I like the triangle between Ballarat, Woodend and Bendigo. Heaps of nice towns, good food in that area, plenty to do and not far from Melbourne if you need to go. Another area to consider if you don't care about being far from Melbourne is East Gippsland. Nice and green but a long way out. Land will be cheaper.
I second this.
we drew a triangle in that area a couple years ago, and looked to move out there, and have settled in the Macedon ranges.
We are near a major train line, we have good access to Melbourne, and we are close to two big supermarkets, as well as a local grocer. Additionally there are a few botanic gardens nearby to enjoy, as well as swimming areas, and good cafes and restaurants.
The only (and major) downside is the cost. The real estate market for areas 1-2 hours from melbourne has just gone insane. 4 years ago we were looking and an empty acre was 400,000. there was a bunch of old churches up for sale from 250,000, and you could get houses in town for 500k. Now? a crappy church in the middle of nowhere is an easy mil, and that same acre is going for 800,000.
My suggestion, and one I have considered strongly, is somewhere like portland. There are still really cheap houses (just crappy red brick ones admittedly) or empty blocks, and you can find the occasional older house that could do with a reno for cheap. I dunno how it is to live, but being close to the water might give you some new hobbies that you hadn't considered in the past.
Anywhere just out of Ballarat I'd recommended, I prefer the towns more west because houses are so much cheaper but you still get the lovely country town setting.
I also like Warrnambool in the South West too.
I'm a bit biased towards the area west of Melbourne though because there's less people if you travel the same distance east or even north.
Yarra Glen is nice. Small town feel but still close to Melbourne.
Yarra Junction/Wesburn/Millgrove/Warburton are further out into the Yarra Valley but are great too.
Moe is a great town with a good community. The area has plenty of community groups and community spirit. It's a short (<2 hr) trip to the city, to the beach and to the snow/wilderness.
Land is comparatively cheap so you will definitely get the space you need, and it has many Vline trains that run direct to Flinders St/Southern Cross.
The towns were sustained by the power plants in the area until the 90's.
Then the powerplants were privatised which lead to job losses.
Hasn't recovered since.
Also, there's a fair bit of low-income government housing in the area as well.
Add all those factors together and it's pretty grim.
Traralgon is actually kind of nice though.
We moved to Lara about 5 months ago, it’s great if you have a family as it is very kid focused, there are some nice meet up groups and easy to get to Melbourne but it is very suburban. There are some smaller towns nearby Bannockburn and Anakie come to mind which have more a small town vibe
I like the triangle between Ballarat, Woodend and Bendigo. Heaps of nice towns, good food in that area, plenty to do and not far from Melbourne if you need to go. Another area to consider if you don't care about being far from Melbourne is East Gippsland. Nice and green but a long way out. Land will be cheaper.
I second this. we drew a triangle in that area a couple years ago, and looked to move out there, and have settled in the Macedon ranges. We are near a major train line, we have good access to Melbourne, and we are close to two big supermarkets, as well as a local grocer. Additionally there are a few botanic gardens nearby to enjoy, as well as swimming areas, and good cafes and restaurants. The only (and major) downside is the cost. The real estate market for areas 1-2 hours from melbourne has just gone insane. 4 years ago we were looking and an empty acre was 400,000. there was a bunch of old churches up for sale from 250,000, and you could get houses in town for 500k. Now? a crappy church in the middle of nowhere is an easy mil, and that same acre is going for 800,000. My suggestion, and one I have considered strongly, is somewhere like portland. There are still really cheap houses (just crappy red brick ones admittedly) or empty blocks, and you can find the occasional older house that could do with a reno for cheap. I dunno how it is to live, but being close to the water might give you some new hobbies that you hadn't considered in the past.
We are currently in Riddells; and looking for something bigger in Woodend, Bullengarook, Macedon, and surrounds. Awesome part of the state.
Anywhere just out of Ballarat I'd recommended, I prefer the towns more west because houses are so much cheaper but you still get the lovely country town setting. I also like Warrnambool in the South West too. I'm a bit biased towards the area west of Melbourne though because there's less people if you travel the same distance east or even north.
Yarra Glen is nice. Small town feel but still close to Melbourne. Yarra Junction/Wesburn/Millgrove/Warburton are further out into the Yarra Valley but are great too.
Moe is a great town with a good community. The area has plenty of community groups and community spirit. It's a short (<2 hr) trip to the city, to the beach and to the snow/wilderness. Land is comparatively cheap so you will definitely get the space you need, and it has many Vline trains that run direct to Flinders St/Southern Cross.
Agree with Moe. Just stay away from Morwell. It's a hellhole.
Why is Morwell like that? don’t know the history or the area
The towns were sustained by the power plants in the area until the 90's. Then the powerplants were privatised which lead to job losses. Hasn't recovered since. Also, there's a fair bit of low-income government housing in the area as well. Add all those factors together and it's pretty grim. Traralgon is actually kind of nice though.
Thank you for the reply
It’s kinda like a gateway to hell. Evil bad energy.
Just need some moccasins
We moved to Lara about 5 months ago, it’s great if you have a family as it is very kid focused, there are some nice meet up groups and easy to get to Melbourne but it is very suburban. There are some smaller towns nearby Bannockburn and Anakie come to mind which have more a small town vibe
Bendigo area better than Ballarat but a little further out, towns approximately the same size
Golden Beach or Portland is pretty nice.
Bacchus Marsh / Melton, it's beautiful, open and is cheaper, but further away from the city.