‘Canberra’s best-kept secret’: What life in a lifestyle park near Fyshwick is really like

At 72, Ingrid Baas-Becking is busier than she’s ever been.

She’s big on lunch dates, sings with a choir and loves walking her puppy, Ellie. 

It’s a lifestyle made possible by where she lives, in the very centre of Canberra at Sundown Villas: a community of 80+ homes in Symonston, literally on the site of the old Sundown Drive-in.

“It’s honestly Canberra’s best-kept secret,” Ingrid says.

“The location, the sense of community, I love living here.”

The conditions for buying and living at Sundown Villas are unique. Firstly, the owners – Australian real estate fund managers Lincoln Place – prefer you to be over 50.

You must pay for your home with cash, but there is no stamp duty. You then enter a land lease arrangement, paying around $180/week to live in your home. Water costs are included in the weekly land lease fee.

The main condition is that you can’t move your home; it must stay in the park.

The park is made up of one, two and three-bedroom homes that size-wise are “somewhere between a cabin and a regular-sized home”. Ingrid refers to her home, a two-bedroom, one bathroom home she has currently listed for sale – as a “small home”. 

“I grew up in Holland, so it suits me well,” she says.

Priced from $200,000, it’s an affordable way for people to own their own home.

Ingrid is only selling because she’s moving in with her partner Fay, a few houses up the street.

Life at Sundown Villas can be as busy or relaxed as you like. The park has a swimming pool, a community hall and barbecue facilities, and visiting family and friends get a discount at the Sundown Motel located right next door. 

But what Ingrid loves is the quiet.

“We’re surrounded by a really rural landscape here, it’s beautiful,” she says.

“On the whole, because it’s mostly elderly residents, it is very quiet.”

Around 40 brand-new homes are being added to the park over the coming months, with a price guide of $520,000 for a three-bedroom floorplan. New barbecue facilities are being built (at the moment, residents of the villas share with motel guests), the park’s roads are being re-sealed and the landscaping is being upgraded.

“In a way, it’s like buying a caravan,” Ingrid says.

“You don’t get the land and you can’t have a mortgage, but no stamp duty and a super simple settlement makes a huge difference to people.

“I’ve loved living in this little house.”

Number 6 Conifer Avenue, Symonston, is for sale between $230,000 and $250,000.

View the full listing.