Gisborne, VIC 3437

As someone who has lived in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and outback NSW found Gisborne offers the best of both to me, been here four years now.

I like the quiet, relaxed small town charm, I also commute to Melbourne CBD each day to work. Prompted to write this review after reading some of the negative reviews.

Things I agree with, Gisborne is colder - yes but its also cooler in Summer, the open spaces and valleys means there is a breeze unlike the heat sinks of suburbia. There is little in the way of night-life - agreed this does not mean Gisborne is not a social town it is its, just not a party town. If you want the lights and sounds and the 24/7 nature of a big city Gisborne is not for you. Personally I don't (been there done that) so very happy with Gisborne.

Things I disagree with locals are Hick, having lived in outback NSW where there are most certainly Hicks Gisborne people are not Hicks, if there is a downside with Gisborne its the locals are trying to preserve Gisborne the way it is. What this means if you fit in, you will fit in and its very friendly. If you are someone who is looking at having a party life style you wont find it. Gisborne is an easy commute if you want to go out into the inner city regularly just not frequently, so again not the place for you.

Gisborne is a great place to raise kids, but its not the best place for the older teenagers and early 20's due to the quite night life, and limited choice of things to do in the town itself. However do know a number of locals who moved closer to Melbourne, then back out once they wanted to settle down.

Apart from the school time rush, there is no traffic, even the school time rush is nothing compared to where I use to live in inner Melbourne suburbs!.

Is it Gossipy? As gossipy as outback NSW no, more Gossipy then inner Melbourne, yes but a lot more chance you know your neighbours and more people so more things to gossip about and as the review guidelines say everyone loves a good dose of gossip and Gisborne is really no different to anywhere else I lived. Its what you make it.

Gisborne feels like a proper small town with a strong sense of community. There's a walkable centre with cafes, shops, schools, parks, and the train station all close by, which makes day-to-day life easy.

It's green, family-friendly, and active without feeling hectic. You get enough buzz to feel connected, but it still holds onto that relaxed country-town feel that makes it very liveable.

Gisborne is a perfect mix of natural beauty, peace and quiet within a quick commute to the city. For the price of a small decrepit house in the inner city you can buy a huge block and luxury home where you feel completely away from it all. I’m Gisborne South can even buy a whole farm with luxury house for around $2 mil (despite The Block’s crazy price tags). So you can feel totally rural and grow veggies, keep horses or lamas and still be at work in about 45 minutes! Some great schools too.

My family & I love it here so much - we are never going to leave.
Gisborne has a great community who are just really genuine people.
My son attends St Brigids and it has such a family feel when walking through the gates each day, greeted by the amazing staff and other parents.
We could have not picked a better part of Victoria to raise our children.

My family chose to leave this place 2 years ago when I finished university, but it's not really what I hoped would happen. I had a lot of friends here, but there were some idiots as well. And although me, my brother and my mum protested against it, council allowed McDonalds to be built here in 2012! No good. McDonalds is disgusting. If you think it's a great place to live then try living here for a few years. I lived here for more than 15 years. It does get quite hot in summer and cold in winter but I love cold weather. You can always put on more layers. But my family had had enough when the town kept growing. They were desirous for a sea change, and I couldn't stop them. I had to come with them or else! That's why we all live in Portarlington now. The schools in the Gisborne area aren't really great, though.

I have mixed feelings. We visited Gisborne last Sat and I was surprised with traffic jams in the central area where the shops and cafes are. I feel that shops should be distributed around rather than located in the middle. Car parks are small, so not sure if people are always able to find a spot and go shopping. New estates are built but no additional shops, which looks very strange. I think this town lost its county feel already because of lots of cars in its center. However, it doesn’t have a town feel anymore, so it’s something in between.
I don’t think the number of grocery shops in adequate.

We went for a Sunday drive one day about 4 yrs ago, and we fell in love with Gisborne.
We moved here from central Melbourne and slowed the pace of life. The easy commute is Our 'wind-down' time. We enjoy the beautiful parks and walkways of Gisborne, where people still smile and clearly enjoy life. We are both now much happier, I am allergy- free & breathe easier and our stress levels are almost non-existant.
My partner and I are both city born & bred, but having lived here for the last few years, we know we will never live in a large city again.
Our two adult children love visiting here each weekend and are also considering buying land here for a future move.

I've lived in many areas of Melbourne and Intestate. I have been a resident of Gisborne now 13 years and love it, not moving again.
Everything you need is with easy access, and the residents and shop owners extremely helpful. There are great state and private, primary & secondary schools, fantastic restaurants & wineries, excellent sporting facilities plus much more.

If you have a questions regarding the area please feel free to call me on 0419 388 778.

Regards

Robert Hall
Raine & Horne

Not too far from the city if city is required, train system pretty good (most of the time) but so many people living up here these days, overcrowding on the trains has become a major problem.

It is a nice town to live - like anywhere there is the good and the bad, clicquey groups etc. Not good for older teenagers and young adults wanting to hit the night-spots! It is a place which feels pretty safe, people are generally nice (my friends who come up from the city comment on how strangers happily have a chat when out and about). It is the best of both worlds - away from the manic, crowded rat-race of the city, but not isolated in a one-horse town.

its starting progress more, clean street lovely place to live not far from the city