A specialist real estate and major projects adviser, Rhys has extensive expertise advising on real estate transactions across all sectors.
He is sought-after for his strategic advice in relation to capital transactions, complex real estate and infrastructure projects, development and joint venture structures, and on land issues in highly regulated sectors (including in the transport, energy and resources sectors). Rhys also has extensive experience advising on development and asset management arrangements.
Rhys is a trusted advisor for a number of Australia’s largest institutional real estate investors, global fund managers and investors, developers and infrastructure managers. He acts for public and private sector clients on many of Queensland and Australia’s largest real asset transactions and infrastructure projects.
Key deals
Blackstone
Advised Blackstone on numerous large and complex capital transactions, including:
- the indirect disposal by unit sale and acquisition of various office and major retail assets in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia;
- the acquisition of various Queensland industrial and logistics assets in the establishment of an A$1 billion industrial and logistics assets fund; and
- the acquisition and development of Blackstone’s Realm BTR platform, including the acquisition and development of the Realm Caulfield mixed-use development (at the time one of Australia’s largest BTR projects) and the acquisition of the Realm Kangaroo Point development.
QIC
- Advised QIC and Australian Retirement Trust (ART) on the $864 million acquisition of a 19.9% interest in Westfield Sydney.
- Advised QIC on the sale and acquisition of various real estate assets across Australia, including the sale of regional shopping centres and industrial and logistics assets.
BlackRock
Advised on the establishment of a joint venture platform with Federation Asset Management to invest in childcare centre real estate assets across Australia. The platform has acquired and developed approximately A$600 million in childcare centre assets across Australia.
Real Asset Management Group
Advised on the acquisition of approximately A$750 million in retail, office and medical assets across Australia for Real Asset Management Group’s listed and unlisted retail and medical funds and their Australian commercial office mandate.
Aurizon
Advisor to Aurizon in relation to real estate issues in respect of the 2,600km Central Queensland Coal Network and the North Coast Line, including advising on complex and highly regulated land and rail infrastructure major projects and access and development matters, including new corridor acquisition, balloon loop leasing, interface risks, and mining activities in or around rail corridor.
Advising on the sale, and sale and leaseback, of various intermodal, rail maintenance and logistics assets, including on some of Queensland’s and Western Australia’s largest rail maintenance, heavy rolling stock maintenance, and intermodal terminal sales.
Queensland Government
- Advising on the $8 billion Wave Stage 3 (Metro) public transport project including advising on all tenure and interface arrangements.
- Advising on the $1.1 billion multi-stage mixed-use Herston Quarter redevelopment project.
- Advising on $3.6 million Queen’s Wharf integrated resort and the sale of Star’s 50% interest to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium.
Moorebank Intermodal Terminal and Logistics Park
Advised Aurizon on the nationally significant A$1.9 billion Moorebank Intermodal Terminal and Logistics Park project, including advising on all aspects of the development and joint venture of the 241ha intermodal freight precinct, including the IMEX and Interstate terminals, 850,000m2 of warehouse facilities and rail connection.