lauryn

Located over 130km east of Melbourne, Icy Creek is situated amongst towns including Vesper, Fumina, Tanjil and Toorongo. The town boasts mountain retreat accommodation for tourists while locals reside in family houses, half of which are owner-occupied. Eighty per cent of Icy Creek's residents are Australian born but a small community of Germans and Britons reside in the area also. The town is best suited to those aged over 40 and sixty per cent of Icy Creek's population falls into this category.

Home to a diverse mixture of people from farmers and artists to commuters and tourists, Hurstbridge has a population of about three and a half thousand and is situated roughly 30km north east of the Melbourne central business district. Boasting attractions such as wineries, walking trails and markets, Hurstbridge is a fantastic location for families, retirees, professionals and those just passing through. The area has excellent train services that link it with the CBD as well as local football and cricket teams. The birthplace of race car legend Peter Brock, Hurstbridge is nestled between the towns of Doreen, Nutfield, Cottles Bridge, Panton Hill, Wattle Green, Diamond Creek and Yarrambat.

With less than 6,000 residents and an average property price of $250,000, Albanvale makes a great location for families and professionals seeking life in a relatively small suburb but within easy reach of Melbourne's CBD. Bordered by Burnside, Kings Park, Deer Park, Cairnlea and St Albans, Albanvale is located just 19km from the city and boasts a primary school and college for those with children. Sports enthusiasts can join the Albanvale Football Club and naturists will enjoy Kororoit Creek and the Kororoit Creek trail.

Bordering towns such as Agnes, Hazel Park, Port Franklin, Cypress Grove and Mount Best, Toora is a small farming town in south east Victoria. An ideal location for families in the dairy farming industry, Toora is surrounded by national parks and reserves and plays host to picnic and BBQ areas, a wind farm, a caravan park, motel accommodation and a railway station. With a population of less than 700 residents, Toora has quite a lovely outlook and is home to an Aussie Rules football team for local sporting enthusiasts.

This rural town based almost 200km south east of Melbourne is a small suburb with sweeping views of the Victorian countryside. Home to a railway station and within easy reach of the South Gippsland Highway, Agnes is well placed for those seeking links to other areas in the region. Neighbouring towns include Welshpool and Port Welshpool, Toora and Hazel Park. The main attractions in the area include the Agnes River, Agnes Falls and the Agnes Falls Scenic Reserve, which boasts picnic areas, BBQs, walking trails and bird feeding.

A small town located about 30km north west of Ballarat and 140km from Melbourne, Addington is an old location with roots in agriculture. Bordered by towns such as Learmonth, Mount Bolton, Waubra, Weatherboard and Ercildoune, Addington is home to a state school and a few local shops. Addington is a location most suited to families or retirees who are seeking a quiet, rural lifestyle.

A modern town in a rural locality, Eynesbury is a brand new town which saw its first residents move in early in 2009. Based just 40 mins from Melbourne's CBD, Eynesbury is an ideal home for families seeking an affluent lifestyle or investment opportunity. Combining modern housing, local shopping, recreation and entertainment, Eynesbury plays host to a golf course with a cafe, restaurant and function centre, football and soccer ovals, an equestrian centre and both tennis and basketball courts. It provides residents with sweeping views of country Victoria and is bordered by Parwan, Exford, Mount Cottrell, Balliang East, Quandong and Wydnham Vale. This beautiful town offers the ultimate in country living on the city fringe and will eventually play host to a school, a number of nature trails and a nature reserve.

An ideal setting for young families and professionals, Kew is a well-renowned area bounded by the Yarra River. It plays host to a primary school and a secondary school and is home to a small local shopping village. Kew East’s population of over 6,000 can enjoy two local golf clubs, four churches and easy access into Melbourne’s CBD. The Eastern Freeway also runs across the centre of the suburb, so it makes an ideal location for those who travel a lot. Trams and buses service the area and link it with its neighbours, which include Alphington, Kew, Balwyn North, Bulleen and Ivanhoe. The average cost of property in the area currently sits at around $840,000.

An affluent suburb ideally suited to professionals or families, Eaglemont is based just 10km outside of Melbourne and is home to almost 4,000 people. The average property in the area sells for almost $1.2 million and are some of the highest property prices in Melbourne. A notoriously difficult area to get into due to the lack of available properties, Eaglemont plays host to a small shopping centre which houses food outlets, specialty stores, newsagencies, a post office, a book shop, grocery stores and a bar. The area is also well serviced by buses and trains, which link directly to Melbourne’s CBD. Other features of Eaglemont include a few local parks, landscaped streets, neighbouring parklands and two kindergartens. There are no local primary schools in Eaglemont.

Located 12km north east of Melbourne’s CBD and bordered by the Yarra River, Bulleen is home to some 10,000 residents. Its neighbours include Heidelburg, Viewbank, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Balwyn North, Kew East and Ivanhoe East but Bulleen itself is ideally suited to families, though some semi-legal adult entertainment operations are known to exist in the area. Boasting sporting grounds, reserves, playgrounds and park areas which provide residents with bike and walking tracks, picnic areas, BBQs, billabongs and an archery range, Bulleen is also home to a main shopping complex with a library, post office, medical centre, business centre, supermarket, takeaway outlets, cafes and restaurants. There are also catholic primary and secondary schools, a specialist school and two pre schools in Bulleen as well as a cricket club, model aeroplane club, football club, golf club, women’s basketball club, tennis centre and swim centre. Buses service the area and link Bulleen with the CBD and the nearby Eastern Freeway.

