Australia’s oldest retirement village being reborn

The first sod will be turned on Thursday to kickstart a 15 to 20-year masterplan for Australia’s oldest retirement living community.

The first phase of Anglicare Sydney’s Castle Hill Villages redevelopment will deliver more than 50 new independent living residences across a series of low-rise buildings on a site that currently accommodates seven retirement villages and five residential aged care homes. The Castle Hill campus has been operating since the early 1960s.

This initial stage forms part of a two-stage development being delivered by construction firm Decode at the 43-hectare site, located 34km northwest of Sydney’s CBD. Once complete, the project will enable up to 100 new residents to join the existing community. Anglicare Sydney has lodged a State Significant Development Application covering the remainder of the site.

The new development will also include community spaces, basement carparking, landscaped areas and integrated on-site services, including: 

• An on-site Health Centre with Registered Nurses available, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and visiting doctors, dentists and podiatrists;
• A dedicated on-site 24/7 Care Team supporting residents to access home care and other support services;
• A Tech Bar Team providing technology support;
• A physiotherapy pool used for regular classes;
• A full calendar of activities and events, including lawn bowls and croquet;
• A village bus service, including regular shopping trips to Castle Hill and Winston Hills;
• Two cafés; and
• An on-site Pastoral Care Team and St James Chapel.

“This site is where it all began for us, when we purchased the historic Lober House in 1958 and began providing care for older community members who needed a hand,” Anglicare’s Laurie Boxwell, Group Executive – Seniors Communities, said. 

“Since then we have been fortunate enough to expand the villages and welcome residents who have lived independently, while being supported by dedicated teams who provide hospitality, health and wellbeing services, spiritual care, and everyday support.

“All our services are designed to adapt as older Australian’s needs change and we look forward to welcoming new residents in 2027.”

The villages at Castle Hill operate under Anglicare’s For Life service philosophy which offers an alternative to traditional retirement living models.

Key features include a Signature Membership where the residents’ ingoing contribution is returned in full at exit, and fortnightly recurrent charges are fixed for the duration of their residency.

In addition, there are no stamp duty costs, no departure or renovation fees, and no risk of capital loss, alongside a six-month money-back guarantee.