Wyndham Harbour marina and residential development in Werribee South to open this week

LIFE will soon be a beach in Werribee South, with a $440m residential and marina development set to open this month after 13 years in the making.

Wyndham Harbour, the new $440m residential and marina development in Werribee South is officially opening on Feb 27. The development features the largest marina in Victoria and two new beaches. The new dockmaster for Wyndham Harbour, Co de Kleuver, and his wife Lorraine took a walk at one of the beaches. Picture: Chris Eastman

LIFE will soon be a beach in Werribee South, with a $440 million residential and marina development set to open this month after 13 years in the making.

The developers of “Wyndham Harbour” say the project has transformed the Werribee area and enhanced it as a tourist destination by introducing luxury waterfront housing, two new beaches and Victoria’s first new bayside marina since St Kilda’s was built in 1969.

And apartment building at the Wyndham Harbour development. Picture: supplied

The Wyndham Harbour marina has the capacity for 1000 berths, and will be the largest in Victoria and the second largest in Australia when it’s fully completed.

About 150 berths have been constructed so far in stage one of the development, which will officially open on Saturday, along with 200 house lots, 100 apartments and 25 townhouses.

A further 130 land blocks and 130 apartments will also be created on the site and are currently for sale off-the-plan.

Wyndham Harbour project director Sonya Miller said planning for the “incredibly complicated project” began in 2003 and took eight years to complete, requiring local, state and federal government approval along the way.

The Wyndham Harbour marina will be the largest marina in Victoria when it’s completed. Picture: supplied

The population in the growing City of Wyndham has more than doubled since then, reaching about 200,000.

Construction then started on the 74ha site, comprised of 27ha of land and 47ha of seabed, in 2011.

“It’s obviously been a long time coming,” Ms Miller said.

“It’s really transformed Werribee South as an area, and also Melbourne’s west. It’s delivered a luxury residential waterfront estate for that area.

“There are very few opportunities like this in the west, or anywhere on Port Phillip Bay.”

Ms Miller said most of the residences offered in stage one had been snapped up, with about 80 per cent of the sold homes and blocks of land bought by people from Melbourne’s west and northwest.

One of the two new beaches at Wyndham Harbour. Picture: supplied

The development’s two beaches, walking and bike tracks and the Marina Square plaza are expected to draw tourists to Werribee — already home to Werribee Mansion and the Shadowfax Winery — as well as benefiting locals.

A planned ferry service from the Wyndham Harbour marina to Docklands is still being discussed with government.

Longtime residents of Melbourne’s west, Co and Lorraine De Kleuver, have bought an apartment and marina berth in Wyndham Harbour and believe the development will be “a good shot in the arm” for Werribee South, Werribee and Hoppers Crossing, where they currently live.

“Everybody in the area is talking about it,” Ms De Kleuver said.