IT’S HARD TO believe another year has already passed us by. On any given day, we’re juggling 27 Palm Lake Resort addresses, seven Palm Lake Care aged caring communities and three brand new resort development sites while soon also breaking ground on an additional new aged care location. You can understand that no day at Head Office is ever quiet and why it feels like the time always flies. But even on the craziest of busy days, there’s something pretty rewarding for me in stopping to remember that we’re collectively providing 12,000+ people with a coveted, quality over-50s lifestyle that offers them as much (or as little) to do, as they choose. We’re offering them the security of living in a gated community with on-site Caretakers, or in an aged care location  providing 24-hour access to committed industry professionals. We’re offering them the kind of human connection that bolsters their emotional and physical wellbeing. And it doesn’t matter if you call one of our newest and most opulent Palm Lake Resort addresses home or if you’re living large in one of established resort locations or care communities, that feeling of connection, security and lifestyle is always the same.

Across our resorts, the proof of this is found in our Sales Information Centres. At Palm Lake Resort Pelican Waters, for example, residences have been selling like hotcakes as we close out 2025 – so much so that our construction program has been ‘beefed up’ to meet demand there on the Sunshine Coast. Around 180 people now call this most exclusive address their home, and they are gearing up for an exquisite festive season with friends and family.

Equally, some of our established resorts have waiting lists of people wanting in, but the stock is not readily available as our homeowners just don’t want to leave. When the odd home does come up for sale, it’s snapped up within days – sometimes in just hours! Palm Lake Resort Carindale and Palm Lake Resort Upper Coomera are good examples of this. Taking a quick trip around the  rounds, Palm Lake Resort Yamba Cove is thriving with some great single-storey designs on offer. That’s a magic address – it’s in a great part of the world, with so much coastal beauty, and the
resort itself is a winner. In fact, read on in this magazine to find out which of our Yamba Cove home designs was recently labelled best in the state by independent construction industry judges.

Civil works have started at Palm Lake Resort Bargara to extend the footprint there by 138 homesites. Palm Lake Resort Paynesville is also looking great, with more and more homeowners joining the community there. And, as mentioned above, we’ll break ground on our eighth Palm Lake Care community in the early part of 2026. Adding to the excitement, it’ll be our first care address outside of South-East Queensland, supporting the local community at Forster, in New South Wales. Although there are a lot of well documented challenges within the aged care sector, it’s something that my father (Palm Lake Group founder, Wal) and I remain truly committed to.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our team members who have worked hard in 2025 to ensure the Palm Lake Resort, Palm Lake Care and Palm Lake Works brands continue to thrive. Ours is a well-oiled machine but we’re always looking for new people to bolster the ranks and bring in fresh new ideas and energy. Whether you’re a care worker, a tradesperson or a dedicated team player, if the New Year has you looking for new opportunities, I urge you to contact us. May the festive season bring you whole-hearted happiness and the New Year be filled with reward. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Scott Elliott,
Palm Lake Group Managing Director