Six years ago GemLife Maroochy Quays residents Wayne and Julie Woods and Rick and Marcia Exten met during a chance encounter at a fruit shop and have been the best of buds ever since.
“We met at a small local fruit shop in Mountain Creek on the Sunshine Coast and it was one of those chance conversations that went on for over an hour,” said Marcia.
“From that moment on, we’ve always referred to them as “our fruit-shop-friends” and it was the beginning of a wonderful, fun friendship.”
The Extens and Woods discovered they lived close to one another and quickly bonded over an abundance of mutual interests.
“Things just fell into place, we had lots in common like our mutual desire to travel with our caravans. We’ve gone on many caravanning trips together and have had countless breakfasts, lunches, dinners and more happy hours than we can count,” said Marcia.
While the groups of friends all enjoyed taking trips in their caravans and exploring the world, coming back home had, over the years, become a comedown.
“We were tired of returning home from travels and immediately dreading the tasks awaiting us with a large home which had been vacant for some months. Cleaning the house, maintaining the yard and pool and settling back into “life” was getting more difficult and really we just didn’t want to do it anymore,” said Marcia.
Wayne and Julie’s five-bedroom home with a pool had become a hassle and they were ready for a new home that better suited their lifestyle.
“Julie and I had been considering a lifestyle change for quite a while. We’d looked at a couple places but we knew that we wanted to live in the Sunshine Coast area,” said Wayne.
“Last March, we returned from a trip to Tasmania and Wayne and Julie came for a visit and told us about Gemlife Maroochy Quays,” said Marcia.
Not long after, the Woods embarked on a trip to Japan and the Extens dove into researching the resort.
“We’d decided that GemLife was the place for us before our trip to Japan but we didn’t want to start the process until we were back in the country,” said Wayne.
By the time Wayne and Julie returned, Marcia and Rick had already put a deposit down on their new home.
“We could lock-up and leave whenever we wanted, without the worry of a garden, yard and pool. We were also excited about the idea of meeting new people and making more friends,” said Marcia.
Less than two days after their return, Wayne and Julie visited the GemLife sales office and put a deposit down on a corner block site just a couple houses away from the Extens.
“That afternoon they were at our house, wine in hand, to celebrate the start of our new life. Everything just fell into place. We had several “house planning” get-togethers, brainstorming variations, ideas and tips. We put our houses on the market on the same day, with the same agents and signed contracts of sale on the same days,” said Marcia.
