Where would you live in Victoria country area if given the choice ?

[smiles4u]

Hi all,

Well, as some of you know my DP & i moved from Melbourne to big town Ballarat 5.5years ago then not knowing a sole here.

After 5.5years later i have an arms length of aquaintances but i don't feel i have found that one friend i have that niche with IYKWIM, someone of roughly the same age or within 10years of my own age that i have lots in common with, you know someone who came from the same generation too (which i feel i'm asking for a miracle because i started my family later in life it's restricted me in the age group i feel) ... my older sister moved to a small country town and it took her 10years before she found that friend she just clicked with and more importantly had lots in common.

DP has made no aquaintances let alone any friends since living here but that's because he has not made the effort and put himself out there to met anyone, it's all been done through me. DP works in Melb CBD and gets home so late he couldn't do any activities here in Ballarat after work and come the weekend he is so stuffed from long distance travelling and long working hours he just wants to sleep in on the weekends. So no chance he will meet anyone that way either (this he admits to, so he knows it).

DP & i still feel we don't know whether we will stay living here in Ballarat, i guess like any place it has it's good & bad points. But what we have agreed on is we will always prefer to live in the country area over suburbs in Victoria. DP grew up in a small country town whereas i grew up in the suburbs in Melb and in my adult life have lived close to the city. For both us we like the relaxed lifestyle that goes with country living but my problem is i don't think i could live in a small country town unless there was a big town nearby.

We thought of Bendigo but that means further travelling time for us to visit friends & family in other areas of Vic which we don't want to burden ourselves with longer travelling.

Woodend i like but we can't afford it there (sorry Fiona would have loved to )

Sth Gippsland is not looking like an option as DP doesn't want to live near some particular family members of his and um nor do i (BG wish i could pick your town up and move it over this way, as i think it's so pretty there)

So i'm curious .... If you had a choice to live in a country area of Victoria where would you live ??

TIA for any replies

[Tinks]

I live in the Yarra Valley and LOVE it. Like you and I have discussed before Smiley, small towns have their good and bad points and it can take a long time to feel part of the community. Apart from that, this place is sooooo pretty. I look out my window and see mountains, the river is across the road (we pretty much live there in summer), it snows on the mountain in Winter, there are heaps of walking tracks and places to explore and it's 1.5 hrs to Melbourne.

I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

[Olive]

no where near my inlaws!!

the yarra valley is lovely, im not far from there

[feeb]

Gisbourne or new Gisbourne!!!

[mooks]

East Gippsland is just beautiful and the folks are really friendly!! We lived at Eagle Point (in between Bairnsdale and Paynesville) and I just loved it. In Melbourne now and I really don't like it!! Good Luck

[NaeNae]

Anywhere in the Gippsland Region.
Personally I am fond of the lush green rolling hills of South Gippsland but love the Noojee, Neerim South area of Baw Baw. Warragul would be my choice of country towns if I was to go a country suburb. CLose enough to the city for an easy day trip but far enough away to be away

Nae x

[Tinks]

I love Warragul too. I'd happily live there.

[Nai]

Hmm maybe Daylesford, Kyneton, Woodend area, if you are looking at country areas. Personally I prefer beach areas so somewhere like Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Queenscliff or Torquay.

[briggsy's girl]

come here, buy my house! you know you want to

we're moving a bit less rural - a bit less small town - when the house sells. closer to work.

if your DH is going to commute (whichever way he is going - train/car) work out what the limit of his commute is going to be time wise each day. get a map of victoria and work out how far he could get, draw a line on the map and pick from what falls within that border. pointless saying you love somewhere like bairnsdale only to find that commuting for him is impossible.

if, however, he is going to change jobs, you could go anywhere! lol

[smiles4u]

Hmm maybe Daylesford, Kyneton, Woodend area, if you are looking at country areas. Personally I prefer beach areas so somewhere like Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Queenscliff or Torquay.

... me too Nai i'm a beach girl (lived in the Sth East near the beach before moving here almost killed me at first when moving here with no water nearby) but to buy a house in a beachy area we just could never afford

BG lol your funny yeh we discussed what distance he is prepared to travel and it just couldn't be any longer than what he is doing now, other thing is he only started considering looking for another job but i think he wants to still stick to Melb CBD just incase we don't like where ever we moved to next IYKWIM ... so yeh to give you an idea it couldn't be anymore than 1hr 20mins driving or V/Line train !!

[feeb]

What about korrumburra or warragul as then not a long drive to inverloch which is beautiful!

[Lulu]

Wonthaggi area or Warburton.

[smiles4u]

What about korrumburra or warragul as then not a long drive to inverloch which is beautiful!

... you must have esp that's where he went to school and a couple of his family members he doesn't want to live near still live there

(yeh love Inverlock for a drive !!)

[feeb]

Haha ahhhh ok so that's out!!

[jackrose]

I grew up in Melbourne but the family moved to Warrnambool when I was a teenager. At the time I hated it with a passion and moved back to Melbourne as soon as I could so I didn't really live there for too long. However, in hindsight I see all the good things about the place and highly recommend it as a place to live or bring up children.
- not *too* far from Melbourne with the new Geelong Bypass
- not too big, not too small
- beach and town together
- lots of young families moving into the area in recent years , positive growth and lots of potential new friends
- has a university therefore it keeps the young people in the place and keeps the town fresh

I am personally very happy living in Melbourne but think W'bool is a pretty good option and I really enjoy visiting the grandparents there with DDs. I also know that most of the people I knew who grew up there are very attached and keen to move back to raise their family. I think this says something.

[smiles4u]

I grew up in Melbourne but the family moved to Warrnambool when I was a teenager. At the time I hated it with a passion and moved back to Melbourne as soon as I could so I didn't really live there for too long. However, in hindsight I see all the good things about the place and highly recommend it as a place to live or bring up children.
- not *too* far from Melbourne with the new Geelong Bypass
- not too big, not too small
- beach and town together
- lots of young families moving into the area in recent years , positive growth and lots of potential new friends
- has a university therefore it keeps the young people in the place and keeps the town fresh

I am personally very happy living in Melbourne but think W'bool is a pretty good option and I really enjoy visiting the grandparents there with DDs. I also know that most of the people I knew who grew up there are very attached and keen to move back to raise their family. I think this says something.

... thanks heaps JR for that but sadly W'bool is further to travel from for us to get to the north side of Melb where my family live and would be further for DP to get to work then from Ballarat.
That story sounds familiar i have met many couple's that grew up here in Ballarat that have come back to settle down with their young families, i think also it helps to have family nearby for these people if their family still lives here !!

[Salsa]

oh gosh smiles4u, we have moved to a small town (along the vline) and I hope 5 years from now I know some people - and even have some good friends! I think its really hard for the men communting. DH finds it quite tiring and we didnt move out as far as we wanted because he wasnt willing to lose that many hours of the day and week to travel. Personally i'd like to be a by a beach too but anything we could afford would be too far for DH getting to CBD.
So I sympathsis with your situation!

[Junglemum]

If i could afford it, JanJuc or the Mornington Peninsula would be my first choice. Second would be Yarra Valley. Although i didn't live in Yarra Glenn, it is where i shopped, and spent lots of time with friends. Lovely area, close to lots of things, an easy drive to Melbourne on Citylink, but still feels like the country.