It’s just weeks away from peak time in Anglesea. Clever locals are packing up their homes, making them holiday-rental-ready and moving in with relatives and friends elsewhere for the season, or heading off to their own holiday destination.
Reservoir: has this up-and-coming suburb arrived yet?
Reservoir. Even its name is conflicting. First, the reservoirs, built in 1863, are actually collectively called Preston Reservoir. Secondly, how do you pronounce it?
Mentone: the suburb dominated by kids that famous faces have fled
It’s just past 3.30pm and Mentone Urban Shopping Village is packed with kids. Like, seriously, they’re everywhere. If this is your world, well, it looks like little people have completely taken over it.
What’s in a name? For Montmorency, it’s the French influence
Francophiles, rejoice. Montmorency was named after a suburb just 15 clicks from the centre of Paris. Here in Melbourne we’d – at a looong stretch – call that inner city, but in France, it’s really some way out.
South Kingsville: the suburb that even real estate agents want to keep secret
Welcome to the suburb that, in the old days, Real Estate agents didn’t even bother to mention
Bend of Islands: the super-secret suburb you’ve never heard of
Usually a sign to a suburb indicates that you’re at the start of something bigger. But not always. In the case of the mega-mysterious Bend of Islands, it just means there will be another sign a bit further up. And that’s it. OK, that’s not exactly it. Drive past the first welcoming sign (actually it’s not that welcoming; rather it lists a bunch of things you can’t do), wend your way around the narrow sealed road, and you’ll find yourself at a junction. Dirt roads head off in different directions, brought together by the only building in the area: the Christmas Hills Fire Brigade.
Brunswick: building up and still enjoying its 15 minutes of fame
Mention Brunswick and a few things roar to mind. Hipsters (sorry, but they do). Warehouses. Million-dollar-plus family homes squeezed side-by-side. Bumper-to-bumper traffic on Sydney Road.
Cranbourne: plenty of new houses but could it be Melbourne’s best-kept secret?
We all know The Tan. It’s in South Yarra and surrounds the Royal Botanic Gardens. Step off the track and through the imposing gates and you’re in a world of arboreal excitement.
Docklands: the once unliveable suburb that people now won’t leave
A decade ago I confidently predicted that, in a few years, I’d be able to pick up an apartment here for a bargain. My prediction was wrong.
Moonee Ponds: there’s a lot to miss out on in the suburb that’s got it all
Some suburbs have it all. Close proximity to the CBD with a well-developed bike path leading commuting cyclists straight there. A river. A huge park; a glorious park and an Australian-bush style park. Yes, hello possums, it’s Moonee Ponds.