punoo

We are in Brisbane currently but because of a job offer in Melbourne we need to move there. I am in love with Brisbane and really like ferny hills area. Wondering if there are any nice green hilly areas in Melbourne. We like nature. Any good net sites for Melbourne will be great. We have a 3 year old and a 8month old.

Actually right now we have a choice between Melbourne or Amridale....OH is drawn to Melbourne!(permanent job offer there)

Thanks in advance.

Sherlock Holmes

Not trying to be clever but if you meant Armidale (NSW) - how cold do you want to be in winter? Minus 11 okay for you?

I don't know too much about Melbourne but I'm very fond of the place. I'm sure you'll like it and also sure that many suggestions will be along soon.

A.

BadgeIsBack

Lods of green hills in Melbourne, even in these last few years of drought - which - you might be forgiven for thinking has broken since autumn...

The Dandenongs are the most green but also the coldest and most oppressive.

There are many other places, suburbs and villages in the NE, E and SE that do hills and country living extremely well. It's almost a well-kept secret - I mean - before I came here. I always thought Melbourne was a big city of concrete, trams and and lattes. But, you can drive for 40mins and find yourselves in ancient tree forests....and be in places you'd have to head for hours in the UK from London.

You can also find curious little steam trains the likes of which I recall seeing in an Encyclopedia when I was a child. Never did I think I would hear it on a summer's day from my back deck...

punoo

Wow sounds beautiful!
Could you please write few suburbs name 40min to the city sound good as OH will be working there.
I must say your description sounds so dreamy! Where are you in Mel?
Thanks!

mohogony

http://www.redbubble.com/people/elan...cholas-gardenshttp://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...SpWieBwZdeoZmA
http://picasaweb.google.com/srmathbu...84247811498050
http://www.redbubble.com/people/elan...cholas-gardens

moneypenny20

I'd give Armidale a miss unless you're on route from A to B and it's on the way.

koalakim

Hi there

Eltham and Diamond Creek are pretty hilly, lots of countryside and about an hour on the train into the CBD and near the Yarra Valley.

You could also look at somewhere like the Beaconsfield/Upper Beaconsfield, Ferntree Gully areas out to the east or somewhere at the foot of the Dandenongs rather than actually being in them!

We live on the Mornington Peninsula which is definitely rolling countryside with hills, we always say it's like Sussex with gum trees although public transport to the city is a bit of a pain. It's a 15-20 minute drive to Frankston and then an 1hr on the train but it is lovely down here!

Hope this helps a bit!

KK

punoo

Thanks KK!
1 hr is quite alot. something like 40min will be fine. But thanks alot )

scrubbedexpat020

http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au...diamond-creek/

I am sure they are very nice people but they do get mentioned on ACA and TT.

I drive through DC on the way to the airport. It's really nice.

I would live there but not near the church - a lot of parishioners = cars!

elice_in_oz

Great countryside around Diamond Creek. Eltham, Montmorency and Greensborough on the same train line (Hurtsbridge) are all within 40 minutes of the CBD on express trains. Quite hilly, loads of tall gum trees and only a short drive to the beautiful Yarra Valley.
PM me if you want more info

BadgeIsBack

Yes - all those. What follows is the sum total of my opinions on all this...(stand by)...

The thing to remember about Melbourne's hills and villages near Mt Dandenong is there is some variation. This is important.

They range from definitely hippy-dippy (Belgrave, S of Mt Dandenong) and a tad alternative (and proud of it) to slightly out of the way, outlying, and the sorts of places even the locals grin about - Cockatoo and Gembrook (sort of SE-E of Mt Dandenong)are some of those. I'm on not picking on them, there was a bloke on here years ago who was quite scathing and generalised that all Dandenong hills villages were run on commie-Stalin lines...(I knew what he was getting at - he didn't have the whole picture).

The central ones near Mt Dandenong itself can get very touristy. Wet in winter etc. Loads of trees. You can't move for trees. Blocks smaller.

I like Monbulk and the ones which open out a bit away from the centre - which is sort of E pass Mt Dandenong, and abutting the edge of the Yarra Valley. My top tip is Macclesfield...only good for local work or if you can get down Wellington Road to the burbs...

There are a whole swag of ones S of Mt Dandenong which are little hamlets - Kallista, Selby, etc but I still find these a little cramped.

The good thing about Upper Beaconsfield (SE) is that it is small enough to be it's own village, big enough to feel that it is not just another hamlet, but has a fair amount of infrastructure (hardware store, supermarket, CFA fire station, school, kinder, pre-kinder). It is miles and miles of vallys and vistas, k's of tree-lined avenues radiating out from the township - yet is minutes from Beaconsfield (not hills) which is the start of the SE *burbs* on that flank and the beginning of all that brand new sprawl based on the old town of Berwick. Beaconsfield is full of spunky brand new infrastructure - Woolies and Aldi... it's a sort of adjunct to Berwick...and it has bloomed this last 5 years..

There is also a little village called Harkaway to the immediate N of Berwick itself. It's cool because you are only 5mins from a series of choice in lattes and big breakfasts in the older, sort of cafe place that is Berwick..and very close to the M1 Highway. By ducking down Heatherton rd you can be in the city in less than 40....it's exy...

(You getting this? Berwick is a bit of a hub town - more established. What was once a village is surrounded by new estates to the W and S which go on and on. The infamous Fountain Gate shopping centre is W of Berwick in Narre Warren)

Other mass generalisations I might dare add:

Green Hills SE - Further away from the city -as the crow flies - good train and highway - (I've been recently amazed - they've upgraded the highway this last 3 years and it is a lot better than it was 5 years ago).

