JimM4

Grovedale is a nice peaceful area, polite people, close to all amenities and family friendly. Very up and coming, and I can see the government is pouring a lot of money into the area, with the construction of new community centres and also a new hospital not too far away, also further housing allotments to the south of the railway line where there was once farmland. Shopping complexes a short drive away (including 24 hour Target), medical centre, eateries, schools, Deakin Uni, Marshal and Waurn Ponds train stations, Surf Coast, Torquay and Geelong city centre not far off. The suburb is in my opinion the perfect quiet location between Melbourne and the beginning of the Great Ocean Road. Bought a house on a big block here a few years back at a nicely reasonable price and have felt very comfortable with it, and the market is still affordable but looks to be rising. Not the type of place where you would want to buy a block and flip it for a quick profit like can be done in parts of Melbourne, but life isn't all about making a quick buck that way. If you hang onto it for a couple of years, my feeling is that rewards will come as Geelong expands outwards, the population increases and more people find their way to this nice relaxed area with so much going for it.

One more thing: I grew up around St Kilda, Melbourne. Walking down the street there, people rarely if ever say anything to me, nobody ever says "Hi, nice weather we're having today" etc. Frankly you're more likely to get shanked there. In Grovedale, neighbours say hi, wave to me, people on the street say hi, people are generally polite and friendly and it took me some time to get used to. Obviously this is not a 100% rule but I noticed a difference immediately, a more community spirit that almost stunned me since I rarely if ever spoke to anybody on the street or even a neighbour in Melbourne (I'm sure many will disagree but Melbourne has started to have a colder atmosphere, people avoiding contact with others and just not being generally polite or engaging another person). Definitely noticed a big difference in Grovedale, especially with neighbours in the street who ALWAYS wave, even the ones I never spoke to. It's nice.