Where to live??? Nice semi-rural areas in Victoria

[OJandMe]

We'd like a country change...

What are some nice semi-rural areas in Victoria good for a nice family with 4 young active kids.

Looking for some space, fresh air and somewhere safe for the kids to grow up.

Any suggestions?

Looking to rent a larger block, or some acreage.

[delirium]

Wodonga is a lovely area. It has a combined shire with albury of over 100 000, has 2 unis and lots of shopping and jobs but it is still semi rural. There are a few small communities around wodonga like mount beauty, chilten and yackandandah which are just beautiful and only 15-20min drive from wodonga.

[NewBeginnings]

:eek::eek:

On another note :p... we used to live in a tiny town when I was younger.... Edenhope. Wasn't a lot in the actual town - but enough for a little town iykwim, but there was some great farms/properties around etc. Horsham was nearby, which was bigger... but it was also a close enough drive to the Vic/CA border... and right over it was Naracoorte... which is also a place I used to live.... and 3 of the bro/sis' were born there. It's a decent sized town as well! :thumbsup:

[OJandMe]

thanks for that.


Any other suggestions?

Yes NB I know :eek:. lol. but we've grown out of our little place.. Sick of sunny qld. Want something a bit different

[OJandMe]

What's Horsham like??

[delirium]

Horsham is a great area too. Cold but a nice area to raise kids. :thumbsup:

[WorkingClassMum]

Ohhhhh Yeah!!!!

Umm - Wodonga is good

What do you want in regards to schools, facilities, Dr's Shops??


How rural?

How far from Melbourne would you like?

Berwick is close to Melbourne and semi rural.

Ohhh - so excited - maybe driving distance - oh yaaaaaaay

[Zada]

come to wangaratta :P

[OJandMe]

Um.

Would prefer something with town water.

Schools, just something that has a fairly decent primary school, and a highschool not too far away.

Dr's.. well.. I suppose we'd just need a local GP and access to a hospital for emergencies.

lol I hadn't even thought about any of that stuff... lord, lived in the city for too long, take it all for granted.

I just need some space. The boys are stir crazy and in turn they're driving us crazy.

So not heaps and heaps and heaps of acres, but something with say at least 3/4 an acre...

Say about 45-60 mins out of a centre with major shopping centres and hospital. :ecomcity:

[OJandMe]

come to wangaratta :P

I was looking at that!

[3BoysBlue]

I'm in a rural area
most blocks are 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre
put still 30mins for Tulla Airport,
Children's hospital is 45-69mins away
We have 5 big shopping centres within 30-45mins a
nd a smaller but still big one 20mins away
6 primary schools within 10-15kms (one in the town)
2 secondary and 3 private schools

20mins from the train station with a bus and some time to it

Town water, elect rent prices are ok and its fairly easy to get one

PM me if you want the actual name of the town But the region is Macedon Ranges

[Zada]

I was looking at that!

pretty cheap here too which is a plus

[mrsdj1234]

We did the tree change from Melbourne to Wang in December and I tell you what It was the best decision ever. If you want an acreage, you'll probably have to be out of town a little way, but most would have electricity and town water. We're looking at buying some land at the moment, and in the area there are heaps of small blocks (1-2 acres), but not many larger blocks(5 acres +).

[fozzie]

Macedon Ranges lots of nice places there. :thumbsup:

[reAllytee]

Damn you !

Move to NSW not Victoria !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*stomps feets*

[vikki a]

Were in Ballarat, its really nice here, we have everything here. You could come live out of town here!!

[elwoodgal]

Gisborne is lovely but pricey. Woodend is a little bit more affordable.

[missie_mack]

Mildura fits your need. 2 years ago you could build a brand new home and get a free car for about $240k. They are screaming for teachers out there and its a pretty close knit community. There is a major hospital there and last I heard they had finally got a paed there. You can live out on the blocks for reasonable prices and they have town water etc. Lots of choices in education. Unfortunately for us the isolation was a little depressing coming from living near Sydney and I missed the sea. Your nearest major towns are Adelaide (4 hours away) Broken Hill (about 1.5 hrs), Swan Hill (about 2 hrs) Bendigo (about 4.5) and Renmark (just over a hour) the area is rich in fruit (hence why it is the Sunraysia district) and quite a few wineries. Lots of restaurants and clubs and sports are very popular as one would expect in a regional area. The area is HOT in Summer but your evap aircon works wonders and beats ducted aircon, COLD in winter and nearly no humidity. Houses are big, gardens are beautiful, growers markets great, large town library.....
I don't think I missed anything :o

[jaq]

I've done a lot of travelling within Victoria and some of my favourite places are ...

most of the towns on the Murray. Better weather than anywhere else in Victoria (if less rain so very drought stricken) and quite beautiful. Cobram is nice, so is Yarrawonga, and Echuca/Moama. Albury is nice too, but we usually avoid it because of the traffic.

