Woolooware Bay: coastal lifestyles for the rich and famous – and you

When Sydney is bathed in sunshine it’s a special place to be. The harbour sparkles, the beaches pulse with energy, and friends gather for backyard barbecues under endless blue skies. Life is good. 

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place where you’re connected to some of these stunning beaches by a short walk and you’re connected to your neighbours by a real sense of community, life is even better. 

Woolooware Bay is that place
 

Over the past five years, Woolooware has been transformed from a place you passed through on the way to Cronulla to a true lifestyle destination for the Sutherland Shire.

Now home to a burgeoning community, this beacon of luxury coastal living being delivered by Aoyuan International has all the benefits of a Sydney beachside life at a price you can actually afford. 

Aoyuan International’s Head of Development Australia Adrian Liaw says Woolooware Bay is a place that has everything but still feels like a cul-de-sac. 

“Living here gives residents an infinity pool they don’t have to maintain, a balcony with room for entertaining and priceless views of the bay. But what’s really special is the sense of community. You won’t find that combination anywhere else in the Sutherland Shire.”

Making it happen
 

To bring the vision to life, developer Capital Bluestone, now a division of Aoyuan International, and architects Turner focused on recreating the traditional Australian suburban culture within apartment living.

“Right from the outset our initial design was about creating and adopting a cul-de-sac mentality. Recreating the kind of street where a range of people live – first home buyers, younger families, older families, older people (last home buyers),” says Capital Bluestone Managing Director Ben Fairfax.

The design of the apartments themselves cater for all demographics, while the balance between private and public open spaces help neighbourhood connections develop organically, just as they would in a quiet street.

“We have the gardens, pools and the little grassed areas for the kids to run around on so it feels like your own backyard,” says Mr Fairfax. “We’ve designed the spaces to cater for everyone to live in. We’ve tried to do it in a way where there’s good natural light, lots of open spaces, and room between buildings. Then we tied that into the public open spaces. That is where the community connections really start to work well.”  

Of course, a true sense of community cannot be forced, but when careful consideration has been given to designing a place where human connection is easy, it will flourish.

“Connectivity facilitates the sense of community,” says Turner Director James McCarthy. 

“This is evident in the way the new streetscapes are brought to life by a mix of building entry lobbies, family style townhouses, a café and other uses. Ground floor apartments have been designed with direct connections to the adjoining streets and parkland – while this is a subtle design feature, it has a huge impact in the way people interact.” 

Sharing history and hellos
 

Woolooware Bay’s shared resort-style features are also natural meeting places where residents can be as active or relaxed as their mood.

“One of the great successes at Woolooware Bay is the way that the facilities are shared amongst all residents,” says Mr McCarthy. “This allows for a wide range of areas that cater for all members of the community, rather than just duplicating the same facilities in each stage.” 

Neighbours can meet by chance or choice at the indoor lap pool, or at the large outdoor lagoon style family pool set within the landscaped courtyards, or in the Level 13 rooftop infinity pool with views out over the bay. 

The shared sense of place is also enhanced by the thought that’s been given to how Woolooware Bay pays respect to its surrounds and its Shire history.

“The design for Woolooware Bay takes inspiration from the unique waterfront location and green verdant context,” says Mr McCarthy. 

“The coastal weatherboard cottage once synonymous with the coves and bays of the Shire was reinterpreted in a fresh contemporary way, while maintaining the key characteristics. Communal courtyards and parkland … cascading planters on the facades … the weatherboard aesthetic brought into the lobby interiors to deliberately blur the lines between inside and outside.” 

Previously the bay from which the community takes its name was inaccessible beyond the mangroves and its city and water views untapped. 

Now Woolooware Bay’s foreshore, public amenity and open space maximises its bayside location with a planned boardwalk connecting the foreshore together.

The liveability factor
 

In Domain’s recent Liveability Study, Woolooware rose 12 spots to number 63 since Sydney’s suburbs were last rated in 2016.

Has Woolooware Bay had a part to play in this? Definitely, says Mr Fairfax.

“We can’t take all the credit for it but I think what we have created at Woolooware Bay is a really wonderful lifestyle.”

New bus services linking Woolooware Bay to Woolooware Station, Cronulla, Caringbah and Miranda and the significant road upgrades which are now underway all play a part in the increased ‘liveability’.

Once completed, Woolooware Bay will offer a convenient shopping destination, a wide range of restaurants and cafes in a waterfront location, and other facilities such as a gym, office suites, serviced apartments, playgrounds, foreshore parklands, and a network of cycle and walking tracks along the waterfront.

The right time to buy
 

If it was once a dream for Capital Bluestone and Aoyuan International to bring this to the Shire, and a dream for Sydneysiders to live in such coastal bliss, it’s now very much a reality.  

Find out how you can live the good life in a place you’re proud to call home at Woolooware Bay.

For more information about how you can purchase one of these stunning residences, click here.