Life on the WATER. Wyndham Harbour

Transcription

1 Wyndham Harbour

2 Life on the WATER Wyndham Harbour

3 Wyndham Harbour is an exclusive seaside Victorian community that offers relaxed waterfront living with a touch of glamour. Located in Melbourne s west, overlooking Port Phillip Bay, the development offers the perfect balance of solitude and community. It includes a range of living options, open spaces, walking and cycling trails, communal and retail facilities, and a world-class marina all set amidst breathtaking scenery and year round activity. Wyndham Harbour

4 It s a unique proposition, says Sonya Miller, Director of Armitage Jones the developer manager behind the $440 million luxury waterfront estate and marina. There are very few places around Port Phillip Bay where you can live on the water, with terrace views over the Bay, right next to a marina. That makes it very special. Sonya has been in the property development profession for more than 15 years, and has been exposed to a diverse range of projects. After completing of a Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) and Property and Construction at the University of Melbourne, Sonya began working at Multiplex Constructions, where she first earned experience across the construction and development divisions. After leaving Multiplex, Sonya worked in management positions at ISPT and FKP, which are some of Australia s largest property and investment groups. In those roles, she oversaw high profile commercial, industrial, and retail projects such as the Urban Workshop in Melbourne, 100 Pacific Hwy in Sydney, 100 St Georges Terrace in Perth, TAC Wyndham Harbour

5 Wyndham Harbour

6 Head Office in Geelong, and Aerial Apartments in Camberwell. After leaving FKP, Sonya accepted a role as Project Director on Wyndham Harbour, where she was made responsible for all aspects of the delivery of the project. So far, it s been the most challenging and interesting project I ve done, she says. There are so many different facets to it, and all of them are fascinating. Working on Wyndham Harbour gave Sonya the opportunity to establish Armitage Jones in 2014, along with her similarly experienced partner Olivia Christie. They started the company to specialise in sourcing strategic and joint venture partnerships that offer the opportunity to collaborate in completing the most profitable development outcomes. Today, Armitage Jones specialises in the acquisition and development of residential and mixed use property in prime Melbourne locations. Wyndham Harbour and its various component projects remain the company s focus, but their portfolio has also recently grown to include the Luma Apartments in Windsor, a $54 million development they are working on in collaboration with Jackson Clements Burrow Architects. Wyndham Harbour

7 A LONG TIME COMING Wyndham Harbour was first initiated by state government, and was first proposed all the way back in the 1980s. That was when the City of Werribee as it was known at the time nominated a site to serve as a safe boat harbour on the west side of Port Phillip. In the years that followed, they searched for partners in the private sector to assist in the development. A marina project can be very challenging, however, and none of the various attempts got off the ground. The current shareholders of Wyndham Harbour got involved in 2003, and acquired an adjoining parcel of land with the aim of ensuring there was enough land-based development to support the infrastructure costs of the marina. The next eight years were spent gaining approvals, as external factors necessitated the evolution of the master plan s design. Wyndham Harbour has been a very long time coming, Sonya says. It s a project the community has known about for many years, and has acquired a very high profile. Wyndham Harbour

8 Today, Wyndham Harbour is a mixed use master-planned community that covers 72 hectares of land and offers a new way of life to residents. It s a truly integrated residential and marina development. The plan includes a 350 lot residential subdivision, 250 apartments, 2,000 square metres of convenience retail, and community facilities including beaches, wetlands, and foreshore walking and bike paths. It is located in Werribee South, only 30 minutes away from Melbourne and Geelong by car. The development encompasses the all-important Wyndham Harbour Marina, which upon completion will be Victoria s largest marina, and will provide the only safe port between Geelong and Williamstown. It will include up to 1,000 wet berths and 390 dry berths ranging from 10 to 30 metres, visitor berths, refuelling facilities, and a marine service and maintenance yard. The first stage, which is due for completion at the end of the year, includes 350 of those berths. As part of the design, there will also be a central spine, Sonya explains. That s reclaimed land that includes all the parking Wyndham Harbour

