Goldfields breaks ground on $205m, 650-lot Parkers Grove in Shepparton

Goldfields has started civil construction on Parkers Grove, a $205 million, 650-lot residential community in Shepparton, Victoria, after a first official sod turning. The details come from a media release dated 28 October, issued on the developer’s behalf by PR firm The Civic Partnership.

The sod turning was officiated by the Mayor of Greater Shepparton City Council, Cr Geoff Akers. Goldfields’ National Director Communities, Paul Cicchiello, and Development Manager Adrian Scaffaro were among those pictured at the launch, alongside council representatives.

Why it matters

For land developers and civil contractors, a 650-lot project moving from approval to earthworks is a sizeable regional pipeline item. The release describes Parkers Grove as the first housing project to receive a planning permit within the Shepparton South East Precinct Structure Plan (PSP), which makes it an early test of how quickly a PSP-zoned parcel converts into serviced lots.

The Victorian Planning Authority says the PSP was approved and gazetted on 26 June 2025 as Amendment C117gshe to the Greater Shepparton Planning Scheme. It was prepared with Greater Shepparton City Council. The VPA’s figures put the precinct at about 2,980 dwellings and 7,200 residents, up from the 2,500 homes in the draft. On those numbers, Parkers Grove’s 650 lots would be roughly a fifth of the precinct’s planned housing.

The VPA also lists the precinct as one of 21 priority projects in Victoria’s Housing Statement and the largest of five proposed growth corridors in the Shepparton-Mooroopna area. That puts the first sod turning inside a state-backed supply push, not a one-off subdivision.

Goldfields’ release frames the project as helping to address Shepparton’s housing affordability and supply challenges. It does not give lot prices, so the affordability claim is the developer’s own and cannot yet be tested.

Parkers Grove sits nine minutes from central Shepparton. The release does not say what lot sizes or price points are planned.

The numbers

• $205 million: the stated value of the residential development.
• 650 lots: the planned number of residential lots.
• 1 hectare: the community park and wetlands, which the release says will include a walking path.
• Nine minutes: the drive time from the heart of Shepparton, per the release.

The release does not break the $205 million down between land, civil works and other costs, so it is not clear how much of the figure is construction spend.

What’s next

The release says the sod turning marks the beginning of civil construction, so the near-term work is roads, drainage and services rather than homes. It does not name the civil contractor, and it does not set out a staging plan or a date for the first lot sales in the text we received. Those are the markers local builders and trades should watch for next.

The PSP also carries a development contributions plan covering drainage, intersections and community facilities, per the VPA. How that plan’s charges apply to Parkers Grove is not addressed in the release.

This story is based on a media release and photographs supplied to The Australian Developer. We have not independently verified the project figures.