Woodend for toddler and teenager?

[fionas]

Hopefully our latest plan will be our last plan.

We need more space and we'd like a big garden for DD to run around in.

So we're thinking of a tree change from inner-Melbourne to Woodend. One of the other reasons it appeals is that I don't currently drive in the city even though I have my licence. The idea of driving in Woodend, however, does not faze me in the slightest. Country traffic compared to city traffic is a whole different ball game. I think I will actually have more freedom and do more stuff there than I do here. DD would watch less DVDs too - we have a very child unfriendly garden here. I guess when I say we want a big garden - what I mean is that we want a big block where we can go on walks, where there's established trees, where there is a view from every room, where it just has that serene feel.

Have spoken to our 16-year-old DSD about this plan, expecting her to be very opposed. But she said "I need a new challenge". She makes friends very easily so I have no concerns about her settling in somewhere new, just how bored she might be going from the city to a very small country town.

So, give me the good and the bad.

Oh, and it would mean being mortgage free though I'd probably still like to keep a toehold in the Melbourne market by buying a small unit and renting it out.

[Bathsheba]

Is it flat land-wise? I know that is a priority as well... but it's so far.... but it is a nice spot... still, you haven't been to my place yet... except for being a bit hilly where i live it ticks all the boxes LOL You better disregard my opinion... it's too biased toward getting you to stay locally hehe

[fionas]

Well, the town centre is pretty flat. And y'know what it's not THAT far away. About an hour on the train but you always get a seat and I could actually get a head start on my day by doing some work on the laptop. TBH, I probably wouldn't be that keen if I was commuting every day but I only work 5 days a fortnight and I think the commute would be a novelty. You know I'm a kid at heart so I know I would be sitting there thinking, "hey, look at me sitting on a train with my laptop - I'm a GROWN UP!!!"

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE your area but to get the sort of house we want we'd need to double our mortgage and I just don't want to do that while working p/t and TTC.

Anyhow, you could come up and if you felt like it, do some practice driving on deserted country roads. Or not. It has some cute shops/coffee/lunch places but also has a Coles and a Target.

[Mother Goose]

Fiona, one of my friends lived out there when her twins were 1-3 years. She LOVED it. It was brilliant for them. They rented a place that was on 1/4 acre and the twins loved roaming the property. I never heard her say a bed thing about it... And I lived in Eltham at the time - and it took me an hour door to door to drive to her house.

[lilima]

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!

[fionas]

thanks guys.

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.