doodles

Arrived here by accident six years ago, bought a house as a temporary measure because real estate was so cheap the price came out of petty-cash, and I knew I could resell without making a loss in an expected six months. Lincoln Street is near the top of the hill, and I have large views of the tree-lined streets and beyond to the mountains. This area used to be less popular because it was a 'Commission' area, but over the last few years people have been buying them from the ministry and doing them up. The pride shows. And although prices are up, you can still buy a solid (if not pretty) house around here for the price of the Stamp Duty you'd pay for houses in some suburbs around Melbourne.

Not only have I stayed, but two friends with massive Melbourne mortgages sold up and moved down here on the strength of what they'd seen during visits. They're both happy to commute to Pakenham for work, no longer have mortgages and even have a useful amount in their bank accounts.

Some retail prices are far to high, but that can be worked around, and every service one could require is within about two minutes, or 10-15 minutes at most. AND I can get to the opera-house more quickly from here than from Lilydale, because the Fast Train and Freeway take me from door to door.

Great spot, endless scope.

I knew the original owner for years, and got to hear all the ups and downs. The main problem is that the Marysville-Buxton Road lies almost entirely on a flood-plain, and the whole area is regularly flooded. In fact, unless the actual property contains some high ground it's unlikely the Council would issue building (and particularly septic-tank) permits.

It's some distance from even the modest facilities Marysville offers (or DID offer before the fires!), and EVERYTHING else is AT LEAST half an hour away (Alexandra). Not useful for access to schools or in emergencies like heart-attacks or snakebite.

Along with the remoteness, the fact that the property lies between two lots of mountains means that services like phone, tv, etc are practically non-existent.

I lived for 3 years in Marysville and a further 22 years off the Marysville-Narbethong Road, (on the other side of the hill from this property) and am familiar with the district. Life there suited me because 1. land was still cheap enough when I bought in (2.5 acres for $10,000)....,2.. I was a single man, and 3.... I'm something of a hermit.

The buxton-Marysville road is ONLY (and VERY) good for grazing. I think it's way too expensive for that.