Business
27 August, 2025
Housing project nod to past
Ingenia Lifestyle development named ‘kō’ – which is Hawaiian for sugar
IN A nod to the sugarcane land on which it will be built on, a developer has named its new Ingenia Lifestyle project ‘kō’, which is Hawaiian for sugar.
The land lease operator is bringing its award-winning resort-style communities to Far North Queensland for the first time.
Ingenia Lifestyle Kō takes its inspiration from Gordonvale’s sugar-rich history and tropical surrounds.
Ingenia Queensland communities head of development Adam Forrester said the new development was a response to local need, playing a pivotal role in the region’s projected growth.
“The number of people aged 50-plus in the Cairns region is expected to grow by more than 23,000 by 2041 and Ingenia Lifestyle Kō will play an important role in ensuring they have a place to call home,” he said.
“We’ve wanted to bring Ingenia Lifestyle further north for some time, but it needed to be the right place and the right community.
“This isn’t just a realisation of a plan for us, it’s a commitment to the Gordonvale community and the future of the region.
“We’ve embraced the opportunity to create something truly special to meet this need – a community that delivers modern homes and resort-style living and yet still feels familiar and facilitates meaningful community connections.
“It’s easy to see why people love living here and we want Ingenia Lifestyle Kō to reflect this.”
Once completed, Ingenia Lifestyle Kō will feature 372 homes in a resort-style setting with resident amenities to include an architecturally-designed clubhouse, featuring a pool, large outdoor barbecue area, spacious dining and gymnasium – all inspired by the local landscape and tropical living.
“Each of our communities takes its design inspiration from its location – it should reflect why people choose to live here and the lifestyle they enjoy. We want to help them rediscover home in a new way,” Mr Forrester said.
Homes at Ingenia Lifestyle Kō will feature a range of one and two-bedroom designs, each with solar panels installed as well as energy saving appliances to help reduce residents’ home running costs. It will also feature community gardens for residents to grow their own produce.
Local operators will be used for civil and construction works, bringing their invaluable local understanding to the creation of the new community.
Member for Mulgrave Terry James said he was thrilled to see more residential opportunities come to Far North Queensland.
“Cairns is growing, we’ve got a large shortage of housing particularly for over 50s and this is a fantastic opportunity to enter a resort-style community in a historical town like Gordonvale,” he said.
Cr Brett Moller (Div. 1) said the new community would be a great asset for Gordonvale’s growth.
“This is a significant project, not only in terms of investment, construction and employment, but more importantly it’s the choice being provided for over-50s lifestyle living,” he said.
