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An ideal location for anyone working in Geelong city centre or for families seeking a suburban neighbourhood with all the conveniences of the city on their doorstep, North Geelong is bordered by Bell Park, North Shore, Hamlyn Heights, Corio Bay and Norlane. Playing host to a football team, soccer team and golf course, this relatively small suburb is home to just over two and a half thousand residents. There is a train station in the local area which provides public transport links into the city centre and surrounding suburbs and the brand new Geelong Ring Road will see heavy traffic from Melbourne bypassing North Geelong from 2009.

A commercial and residential suburb of Victoria’s largest city, Geelong West is an ideal location for families and professionals. Home to over 12,000 people and situated amongst suburbs such as Hamlyn Heights, North Geelong, Drumcondra, Manifold Heights, Newtown, South Geelong and Geelong itself, Geelong West plays host to a girls’ secondary school and an Aussie Rules football club. It is also the home of the annual Pako Festival, which aims to promote cultural diversity. The average cost of buying a home in Geelong West was $287,500 in 2008.

The second largest city in Victoria, this suburban hub is home to over 160,000 people and is home to some of the countrys best-known companies, including Ford, the Geelong Football Club and the CSIRO. There are a number of shopping centres in the city including a Westfields shopping centre and a number of pubs and clubs are scattered around Geelong also. Families will enjoy the fact that there are both public and private schools in Geelong as well as a TAFE and Deakin University. A horse racing club, harness racing club, basketball team and athletics centre provide an outlet for sporting enthusiasts, and there are facilities for water skiing, rowing, fishing and hiking as well. For entertainment, Geelong plays host to a variety of festivals every year and is home to a performing arts centre and an art gallery.

A rural looking town sitting 50km south east of Melbourne, Devon Meadows has a population of approximately 1600 and is most suited to families and retirees. Nestled between Junction Village, Cranbourne East, Clyde, Pearcedale, Cannons Creek and Tooradin, this country town boasts local bus services, an Aussie Rules football team and a tennis club. Other features of Devon Meadows include a fire station and a community hall, as well as a primary school which currently holds about 300 students from the local area.

Alexandra sees many tourists passing through it on their way to Mount Buller ski resort but for the 2000 or so people who reside here the town has much more to offer. Perhaps best suited to families and retirees, Alexandra is based roughly 140km from Melbourne and provides brilliant access to the Goulburn Valley and Maroondah Highways. Home to a community radio station, an Aussie Rules football team, a horse racing club and two golf courses, Alexandra contains the Timber Tramway Museum and the National Trust Classified Post Office and Law Courts. The town also boasts its own railway station, a monthly bush market, an annual art show, an agricultural show and the Truck, Rod and Ute Show.

Though the border of Bayswater and Bayswater North lacks distinction, this suburb is indeed a separate location from Bayswater. Based almost 30km from Melbourne city and home to a small local shopping centre boasting various supermarkets and specialty stores, Bayswater North has a population of roughly 8,000 people and an average property price of $380,000. Excellent train and bus services link Bayswater North with nearby commercial precincts as well as surrounding suburbs including Croydon South, Kilsyth, Boronia, Heathmont and Ringwood East.

What was once a mining locality seemingly riddled with an ever decreasing population, Gaffneys Creek is, today, barely a town at all. Threatened by bushfires in 2006, the area was all but completely burnt to the ground. The nearby popular A1 mine settlement was also destroyed and only a few houses survive in Gaffneys Creek today. The location itself sits at the junction of Gaffneys and Raspberry Creeks in a steep valley amid mountainous terrain.

Despite its name, this unusually-titled suburb does not play host to an airport but is based near to one. Situated 14km north west of Melbourne and bordered by towns such as Tullamarine, Gladstone Park, Gowanbrae, Essendon Fields, Keilor Park and Niddrie, Airport West has a population of less than 7,000. It has fantastic transport links including trams, buses, trains and access to nearby freeways and would make an ideal home for families or professionals who need access to the city centre but want to return home to the calmer suburbs. There are two primary schools and one secondary school in the local area as well as an Aussie Rules football team. A Westfields shopping complex and direct factory outlets are also present in Airport West, which is a great location to live if you work at Essendon airport or in that industry.

Winner of Australia's tidiest town in 2001, Horsham has a population of over 14,00, making it one of the largest towns in Victoria. Situated almost mid way between Melbourne and Adelaide in South Australia, Horsham boasts two well-equipped gyms, a large indoor stadium, an aquatic centre, both harness and greyhound racing clubs, a horse racing club, a football and netball league, three Aussie Rules football teams, a cricket association, hockey and volleyball teams. It is ideally suited to families and retirees who would enjoy features such as the Wimmera River and botanical gardens. The town has a railway station and offers coach services to several highways that link Horsham with the rest of Victoria. Horsham is also home to the Horsham airport.

Situated 11km east of Melbourne's CBD, Balwyn North is a lovely area with a solid reputation and high property prices. Popular among families, Balwyn North's homes generally fetch around $483,000 for apartments and $832,000 for houses. The area is home to several primary schools, a golf course, a main shopping strip and a number of bicycle tracks along the Yarra River. Buses service the town and link it with neighbouring suburbs such as Ivanhoe East, Bulleen, Doncaster, Balwyn, Kew and Mont Albert North. Balwyn North is home to some 20,000 residents.

