Doreen, VIC 3754

Since when has macca's been approved to build in Doreen.

You travel times are out by a mile.
Eltham, Greensborough and South Morang are 30 mins away.
Richmond Ikea in 40 minutes? Maybe at 4am on Xmas morning, but be prepared to take 1hr plus.

There simply has not been any improvement to the roads to support the rapid population growth in the area.

Public transport is useless, and despite many promises to improve roads and public transport, little has reached Doreen, with improvements only extending to South Morang.

There are only about 5% of properties in the entire town that have a yard big enough to swing a cat. Most blocks are 85-90% house with no yard whatsoever.

Resales in the area are terrible. House prices have dropped in recent years in the area, and continue to struggle with the continual new development.

I'm not sure how old your review is, but it appears as though, once the premium blocks were sold off at the fringe of the new estates, they have started to pack in the low price, high density houses/units that attract a much less desirable population than those cited in your review.

Wilstan, you must be the person on the road who holds everyone else up. If you get out of 2nd gear you might be able to make those travel times. My son goes to the gym in South Morang which is consistently 10 minutes away. The South Morang train station is 13 minutes give or take 1 minute.
Eltham is 15 minutes via Ironbark Rd. Doncaster Shopping centre is nowadays 25 minutes. The city (corner of Victoria and Lygon St) in peak hour early morning via Craigieburn Rd East is 55 minutes tops.
I have not measured people's back yards but still find the people in the supermarket and on the roads to be polite and courteous. One can immediately sense this when one enters Doreen.
I have not sold a house yet so have no experience but based on the time most houses are on the market they would not appear to have an issue selling. Quality houses sell everywhere. If you buy too expensive or over captialise then it is the seller's fault not the buyers nor a reflection on the quality of the suburb.

Doreen definitely has its shortcomings, of which public transport is on top of the list but on the whole it is a very very pleasant place to live.

Sorry, I have bought in Doreen and work in the city. I currently spend a minimum of 3 hours travel a day getting to flagstaff station. The area has no shade during no shade during summer, terrible traffic, no public transport and nothing for kids to do. The houses are so crammed in that you cannot enjoy any peace and quiet and all the children have to play on the streets. The road design and housing quality is definitely questionable. The local shops (including Woolworths) charge much more for their goods than the Woolworths in the city. I bought here because the rest of Melbourne is too much expensive. My family and work has suffered due to my increased stress and anxiety. I really feel that the area has been created just so the government can say that there is affordable housing whilst pigs get rich selling off the rest of Melbourne. Yes, there are some positives but nothing that could new close to making up for the effect it has had on my life. Even if the Merida train station is created, the Epping line is terribly slow and over crowded.

I am not sure where you live in Doreen. It must be a really new part that was previously empty paddock. Native trees usually give shade in about five to eight years. But lack of shade is common in so many parts of Melbourne. You can get streets with no shade in Essendon and Kew and Ascot Vale. In the last two years I have seen the size of the blocks of land shrinking alarmingly but again that is part of what is happening in Melbourne as our population grows. Most suburbs are becoming crowded. By and large the smaller houses are mixed with the larger houses so it all still looks pretty good. I have not seen any poorly designed roads or streetscapes. Yes there are those that are under construction and hence look less attractive but again in five years time it will all look nice and lived in. Obviously property in Melbourne is crazy expensive and I can understand that its good to live close to one's place of work but blame short sighted politicians and greedy land speculators for your plight not the newly establishing and very promising suburb that you live in. Take a positive view and lets find ways to make it better. Lets encourage more trees to be planted. Grow more trees in your own back or front yards, bring your kids up so they are good citizens and dont make too much noise in the street and above all dont stress about what you cannot control. Life is too short to stress. Ultimately everything in our lives is our choice. We choose to work for a certain company, choose our education level, choose to marry, have kids, buy or rent, etc etc so why worry. The nice thing is that we are finally going to get a train, which should take the pressure off the roads, somewhat. More and more people are telecommuting so that should help as well. By 2020 we should have access to the outer metropolitan ring road near passing near Wollert (check the VicRoads website).

Sash, considering you do not seem to agree with ANY of my points, do you by chance have any vested interest (other than being a home owner or resident) in the area? I think it is best if you declare whether you have any affiliations with council, developers or contractors. Melbourne IS becoming over populated. The lack of population and open space as well as satisfactory travel times and access to decent facilities and quality of life IS what made Melbourne great. If these things go then Melbourne looses what made it so special. I think accepting it as a fact of life is laying over and letting Melbourne lose its charm. Also, saying that we build brand new areas and writing off the negatives saying 'but the rest of Melbourne is like that' is a huge generalization. Not to mention paving the way for the acceptance of low standards by those doing the planning and design. For goodness sake, demand better in life and don't accept mediocrity!

