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GemLife Bribie Island is a new over 50’s estate located on the Sunshine Coast. As the moniker suggests, it is designed for over-50’s downsizers and retirees. GemLife Bribie Island is a house and land project, although developers GemLife refer to it as a ‘resort’ due to the truly incredible numbers of additional facilities through the project for use by owners/residents. While you could call GemLife Bribie Island a retirement village, and you could certainly buy a home in this project and stay in it until you move to a high care facility (eg. nursing home), we agree with the developer when they refer to the estate as a ‘resort’. Designed so that residents can just enjoy their days (much like traditional resorts), the estate has so many facilities and is so dedicated to residents well-being that referring to it as just a ‘retirement village’ seems a bit understated.
The resort offers a wide variety of home designs and floorplan layouts, all in two or three-bedroom configurations, plus many with an office and extra storage. Priced from $465,000, GemLife Bribie Island is for downsizers and retirees who want luxury close to the beach and the peace and quiet that comes with living on the relaxed Bribie Island.
Projects Facts:
GemLife Bribie Island is a new resort/retirement village close to the beach on Bribie Island. The pet-friendly development is designed for the over-50’s community, with a focus on downsizers and retirees who are looking for a home in which they can “age in place”. This means that residents can live in the gated community until the point where they have to move into the hospital or alternative high care facility.
In Stage Four of the estate there 11 different house designs available, all of which can be built on any lot. The two and three-bedroom houses have all been designed to be functional whilst still retaining a sense of luxury. Spread across only one level, the houses have either two or three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and extensive storage solutions built-in. In many of the three-bedroom homes, the third bedroom could easily be repurposed as an additional media room, study, or extra storage room. Most of the homes have a double garage, although the ‘Seashell’ design has a 1.5-car garage, so might be best suited for singles or a couple who only has one car.
If you think that a modern resort retirement village resembles the type you may have visited with your grandparents decades ago, it is time to take a new look! These homes bear almost no resemblance with the small and tired ‘boxes’ that unfortunately were the norm in the past – all of them are very fashionable and will continue to look good well into the future. All of the homes also include modern and luxury features such as integrated surround-sound systems, security alarm systems, SecureView screens on all doors and windows, and solar PV panels can be added easily.
Again unlike the older traditional retirement village model, GemLife does not charge entry or exit fees, providing financial transparency and certainty for home buyers. There is also no stamp duty, and homeowners also retain 100% of capital gains when they come to sell. Essentially, this gives residents and their children far more financial freedom when it does come time to sell and will ensure that buyers and their descendants don’t become embroiled in the DMF (deferred management fee) scandals that have become very public recently.
There are a number of display homes at GemLife Bribie Island, including GemLife’s largest-ever display home (aptly named The Gem). The display homes are open daily during set hours, or by appointment. We recommend calling before you drop in – GemLife is well-known for its immense hospitality of prospective buyers.
JULY 2020: The grand opening of the Stage Four display homes will be happening on Saturday the 25th of July, between 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM.
APRIL 2020: Construction on Stages One through Three is now complete, with Stage Four well underway. 11 new display homes have been completed, along with a one-of-a-kind waterfront villa (known as the Gem) which is GemLife’s largest display home to date. Once complete, Stage Four will include 96 new homes.
Located at 9 Dux Drive, Bongaree, Gemlife Bribie Island sits next to the Bribie Island State Forest. This forest covers most of Bribie Island, and is home to a number of walking/hiking paths, camping grounds, fishing spots and is well-known as being the place to go if you’re into birdwatching or documenting natural flora (the spring wildflowers also make the area incredibly lovely between September to early December, so make sure you get a walk in during this period). A major plus of the estate butting onto this reserve is the fact that traffic noise (and noise in general) is unlikely to ever be a problem.
If you enjoy eating out or going for a shop, then it’s good to know that the Bribie Island Shopping Centre is about six minutes drive down the road. You could easily walk to the shopping centre if you wanted to (it will take you roughly 15-25 minutes, depending on your walking pace). The Bribie Island Shopping Centre is home to everything from espresso bars to a Target to pharmacies. Of course, if you want to go to something a little further afield, then the Sylvan Beach Esplanade and Toorbul Street are also local foodie hotspots.
