The centrepiece of the $1 billion Sovereign Hills master planned community in Port Macquarie has celebrated a fresh milestone.
Sovereign Place Town Centre marked its fifth birthday on 23 November with a family fun day filled with fantastic food, giveaways, live music and entertainment in the forecourt.
The picturesque Port Macquarie weather was in stark contrast to the smoky haze of the 2019 grand opening - in the midst of the region’s bushfire disaster.
What remained unchanged, however, was the strong level of community support as Lewis Land and locals from Sovereign Hills, and right across the Hastings, came together to show their appreciation for the Centre’s businesses which have thrived in the face of adversity – with bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and flooding battering local business in annual succession.
“It was risk and reward,” shared Triple Two’s Jess Everingham who, with husband Josh, has been entwined with the Centre since the very start. “The past five years have been a good test and a challenge, and the Centre’s only going to get bigger and better.
“It’s been a great decision, and everyone loves the Centre because it’s so beautiful and open, and different to everywhere else.”
The homewares and fashion store has always stocked “something for every occasion at a reasonable price”. These ingredients, combined with friendly customer service, have proved a winning recipe.
It’s a recipe Dano Clucas and Tash Olynick have also mastered at their popular The Hill Café and Noona’s Pizzeria.
“We can really appreciate the relationships we have developed with our staff and customers over the years; many who been with us since we opened and feel like part of our extended family,” the duo explained.
“There were definitely some teething problems, but ultimately it has allowed us to provide the locals with a premium food experience that they would have otherwise had to travel into Port Macquarie for. Being a part of the local community has been really wonderful.”
Lewis Land Head of Development Michael Long acknowledged the retailers’ hard work and dedication building their businesses during the Centre’s journey to date and said they deserved to be celebrated.
“To the amazing retailers who have been with us since the beginning - and joined us along the way - this party was for you. And to our supportive community, thank you for your patronage and loyalty over the years. We hope our outdoor-focused Town Centre has provided not only a place of convenience in your backyard but real connection, and we look forward to sharing our exciting transformation with you as Sovereign Place continues to grow and evolve over the years to come.”
Southern Cross Austereo, which operates a state-of-the-art regional media centre at the Centre, feels very much at home at Sovereign Place.
“It’s been an incredible yet turbulent few years – no secret to report, our strength comes from our people, they are our power; and our success is reflective of the vibrant businesses and community we have here on the Mid North Coast,” stated SCA’s Port Macquarie General Manager Chalyce Forrest.
“We’re looking forward to our continued growth and watching Sovereign Place and the area surrounding it grow.”
The $500 million Sovereign Place Town Centre will grow in stages to 60,000+sqm over the next decade with construction of a business park underway, and future stages to include a health and wellbeing precinct, mixed use retail, commercial offices, large format retail, an entertainment and leisure precinct and more.
For more information about Sovereign Place visit our website.
Pictured at top, from left: Dano Clucas from The Hill Café and Noona’s Pizzeria, Southern Cross Austereo’s Chalyce Forrest, Your Discount Chemist’s Michelle Lewis, Triple Two’s Jess Everingham, and Sovereign Place IGA’s Brett Wilson
