Living on The Fairway: Seniors Moment For The Ages - Australian Golf Digest
NSW Hunter Valley a hub of activity
Lovedale Farm is the largest residential-golf development currently under construction in Australia. Capital Corporation has been granted approval to build 500 homes and 140 apartments on a former dairy farm in the New South Wales Lower Hunter Valley. Two hours’ drive from Sydney and less than an hour from Newcastle, Lovedale Farm will also feature a vibrant clubhouse, wellness centre plus a 300-room resort. More than half of the development is devoted to green space and recreational activities.
Homebuyers have two options: designer homes and lifestyle land. House-and-land packages at Lovedale Farm start from $1,179,000. The first release of land is now selling. ‘The Paddocks’ feature generous allotments between 1,100 and 3,000 square metres. The ‘Coopers’ has land from 504 to 767 square metres. The $1 billion development is anticipated to deliver 1,250 construction jobs and inject $300 million into the local economy.
Lovedale Farm has seen a mix of buyers, both owner-occupiers and investors from Sydney, Newcastle and the wider Hunter region. Capital Corporation managing director Jim Hunter has been buoyed by the initial response of $21.4 million in sales in the first three weeks since the opening of a display home.
“Lovedale Farm is two decades in the making and the market’s response is everything we hoped for. We’re excited to see these first buyers become part of the Lovedale Farm story from the very beginning,” Hunter said.
The first 200 homes and the 18-hole golf course are anticipated for completion in late 2027. Capital Corporation is about to break ground on the golf course. The development team needed to overcome complex engineering and flood-modelling requirements in order to get course plans approved. Darius Oliver is credited with the routing and vision for the Lovedale Farm layout – heathland in style and inspired by the character of old school, inland British courses. Capital Corporation has recently appointed Justin Trott as the golf-course architect and Programmed Turnpoint to be the construction contractor.
Lovedale Farm will share a roundabout with The Vintage residential-golf estate on Wine Country Drive. The final remaining golf-course frontage at The Vintage is now selling in The Cedars precinct. Situated alongside the 10th green and 11th fairway of the Greg Norman/Bob Harrison layout, blocks range in size from 607 to 980 square metres. The Cedars has access to all the recreational facilities at The Vintage, including Nineteen Bar + Bistro, Chateau Elan day spa, a 25-metre heated swimming pool, gymnasium and floodlit tennis courts.
Elsewhere, momentum is building once again at Bingara Gorge near Wilton south-west of Sydney. Golf NSW recently acquired the championship-length golf course designed by Graham Marsh as well as the associated golf infrastructure from Metro Property Development. Golf NSW has a strategic objective to establish Bingara Gorge as the flagship ‘Home of Golf’ in NSW. The governing body will have an administrative office, high-performance training facility and event operations within the clubhouse precinct of the 450-hectare master-planned community that will eventually comprise 1,800 homes. Lots are now selling from $695,000.
Article originally published in Australian Golf Digest, 24 July 2026. Written by Rohan Clarke.