Was very taken with Warrnambool when we spent a few days there recently. We actually stayed at Peterborough, a gorgeous little hamlet just up the road. Country inland from there is exceptionally beautiful, and the coast, of course, is the Great Ocean Road.

Some of the places around the Grampians are exquisite, if somewhat remote. Horsham and Ararat are both quite lovely. Nearest big centre is Ballarat, though, and its a little way up the road.

We live right on the edge of the acreage country here in Briar Hill/Eltham. Its still 40 minutes train ride from Melbourne, and blocks tend to be biggish. But its still suburban, rather than rural, for another 10 or 15k or so, though you can get bigger blocks in some places. But still at cityish prices, is the stumbling blocks.

Whenever we were looking at moving somewhere new we'd buy (or borrow) the relevant Lonely Planet guide. Can give you a good feel for a town. But I'm sure BH is even better :D

Happy relocation hunting!

[countrymummyto2]

Hi. I am looking to move to country VIC. Any ideas of where to move? I was thinking around the Bendigo area. About 30-40 min out. What is Bendigo like for schools, TAFE, hospitals and disabled kids services like early intervention? I would love a few acres o get my daughter a pony but I'm not picky lol. Any ideas??

[Herchy]

Bendigo is awesome! It's got everything the big cities have but still a bit of a country feel, and with the new freeway being completed, is only about 1.5 hours from Melbourne CBD.

[~Temet Nosce~]

Were in Ballarat, its really nice here, we have everything here. You could come live out of town here!!
another one recommending ballarat ;) been here all my life and can't complain (except for the cold)

[havealaugh]

I would have to agree with Bendigo!!! We were actually looking at relocating there a few years back, but then our situation changed and we live in Mount Martha now (which is absolutly gorgeous and a fab place to call home!). But as for Bendigo, we were really drawn to its charm, and facilities, with the added bonus of fresh air! Still tempted to buy an investment property there, you can get some beautiful homes for a quarter of the price of Melbourne! But if you fancy coastal....I can't recommend Mount Martha enough!!! GOOD LUCK!

[BigRedV]

I am from Sydney and my sister lives in Warrnambool. I am a city girl but if I ever decied to move to the country then that's where I'll choose. It's small enough to feel like a country town but not so small that EVERYONE knows your business, you can still be anonymous if you wish, it's right near the beach and it is big enough to have all the shops you need to survive, lots of different choices of schooling. Lovely weather in summer but cold in winter.

[Phyllis Stein]

...

[WorkingClassMum]

I'm in the Daylesford area, which is lovely. Close enough to Ballarat, Castlemaine, Bendigo and Melbourne but still with a rural feel. Not much work unless you're self-employed or ready to commute though.


OT I know, but PS did you know they sell soap made with Daylesford Mud?

My gran lives on the outskirts of Daylesford and as a kid I spent many many school holidays covered in Daylesford mud and it did nothing for my looks....

[kiki07]

If you will need or want to travel to melbourne (specialised medical services are fairly melbourne centric in Victoria), check out places along the V-line train lines.

There is bendigo, ballarat, seymour, geelong lines with towns right along the line.

[lavenderpegasus]

How about

Koo-wee-rup
Warragul
Swan Hill
Tooradin
Blind Bight
Cannon creek
Kilcunda
Catani
Bayles

[Purplebird]

I'm in the Daylesford area, which is lovely. Close enough to Ballarat, Castlemaine, Bendigo and Melbourne but still with a rural feel. Not much work unless you're self-employed or ready to commute though.

Oh I love Daylesford! I would definitely live there, but I don't think DH or I would get work. Such a lovely place though *sigh*

[countrymummyto2]

It sounds just what im looking for. Im definately looking for a house down that way. Just have to wait for one with land :( which doesnt happen that often.

[starfish59]

There are lots of really nice places around Geelong - like 1/2 an hour from Geelong, 40 minutes from Melbourne. Anarky is lovely.... good luck finding somewhere beautiful!