South Gippsland has it all!
Schools, kinders, VLine coaches regularly doing Melb trips, town living, or more rural living with fantastic district communities...
We bought our farm last year and moved in January and haven't looked back. I tapped into the ABA network early on, transferred fire brigades, joined the kinder committee and it's been a great year - the people couldn't be more welcoming.
I'm only half an hour from a nice surf beach and I meet new people all the time - I joined a local surfing group of mums and am learning more names
The two main shires here organise heaps during the year for people to do - special events and programs.
Anyhow, there is a drive recently to bring people to Korumburra that's worth checking out, and places near it.
Where we used to live I worried that we'd still be there by the time DS needed to go to school, because I was very uncomfortable with the choices available. There's about as much choice here (just distances are further, but not that much) and the schooling seems to be much more conscientious, especially primary. And there's a Village School starting next year, as a back up, should the Developmental Play program not suit our boy...but I doubt I'll need it! We know we've done the right thing by the kids, at the very least, by moving them to a childhood in the country.
As a newbie to country life I've got all pros and next to no cons, and I am definitely biased.
I get to live with my horse, I get to see all the stars in the sky and all the meaningful people in our lives came to the fore this year, because they've come to visit
ETA: And if that doesn't sell ya, what about Farmers Markets? Every weekend there'll be something within driving distance to get fresh farm food!!