Bringing retirement villages to the community

There can’t be many independent living villages where the chief executive officer and his family play Easter bunny each year and deliver eggs to the residents, but that is just one thing among many that makes Bellarine Springs stand out from the rest.

Geoff Reeve, chief executive officer and director of Pinnacle Living, his wife Elissa and their three children do this each year at the retirement community in Drysdale.

Bellarine Springs is the latest of three Pinnacle Living villages created by Geoff and his family. He was a civil engineer before he turned to building retirement communities and opened the first, Tudor Village in Lilydale, in 2004 when he was 34-years-old. This was followed by Yarrbat Place in Balwyn in 2009.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Mr Reeve said, adding that his years of experience, plus studying to become a domestic builder and a real estate agent, have allowed him to confidently interpret residents’ needs to provide beautiful communities and first-class experiences.

Bellarine Springs offers a boutique resort lifestyle for independently capable people who are retired or over the age of 55. It has an extraordinary range of sports, recreation and entertainment facilities and a full calendar of residents’ events.

For those who love to be active, the tennis court and competition-size bowling green with a sports pavilion offers hours of fun.

The large indoor heated hydro pool and spa is free of chlorine and has ozone-treated water and the gym is equipped with walking, biking and rowing machines and weights.

The Community Centre, the heart of social life, has dining and lounge areas – one with a cosy fireplace – a billiards and games room, library, a bar with a regular happy hour, a business centre, and the movie theatre is also used by visiting speakers.

Other facilities include an undercover barbecue area, allied health suite, hairdressing salon, a workshop and caravan and boat parking.

“We pride ourselves on creating and managing vibrant retirement communities built to the highest standards,” Mr Reeve said.

He said the homes, which have appreciated in value since the village was established in 2016, are a timeless design and more than comparable to any on the market.

“We’ve made them beautiful. We may be a bit conservative in our taste, but they will look good for a long time.

“Our homes are all architecturally designed and full of luxurious fixtures that deliver the utmost in comfort, security and privacy.

“They have wider doors for wheelchair access if necessary, there are no steps, handles are easy to use and bathrooms are designed to accommodate grab rails if needed.”

The Henderson design, for example, is spacious and light with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen with a large pantry, gas cooktop, electric oven and microwave, and the dining area can seat up to eight people.

Pets are welcome at Bellarine Springs and residents are encouraged to create their own front gardens.

“We like a bit of individuality,” Mr Reeve said.

“Everything we do is about making your retirement as enjoyable and fulfilling as it can be.”

“It all works together to bring retirement to life.”