AndyHouse

Driving through Vautier St, you will find a delectable mixture of quaint, period housing and modern townhouses, set back from neat nature strips and tended to by house-proud owners. It's an easy walk to Osborne Park, St. Helens Park, Rippleside Park (and associated swimming beaches) and North Geelong train station, minutes away from the Pakington Street shopping district, Geelong CBD and Geelong's waterfront.

Local schools, Avalon Airport (to go international) and Geelong Grammer are a short commute away. Access to Melbourne Rd via Swinburne St is effortless, yet Vautier St itself is peaceful and quiet, particularly towards the Eastern end where you can actually smell the sea.

This little pocket of real estate, bordered by Osborne Park to the North, Melbourne Rd to the West and Victoria St to the South is a sleeping giant, a gem waiting to be discovered, sitting pretty next to Corio bay and well-poised to take advantage of inevitable improvements in North Geelong.

The impending redevelopment of the old Rippleside shipyard into Rippleside Quay (village-style, low-rise luxury apartments and marina) spells good things for this area, as is the proposed redevelopment of the Geelong Golf Club into a fine, golf-links residential estate. Unlike the little enclave of Rippleside, few properties in this area have a heritage overlay, which means more scope for renovating, rebuilding or extension.

The only stain in its landscape is the industrial area to the North. In time to come however, it is hoped that such prime land would be rezoned into residential estates and the area around North Geelong station will welcome more shops and amenities.

Vautier St has to be one of North Geelong's finest streets boasting an enviable lifestyle. Why take a seachange to a faraway place, when you can live in a serene location just minutes away from almost everything?

About 7 months ago I moved into this part of Croydon and have thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The location is certainly what makes this place special. This small pocket of residential property borders on desirable suburbs such as beautiful Croydon Hills, Ringwood North and also Ringwood. The latter suburb has seen a 47% surge in property prices in the year to March 2010 (Source: REIV April 2010). If you'd like a day trip with family, touristy locations like the Dandenongs are great for a drive.

Likes

- schools: this street is literally walking distance to prestigious private schools such as Luther College and Yarra Valley Grammer. Lipscombe Kinder is just around the corner. Other schools such as the esteemed Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School, Croydon Hills Primary School, Kalinda Primary School, Maroondah Secondary College, Warranwood Primary School...are a short commute away. This area would be the prime 'school-belt' of Croydon.

- shops: a 3-5 minute walk takes you to McAdam Square shopping precinct and its myriad of specialty stores. My parents have described the atmosphere as 'Bohemian' and I'd have to agree. There's the convenience of a supermarket, excellent pizza, chicken shop, fish & chips, a Chinese takeaway, quaint and lovely bakeries and cafes, organic produce, butcher, a pharmacy, hair salon, Video Ezy, Post Office and even an Op shop. If none of that food suits your fancy, take a 5 minute drive out onto Maroondah Highway to Sofia, La Porchetta, McDonalds or Hungry Jacks. For those so inclined to night life there is the popular Cadams wine bar. Don't forget Eastland, also an easy commute away.

- transport: catch a bus at McAdam Square and it'd take you to Ringwood or Croydon train station (unless you're fit and want to walk) or Eastland. Eastlink is just nearby.

- friendly neighbours, peace and quiet: I've spoken to a long-time resident who's lived on the street some 30 years. He sees no reason to move out, citing the reasons above. And I'll have to agree. My neighbours are quiet, observant but mind their own business. We greet each other and chat, but they are never intrusive. The last big party there must have been my own house-warming event! Traffic is virtually non-existent except for the occasional passing car from residents in the immediate area.

- safe: observant, watchful neighbours. Need I elaborate more?

- recreation: the large and well-kept grounds of Lipscombe Park Reserve are literally next door, together with its own playground. If your backyard is not big enough, send the kids to this park and they'll have a ball!

Dislikes

- hoons: I've never seen any on our street, but on occasion at night I have heard screeching wheels of a car that might be several streets away. Even if that's a worry, it wouldn't be for very long. People grow out of their habit of burning tyres and money.

- it's not near the beach: But prices aren't in the millions of dollars either. The tree-lined street is comprised of single-story older houses on sizable, flat and regular blocks of land over 850 sqm and these are still affordable. It's easy to see that such houses will eventually be redeveloped or extended into very nice residences to take full advantage of the wonderful location. Retirees would certainly enjoy a small house of this variety with easy access to amenities.

This is a quiet and peaceful yet central locale that is destined for great things. If you haven't yet thought about buying into this area, why not?