $5 million-plus.
A repeat buyer on The Block TV show could cash in millions while hunting for a new owner for their UFO-like rainforest mansion – and raising the rent on a beachfront penthouse.
Melbourne hairdresser Tina Brandi – whose husband David has been a prolific bidder on The Block – put their Gold Coast full-floor beachfront penthouse on the rental market for $2,500 a week, up $200 from May. That’s roughly the daily rate they charge for Australia’s strangest home, Alkira located in Far North Queensland, as they wait for a buyer.
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David Brandi in a file picture with his wife. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Tina Brandi has upped the rent on this penthouse property on the Gold Coast.
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Both properties are held under a company with Tina Brandi listed as director, following David Brandi’s guilty plea to ATO-linked charges. He’s currently banned from managing companies by ASIC until mid-2026.
Despite the legal history, the Brandis remain high-profile property investors. Alkira is their most eye-catching purchase, bought for $4 million in November 2016 and now listed for offers over $5 million.
Often likened to a “landed UFO”, the six-winged, spaceship-like retreat hovers above an engineered lake with six cantilevered wings radiating from a central hub. It earned $55,000 leasing to King Kong vs Godzilla producers in 2024.
Agent Barbara Wolveridge of Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty – who is marketing the home with colleague Lynn Malone – said in the latest listing “after 26+ months on the market, the motivated vendor is ready to sell the redundant asset”.
Ms Malone said “we have two buyers conducting due diligence as they consider purchasing. Both intend to operate Alkira as a wellness retreat and plan to expand guest accommodations and amenities, capitalising on its secluded setting, bordered by the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.”
The striking Charles Wright-designed Alkira at Cape Tribulation.
Possibly the strangest house in Australia.
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“The price guide is $5 million, backed by a $6.5 million professional valuation, and a ridiculous amount to rebuild the primary residence, the Stamp House, with over 6,000 tons of concrete, state-of-the-art technology, and off-grid infrastructure.”
“Alkira Resort House is a redundant asset to the Brandi family, as their teenage children are involved in high-level sports activities and travels that keep them from spending time at Alkira.”
The property has a fulltime manager who lives at the Mango House, the second house on the property, built in 2018.
The off-grid home includes a private beach, boardwalk, helipad, state-of-the-art gym, executive office, and 2,400-bottle wine cellar.
The Burleigh Heads penthouse is in an enviable position.
The penthouse is available from December 19.
At Alkira’s initial listing, Mr Brandi said on their website “we would have liked to keep it, but circumstances require that we let it go to new owners. I hope it goes to someone who appreciates the property for the beautiful place that it is.”
Their Burleigh Heads penthouse, Bon Sol, spans the entire top floor of a boutique five-apartment building. Renovated and fully furnished, it has four bedrooms, multiple living zones, and balconies with sweeping ocean views, just steps from the beach, cafes, and shops.
Over the past decade, the Brandis have bought and sold multiple homes renovated on The Block, including the season-winning Affleck St penthouse in South Yarra and another at 164 Ingles St, Port Melbourne.
In 2015, David Brandi paid $2.3 million for the Dean and Shay Paine-designed Affleck St penthouse, which won that season. Three years later, he sold it for $2.365 million, pocketing a modest return.
According to past reporting, the Brandis could have made more than $1 million in profit from their Block investments, in addition to rental income and tax benefits.
David Brandi was a repeat bidder on The Block.
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