$1.1 billion golf course-housing unveiled for the Hunter Valley

For some people, it’s the golf course that swings the deal. For others, it’s about living amid greenery, bushland, views and space.

But whatever the individual appeal, there’s no denying that golf course residential estates are back in fashion.

Demand is growing for great tree-change locations not too far from major cities at the same time that golf itself is undergoing an unprecedented surge in popularity.

“So it felt like the perfect time for a major development of a world-class golf resort and residential community in the Hunter Valley,” says Jim Hunter, director of developer Capital Corporation, which is developing the 240-hectare, 10-year project Lovedale Farm an hour’s drive north-west of Newcastle, NSW.

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“There will be 500 houses, 140 apartments, a 300-room resort and day spa, and a dining precinct, all wrapped by an 18-hole championship golf course.

“It’s a $1.1 billion development and will be, we believe, a huge attraction for the area, with over half the land dedicated to the course, bushland, parks, walking trails and water features.”

Golf course housing became incredibly popular in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, but a number of projects foundered over the cost of creating golf courses – over $20 million each – and arrangements for their upkeep.

While some succeeded – like Riverside Oaks (Cattai) and Macquarie Links (Campbelltown) in NSW and Sanctuary Lakes (Point Cook) and The Heritage (Chirnside Park) in Melbourne – many later fell out of favour because of the high levies owners had to pay to maintain the courses.

If they didn’t pay, the courses ran down and affected the value of the development as a whole.

Recently, however, there has been a surge of “green change” developments teeing off in NSW, like Watermark Residences in Chatswood, Sussex Inlet Golf Village, Bingara Gorge in Wilton, Stockland Lakeside in Gledswood Hills and Infinity Park Marque at Norwest.

Lovedale Farm’s golf course, on the site of an old dairy farm, will be self-financing, giving buyers of the homes all the advantages of the greenery and easy access to the course.

It comes at a time when participation in golf has grown for the fourth year in a row, according to Golf Australia.

In 2022–2023, it reports, 3.5 million Australians played golf, which is 17.6 per cent of the adult population, up from 2.7 million the previous year.

Golf club membership also increased by 1.9 per cent over the same period.

Although the Hunter Valley already has two excellent golf courses at The Vintage and Rydges Resort, Lovedale Farm is likely to attract fresh attention to the region as a golfing centre.

This is valuable at a time when the area is often overshadowed by the newfound hipness of Orange, Mudgee and Bowral.

“I’m a bit of a golfer myself, and I know a number of people who’ll go away for five or six days and play a different golf course every day,” says Cessnock MP Clayton Barr.

“This will improve the marketability of the Hunter Valley as a golfing destination as well as provide a lot of new homes and bring extra tourism dollars to the community.”

Cessnock mayor Dan Watton agrees.

“From my standpoint, it’s very welcome,” he says. “The [Local Government Area] has a housing target of just under 4000 new homes, and this will provide a good number, and it will bring a lot of ongoing jobs from construction to hospitality.”

As for the real estate, Colliers national director Blake Schulze says Lovedale Farm is proving an incredibly attractive proposition, with prices for three-bedroom turnkey homes starting from $1.3 million.

“It’s an amazing development,” he says. “People might buy them as their homes or weekenders or investments that they plan to move into later.

“It also means that the Hunter Valley is really becoming a golfing destination, with visitors able to try separate courses.”

Many locals are welcoming the development, including Lovedale Chamber of Commerce president Matt Dillow, the owner of Gartelmann Wines and The Deck Cafe.

“It’ll mean a lot more business and shops for the area and will be a big thing for the tourism industry here,” he says.

“A high-end quality golf course will always be an asset, and there are even rumours of a fourth to come.

“We’re such a short drive from Sydney, I think it’s going to have a lot of appeal.”