Archives for 2014

Seachange residents will now be able to enjoy direct access to the new walkways being developed by Gold Coast City Council in the Coombabah Conservation Area located adjacent to the resort.

The 69ha reserve will be ideal for walking, cycling, bird watching, animal spotting and plant identification and gives people an opportunity to appreciate an ecologically significant area.

Gold Coast City Council recently purchased the site and have commenced construction of walkways and boardwalks as part of a long term plan to provide greater public access to this significant conservation area.

The Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area protects more than 1,200ha of unique wetland, eucalypt forest, salt marsh and mangrove swamp habitat that abounds with wildlife. Seachange Village Arundel Project Director Phil Goodman said the GCCC have been very supportive of the residents having direct access to the area via a secure private gate located beside the 5-Star Country Club.

“The more than 60 participants in the early morning walkers club are eagerly looking forward to the direct connection to this amazing recreational reserve– it’s a unique opportunity for our residents on the Gold Coast who can cycle, walk or just participate in this unique area without having to drive or cross a road” Mr Goodman said.

“The access to the Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area is in keeping with our vision to nourish the mind, body and soul through learning, community and recreational facilities.” As we age, keeping active and fit is essential to ensure the highest quality of life.

According to latest clinical research into exercise and ageing, there is no other ‘medicine’ with greater benefits for slowing or even reversing the effects of ageing on the body than physical exercise.

“You are never too old to start exercising with clinics having people in their 60’s to 80’s commencing structured exercise for the first time and still experiencing enormous benefits,” he said.

Seachange Village Arundel has further underlined its reputation for delivering the best facilities and activities for active over 50’s on the Gold Coast.

Currently in development by the Gold Coast City Council and in conjunction with Seachange is the new dog off leash area at the eastern end of the village on Napper Road. Many residents own a dog and this new area will be a popular addition to the village facilities.

At Seachange residents are very community minded – and not just about their own community but also the wider suburban community.

Residents have proudly “adopted” rising 12-year-old tennis prodigy Cyan Sun by allowing her to train on the Seachange tennis courts.

Finally, around 150 people attended the Seachange community Anzac Day service and flag raising, held on the front lawn and all-purpose room of the 5-Star Country Club. The service included the unveiling of a permanent bronze commemorative plaque and guests enjoyed an Anzac biscuit morning tea and sausage sizzle lunch with entertainment provided by Seachange’s own choir, the Songbirds.

The Gold Coast’s most awarded over 50’s lifestyle resort, Seachange Village Arundel, has handed over its 200th home to its latest residents.

Seachange Arundel Project Director Phil Goodman said, “The success of the project is based upon buyers embracing our vision based on the simple premise that that a true Seachange is not about where you live, but about how you live”.

Seachange Village Arundel boasts a strong sense of community and residents speak often of the new friends they make, the vast calendar of activities, events and excursions and the number of people they can count on if the situations arise.

The centrepiece of Seachange Village Arundel is the five-star Country Club, which includes one of the most extensive selections of social, recreational and educational facilities available in any over 50s lifestyle resort. The Country Club has something to suit everyone’s preferences and features a function room and bar, gymnasium, cinema, library, billiard room, computer room, workshop, art room, indoor heated lap pool, spa, sauna, large outdoor pool, lawn bowls and floodlit tennis courts.

Seachange Village Arundel is also an external campus of the University of the Third Age, so residents can continue to develop their life skills and hobbies, learning for the joy of learning, experiencing new fields and making new friends.

“My role at Seachange is to deliver the right balance of lifestyle and recreational facilities in a secure landscaped environment so residents can choose to be involved or not with the many and varied activities.” Mr Goodman said.

“It’s not just the design of the village and the homes that makes it so special, it’s the likeminded people who live there which make it so extraordinary – no other over 50s community comes close to what the Seachange community has to offer.

“Baby boomers understand how living within a community like Seachange will nourish the mind, body and soul to extend their life and they also understand that downsizing their home at an earlier age will enable them to reduce the burden of traditional home ownership.”

“Seachange Village Arundel offers architecturally designed homes with a lifestyle to match. The village delivers flexible designs to accommodate the evolving needs of residents and outstanding community facilities that promote a vibrant and exciting lifestyle.”

Seachange Village Arundel is located on the Gold Coast, positioned opposite the Arundel Plaza Shopping Centre, Arundel Plaza Medical Centre and Arundel Tavern. It is also close to the new Gold Coast Hospital and light rail system and is within a short drive to the best of the Gold Coast’s beaches, golf courses, major shopping centres and the M1.

Why not drop in to the Welcome Centre at 299 Napper Road Arundel and meet one of our residents for a guided tour of the country club or call 1800 652 797 to register to attend a complimentary morning tea and see how you can love the way you live.

Proving that an active adult is a healthy adult, Seachange Village Arundel residents Wanda Fowler and Karen West have completed the ultimate adventure – hiking to Mt Everest base camp.

Wanda Fowler has been a resident and yoga instructor for the past two years at Seachange, while Karen West has been a resident at Seachange for four years.

They participated in a 16-day hike in Nepal late last year. The highest altitude they reached was 5,545m at Kala Patthar – which is even higher than the Everest Base Camp (5,300m). From this vantage point all the main and many lesser peaks could be seen.

“Each day started at 6.30am and, following breakfast, we trekked for five to six hours on the ascent and eight hours on the descent,” Karen said.

“The landscape varied from forests to terraced fields, rolling pastures, rocks, snow, ice and total desolation with varied quality paths and challenging suspension bridges. You very quickly learn to give way to the yaks.”

Wanda and Karen spent 10 months training for the trek, which included gym spin classes, hiking at Binna Burra, climbing Mt Warning and walking a 30km round trip from Seachange Village Arundel to Surfers Paradise.

“We knew the trek would be hard and we thought we would be physically prepared. However the long and challenging days, combined with the thin oxygen, took much more effort than we expected,” Wanda said.

Highlights of the trek for both Wanda and Karen include the amazing views, meeting other trekkers (many of whom were aged in their 60’s), meeting the local Nepalese people, the food and most of all, the enormous sense of achievement. Visiting the renowned Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Tengboche gave them a better understanding of the Sherpa community, as well as panoramic views of the roof of the world!

A recent report conducted by Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency, Life begins at 50, found that 80 per cent of over 50’s say travel is important to them. Grant Taylor, Executive Manager of APIA said “older Aussies are an adventurous bunch. Simply turning 50, 60 or 70 doesn’t necessarily mean they are relegated to pottering in the garden or doing needlepoint. Australian’s over 50’s are keen to get out there and see the world and have a good time while doing it.”