Tasmanian council approves rezoning at Dolphin Sands for development

1 May 2018

Last week the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council in Tasmania voted to approve the rezoning of a 3,185-Hectare parcel of land to allow for a $100 million eco-resort to be developed. North of Swansea, the Cambria Estate development at Dolphin Sands will potentially include two new golf courses.

According to the ABC News website, the development is proposed by a Melbourne based company apparently financed by Chinese investors. The total development footprint covers 12 land titles alongside the Tasman Highway and near to the Nine Mile Beach area. Alongside a 100-120 room luxury hotel, tourist villas and 240 holiday units are a palliative care unit, wedding and conference facility and both an 18-hole golf course and smaller 9-hole layout.

Said to be the largest development ever proposed in the municipality, the decision last week by the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council to approve the rezoning of the land was described by Mayor Michael Kent as a “fantastic opportunity” for the region, which he said was “screaming out for accommodation.”

Included within the development footprint is an 1830s heritage-listed farm homestead, that the developer would restore and incorporate into the community facility.

Australian partners Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford have been selected as golf course designers for the Cambria project, although routing plans have not yet been submitted to council. No doubt the local golf industry will follow this project closely, and keep an eye on the proposed Arm End golf development nearer Hobart as well as a potential third course at Barnbougle Dunes. The golf industry contributes greatly to the Tasmanian economy, and any new high-quality courses is likely to be welcomed by the industry.

We will aim to keep readers updated as any golf news at Dolphin Sands is announced.

From the ABC news website:

A multi-million-dollar tourism development is on the cards for Tasmania's east coast, boasting everything from luxury accommodation to a palliative care facility and an airstrip.

Cambria Green Agriculture and Tourism Management, a group of international and Australian investors, bought the Cambria and Belmont properties in March 2015.

On Tuesday night the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council voted 4-3 — with one councillor absent from the vote — in favour of a rezoning request for parts of the 3,185-hectare property located at Dolphin Sands (between Swansea and Coles Bay).

The masterplan for the development includes a vast array of elements including two golf courses proposed — an 18-hole championship course and a nine-hole course — but the most curious is a palliative care unit.

Ms Duckett said there was a market in China for such a service, for those who could afford it, because of the erosion of the extended family.

"There's a need for somewhere people can go that's peaceful and quiet, nature-based but with services," she said.

"That nature-based environment is priceless — they would travel for that, if they can afford it.

"Extended, traditional families just don't exist anymore."

A new village would centre on a man-made lake and feature a convenience store, pharmacy, dental and medical services, cafes, restaurants, gym, children's play area and public art gallery.

And alongside the more conventional tourism infrastructure, the masterplan also discusses medical facilities and organic farming spaces, an 80-unit health retreat precinct and an airstrip to facilitate the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The company has also bought a 400-megalitre water entitlement from Tasmanian Irrigation to secure a reliable water supply for the property.

Ms Duckett said while the scale of the development was vast, it would maintain an east coast Tasmania feel.

"There's going to be pockets of developments, so that at any one point, you don't feel like you're in the middle of a Queensland resort," she said.

Ms Duckett sought to reassure business owners in Swansea, saying they should not feel threatened by a loss of trade.

"Any commercial operation [on Cambria] is only there to support the tourist operation," she said.

"It very clearly states it's not to undermine the retail hierarchy in Swansea."