More than seven years in the planning, the projected retirement village integrates the residential development, The Merewether Residences, and the existing 18-hole golf course in the suburb, 3km from the city of Newcastle.
The site will have 178 three, two and one-bedroom apartments overlooking the golf course, extensive amenities including a health and wellness space, cinema and pool, and a new Merewether Golf Club clubhouse to create a resort-style community for the estimated 300 residents who will make it their home.
Luke Berry, one of Third.i's founding partners, said that after delays in the development, which was first approved by state planning authorities in 2021, the company was excited to begin construction in the first quarter of this year.
"The project has gone through a few challenges to get to this stage but now we're able to move ahead on creating something that will never be replicated in the region, it's such a rare opportunity," he said. "It's a once-in-a-generation project and now we have a clear pathway to completion.
"The project has been through moments when people thought it was not going to happen and it was very stressful for the club, the community and for us. But we remained committed to the development to ensure we could find a path. So for it to become a reality is a big celebration for us. Not only is it going ahead but the builder we've engaged is one of Australia's best."
Decode Construction is also working with Third.i on its major two-tower Dairy Farmers residential development in the inner-city, harbourside suburb of Newcastle West.
Luke said since the builder was confirmed, expressions of interest has grown significantly to a value of $20 million.
"It's a sign of the interest in the project and the strength of the project," he said. "An amazing thing is people who maybe a year or two ago had lost confidence in the project are now coming back and resigning.
"That's because of how special The Merewether is. It's one of the only retirement resorts in all of the region that's offering this level of amenity and residences this project has."
The Merewether is a shared vision between ThirdAge Villages and the Golf Club. The project was designed by architect Eugene Marchese from Marchese Partners I Life3A, a leading expert in creating over-55s communities. The architectural oversight has since transitioned to award-winning Newcastle-based firm, EJE Architecture, which has taken the lead on the project.