New 344-home resort unveiled for Bargara

AN OCEAN-front, world-class Bargara resort development, with more than 340 homes, has been submitted to the Bundaberg Regional Council.

NEW RESORT: Bargara Shores is a proposes ocean front lifestyle resort with 344 homes. Picture: Contributed

AN OCEAN-front, world-class Bargara resort development, with more than 340 homes, has been submitted to the Bundaberg Regional Council.

The Bargara Shores over 50s lifestyle resort will be set between Woongarra Scenic Drive and Logan Rd, Innes Park North and developed by AEP Developments.

If approved director Andre Hayek said the goal would be to have residents feel like they were on holidays every day of the year.

"We are excited to deliver the region's first ocean front lifestyle resort," Mr Hayek said.

Local landscape architects and environmental consultants have been engaged to ensure that the project is in harmony with the surrounding coastline.

Mr Hayek said it was the largest and "most exciting" project the team had been part of.

"Bargara is a beautiful part of Australia that we want to celebrate and preserve," he said.

"To achieve this, we are dedicating almost 1.5 hectares of ocean-front land back to council as public open space.

"This will provide the local community with increased access to the region's picturesque coastline and allow the Turtle Trail to be extended," Mr Hayek said.

The land was acquired in February via auction and although the suburb is technically Innes Park North, Mr Hayek said he named it Bargara Shores as it was right next to Bill Moorhead's project Bargara Headlands, which sits just south of this project.

NEW RESORT: Bargara Shores is a proposes ocean front lifestyle resort with 344 homes. Picture: Contributed

"Bill is quite a visionary guy and we're really excited," he said.

"The project will be started as soon as possible, once all the approvals are in place, as funding isn't an issue.

"There will be 18 seafront blocks up for sale."

When asked why AEP chose an over 50 resort, Mr Hayek said the Bargara coast line was the perfect area to retire.

"The demographics of Australians says the location and climate is perfect there," he said.

"The migration of southerners of that age group have shown us that."

He said the demand for lifestyle resorts had grown rapidly as baby boomers and empty nesters realised there was an alternative to the typical deferred management fee retirement villages, a model that had received a lot of criticism over the last few years.

Bundaberg Regional Council Planning and Development spokesman Ross Sommerfeld welcomed the application, which would be assessed by the council's planning team.

He said it showed confidence in the future of the Bundaberg Region.

"It is wonderful to see this scale of development proposed for the Innes Park area," Cr Sommerfeld said.

"The Bundaberg Region is certainly enjoying a significant expansion in both proposed projects and a strong interest in many other investment opportunities."

In contrast, Bargara Shores will operate as a land lease community where residents own their own homes, lease the land on which their homes sit, pay no deferred management fees or stamp duty and keep any capital gains that they might realise through the sale of their homes. Residents may also be eligible to receive Rent Assistance for a portion of their site fee.

"Living at Bargara Shores will be affordable, allowing as many people as possible to have access to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Mr Hayek.

Bargara Shores will feature five-star facilities including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, pickleball courts, a tennis court, a gym and a putting green allowing residents to live an active lifestyle.

The wellness centre, spa, theatre and library will provide a place for relaxation, while the games room, arts and crafts room and luxury lounges will ensure residents have ample opportunity to socialise and enjoy expansive views of the Pacific Ocean.

"Creating a sense of community is at the core of Bargara Shores; a place where our residents can socialise, exercise and relax with our experienced staff always available to provide a helping hand," said Mr Hayek.

Bargara Shores is at the early stages of the assessment process with construction expected to commence in mid-2019, subject to relevant approvals.