Ryman Acquisition Paves Way for More Bellarine Beds

Ryman Healthcare has paid $7.8 million to buy an additional 2ha chunk of land next to its existing retirement village on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.

Ryman—the publicly traded Kiwi retirement and aged-care provider that now counts eight villages across Victoria—plans to use the additional land for another 58 independent living villas.

That will increase capacity of the Deborah Cheetham Retirement Village at Ocean Grove, about 100km by road from Melbourne’s centre, to a total of 203 independent living villas, 53 serviced apartments and a 120-bed aged-care centre.

The Deborah Cheetham village this month won Interior Design of the Year at the Asia-Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards in Singapore.

The land acquisition is the second expansion of the village after Ryman bought an additional 2.35ha parcel—also adjacent—in 2021, to accommodate a further 66 independent villas. 

The original 3.7ha village opened its doors to residents in 2020.

▲ Ryman Healthcare paid $7.8 million for the additional 2ha of land.

Ryman Healthcare Australia chief executive Cameron Holland said the further expansion of the village was driven by strong demand for quality retirement living and aged-care options on the Bellarine Peninsula.

“The communal facilities and aged-care centre are among the largest we’ve ever built, so it’s given us the opportunity to grow the village community over time and give more locals the opportunity to move in,” he said.

The village has a full suite of communal amenities, including a bar, cafe, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, cinema, billiards room, library and a workshop.

Founded in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1984, Ryman opened its first Australian village at Wheelers Hill, Melbourne, in 2014. Apart from eight operational facilities, it has another six in the works—all in Victoria.

Ryman’s arrival heralded something of a New Zealand invasion when that country’s second biggest aged-care and retirement operator—Summerset Group—made the same journey to Australia five years later.