Adrian Puljich launches Aliria to meet demand for small regional over 50s lifestyle communities

Starting out with a Gold Coast caravan park 40 years ago, this family has built its property empire and now the youngest Puljich son has launched a new business to meet demand.

GemLife chief executive Adrian Puljich who has launched new over-50s venture, Aliria.

There was only ever one real career path for Adrian Puljich, and that was the family one – developing and running over-50s communities.

It all started when father Peter – who arrived in Australia in 1968 as a refugee and was a self-taught plasterer – purchased a caravan park on the Gold Coast in 1982.

That was then converted into one of Queensland’s first land lease communities which was the start of the Living Gems empire, and the family business was part of life for brothers Vlad, Branko, Anthony and Adrian who was the youngest

“I pretty much lived in a household where it was talked about morning and night,” said Mr Puljich, 36, who studied at Bond University and trained as a lawyer before joining the family business.

Gold Coast born and bred, Mr Puljich joined the family business in 2010 and ran the luxury over-50s lifestyle resorts business Living Gems with the business doubling in size over the next five years.

The family then launched GemLife in 2016 with joint venture partner Singapore’s Thakral Capital.

Vlad Puljich, Peter Puljich and Adrian Puljich in 2013.

Seven years later there was the operational merger of GemLife and Living Gems which combined has delivered more than 3600 homes across 19 private gated communities and it is one of the largest privately held operators of land lease over 50s lifestyle communities companies in Australia.

The family company has a further 8000 homes in the pipeline across 28 greenfield sites with an end value of more than $6bn, which are underway or in the pipeline in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

Mr Puljich said his father Peter was “still very much involved with the business” while Vlad retired in 2023 and Branko left a number of years ago after being in management roles in the business for 20 years and 15 years respectively. Anthony joined the business in August this year.

He said family businesses had their advantages and communication was the key.

“We all have different ideas and ways to manage growth so its good having honest dialogue and being a family business allows you to thrash out those issues in a lot more direct manner rather than dancing around the subject and being politically correct,” Mr Puljich said.

Mr Puljich said Aliria would deliver more choice for Australia’s rapidly growing over-50s population.

The family capitalised on their early investment and earlier this year when Avid Property Group agreed to pay the Puljich family $284.5m for eight fully-leased communities and last year they sold five communities to Stockland for $210m.

Those funds are being invested in new communities, driving a rebirth of Living Gems and kick start Aliria, which has launched its over 50s lifestyle resort in Rockhampton, Central Queensland.

Smaller that the GemLife and Living Gem communities, Aliria Rockhampton will feature 57 duplex homes, along with a community clubhouse, pool and pickleball court, within Rockhampton’s key suburban footprint.

Aliria has a $500m pipeline of land lease communities to rollout by late 2025 which includes developments in Bundaberg, Toowoomba, and Kilcoy.

“We’re also actively looking for further opportunities to bolster our pipeline, with due diligence underway for four more sites in NSW and Victoria,” Mr Puljich said.

Backed by the National Australia Bank, Aliria will be solely owned and directed by Mr Puljich and will sit within a wider group of companies includes the GemLife and Living Gems businesses, which are mostly focused in Queensland, which he also heads as director

and chief executive.

Mr Puljich said Aliria would deliver more choice for Australia’s rapidly growing over-50s population, with a mix of boutique communities on infill sites, vertical and greenfield masterplanned resorts.

The Aliria infill site in Rockhampton, Queensland.

The “big point of difference” for Aliria is that it is also focused on adding additional care facilities as well as offering ageing in place opportunities for those people seeking to spend their retirement years in one of their land lease parks.

Mr Puljich said Aliria would benefit from innovations through GemLife, like the installation of Virtual Power Plants, which have significantly reduced residents’ power bills, and first-of-its-kind 5G technology to optimise connectivity.

“I’m committed to continuously innovating and refining modern over-50s living, and Aliria is the latest evolution of that,” he said.

“The new brand will deliver innovative housing choice, including boutique communities in established towns and suburbs, which are a first in the land lease sector.

“These boutique developments will feature between 50 and 90 homes and bring much-needed

downsizer housing to key infill areas – including regional locations, close to existing homes and amenities, allowing more over 50s to stay in their neighbourhoods.

“We’re also working on a sophisticated model to support the evolving needs of our residents as they age, assisting them to remain in our communities as long as they choose. We have sites in Queensland, NSW and Victoria and there are opportunities in South Australia.”

With an annual turnover of more than $300m, the group, with a team of 400 staff, is headquartered in Helensvale in the northern Gold Coast.

Mr Puljich, the father of two who attended The Southport School on the Gold Coast and in his spare time is chairman of the Gold Coast Knights Football Club, said all three brands have “huge growth opportunities” as the population ages,

“We have a housing crisis and will look to continue to grow those platforms jointly,” he said.

“There’s a big wave coming and there will be pressure on services – housing, care, end-of life care – all of those things are going to come more and more mainstream.”