ChristianS no I do not have any vested interest apart from being a home owner, which to some extent is a vested interest. Sorry to have come across as argumentative but I think our different perspectives might have a lot to do with our relative circumstances. I work reasonably close in Broadmeadows and can reach my workplace in 30 minutes. I gather from your post that you have a young family and I take it from that that you are younger and probably buying your first home. My kids are older and getting close to being independent. I live in a very comfortable house and have lots of nice trees around my house. The houses on my street are not crammed together. I dont see too many houses that are like that but agree that there are some houses.
I think another reason for our different perspectives may be down to stress. If you commute to the city daily and spend three hours doing so then obviously your satisfaction with your present lot in life will be less. It takes me an hour out of my day to commute.
I guess another of my points was that nowadays almost anywhere in Melbourne the traffic has become quite horrendous. Even inner city suburbs have become very congested. We need to learn to live in a more sustainable way and use more public transport and live closer to where we work or work more remotely (online). Many of your general points are correct. The government have taken our money first and then only begrudgingly are acknowledging our needs. The good news is that we may finally get a train. It may not solve all the problems but should make things better. Ultimately its going to be a choice of whether you like living close to work in a smaller crappier surroundings among the pollution, the homeless and the crime or do you prefer the slower pace in the suburbs with a bigger newer house but at the cost of a longer commute. I wish you and your family well. I mean what I said when I recommended planting a few trees and encouraging your neighbours to do the same. It might not solve your distance problems but your street and the comfort of your surroundings will look more relaxing and homely.

All I can say is the great majority of people in Doreen love it and are very happy and proud to call it home as do I . I can't understand the extreme views of some of the people here. it makes me wonder what their motives are. compared to most other suburbs this one is heaven. You can just see how clean streets and the shopping centres are and how courteous drivers are the confirm that this is a quality suburb full of quality people.

Another vote for Doreen. Its a lovely suburb. I am very sad to see some people trying to paint such a wrong image of it.

Is Doreen a safe neighbourhood?Is it safe after dark? What are your neighbours like?

Hi Anna, we feel it is very safe. We regularly go for a walk around 10pm and have never encountered any reasons for concern. People slow down for ducks and birds on the road and are considerate to other road users. Our neighbours are lovely and in general Doreen has very much of a community feel.

Hey Christian S...... Sounds like you have purchased in a location that is not suitable to your work and or family lifestyle.
Can i ask, did the town of Laurimer choose YOU to purchase here?
Or did YOU choose to purchase in the town of Laurimer FULLY knowing your situation before doing so?

PS: unfortunate that i came across this post so late.

Doreen is beautiful and peaceful suburb to live. It's friendly atmosphere and nice walk paths. Close to all amenities, improved roads, new train line, schools, bunnings, shops. The laurimmar Estate is breath taking. I don't regret moving to this area. I would recommend it.

Hi, we are planning to move to Doreen riverstone estate. What do you all think about the area?

Which is your favourite golf course out of the two? I'm assuming you're referring to Growling Frog GC and Yarrambat GC?

Both golf courses have generous and picturesque layouts. Growling would be the more challenging out of the two and requires a bit more course management. Having said that, feel free to pull out the big dog on most holes! The greens and fairways at Growling are *chef's kiss*. Yarrambat definitely has a more social and younger vibe though!

I think I've played at Growling Frog a while ago and do remember how immaculate the fairways were. The views were pretty unreal. does it get busy at Growling Frog?

What are the primary schools like in the area?

There's two public and four independent primary schools in the area, ranging between 0-5km from the "high street" (Laurimar town centre). My kids go to Laurimar PS and it's a great school with a zero tolerance to bullying stance. They're very well staffed and seem to be growing year on year. The school is very open and has strong links with the community and the teachers are absolute gems. The school is quite well positioned right next to the town centre and has plenty of outdoor play areas. They teach Chinese Mandarin language from Year 2 on once a week and my kids really enjoy that. Where are you coming from?

It doesn't really get busy at Growling. There's typically 240 odd tee times per day and I've only ever seen it as full as 50% capacity.

Doreen is split in two main areas by Bridge Inn Rd; Laurimar and Orchard Road, both with their own community centre, there's a few other little shops scattered around various estates. Orchard Road is closer to the train station. Laurimar has the bigger town centre with more retail shops, restaurants, health care services etc. The closest Westfields is Plenty which is about 15 mins drive straight down Plenty Rd. Greensborough Plaza is about 20 mins off peak. Traffic is minimal outside of peak times. Yan Yean Rd is currently being duplicated which leads to the Greensborough Bypass and the North East link tunnel currently being built. When complete I think the journey into the city via the M3 will be cut from 50 mins off peak to about 35 mins from Doreen. There are 3 secondary schools in the area, Hazel Glen College, Plenty Valley Christian College, Ivanhoe Grammar, in order of financial burden ;) there's a wait list for Ivanhoe Grammar so plan ahead. If you like open spaces, large modern homes, and clean streets, then Doreen is definitely worth considering.