From farmland to a masterplanned suburb.
In 1942, Archie Spooner purchased a parcel of farmland in Melbourne’s south-east.
It was the beginning of a long relationship with the land—and a way of thinking that has passed from Archie to Rod and now to Ben Spooner.
- Understand what a place needs.
- Build for the long term.
- Be ready to change when the opportunity is right.
The land
The Caribbean Park story began with farmland.
There was no grand plan laid out from the beginning. There was land, opportunity and a willingness to work.
What followed was not one development, but a series of decisions made over generations. Each one responded to its time while preparing the property for what could come next.
Making and building
The land evolved from farming to become home to a boat factory and industrial park.
This was where the family’s understanding of industry, construction and property began to take shape—not from a distance, but through direct involvement in the work.
It established a practical approach that remains today: understand how something will be used, pay attention to how it is made and take responsibility for the result.
A Melbourne institution
For 55 years, Caribbean Gardens operated as a market and entertainment precinct.
It became a place known by generations of Melbourne families—a destination built around activity, community and experience.
This period demonstrated that successful places need more than buildings. They need a reason for people to come, and a reason for them to return.
A new commercial precinct
In 2013, the next chapter began.
The commercial precinct was established and has since grown to include six office towers, 7 level multideck car park and a 171-room hotel.
But the ambition was never simply to add office buildings.
The decision was to masterplan an entire suburb: a place where business, industry, hospitality, amenity, landscape and open space could work together.
Three generations. One long view.
- Archie saw potential in farmland.
- Rod expanded what the property could be.
- Ben has carried that experience forward, shaping Caribbean Park into a complete, masterplanned destination.
Each generation has built on the work of the one before it. Not by preserving the property unchanged, but by understanding when it was time to move forward.
That is the legacy.
Not a particular building or a moment in the past, but the knowledge to recognise potential—and the patience to realise it properly.
Fortivium begins with everything learned at Caribbean Park.
FORTIVIUMThe name is new.
The foundation was built over generations.
Built on something real
Fortivium is a new name with foundations laid over three generations. Everything learned at Caribbean Park comes forward with us.
Experience shows in the decisions
The right location. Purposeful design. Quality construction. Decades of experience help us know what matters—and get it right from the beginning.
Trust is built
Quality is not a promise we make at the end. It is a standard applied to every decision—and one we remain accountable for long after the work is complete.