This RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY Is Reaching NEW HEIGHTS

WORDS: Greg Pride PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

You get a good feeling the moment you pull into SkyRidge, the Gold Coast’s newest, largest and most stunning master-planned residential community

It starts with the beautifully landscaped entrance on the aptly named “Welcome Way”, with its striking stainless steel street sculpture called “Welcoming Hands”. It’s part of a permanent public art exhibition that will help set SkyRidge apart from any housing estate of its kind in Australia.

Greeting prospective new residents is the stylish Sales & Experience Centre, with its own al fresco coffee shop (run by the operators of the renowned Blackboard Cafe at Varsity Lakes) and a deck overlooking the display village where 18 of Australia’s leading home builders are showcasing their latest and most impressive designs.

Next door is a community hub where SkyRidge locals gather for weekly get-togethers including “know your neighbour” events and gift basket presentations to welcome new residents.

Beyond are the broad, tree and garden-lined boulevards and streets of SkyRidge – elevated to catch the breezes and breathtaking views all the way from Burleigh Heads to Main Beach – a 26.6ha environmental corridor and the first of 11 parks that will make up this magnificent community.

SkyRidge is a $1.5bn project that will ultimately boast 3500 dwellings, 10,000 residents and facilities including a supermarket-anchored shopping village, tavern, medical centre, childcare centre and a sprawling Gold Coast City Council community centre.

Work has been forging ahead since construction began in 2020, starting with construction of 37 display homes by Australia’s top builders including Metricon, GJ Gardner, Coral Homes, Clarendon Homes and Plantation Homes.

Reflecting the demand for the quality lifestyle on offer at SkyRidge, a Metricon display home recently sold for a record $2.8m while other display homes have also been snapped up by eager buyers at similarly premium prices.

Land sales are also going gangbusters, with close to 280 lots sold so far in the initial stages and construction of a large number of homes well underway. About six families have already moved into their new homes at SkyRidge as the 342 ha community rapidly takes shape.

“We’re struggling to keep up with the demand,” said project director Chris Alston.

“To give you some perspective, we recently released 10 lots in our latest precinct and had almost 100 people wanting to buy them. The demand’s not just high, it’s almost unsustainable, to the point where we just can’t keep up.

“There’s a well-documented shortage of housing land on the Gold Coast and there simply isn’t anything else available like SkyRidge anywhere. Our construction team is working very hard to deliver new lots as quickly as we can.”

Mr Alston said buyers were being attracted by a number of factors including SkyRidge’s ideal central location just off the M1 at Worongary only 20 minutes west of Broadbeach, elevated homesites (many with ocean views) and the sheer quality of the estate with its attractive streetscaping and multiple features.

These include the 11 parks totalling 75ha, crowned by the hilltop Lorikeet Park which is already under construction and will feature the latest playground equipment, a 500-seat sandstone amphitheatre for community events and 125m stair climb.

The first park, Gumnut Park – featuring a giant gumnut-themed playground, picnic and BBQ facilities and the latest outdoor gym machines – is already complete and open.

SkyRidge will also feature six home precincts, 16km of walking, jogging and cycling trails, a 3km “green spine” eco-corridor for wildlife including kangaroos and koalas that inhabit the area, a wetland precinct with elevated bridges and striking public art sculptures by leading artists scattered throughout the manicured grounds.

SkyRidge is being created by leading developer the Perron Group together with Gold Coast-based investor Ross Atkins.

The Perron Group recently achieved the highest honour in Australian residential development when its Witchcliffe Ecovillage project in WA, developed in partnership with Sustainable Settlements, was named National Project of the Year for 2024 by the Urban Development Institute of Australia.

Land at SkyRidge is priced from approximately $575,000.

• To secure your slice of the SkyRidge lifestyle, visit the Sales & Experience Centre at 331 Hinkler Dr, Worongary, or register your interest at skyridgeliving.com.au