is mount duneed an ideal place to invest and live in?
2 Answers
Mt Duneed is a great area, its definitely done up in value like a lot of Geelong but has a great community vibe and easy access to the ring road to get to Melbourne but also within 15-20 drives of Torquay, Barwon Heads and Ocean Grive beaches.
If youre looking for somewhere cheaper and closer to Laverton you could look at Lara, its still within the Geelong region but on the Melbourne side of town so at least 20-30 minutes closer to Laverton. It has some new estates, maybe not quite as nice as the Mt Duneed side of town but definitely better than other options.
Mt Duneed is definitely going full steam ahead. There are plans for a big shopping complex that will be equivalent of the Geelong township on Torquay road between Burvilles Road and Boundary road however this is a long way off, at least 10 years. There are some smaller shopping complexes within and bordering the estate that will happen sooner, IGA, medical centre etc. Armstrong Creek on the other side of Torquay road is booming too, but has been established longer than Mt Duneed. There is a new land release happening by Warralily (called the Grange) with House lots said to be 600-800 sqmbut the price is expected to reflect that, 300k plus. The lots are in a lovely position though and will have some views - unfortunately a little out of my price range though! Im good traffic (non peak hour) itd take me 1 hour 15 mins to get to Docklands. To get into Geelong youd probably allow yourself 20 minutes, Waurn Ponds (Coles, Woolies, Kmart, Target, small dining precinct, food court etc) and home maker centre is a very short 10 min drive away as is Waurn Ponds train station. Torquay and Ocean Grove are 15-20 mins up the road which is nice too as they are lovely beaches. We own an investment property in Mt Duneed and if it wasnt so small wed happily live there ourselves, the district park, community vibe and events are amazing as is the local Club Armstrong (although you do have to buy a lot that comes under the owners corporation to be able to use it, the owners Corp does have a few of $990 per year but it grants your family access to the pool, gym, tennis courts and many exercises classes that are run there free of charge. They also put on movie nights and school holiday activities for the kids. We are considering buying/building again and are looking at Curlewis, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, they are all on the Bellarine Pennisula and have access to the bay beaches (mainly boating as they are not so nice for swimming) and its only 15 mins to Ocean Grove for a nicer beach or Portarlington is 10 mins in the other direction which has views across the bay to the Melbourne CBD skyline and also has a ferry running daily from there to Docklands. Land/housing is slightly cheaper than Mt Duneed/Armstrong Creek and the Bellarine is very picturesque and is surrounded by wineries (Jack Rabbit, Bellarine Estate, Scotsmans Hill) but the communities are relatively older and infrastructure is mostly already there (Coles, Woolies, Aldi, banks, bakeries) but I can still see values increasing though as seachange buyers realise they cant afford Ocean Grove, Torquay. The suburbs I mentioned are appx 20 mins drive to Geelong CBD with Portarlington being 30 minutes. St Leonards is up and coming too and is seaside but again 30 mins to Geelong CBD and a 12 min drive to Drysdale for supermarkets etc. Id suggest maybe spending a weekend down here and having a look around to see what vibes you get - it is a great town and is certainly growing in terms of industry with NDIA and Worksafe relocating here.
Thanks again for the info! We paid a visit a few months ago to explore potential places to consider moving, however we hadn't heard or considered Mount Duneed until we heard about it on our return. We did take a trip out to the Bellarine Peninsula but unfortunately that'd be too far to travel to work at Laverton North each day. My husband already does a 1.5hr trip each way at present and it's taking a toll on him, so we really must stay within an hour at most vicinity to his work place so the move will be worth our while.
Mount Duneed is a lovely area and you wouldn’t go wrong purchasing there. Amazing family friendly community, great infrastructure and more to come. However if you are concerned about the commute Lara might be a better option for you? Their is a Villawood (Mount Duneed developer) estate being built there too although land is yet to title so still a little while before housing construction starts but I can see it as a good investment. They’ll gave the same community facilities ie gym, pool etc.
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Thanks for your feedback! Looking more into Mount Duneed, there seems to be some great value properties within the estates, so potenially could see great capital growth over a few years, should we wish to sell down the track. I just wasn't sure if there was much going on around there, but I guess within a short travel time you can find many places to find entertainment. I have generally not been a fan of housing estates, however I have read there has been some good infrastructure put into these estates (such as parks, health clubs, etc), so can see the investment the developers are putting in for the estate community. Is it far/hard to get to Geelong? How long would it take to get to Melbourne CBD by road from here do you think? Are there any other suburbs you would recommend considering that doesn't have house prices that have been inflated through the roof yet? I loved the vibe of Newtown and Belmont, but again, just a bit too pricey....