One of the most prestigious suburbs in Melbourne, Ivanhoe makes for ideal living for families seeking an affluent neighbourhood. Based roughly 10km outside of the CBD, Ivanhoe is home to 10,000 residents living in period housing that often fetches over $1 million when sold. Ivanhoe plays host to two private schools, a football club, a cricket club, a golf course and an architecturally beautiful town hall. The town centre boasts a supermarket, newsagent, book store, real estate agent, various banks and a number of cafes and restaurants. There are two railway stations in Ivanhoe which link the town with Melbourne’s CBD as well as neighbouring suburbs such as Preston, Bellfield, Heidelberg, Thornbury, Eaglemont, Alphington and Kew East. The actress Cate Blanchett also grew up in Ivanhoe.

A tiny town set in the Latrobe Valley in central Gippsland, Yinnar is home to less than 600 residents. Ideally suited to retirees and families seeking a quiet lifestyle in a rural setting, Yinnar is a great town in this part of Victoria for sporting activities. It plays host to an Australian Rules football team as well as a cricket club. With Melbourne city centre based almost 160km away, nearby large towns include Morwell and Churchill, which are 20km and 10km away respectively.

Based just 13km from Melbourne, Mont Albert is a town that boasts a cross section of stunning homes and a main shopping strip that resembles that of an old small town. Home to roughly 4,500 residents, Mont Albert is most suited to families and plays host to a single primary school. The centre of town boasts various specialty shops, cafes and supermarkets, and there is a railway station here which services nearby areas. Neighbouring towns include Balwyn, Box Hill and Surrey Hills but Mont Albert itself is a picturesque neighbourhood where property sells for an average of $870,000.

Sitting at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in Central Western Victoria, Ballarat is a well-known city due to its gold mining history. Still popular today among residents and tourists largely because of its cultural heritage, architecture and stunning wide boulevards, Ballarat is Victoria’s largest inland settlement. The town is popular for its various sporting facilities including clubs for golf, horse and dog racing, football, cricket, basketball and rowing. It is also home to two universities and a large number of secondary and primary schools, making it an ideal location for families and young professionals. The town also boasts a number of local radio stations and newspapers, an art gallery, a number of theatres and restaurants, a cinema complex, a mid-week ghost tour, a wildlife park and botanical gardens. With a growing population of almost 90,000 people, Ballarat has a fantastic public transport system with trains, buses and regional coaches servicing local towns and the Melbourne CBD and a local airport. The area is also home to the award-winning tourist park and gold mining settlement recreation, Sovereign Hill.

A suburb in the Dandenong Ranges, located east of Melbourne, Ferntree Gully is home to almost 25,000 people. An area best suited to families, Ferntree Gully plays host to several kindergartens and primary schools as well as a secondary school for boys. Local residents can enjoy a large part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park as well as a library, community centre, two pubs and a shopping centre housing supermarkets, a bookstore, bakeries and a newsagency. There are a number of churches in the area as well as various sporting clubs ranging from cricket, netball and football to swimming, tennis and gymnastics. A local railway station provides links outside of town and buses also service the area. Nearby suburbs include Knoxfield, Upway, Boronia, Rowville, Lysterfield and Tremont.

A beautiful resort town located 200km from Melbourne, Mount Buller is home to just 250 permanent residents but sees thousands of visitors to the area during the winter months when skiing, ice climbing and snowboarding are popular activities. The largest snowfields in Victoria, Mount Buller boasts loads of accommodation options, the National Alpine Museum and a community centre which houses a gym, sports hall and a cinema. Mount Buller is also the location of the annual Victorian Snowsports Championships, which attracts a crowd of approximately 3000 people.

Located on the shores of Port Phillip on the Mornington Peninsula, Sorrento is a predominantly upper class area with a great reputation. Based about an hour and a half from Melbourne, Sorrento is a stunning seaside town that sees thousands of tourists pass through every year. Ideally suited to retirees and perhaps families, Sorrento boasts a number of spectacular old limestone hotels, a golf course, a cricket club, a large public park and Sorrento beach. It has regular bus services as well as a ferry service which links the town to Queenscliff. With just 1500 residents, Sorrento makes for an ideal location for those seeking a quiet life.

An idyllic seaside town based south east of Melbourne, Rosebud is as pretty a town as it sounds. The second largest town on the Mornington Peninsula, Rosebud is home to about 12,000 people. The area plays host to a handful of primary and secondary schools, making it an ideal location for families. As it is a quiet town it would also suit retirees seeking an affluent seaside lifestyle. The town’s sandy beaches, various local shops and takeaway outlets provide all the necessities for local residents as well as the thousands of tourists that visit the area every year. A number of golf courses also exist in Rosebud for those seeking local sporting activities.

Sitting on the edges of Melbourne’s CBD, Prahran is a bustling suburb ideal for professionals and families. Filled with shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, bookstores, clothing stores and music shops, the area is also home to many delightful hidden gardens. It has an upmarket and fashionable reputation and plays host to a large collection of brilliantly architectured buildings. Trains and trams both service Prahran and property in the area consists mostly of Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses, the average cost of which is around $700,000. Prahran’s 10,000-strong population are just a stone’s throw from areas such as South Yarra, Armadale, St Kilda and Windsor.

Located just nine kilometres from Melbourne, Aberfeldie has a population of three and a half thousand – most of whom are families. A attractive location with an abundance of park areas, Aberfeldie sits among suburbs such as Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale and Maribyrnong, home of the Maribyrnong River. Young families are attracted to this area because of the range of sporting activities for children in the area, though there are also many adult sporting teams. Aberfeldie plays host to a bowls club, cricket club and sports club as well as one public primary school, two catholic primary schools and a catholic secondary school. Local buses service the area and link it with surrounding areas but for those who enjoy a relaxing walk, the Maribyrnong River Trail provides the perfect location. Property in Aberfeldie ranges from inter war Californian houses to post war dwellings, with the average cost of buying a home sitting at around $700,000.