The Margaret River Lifestyle Village has just taken out the prestigious Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) award for seniors’ living in Western Australia – largely thanks to its new clubhouse which boasts its own craft brewery where residents can brew their own beer.
Being in a wine region, the Village also has its own on-site vineyard and wine making classes as well as an established orchard full of fruit and vegies and electric bikes that residents can use to cycle on the nearby Rails to Trails network.
The Village’s Project Manager Adan Nicholson tells us it’s all about creating a “micro-climate of all that the region has to offer” – and offering residents the “wow factor”.
The wow factor
They are not the only village or lifestyle community thinking outside the square when it comes to their amenities – and spending up big to do it.
In Queensland, the Palm Lake Group splashed $10 million on the Country Club at their Toowoomba community which includes a ten pin bowling alley, outdoor infinity pool and undercover championship lawn bowls green.
As we covered here, Aveo’s Newstead retirement village in Brisbane has its own ‘tech angel’ to help residents set up their devices and troubleshoot technology problems.
It makes sense to us. The Baby Boomer generation has come to expect more – so operators need to be doing something different to set themselves apart from the competition.
We predict more innovations like this will be on the way.
