It was a lunch and golf game at Sanctuary Cove that led to a major change of location for Paul and Charmaine Ledgerwood and their three children.
On the way back to Sydney’s eastern suburbs, they decided to stop at the Cove to kill some spare time.
“We were 150m in the gate when we said we could live here,” laughs Paul. “It was awe-inspiring to go through the gates and see what was here.”
The couple flew back and forth several times to find the house they wanted. “We bought a home on a large block, with a large pool and a view up the river. It was great for the kids and the dog.”
A property lawyer, Paul opened three legal offices, in Surfers Paradise, Brisbane and Sanctuary Cove.
In 2022, he and Charmaine decided it was time to change careers to a real estate business, where they could introduce newcomers to the world class lifestyle they had come to enjoy in a place they now consider their “patch”.
While the children have since left home and the Ledgerwoods are in their third home at Sanctuary Cove, the way they feel about the place hasn’t change.
“We love the demographic of the community, the maintenance is terrific, there is a full village with everything you need, two golf courses which are both now private, as well as a country club,” says Paul. “Residents can also use the Intercontinental Hotel lagoon, which is terrific.
“But one thing that has always really struck us is how good the security is. People can’t come in on a click of the button to the house, they need to talk to security who finds out if the owner has approved them.”
He adds: “There’s also an emergency button that goes straight to the security base and which we used within a month of moving here. One of our children broke his wrists riding his bike down our yard and I said to Charmaine ‘push that red button’.
“We had a phone call immediately and someone at the house within five minutes. They called the ambulance and ensured our other children were safe with our neighbours while we went to the hospital.”
Paul says the communications between Sanctuary Cove management and residents also continues to improve. “We get regular notices and emails on just about everything.”