Bribie Island is a great spot if you’re living an active lifestyle. If you’re a beach lover, then it will be comforting to know that the major patrolled beach on the island (Woorim Beach) is only 15 minutes drive away. You could easily talk a walk through the state forest to get there more quickly as well if you wanted to get a workout in before your swim! For those into their golfing, the Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club is nine minutes drive away to the north of the GemLife Bribie Island estate, while the Bribie Island Golf Club is roughly 11 minutes in the opposite direction.
Residents have access to a truly impressive number of amenities. There’s everything from a gym to a golf simulator, to a bocce court and art studio in the two-storey central country club. This area is designed to be the community hub, making a safe and fun space for residents to catch up and enjoy themselves. All of the amenities on offer were specifically chosen to help do this, with a focus on facilities that offer engaged living in the long-term.
There’s a truly impressive number of facilities available at GemLife Bribie Island. We’re not kidding when we say there’s something for everyone: you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t want to make use of at least one of the facilities on offer, if not all of them. If you’re feeling sporty, you can use the gum, heated indoor pool or the outdoor pool, the golf simulator, floodlit tennis court, championship-size covered bowling green, bocce court, pickleball court, or the seven-hectare lake with a boardwalk and jetty. If you want to relax a little, then head on over to the heated indoor spa or sauna, and then go to the hairdressing salon and beauty parlour to spruce up your look, and catch up with friends at the ten-pin bowling alley for a little fun. If you want to host an event with friends, then the grand ballroom, bar and coffee lounge, commercial-grade kitchen, boardroom, consulting room or BBQ facilities will work for whatever you’ve got planned. If you’re feeling like you need to express yourself, then the art and craft studio, music room, resident workshop, theatrical stage (with dressing rooms) or the games and entertainment room might help you out. And if none of those tickle your fancy, there’s still the cinema and library!
If you’ve got a furry friend, there is a dog off-leash area in the estate as well.
Residents will also get to use the estate shuttle bus and buggy. There is also a pontoon boat. For added security, the estate is fitted with a gated entry with number-plate recognition, along with caravan and boat storage facilities.
There are both two and three-bedroom house designs available in Stage Four of GemLife Bribie Island. All of the houses have two bathrooms, along with a BBQ area and extra storage. Most also have two car parks.
The colour palette of GemLife Bribie Island is very light and neutral to allow residents’ personal touches to shine through. The neutral colours also help to enhance the beachy aesthetic of the estate.
There are 11 different house designs on offer in Stage Four of GemLife Bribie Island. While the layouts of the houses vary between floor plans (as you can see in the floor plan renders below), there are a number of similarities across the designs. Every home has a proper entryway, which is always lovely to see as it will help to give residents not only a visual reminder that they are home, but a place to keep all of their coats, muddy shoes, and bags.
All of the main living areas have 2.7-metre high ceilings, which is slightly more than average. Ducted air-conditioning comes standard, as does a high-quality carpet in the bedrooms. The kitchen is designed to be both functional and great for entertaining, with the island bench connecting the space to the open-plan living and dining areas, and a butlers pantry off to the side (a great feature!). There is also a separate laundry area which is large enough to be functional.
The separation of bedrooms is another nice feature. Even though these homes are targeted at over 50’s, the 2 spare rooms are quite separate and will function very well for grandchildren and guests as there is a natural divide from the living spaces
There are five new colour schemes available at GemLife Bribie Island, all of which will ensure that the houses are completed with neutral interior finishes such as in white, grey or brown. This allows the homes to diffuse light throughout (especially given the 2.7-metre-high ceilings) and allows buyers to decorate so their homes reflect them and what they love.
In the kitchens, all the appliances are Smeg, and there is special MultiTap 3N1 that gives instant hot and room temperature filtered water. All of the appliances are stainless steel, as is the sink and the MultiTap. The kitchen benches are 20mm stone (with 40mm edges). Depending on the interior colour scheme chosen, the kitchen will have either stone, glass or ceramic tile splashbacks.
The Stage Four homes will also feature modified interior designs such as higher-end window fittings, upgraded splashback tiles, and new garage options.
GemLife Bribie Island has been created with owner-occupiers in mind, and as such is not to be considered for investment purposes.
GemLife Bribie Island is a new project by GemLife, a new Australian developer who focuses on over-50s living. They have a number of projects throughout Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.
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