The vision that shaped Armstrong Mt Duneed

AFTER almost two decades of development, Armstrong Mt Duneed is entering its final chapter, with fewer than 50 lots remaining unsold.

What began as paddocks and and an airfield has become a 3,000-lot community shaped around parks, schools, open space and a private residents’ club.

As the project enters its final stages, Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe has been reflecting on the vision that shaped the estate from the beginning.

Villawood began buying land in Armstrong Creek in 2006 and later formed a consortium with the owners of the Geelong airport to create a single, connected development site.

Costelloe said one of the motivations behind establishing Armstrong Mt Duneed in Geelong was to recreate the lifestyle he and his family had enjoyed growing up in Bendigo.

 

“The business was in Bendigo but it was really flourishing, so I had to be in Melbourne a lot. I couldn’t do it from Bendigo because it was two hours away,” he said.

“I didn’t want to bring up my kids in Melbourne.

“My parents, for a better lifestyle, moved us from Melbourne to Bendigo and I wanted to replicate that.”

Costelloe said reaching the 1,500-lot mark allowed the creation of an overarching master plan for the site.

“When you have hundreds of lots, you’re just doing a subdivision,” he said. “But once you get 1,500 lots, you have a real plan.

“You’re also talking about shopping, you’re talking about education, you’re talking about parks and ovals.

“That’s real master planning.”

 

Demand was so strong when the first blocks went on sale in November 2012 that buyers camped outside the sales office for up to a week before land releases.

Costelloe said those early days had the unexpected benefit of forging the sense of community before any houses were built.

“What actually happens is all these people spend days or a week together and they become really good friends, and when the initial stage comes out, they’re all buying in the same street,” he said.

“Then over the 12 months they’re waiting for their title to come through and another nine months for the house to be built, they’re all catching up with each other privately.

“When they start moving to the community, they’re already a strong group of friends.”

Its location between Geelong and Torquay, along with rail access via Waurn Ponds station, has been another drawcard for buyers.

Costelloe said the road access to Melbourne is almost as good as more established suburbs, with a trip from Armstrong Mt Duneed to the Geelong Ring Road only taking one minute more than from Newtown.

The opening of Bunjil’s Nest regional park beside Club Armstrong in 2017 became one of the project’s signature features.

“The budget under the developer contributions was $1.6m and we ended up paying $2.6m because we just wanted to raise the bar,” Costelloe said.

“It was Geelong’s best park. It may be Geelong’s second-best park now, but families from all over Geelong come there.

‘”I’m a great believer of challenging kids as much as possible and just believe they should be as active as possible.”

Costelloe said the estate’s high owner-occupier rate, strong community groups and large number of emergency service workers choosing to live there were among its greatest successes.

“It really is a proud moment to create something where people are genuinely happy,” he said.

“When you talk about greenfields, some people are quite disparaging about the quality of outer growth but when I get them out there, they are amazed and really impressed about the facilities, the infrastructure, the people and how happy they are.

“There’s a really good lifestyle to be had in a project when you do a really good master plan.”

Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe. Photo: Villawood.