Developer Living Gems gets green light for second $180m Townsville over-50s resort
A family-owned developer has secured approval for their second over-50s resort-style living in Townsville after being "inundated with interest" for their first. SEE WHERE
A family-owned land lease developer has secured approval for its second over-50s resort in Townsville.
The new $180 million community from developer Living Gems, MacKinnon’s Reach is set to feature 328 homes in the city’s southwest.
The project will be located on a 14.36-hectare greenfield parcel at 55 Lynam Road, Gumlow, within the Maidment Group’s MacKinnon’s Reach masterplanned community.
The decision to proceed with a second development follows the earlier approval of Living Gems Harris Crossing in May 2025, which is less than three kilometres away and is also located within a Maidment Group community.
Living Gems chief executive Anthony Puljich said the rapid expansion was a direct response to interest in their first development.
“We’ve been inundated with interest for Living Gems Harris Crossing, prompting our decision to secure approval for our second Townsville community to meet the high demand,” Mr Puljich said.
He said the new resort-style offering was filling a significant gap in the local market.
“Premium resort-style living is a relatively new concept for the city — until recently, there hadn’t been a community like this built here since the 1970s — so the response is indicative of the pent-up demand that’s existed for quality downsizer housing in this region,” he said. Census data appears to support the company’s strategy, indicating that more than a third (34.3 per cent) of Townsville’s population is over 50 – about 80,000 residents.
The secure, gated Living Gems MacKinnon’s Reach community will include $19 million in resort-style amenities, featuring a country club, pickleball and tennis courts, lawn bowls, a community garden, and RV parking.
The homes will consist of modern, low-maintenance layouts, offering two-bedroom and two-bedroom plus multipurpose room configurations designed for the over-50s demographic.
The homes will be under a land lease model, which has become one of Australia’s fastest growing housing types, which allows buyers purchase their home but lease the land through a weekly site fee that covers maintenance, management, and the use of the extensive onsite amenities.
“Land lease communities allow people to ‘right-size’ to a home requiring little maintenance, in a community with great amenities, where they’re surrounded by like-minded neighbours, at a relatively affordable price,” said Mr Puljich.
A key feature promoted by the developer is the absence of entry fees, exit fees, or stamp duty. “It also has the dual benefit of helping free up established homes for younger families who need the space, which is critical given the shortfall of new housing being built nationwide,” Mr Puljich said.
Similar housing developments have also begun construction including the $200 million Lincoln Lifestyle project at Mount Low by developer Lincoln Place, which will see 350 homes built in the Northern Beaches.
The project began in mid September, with 30 homes to be completed by Christmas 2026.
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Originally published as Developer Living Gems gets green light for second $180m Townsville over-50s resort
