Investors eye Hunter Valley's newest golf resort and community in Lovedale - view.com.au
The $1 billion Lovedale Farm development by Capital Corporation is drawing a variety of purchasers, from residents planning to settle long-term, weekenders and property investors.
The master-planned community of 500 homes, 140 apartments and a 300-room resort is centred on an 18-hole championship golf course opposite The Vintage on Wine Country Drive, but its appeal is proving to be broader than just the golfing community.
Lovedale Farm on Wine Country Drive in Lovedale will include an 18-hole championship golf course, a dining precinct and residential community.
Blocks in the 600-acre development vary in size from 500-square-metre village lots and up to 3000-square-metre lifestyle lots.
Green space, large blocks and world-class golf facilities drew Joanne and Umberto Righetti to Lovedale Farm.
Splitting their time between Sydney and Huntlee in North Rothbury, the couple purchased a 1800-square-metre block in the new development to custom-build a home.
Joanne and Umberto Righetti have bought land in Lovedale Farm.
Lovedale Farm ticked multiple boxes on the couple's wishlist.
"For my husband, it was golf and being close to a really good golf course," Dr Joanne Righetti said.
"But for me, it was the choice of blocks of land. I wanted native flora, native plants, and native birds coming into my garden, so the lifestyle block perfectly suited me.
"We can have trees, extend the garden, and that, to me, was lovely, as were the walking trails throughout the site."
Every home in the development backs on to green space.
More than 50 per cent of Lovedale Farm will be dedicated to the golf course, bushland, parks and water features.
The site will retain many of its established trees, and extensive planting of 2000 trees has already been undertaken.
But the appeal goes beyond the backyard and green spaces.
Lovedale Farm will retain many of its established trees.
The couple is also looking forward to the on-site facilities including the clubhouse with a signature restaurant and bar.
"The fact they are building a restaurant precinct we can actually walk to also appealed to us," she said.
Facilities include a private residents' pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, a green village oval and an off-leash dog park.
The pool at Lovedale Farm.
Lovedale Farm's residential offering of house-and-land packages includes lots ranging from 500 to 3000 square metres.
The three- and four-bedroom houses include landscaping, fencing and a driveway.
The designs are inspired by rural homesteads, elegant barns and luxury homes, with oversized living areas and an ensuite for every bedroom.
The development on Wine Country Drive includes 500 houses.
The homes include a two-car garage; some have golf buggy parking, with prices ranging from $1.3 million to $2.1 million.
The first 200 homes and a championship golf course are anticipated for completion in 2027, with the first display home set to open on the site in February.
Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
Investors tap into Lovedale Farm
A rendered image of hole 17 Lovedale Farm's golf course.
Beyond owner-occupiers, Lovedale Farm is attracting investors, demonstrating the region's appeal as a lifestyle investment market.
Capital Corporation managing director Jim Hunter said one-third of properties in the development have sold to investors since launching to market in December 2024.
"One-third of people buying into project are investors," Mr Hunter said.
"If you look at the Hunter Valley, it has outperformed Greater Sydney in terms of value growth, which is remarkable when you look at it from that perspective.
"From an affordability point of view, if you buy an investment property in Greater Western Sydney or south-western Sydney, you're at a comparable price point to parts of the Hunter.
Streetscapes and landscaped areas at Lovedale Farm have been designed with a rural Australian character in mind.
"From a lifestyle point of view, where would you rather be living - in the ring of the Hunter or in Greater Western Sydney?
"It's a no-brainer in terms of amenity and offering, and lifestyle."
The Hunter Valley wine region's strong tourism market underpins short-term accommodation demand in the local area.
Analysis of the area's short-term rental market supplied by Capital Corporation indicates that homes at Lovedale Farm listed for short-term stays could generate annual rental income in the order of $87,600 to $175,200, depending on availability across six to 12 months.
On an assumed house-and-land package of $1.45 million, this equates to an indicative gross yield of between 6.0 per cent to 12.1 per cent.
Lovedale Farm spans 600 acres opposite The Vintage.
For investors looking at the long-term rental market, comparable properties suggest indicative rents at Lovedale Farm could be about $1000 per week, varying by land and dwelling size, design and location within the estate.
On the same house-and-land price assumption, this represents an implied gross yield of 3.6 per cent.
The median house price in the Hunter Valley has more than doubled over the past 10 years, rising from $655,000 in 2015 to $1.4 million in 2025.
That equates to a growth rate of 7.8 per cent a year.
According to Cotality's latest Home Value Index for November, the Hunter Valley's median house value is $811,117, up 1 per cent last month and 9.7 per cent in the past year.
Building a world-class golf course
A rendered image of the original old dairy located on the 18th hole of the championship golf course.
Golf course designer Darius Oliver and award-winning international architectural firm Hachem have been instrumental in creating Lovedale Farm, which was originally a dairy farm purchased by Capital Corporation in 2004.
Mr Oliver is behind golf courses such as Cape Wickham Links on Tasmania's King Island and The Farm at The Hills in Queenstown, New Zealand.
The new golf course will join The Vintage and Cypress Lakes as the Hunter Valley's third championship golf course.
The project is set to generate about 1,250 jobs in the local area, injecting an estimated $300 million into the Hunter during construction.
Article originally published on view.com.au