1.3 Estate Overview
Lake Bennett Estate is a 64-bungalow condominium on the eastern shore of Lake Bennett, at 841 Chinner Road, in the Coomalie locality about 80 km southeast of Darwin. It is self-serviced: on-site bores and hill tanks for drinking water, an AdvanTex® OWMS treating wastewater to Class A, grid power with a hire-generator inlet, and two short internal bitumen roads.
This page is the on-the-ground picture — where things sit, how the seasons affect them, and how people use the lake and common property. Why the manual exists is in 1.1 Purpose. What land and plant are in or out of this site is in 1.2 Scope.
Snapshot
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | [unit]/841 Chinner Road, Lake Bennett NT 0822 — see 2.2 Lot Numbering |
| Land | Created section 1252 (Hundred of Howard), Lake Bennett units plan; common property on the same section |
| Neighbours | Section 1253 (resort); 1254 and 1255 (lake and foreshore); adjoining rural sections under Schedule 5 |
| Dwellings | Maximum 64, single storey, 5 m height (Schedule 5 / DP04/0022) |
| Public access | Chinner Road; local government is Coomalie Community Government Council (Batchelor) |
| Governance | Body corporate (Corporation); owner portal Whittles; day-to-day contacts in 1.4 Contact Information |
The Interactive Map and 2.1 Master Site Map show lots and infrastructure on the same ground as this description.
Layout on the Ground
Bungalows wrap the eastern and northern shores. Water isolation, sewer zones, and switchboards use the unit numbers painted on site, which are not a simple 1–64 sequence (Zone 3 includes units 65–66 and 75–80). Always confirm the legal unit on the current title / units plan.
| Area | What is there | Documented in |
|---|---|---|
| Hill (east) | Potable storage (~449,250 L); 110 mm main descends to the central distribution box | 3.1.2 Storage Tanks, 3.1.4 Reticulation |
| Northern shore | Units #1–#16; sewer Zone 2 → SSP2; water isolation at Unit #17; flush-out valve at the end of the northern-shore main near unit #1 | 3.2.2 SSP2 STEP Tank, 3.1.4 Reticulation |
| East / mid-range | Units #17–#39 and #40–#58; sewer Zone 1 → SSP1 at the causeway; flush-out valve near unit #58; main switchboard between 37–38; DB1 near 22, DB2 near 51 | 3.2.1 SSP1 Main Septic, 3.1.4 Reticulation, 3.3.1 Grid |
| Western side of the lake | Water isolation for the six western units after the lake crossing; flush-out valve between units #79 and #80; SSP3 transfer station; sewer Zone 3 (units 65–66 and 75–80 via SSP4/SSP5, then a rising main under the lake to SSP1) | 3.1.4 Reticulation, 3.2.3 SSP3 Transfer Pump |
| WWTP and LAA | AdvanTex® plant, recycled water tanks, subsurface irrigation — effluent does not go to the lake | 3.2 Sewerage |
| Internal roads | Eastside Road (~400 m) and Northshore Road (~250 m), bitumen, table drains | 4.1 Internal Roads |
Bore pumps, chlorine dosing, and the F60 controller sit at the green sheds on the east side. Isolation and access for contractors are on those pages, not here.
Climate and How It Affects Operations
The estate is Top End tropical savanna: a wet season (roughly November–April) with high humidity, intense storms and possible cyclones, and a dry season with little rain. Annual rainfall in this region is typically in the order of 1,500–2,000 mm. Daytime temperatures are commonly around 20–35°C.
That climate is why several O&M pages exist:
| Season / event | What it means here | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Wet / storms | Grid outages; hire generator at DB1; gravity water from hill tanks can last days to weeks; sewer pits typically need power within about 12 hours | 3.3.2 Backup Power |
| Cyclone / extreme weather | OWMS shut-down and restart, RWS monitoring | 3.2.15 O&M and Contingency |
| Holiday peaks | WWTP peak design 37,800 L/day versus ~12,000 L/day average | 3.2 Sewerage |
| Power restored after an outage | Stored potable water can surge into the sewer if taps stay on; RWS can fill | 3.2.9 Reservoir Impact |
| Year-round | Firebreaks, Gamba grass, and weeds on lots | 2.3.4 Development Controls |
Living With the Lake and Common Property
The lake is the reason the estate exists and the reason wastewater, setbacks, and recreation are tightly controlled. Owners have registered recreational easements over common property (except service-infrastructure areas) and over the lake and foreshore (sections 1254–1255).
| Topic | Estate practice | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Lake and foreshore | Recreation consistent with quiet enjoyment; no houseboats; no camping/caravans on 1254–1255 | 2.3.3 Community Facilities, 2.4 Easements |
| Pontoons | One complying pontoon/ramp where the Act allows, with foreshore-owner approval, size limits, 3 m vegetation clearance, and public liability insurance | 2.3.3 Community Facilities |
| Pets | One domesticated pet per proprietor; leash on common areas; no disturbance | 2.3.7 Special Considerations |
| Livestock | Not permitted on Section 1252 | 2.3.1 Zoning Overview |
| Improvements | Dual approval: Corporation plans and any planning/building consent; connect to estate water and effluent | 2.3.6 Compliance |
| Common property | No unauthorised parking, dumping, or damage to gardens; quiet enjoyment | 2.3.3 Community Facilities |
The resort on section 1253 is a neighbour, not part of this condominium’s O&M. Coordinate noisy events and shared access as needed — see 2.3.7 Special Considerations.
How the Estate Is Run
- Corporation — body corporate for the units plan; building covenants in the Articles; committee email in 1.4 Contact Information
- Strata administration — Whittles (levies, notices, portal); not documented as procedures on this site
- Caretaker / trained operators — plant, generator, and isolation; named contacts on the Contact and Backup Power pages
- Network power — Jacana Energy (retail); Power and Water Corporation (network)
- Drinking water and sewer — estate-operated; NT Health reporting for potable water; OWMS to Class A
- Roads inside the estate — Corporation; EZ Street / Fulton Hogan for patching
This overview does not replace the Articles, title, or 1.2 Scope exclusions (inside a unit, resort operations, strata accounting).
Version Control
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2025-10-06 | Initial Release |
| 1.1 | 2026-08-29 | Rewritten as place, layout, climate, and lake-living context; removed generic vision and undocumented services |
| 1.2 | 2026-08-30 | Noted northern-shore flush-out valve near unit #1 |
| 1.3 | 2026-08-30 | Noted western flush-out valve between units #79 and #80 |
| 1.4 | 2026-08-30 | Noted east-side flush-out valve near unit #58 |
Next Review Date: 2027-02-28