Visiting Bundoora last Sunday made me think about why we chose to settle in Hoppers Crossing and where we might have lived if not for the fact that my cousin lives here. Hubby and I agreed that we would never have settled in HX.
We took the kids to Bundoora Park after church. They had a great time trying out all the different playgrounds (there are three at least), visiting Cooper's Settlement where they cuddled guinea pigs, watched other kids ride ponies, tramped around the barn with ducks and chooks, and had tea at the Farm Cafe.
Afterwards, we drove around the La Trobe Uni campus. How much has changed! A few minutes in the direction of the M80 Metropolitan Ring Road is the new University Hill development: a mix of housing, retail and office units. You could live, work and shop there, wow!
The open space across from BM Guesthouse - our home for a whole month when we first arrived - has been beautifully landscaped, and Springthorpe Boulevard, which was then seeing a construction boom, is now completed. Every house looks different from its neighbour, the estate has been thoughtfully laid out and has such a welcoming, aspirational feel, yet there is also a sense of glorious isolation. We are talking about being off Plenty Road and 18 mins or so from Melbourne, but you could be in the country if you didn't know better. Bundoora Square is across the road, and there's a new shopping strip with an Indian grocery store, but within the boundaries of the campus, there are heritage bungalows still used by the Uni. The pond that we used to walk past and watch ducks swimming is still there, and Gresswell Wildlife Sanctuary looks as remote and forbidding as ever, a contradiction in the midst of contemporary upper-class residential living.
From Bundoora, we drove 5 km along Grimshaw St into Greensborough, where we used to enjoy visiting the Plaza and trying out the eateries along the main road. We revisited our favourite Vietnamese restaurant - Linh Linh - with its tacky artificial flowers, painted white bar counter and the bathroom down a flight of stairs.
If I could choose to start over again in Aus, I would live in...Geelong.
It's the second largest city after Melbourne, with great schools, facilities, infrastructure.
It's 40 min to Melbourne, minutes to the beaches, the Great Ocean Road is down the highway, there's a ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento, the gorgeous waterfront and Botanic Gardens, V-Line to Melbourne, Geelong Grammar School. If you want a tree change, somewhere like Highton would be fantastic, with its hilly terrain and amazing elevated views and closeness to the Barwon River. Everything that you need to live comfortably can be found in Geelong, minus the crowding. The best thing about the Geelong lifestyle is driving away from the City when everyone else is trying to get on the Westgate Bridge on a workday.
If hubby and I could find jobs in Geelong, I would gladly consider uprooting again. I checked the real estate prices yesterday and they are still affordable, considering the proximity to water views.
Imagine being able to walk to the beach and enjoy all the green spaces and fresh air and ocean views, but without the Brighton price tag. Now that would be a seachange worth considering.
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