McGrath and Knight Frank have opened their first dual-branded office in Australia, located in the regional New South Wales city of Tamworth.
Burke & Smyth Real Estate Tamworth, a business that has been operating in the region for more than 50 years, will rebrand as McGrath Knight Frank Tamworth under the leadership of Gavin Knee as Managing Director and Jason Wherritt as Director and Sales Manager.
The dual-branded office will provide services across both residential and commercial property sectors in sales, leasing and asset management, as well as project marketing and home loans.
The residential side of the business will operate under McGrath Estate Agents while the commercial side will run under the Knight Frank brand.
This strategic partnership follows Knight Frank’s joint acquisition with NZ-based Bayleys of a controlling stake in McGrath in June 2024.
As Principal of the McGrath Knight Frank Tamworth office, Mr Knee, who has lived in Tamworth for more than 40 years, will head up a team of 20 people.
Mr Knee said the office rebranding would build on the legacy of Burke & Smyth, which had been operating in the region since 1971.
“The transition to McGrath Knight Frank confirms our commitment to strengthening this established presence, and marks an exciting new chapter in Tamworth’s real estate landscape,” he said.
“After proudly serving the region as an independent agency for over 50 years, we’re entering a new era — joining McGrath for our residential services and Knight Frank for our commercial division.
“This move combines our local and regional expertise and the personalised, community-driven approach we’re known for with the resources, reach, and innovation of two industry-leading networks.”
The McGrath brand of the office will service Tamworth to Gunnedah, while the Knight Frank brand will service Tamworth and northern New South Wales including Armidale, Inverell, Tenterfield, Moree, Narrabri and Gunnedah.
Knight Frank Chief Executive Officer James Patterson said he was excited about the new venture.
“The opening of the first dual-branded office for McGrath and Knight Frank marks a very significant milestone in the partnership between our two brands,” Mr Patterson said.
“Moreover, we are thrilled to be announcing the first dual-branded office in this location, with an extremely experienced and reputable team that has been operating in the area for a very long time.
“We believe Tamworth, and more broadly regional NSW, has strong growth prospects and we look forward to strengthening the presence of our two brands in the area over the coming years.”
McGrath Chief Executive John McGrath said the first dual-branded office signifies the strong alignment and synergy between Knight Frank and McGrath.
“Equally McGrath has a strong commitment to regional and rural Australia and we believe that Tamworth has great potential to benefit from our joint offering,” Mr McGrath said.
“This is a thriving regional city with a progressive business community and a proactive council focused on population growth, industry development and commercial growth.
“We believe our dual-branded offices will be a model that works well in regional areas, and we look forward to opening more.”
The new McGrath Knight Frank Tamworth office will be located at 266 Peel Street.
