Devonport Retirement Village grew up in the gardens of a historic homestead on King Edward Parade, looking out towards the water. The house was kept rather than cleared, and villas were built around it in the grounds it already had. Alison House still stands at the centre of the village, and it is still where people gather — which is why this feels less like a development and more like somewhere with a history of its own.
The idea behind the village was a simple one: independently minded people don't want to retire from the world, they want to carry on living in it. So rather than build a large complex with everything enclosed inside it, we built a small village inside a real one, and left the town to do the rest.
Devonport itself is the amenity — the beaches, the ferry, the cafes, the clubs. And a village this size means neighbours rather than numbers. People here know each other's names, and the village has been shaped by the lives they brought with them.
Locals have known us by our hand-painted gate sign — “Devon Villas” — for as long as most can remember. But we have always been what the sign says underneath: the Devonport Retirement Village.
It is still hand-painted, and the name still belongs to this corner of King Edward Parade.
The village is still owned and run by the same family, and it shows in small ways. Decisions get made by people who know the residents by name, rather than by a committee in another city. Day to day you'll deal with Judy, our Village Manager, who will answer your questions honestly and won't push you.
We would rather you came and saw the place than took our word for any of this. Judy will show you around whenever it suits.