Regional developments attract buyers seeking space and lifestyle

Rolling hills, backyard bushland and paddock-lined streets – regional housing developments offer the luxury of space their metropolitan counterparts sorely lack.

These greenfield estates may be a good 50 kilometres or more from the nearest CBD, but they offer something buyers from all walks of life find appealing. For young buyers, it’s the affordability that just can’t be found in urban areas, for families, it’s the freedom to let the kids roam and for seasoned buyers, it’s the quiet life they’ve long dreamed of.  

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Harvey Carretero is Oliver Hume’s general manager of Ambrosia Kyneton, which is an hour’s drive north-west of Melbourne.

“A lot of people dream about living in properties like this,” he says.

“They walk through a display village in Melbourne and say, ‘Right, I really like that home, but I want to put it on a half-acre lot’. Well, this is a subdivision for that.”

Land lots ranging from 2000 square metres to a whopping 7856 square metres make it ideal for sprawling country homes. The project leverages Kyneton’s reputation as a foodie haven with 17 local cafes, pubs and wineries nearby. Interested buyers who inspect the estate are even given a voucher for a meal in town. 

“It’s just part of what we’re doing to encourage that localised social fabric so people aren’t just visiting us, they’re also coming into town and really getting to experience what Kyneton has got to offer,” said Carretero.

At Newcastle’s East End development, locals and out-of-towners are snapping up what’s left of the one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Developer Iris Capital’s vision for an urban village builds on Newcastle’s growing reputation as more than just an old steel town. 

Architects have also taken the development a step further to reimagine the Hunter Street precinct with a series of laneways and plazas. Warren Duarte, development manager at Iris Capital, says the project also includes existing and proposed hospitality and retail spaces on the ground floor. 

“East End represents the best of what Newcastle has to offer – it is a master-planned development over four inner city blocks in the most prestigious part of the city, with two of those blocks now complete,” he says.

Another coastal community calling buyers is Kings Forest near Casuarina in NSW. The Stockland development blends rural settings with urban-level design values by providing a connected lifestyle for residents.

“It’s embracing the surrounding local culture and business that exists in high-quality agricultural land, local business and everything that Northern Rivers has to offer, but also just really celebrating and embracing the connectivity to the coast and the beach through great walkability and accessibility,” says Alex Koerber, Stockland’s project director.

Further north is Coral Cove Ocean Estate in Queensland’s Wide Bay-Burnett region. Amenity access to the established 18-hole golf course, playgrounds, retail, dining and plans for a new future clubhouse and tavern, 2.5-hectare neighbourhood park and proposed village centre.