Ex-AFL star Andrew Welsh tackles greenfield property development

Former AFL star Andrew Welsh has scored $30 million in pre-sales as his new Melbourne property venture kicks off.

Welsh, 33, owned the back pocket as a defender for Essendon. Now, the athlete-turned-developer owns a suburb.

The blueprint for Thornhill Park, a new greenfield postcode 30 kilometres north-west of the city, were approved last week by planning minister Richard Wynne.

The former Dons’ vice-skipper is venturing to enemy territory – Geelong – for his next project.

Welsh’s company, Welsh Group, has bought land at Armstrong Creek, which is south of the Geelong CBD and on the road to Connewarre and Barwon Heads, with plans for a residential and commercial hub.

Welsh Group bought the Thornhill Park site, of about 1000 hectares, four years ago.

It is the debut project for the development firm, of which Welsh is managing director, and one of 11 new suburbs in the urban growth wedge between Melton and Caroline Springs.

The size of Thornhill Park, with two schools (one private, another government), childcare and community facilities, retail, 9000 residential blocks and 250 initial local jobs, makes Welsh Group one of the largest private landowners and developers in the western corridor.

Typical of demand for affordable housing and land on Melbourne’s fringe, Welsh’s buyers snapped up more than 150 blocks of house and land – valued at $30 million – even before the state government’s rubber stamp.

The first wave of future residents will start building their homes by July or August. 

A train station will be built after the rail lines are upgraded, and schools are scheduled to open in a couple of years, Welsh says.

Welsh, who studied at Essendon Keilor College and played 162 games for the Bombers, is a north-west boy at heart.

He lives only five minutes from Thornhill Park at Caroline Springs, one of Melbourne’s first master-planned communities.

“I wanted to live in it, feel it, see what I would do better, or things that I would do in my own projects a little bit differently,” he says.

“I live in Caroline Springs and I know what that was missing. It’s great area, but needed a train station within the community. They are building one, but it is over the other side of the freeway, so I know how important it is to have an integrated train station,” Welsh says.

“Thornhill will have 22,0000 residents, so for them to have that at their doorstep alleviates congestion on the roads, and especially coming in over the West Gate for those are working in the city, so that was something big for us, to make that a focus.

“I want to make sure that when people come to make developments they enjoy their surroundings and have great facilities they can use.”