On Thursday 30 July 2020, the Ingenia Lifestyle Hervey Bay community was joined by Mayor George Seymour of Fraser Coast Regional Council to celebrate the first sod turning of a $3.8 million resort-style clubhouse for the over 50s community.

The completed clubhouse will become an additional social hub of the community and boast an array of state-of-the-art facilities including a library, media room, games and recreation room, salon, fully equipped gym and lap pool, bowling green and an outdoor entertainment area for social gatherings.

Ingenia Communities Regional Development Manager Queensland Matt Fedrick said the new clubhouse will be invaluable in creating more engaging and enjoyable recreation spaces for the community’s residents.

“People are drawn to over 50s communities because of the sense of community and the benefits which come with that — our amenities, including the clubhouse, create opportunities for residents to stay active, to connect with others, and to build lasting friendships,” Mr Fedrick said.

“We are dedicated to maintaining the lifestyle at our Ingenia communities as safe, secure and welcoming places to live and the commencement of work on the clubhouse is a significant milestone for us to achieve those goals.”

John Barnes, who moved to Ingenia Lifestyle Hervey Bay from Ingenia’s Chambers Pines community in Brisbane earlier this year seeking a lifestyle change, is one resident looking forward to using the new clubhouse once it is completed.

“The new clubhouse will be great! All your activities are centered around the clubhouse from the bowling green to having monthly BBQs and social clubs,” Mr Barnes said.

While living at Chambers Pines Mr Barnes frequently went bowling at the clubhouse, his wife enjoyed line dancing and they were both regular attendees for card games, happy hours and social events.

“We know what the clubhouse is all about and we are looking forward to having a new, modern one here at Hervey Bay – it’s partly what drew us to Ingenia Lifestyle in the first place,” he said.

“The security and camaraderie of living in an over 50s community really appealed to us and the clubhouse is all part and parcel of this sort of community living – we’ve made a lot friends at Ingenia Lifestyle that we still stay in touch with.”