9 lots for the marina, which is a real point of difference. In a lot of the other marinas around The Bay, you have to park a long way away. According to Sonya, the Wyndham Harbour Marina is set to be the new hub for boating on Port Phillip Bay, providing new accessibility to the water and playing host to community events, colourful regattas and popular race days. Housing-wise, Wyndham Harbour also includes the recently-completed Marina Quays Apartments and the upcoming Lighthouse Apartments both of which the development team is exceptionally proud of. Marina Quays is valued at $80 million and is the first apartment building to be completed at Wyndham Harbour. It includes 104 apartments over four levels and retail and parking space at ground level. Created by the award-winning Fender Katsalidis Architects, the apartments themselves feature a sophisticated design and stunning views of Marina Square, Port Phillip Bay, and the Melbourne CBD skyline. Marina Quays also features a beautifully landscaped outdoor space and Wyndham Harbour

10 garden as conceived by landscape architect Tract Consultants. The $82 million Lighthouse Apartments, meanwhile, will include 143 apartments over five levels, retail at ground level, and 203 car parks within the basement. It was designed by SJB Architects also an awardwinning firm to offer an ideal blend of relaxed coastal living and urban convenience. The striking architecture also features a bold, angled façade, which once again maximises the spectacular views across Port Phillip Bay, the marina, and the city of Melbourne. According to Sonya, all residences at Lighthouse Apartments are surrounded by beautifully landscaped communal gardens just steps away from beaches, walking trails, shops, and cafes that line the vibrant Marina Square. In the future, Sonya says Wyndham Harbour will also be home to a Marina Club Building, located right on the water. KEY RELATIONSHIPS The western side of Melbourne is one of the fastest growing areas not only in Victo- Wyndham Harbour

11 ria, but in Australia as a whole. Until now, however, that growing community has not had easy access to boating facilities, which is a big part of the state s culture. Wyndham Harbour is the only place in the area with direct access to Port Phillip Bay, and was conceived partly to meet that need. The aim of the master-plan was really to provide a world class marina, Sonya says. It was to provide something that stands out from any of the other marinas around the Bay. The aim was also to integrate that marina with a residential community, which is pretty unusual within Victoria and around the Bay, she adds. In designing that community, Armitage Jones worked with a number of highly skilled and dedicated architects, design consultants, and builders. The key to the success of this project has been the strength of the relationships, Sonya says. We engaged many of our designers and design consultants back in 2004, and I think there have been over 50 specialist consultants involved in the project to date. The Wyndham Harbour

12 plan has changed a number of times based on environmental considerations and other external factors, and those relationships have been important all along the way. They have understood our requirements and really delivered results that lived up to our vision. We wanted to create a boating destination in Victoria and a luxury residential destination to Melbourne s west, she adds. Those were our objectives and they made sure every aspect of the design and the scheme reflected that. All the parties that have worked on this thing have been really committed to seeing a good outcome. Sonya describes Armitage Jones design partners as experienced, adaptable, and collaborative. She says the same can be said of their building partners particularly their civil contractor, BMD Group, who has been involved in the project since They ve had to be flexible as things have changed, Sonya says. We ve needed to go back to them to make changes to their contractual arrangements and they have been very accommodating. They really wanted to see the success of the project, which has been Wyndham Harbour

13 Wyndham Harbour

14 as important to them as it has been to us, and that s been key. BMD Group has also proven to be a strong partner due to their commitment to doing Zero Harm to the environment and communities in which they work. This commitment is important on a project like Wyndham Harbour, where environmental requirements are more onerous than usual due to the fact that it s on the water. Fortunately, BMD has navigated those requirements with skill and aplomb. A TOURIST DESTINATION Armitage Jones also aims to foster strong relationships with the residents of Wyndham Harbour. Our purchasers are very important to us, Sonya says. They re making a significant financial investment in the project and showing a great deal of belief in our vision. So it s absolutely critical we look after them and keep them informed. Even after they ve moved in, we need to make sure we continue working with them Wyndham Harbour

15 to make sure Wyndham Harbour is a great destination, she continues. There are not many opportunities around Port Phillip Bay to live on the harbour. We need to make sure the experience is fantastic and vindicates our purchasers decisions. Moving forward, Sonya hopes to maintain and build on those relationships as development on Wyndham Harbour continues. The end of this year will mark a significant milestone on the project the completion of the first stage of the marina but there is a lot more to come. From there, we hope to move into being a tourist destination for Victorians, Sonya explains. That s exciting for us. We re really looking forward to promoting this area from that point of view. We want to attract people who haven t been to the Werribee South area in the past, and really put Wyndham Harbour on the map as a destination for boating and relaxation. Wyndham Harbour

16 Wyndham Harbour