Learn the everything you need to know about hundreds of projects from throughout Australia. We’ve got the insider information to ensure that you choose the apartment, townhouse or house and land project that suits you and your lifestyle.
This is independent editorial content written by a PropertyMash Journalist. While we try to ensure all information is as accurate as possible, please double check with the developer or real estate agent directly before making a purchasing decision. The information contained within this article may be incorrect or out of date.
A new over 50’s estate located in Toowoomba, GemLife Highfields has been designed for over-50’s downsizers and retirees. The house and land project offers a wide variety of home designs and floorplan layouts, all in three-bedroom configurations. Priced from $475,000, GemLife Highfields is for downsizers and retirees who want luxury close to all of the action in Toowoomba, given the exceptional location of the project: any amenity that a resident could need is only a few minutes away, and the Toowoomba CBD is just 20 minutes from the estate.
GemLife Highfields is a house and land project which Gemlife call a resort as it includes a vast array of additional facilities for use by the owners/residents. The project is just too lively and focused on resident’s well-being for it to be in any way similar to a traditional retirement village model, so we agree with GemLife’s moniker of the estate being referred to as a ‘resort’.
Projects Facts:
GemLife Highfields is one of the most expansive over-50’s retirement communities in the Toowoomba area. The new resort/retirement village is focused on creating a sense of community between residents, which is evident in the award-winning facilities. 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.
Buyers at GemLife Highfields have a range of home options available to them. There are 14 different home design options, all of which have three bedrooms and double garages. The three-bedroom houses have all been designed to be functional whilst still retaining a sense of luxury. Spread across only one level, the houses all have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and space for extra storage. The third bedroom could very easily be repurposed as an additional media room or study if that is what residents need. The three ‘Luxe Home’ designs have slightly larger floor plans.
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 Highfields. 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: Civil works on Stages Three and Four of GemLife Highfields is currently underway, with major stormwater diversion drainage work now complete. Works continue on a maintenance access track in the Council’s reserve adjoining Stage Five to facilitate the clearing and help with the revegetation and rehabilitation program. Clearing has been completed in Stage Five and bulk earthworks have commenced.
APRIL 2020: Stage One is now complete, with a few homes remaining. Stage Two is under construction, with move-in-ready homes now being built on the stage’s remaining sites. Construction on GemLife Highfields Stages Three, Four and Five is expected to begin in June 2020.
Located at 75 Highgrove Drive, Highfields, GemLife Highfields sits right next to a large football green home to the Highfields Lions footy club. Just over from that is Mary MacKillop Catholic College, although residents shouldn’t ever hear anything from the school given the buffering from the football field. The only possible issues residents may notice with the school is that traffic might be a little heavy during school pick up/drop off hours on the nearby Highfields Road.
The estate is in a fairly central location, with a number of amenities just down the road at the Highfields Village Shopping Centre. The shopping centre is home to a Woolworths, chemist, barber and a gelato shop, amongst many other businesses. There are also a number of amenities outside of the shopping centre, including the Highfields Fire Station, Library, and Cultural Centre. And don’t forget the ever-popular Highfields Tavern, known for great food and a number of community events that it runs throughout the year.
For those who like to get out and about, there are a number of options in the area. The Borneo Barracks Golf Club and Course is 10 minutes down the road, and the Highfields Sport and Recreation Park is a little less than that.
The Toowoomba CBD is roughly 20 minutes drive away from GemLife Highfields, which means that it’s only a quick drive into the city to see friends and family. The Toowoomba City Aerodrome, which is the closest airport, is just over 25 minutes drive away.
Residents at GemLife Highfields have access to a seriously impressive number of facilities. No matter what you’re interested in, there’s bound to be something for you: GemLife Highfields has literally got everything from ten-pin bowling to a bocce court. Almost all of the facilities are centred around the community’s Country Club, which was the 2019 Housing & Construction Awards winner for best Community Service Facilities in the Downs & Western Queensland area. This is a rather impressive win, and residents definitely benefit from having access to these high-quality facilities.
As we mentioned, there are more than a few facilities available to residents at GemLife Highfields (don’t try to say this all in one breath!): this includes a gym, sauna, a heated indoor pool and spa, an outdoor pool and spa, a hairdressing salon and beauty parlour, golf simulator, ten-pin bowling alley, floodlit tennis court, a championship-size, floodlit and covered bowling green, bocce court, pickleball court, cinema, art and craft studio, free WIFI in the country club (which also has a hearing loop), a library, resident workshop, music room, boardroom, games and entertainment room, a commercial-grade kitchen, grand ballroom, bar and coffee lounge, consulting room, covered caravan and boat storage, theatrical stage and dressing rooms, BBQ facilities and a community garden.
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. For added security, the estate is fitted with a gated entry with number-plate recognition, along with caravan and boat storage facilities.
All 14 house designs available at GemLife Highfields are three-bedroom configurations. The houses all also have a double garage, two bathrooms, a dedicated laundry room, and extra storage. Most floor plan configurations have a number of different facades that buyers can choose between, allowing residents to design their dream home easily. Every home is finished in neutral colours such as brown, tan, grey and white, giving the whole estate a modern aesthetic.
There are 14 different house designs currently on offer at GemLife Highfields. 11 of these house designs are ‘normal’ three-bedroom, two-bathroom, double garage homes, while three are from GemLife’s ‘Luxe Home’ range. While these homes also have three-bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double garage, they sit on slightly larger lots and thus have slightly larger floor plan layouts. 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 Highfields, 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. If you’re not sure exactly what you’re looking for in regards to your home design, don’t worry! GemLife Highfields also has an in-house interior design service that allows buyers to tailor their home to their own tastes.
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).
Solar panels can be installed.
GemLife Highfields has been created with owner-occupiers in mind, and as such is not to be considered for investment purposes.
GemLife Highfields 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.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this project.
Have you visited this project recently, or perhaps you live nearby or bought in a neighbouring building? Tell us what you love about this project, or perhaps what you don't.