Great area. I live in Gisbourne, so we would be neighbours!!!!!
Yes - the train is great, and you do get a chair most mornings. For big shops, watergardens is really not that far, and there is also Sunbury, and the other direction is Castlemaine or Bendigo.
They have also just opened an awesome childrens playground there.
If you want that little closer to melbourne, but still with the rural feel, you could go gisbourne where we are. It's not bad, but not that cute little town look like Woodend.
Also woodend is not a defendable town, so in a bushfire, you basically have to get out, as there is no real safe evacuation point. (read that in my local paper)
Oh - and don't forget the hanging rock races. They are great!
Lilima - we considered Gisbourne but according to DP the train station is not close to the residential area. Ideally (and this is VERY ideally) we want somewhere that's walking distance to train and shops. We're moving from a place where we are a 30 second walk from the tramline and a 3 minute walk from the train station and as DP is a train driver with unsociable hours the less time he has to travel to the train station the better.
Having said all that, we've only been looking for a few weeks so our criteria may change. Walking distance has gone down the list a little and it's more important to me to have kind of an enchanting block. There's no point us moving there for just your run-of-the-mill suburban block. I want something with character that DD can explore, with established trees and nooks and crannies (but no dams). We went to a house in the hills near Healesville over Christmas and it was fanbloodytastic. DD insisted that she was going to find Peter Rabbit and Pooh every time we went for a walk around the property.
I'm not TOOOOO concerned about the fire stuff. To a city chick like me, it would be a no-brainer. Just get out of town and go stay in a motel. I know that's easier said than done if there's a run of bad days or one per week over summer which would be damn inconvenient but defending when we have DD to consider wouldn't even be an option.
I live 400 m from the rail station, so there is access. I am in New gisbourne. yes it is slightly larger than a suburban block, but really nice. There are other larger blocks around here that are fairly close to the station. Try looking at Hamilton street, or the few roads around there. I am also walking distance to 3 primary schools (catholic, public and Montessori) Also there is a bus that runs from the station in to town, so always an option to take the bus.
I still say go woodend as it is beautiful. we have to stay here as DH must be 8kms from the branch as he is an ambo, so we had limited options in where we could go.
Thanks for that info - we definitely have to do more exploring but it's hard with DP's shifts (he often works weekends).
Yep, I've heard that Mt Macedon is beautiful but not many shops (but good pubs).
I guess the thing I like about the idea of moving up there somewhere is that there's lots of little places to explore. Much easier to drive between the little towns up there than drive around the inner city here (for a nervous driver like me). And really, as it is, I only go to the end of my street to High Street, Northcote (well Westgarth), Clifton Hill or the city so it's not like being in the city means that the world is my oyster.
What d'you reckon the situation is with childcare/kinder up there? Easy/hard to get spots?
We used to live in Urquhart Street, Northcote....then had a sea-change to Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula which we love. Sorry that is absolutely no help to you in regards to your question about Woodend, but everytime I see your username and location I think of our place in Urquhart Street....
Good luck with your decision and yes Woodend is a lovely spot.
I used to live in Northcote and moved to Sunbury - I hated it but I hate commuting and I worked in the city. Plus we were also child-free then and used to go out in the city a lot and it was a pain. However while we were there we did go to Woodend a bit as the Holgate brewery pub is there and it is just great - so that's a plus!
DP grew up in that area and said Woodend is a pretty quiet town - still very classic country town feel. He went to Braemar College and liked it but that was 20 years ago.
I did the "treechange" in my early 20s, sure it was only to Shepparton, but it was awesome. I still have many good friends up there and would still be there, circumstances permitting.
It's not as far as Shepparton, I used to do Melbourne and back in a day. Driving becomes part of your lifestyle, so whilst you will be spending less on other things, you will be spending more on petrol. But you have LOCAL shops, where you know the LOCAL people, and you will be part of a LOCAL community. Melbourne doesn't have that AFAIK.
Financially it appears to make sense. And DSD won't be able to "stay out" whenever she likes as the country isn't as "fun". As long as she falls in with a good crowd, she'll be fine.
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