Oyster Cove - gem of waterfront living

Oyster Cove - gem of waterfront living

THERE are many waterfront resorts in Australia's Gold Coast but Oyster Cove stands out as one of the best that has appealed to people from the world over.

After three visits to the Gold Coast (1997, 1998 and December 2006), including a recent stay in one of Oyster Cove's bungalows, I must say Oyster Cove is truly a gem of a waterfront living.

Its best attribute is its serenity and fantastic location, being a mere six minutes drive – by my rented car along Helensvale Road (linking to the Pacific Highway) – to Movie World, Wet n Wild and Gold Coast's hottest attraction, The Australian Outback Spectacular.

It is also five minutes to the Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island Resort and three international standard golf courses as well as a 25-minute drive to Surfers Paradise and Robina town centre.

Oyster Cove is a community of 1,200 people with homes surrounding an extensive private canal network, a private lake and natural waterways. Most homes with pontoons face a lake or riverfront where residents can enjoy fishing and boating. There are kangaroos and a variety of birds.

This 800-acre project with gated and guarded precincts has nice landscaping. Security is top notch, with friendly and helpful rangers patrolling the area in cars.

No wonder Singaporean developer Datuk Dr Jannie Tay, who is the co-founder and vice-chairman of The Hour Glass Ltd, fell in love with Oyster Cove when she first saw the marshland in the late 1980s and later turned it into a dreamland.

Tay, who has a big bungalow on Mount Tamborine on a 28-acre estate, plans to build her second bungalow at Serenity Shores, one of Oyster Cove's precincts.

She has found two partners — Sime Darby Bhd and Brunsfield Corp Sdn Bhd — to continue her vision to make Oyster Cove one of the most exclusive eco-resorts in the Gold Coast.

With the tie up with Sime Darby and Brunsfield (both taking up a 70% stake in Oyster Cove International Pte Ltd, with Tay’s company Pressview Pte Ltd holding a 30% equity), Oyster Cove will have a new master plan to include a Village Centre and to build 380 bungalows on the 250-acre freehold land recently bought by Sime Darby Brunsfield Pte Ltd.

Lake Serenity will double in size to 22ha in a proposed extension of its waterway. There are nearby village centres, including one at Sanctuary Cove.

Tay said when she first started in 1995, she sold 50 to 60 homes to Singaporeans.

“Many of our earlier Singaporean investors have sold their houses and made some money.

Now, we want Malaysians to have their homes here,” she said, adding that Oyster Cove houses were among the most affordable.

For example, all six Boulevard Homes in the Serenity Shores were recently sold under a “build-then-sell” concept. Four of the larger four bedroom bungalows were sold for A$750,000 to A$800,000 while one of the two identical single-storey homes (with lap pool and 265-sq-m floor area/660- sq-m land) was sold for A$700,000.

“One of our successes is our dedication to landscaping 365 days a year. We have a team that continuously beautifies the place. It's not expensive living in Oyster Cove where you can have your boat, pontoon and there are no marina fees,” she added.

Oyster Cove sales & marketing director Philip Blackman, who first visited Gold Coast in 1971, had seen the region grow.

“The Hope Island area (where Oyster Cove is located) is set to become the jewel in the crown. Besides being extremely well located, it enjoys an almost ideal climate with cool ocean breezes in the summer and very mild winters. It is close to the mountains and to the ocean in a clean, green environment,” he said.

Blackman said Oyster Cove has the advantage of being a fully waterfront community from which one could enjoy many nearby amenities and facilities without having to suffer the downside of living in a tourist resort.

“It is set in a peaceful, natural environment, surrounded on three sides by lakes, rivers and environmental reserves. The private, secure waterways are unique and the community of friendly people truly love living here,” he added.