Green Hills NE - A lot closer to the city - as the crow flies - good for weekends - but in rushhour the winding roads that pass as arterial routes logjam and the weekday commute would end up the same.

Now it is possible to buy a huge joint on acreage in many of these places and be settled for life - but you need work and so some of those hills are not commutable to the City (and higher pay). Upper Beaconsfield is, Belgrave is, Diamond Creek and Hurstbridge are. That's what makes them attractive. If you are a tradie with your own business owning 2-5 acres anywhere - anywhere in budget in these here hills could be one wet dream. These places have people from all walks of life - and are sort of country in feel, but not everyone is a diesal mechanic...do not move to them if you are decidedly only a city-slicker and have very urban tastes, unless you are like me and have city and country tastes and can flit from one to the other with ease.

There are also places like Warrandyte NE of Melbourne which are not Dandenong hills but have a rural feel. Sort of UK stockbroker belt.

There is also a collection of towns and communites to the NW of Melbourne starting out at Sunbury and going towards Woodend along the highway there. These are very popular with ernest professional tree-changers who want the country but can get down the reasonable good (fast) highway to the city - obviously it gets worse in rushhour. It is MUCH more open land, plains even. The elevation rises towards Mt Macedon.

PM me and I will drop the name of the village we are in.

furkew

I saw this thread, and I thought I can definitely give a bit of help, but Badge didnt leave much unsaid I dont think

Excellent description of many of the local places.

I agree about macclesfield. Beautiful area, not as hilly, not as cold in the winter as the Dandenongs as well. I live and work in Monbulk, but if I decided to look elsewhere, it would be top of my list.

Monbulk is normally 4-6 degrees cooler than Melbourne at any time, and we get a lot of rain compared to surrounding towns. It has a very large Dutch population, and the biggest industry in Monbulk, silvan, seville etc is horticulture. Silvan & Seville has a high proportion of Italians.

The Dutchies grow flowers & plants, down the road in Silvan the Italians grow berries, garlic and many other market garden products. There is also a lot of chestnuts, walnuts etc grown all around the area.

a number of things you definitely need to take into account when living out this way:
possible risk of bush fires
Regular power outs after heavy rain/storms. We lost power Saturday night for a few hours, other friends a bit further out only got their power back this afternoon.
You travel a lot to get to school/clubs/shopping centres etc. Every town have very good amenities, but it is difficult to survive without 2 cars.

positive points
Its always cooler than Melbourne, so not generally such extreme high temperatures in the summertime
Its easier to make contact with the local IMO than in the city. Most people are prepared to help in any way they can
Much cheaper than buying in the city. Much more bang for your buck.
1 hour to the city, 1 hour to the beach, 2 hours to the snow

A few places Badge didnt mention that also might appeal are Belgrave South, Upwey or Mount Evelyn. All a bit closer to civilization, but still very green areas, with still reasonable sized plots.

I'll dig out a few pictures of the views around here in a minute to give you a feel.

BadgeIsBack

Macclesfield is one of those places even the locals don't know about. Friends of ours own 30 acres there which they got for a relative song. I'd be there if I got work 30mins away. The other good thing about the more N Dandenong villages is that driving due W down the hill towards the suburbs on that flank gets you to Knox mall which is better than Fountain Gate in my opinion. More civilised.

There's also the Basin on that Dandenong ranges western flank. A little gem.
One extremity in the middle suburbs in Boronia, the other extremity in the shadow of the mountain itself....

Although Upper Beac went up in smoke in 83 it does have a 5min road to safety. There are places in the central Dandenongs where it is 20mins to get out. I'd be more worried there.

Yes. Again some of the outer places aren't much cooler. If I had a dollar for anytime someone said this...

Yes - Upway and Tacoma - a lot closer in - sort of S by W of Mt Dandenong... Bush blocks, not so much acreage, for example. Upper Ferntree Gully is also sort of bushblock central but still suburbia.

Ask yourself...do you want acreage, hills, or even just 'bush block'.

Eltham 'town' in the NE is like Berwick 'town' in the SE. Established, middle Australian. Has edges which go 'country/hill'.

And of course, between Upper Beac, and the SE and the Dandenongs themselves there is also Emerald with it's Lake. It's also got a lot of infrastructure - I use the word relatively. Along with Monbulk it gets my recommendation as a sort of outer 'ranges' village as it is closer to the city down Wellington Road. Wellington Rd hits the Monash highway 20k further down so it's a good access point and early in the morning you can scoot down it with impunity.

And...as you head way into the Yarra Valley due E/NE, or deep into Cardinina Shire in the SE, you get to more sort of farmland...Gippsland even - and leave the Metro area...here be Dragons...

ozzieeagle

Closest one mentioned so far, has to be Greensborough, which is 44 mins on the Train.... I just checked via Metlink. I doubt if Greensborough would be 'Green' enough personally.... it's a bit like Mill Park, with Hills. Eltham is 51 mins on the train, without getting to the station.... It's definitely Green enough though. I'd be surprised if the subs out east are closer/quicker.

BadgeIsBack

As the OP mentioned 40mins, I can tell you now - most of these Hills places are more like an hour...by train in the rushhour. Car is faster but you need to leave earlier.

Some of these places you would get 40mins if you got in the car by 6.30am and didn't spare the horses. (You don't need to speed but you can't delay). You can get to the city from Harkaway and Narre Warren N in 40. It might be that the OP needs to compromise on a bushblock.