Neighbour to the much larger suburb of Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East houses almost 4,000 residents roughly 10km north east of Melbourne city. Home to a great town centre with all the necessities, Ivanhoe East plays host to a strip of retail stores, a church, a newsagent, a fruit store, a butcher, a milkbar, a supermarket, a bakery and a community bank. This small town is an ideal place to live for families – as it boasts two primary schools – as well as professionals, given its proximity to the CBD. With properties selling for an average of $870,000, Ivanhoe East is an affluent area bordered by Eaglemont, Bulleen, Kew East and Balwyn North.

A rural town bounded by the Princes Highway and Glenelg River, Dartmoor is a small old town with a population of just 200. Best known for its pine plantations, which give locals occupation in the timber trade, Dartmoor sits amongst suburbs like Winnap, Greenwald and Mumbannar in south western Victoria. Based not far to the South Australian border, Dartmoor plays host to a football club and golf club, a train station and a small town centre.

Based in outer eastern Melbourne, Croydon Hills is a relatively young suburb that has only been a residential location for 20 years. With over 5,000 residents, Croydon Hills is a good sized town best suited to families. The area boasts many parks, walking trails and native bushland as well as several churches, a community centre and a number of primary and secondary schools. Property in Croydon Hills is typically single storey brick veneer homes with large allotments and the average cost of buying a home in the area is $365,000. Public transport is limited to buses, which link Croydon Hills with neighbouring towns such as Warrandyte, Wonga Park, Croydon North, Warranwood, Ringwood and Croydon.

Based 30km east of Melbourne, Croydon South is a relatively small town of almost four and a half thousand residents. Ideally suited to families or retirees, Croydon South is home to a small shopping strip which houses over 20 retail outlets as well as a post office. Based near to the foot of the Dandenong Ranges and Mount Dandenong, Croydon South plays host to a single primary school, an Aussie Rules football team and two cricket teams. It is bordered by towns such as Croydon, Kilsyth, Ringwood East and Bayswater North and has an average property price of $278,000.

Croydon North is a smaller town outside of Croydon and Croydon Hills with almost 8,000 residents. Based 30km from Melbourne’s CBD, it is an ideal location for families and professionals who work in the city but want to come home to the suburbs to escape the rat race. Croydon North is serviced by buses which link Croydon North to neighbouring towns such as Ringwood, Croydon, Chirnside Park and Lilydale. Other neighbouring tows include Wonga Park and Croydon Hills. Property in Croydon North sells for an average of $335,000.

A lovely neighbourhood with over 20,000 residents, Croydon is a thriving shopping hub boasting restaurants, a cinema, hairdressers, supermarkets, toy stores, clothing shops, chemists, bakeries, florists and more. An ideal location for families, Croydon plays host to a leisure centre, public pool, community arts centre, youth centre, golf course and cricket and football clubs. There are also a number of primary and secondary schools in the area as well as a technology university. A train station and various bus routes service the town and link Croydon with neighbouring areas.

A cross between rural and suburban, this very young town sits 17km north west of Melbourne and has a growing population of over 6,000 residents. Developed in 1999, Cairnlea boasts several man-made lakes as well as open park spaces, a croquet club, a sports club and a community hub and town centre. Bordered by Deer Park, St Albans and Ardeer, Cairnlea is ideally suited to families seeking modern homes within proximity to Melbourne’s CBD. Average property prices in the area currently sit at just $370,000.

An aeronautical town based 55km from Melbourne and 22km from Geelong, Avalon is notable for its airport and speedway. With over 1,000 employees working in the area in defence, manufacturing, maintenance, testing and at the airport, Avalon and its surrounds are popular locations for professionals and families. Properties in Avalon sell for an average of $260,000. Sitting between Little River, Lara and Corio on the western shore of Port Phillip Bay, Avalon is home to the Avalon International Airshow and is set to become the site of a Disneyland theme park and a direct factory outlets shopping centre.

Home to some of the wealthiest people in Melbourne including Eddie McGuire, Shane Warne, Matthew Lloyd and Chris Judd, Brighton is a beachside suburb based just 12km from Melbourne’s CBD. Homes in the area are predominantly grand properties and large residential blocks of land which make the suburb visually stunning and fetch an average of $1.4 million. Nestled between Elwood, Port Phillip, Elsternwick and Hampton, Brighton plays host to a yacht club, gold course, two cinemas, many old churches and a number of secondary schools. Buses, trains and trams also service the area, which is home to over 20,000 people.

Fitzroy is Melbourne’s oldest suburb as well as one of the smallest, and is based just outside of the CBD. Serviced by trams but not trains, it is an ideal location for families and professionals seeking easy access to shopping strips, restaurants, art galleries, live music venues and pubs. A highly desirable suburb, Fitzroy is inhabited by roughly 8,000 people from various ethnic communities. It is home to many sporting clubs and is bordered by Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood and Clifton Hill. With average property prices sitting at $620,000, Fitzroy plays host to a diverse range of residential architecture, from fine Victorian houses to public high rises. The entire area is a heritage precinct, making it popular among residents who value quality architecture.