Mondo

Knorrit Flat on the Nowendoc Road inland from Taree, is one of the nicest places to take the family camping. Perched on the riverbank, the ground is flat and there’s lots of room for the kids to play sports. The amenities block is excellent. One of the special things to do here is look for platypus, which live in the creek. But watch out for ticks when walking through the bush areas. There are no shops here and modest supplies only available at Mt George – bring everything with you!

Lithgow, lying between the Blue Mountains and Bathurst, was in the past principally a mining town. The local coal mines have been major employers here for decades, but downsizing has put many workers in the jobs queue. There is also a correctional facility in Lithgow. The town centre boasts a workers club, hotels and motels, petrol stations and all of the other facilities one would expect of a small town. Most of the homes are very modest, but there is a smattering of older grander homes near the town centre.

Once a large property with a modest homestead, Billywillinga has now been divided up into smaller acreages, from 50 to several hundred. Comprising hills and valleys, farms with serious beef cattle, an assortment of pet donkeys, sheep, alpacas, fruit trees the area is breathtakingly beautiful. Most of the attractive homes and outbuildings have been built in the last 2-8 years and have all modern conveniences. There is no ‘town’ or shops in Billywillinga.

Eglington is a pretty township that was created on the northern fringe of the larger town of Bathurst. It has some lovely homes with beautiful gardens, and has a good family atmosphere. It is a great alternative for those who want to live away from the town centre.

The baby boomers of Sydney can usually not wait to flee the busy-ness of the city. Some opt for a sea-change, to the beach areas of the north and south coasts, others for a tee-change to be near their beloved golf courses. But more and more a looking for a tree-change, surrounding themselves with national parks and bushy areas. Such is the case with Blackheath, where many old homes are being removed and replaced with those with modcons. It has a great community feel, and the village shops, and nearby pub, are always busy.

Katoomba is the accommodation and retail heart of the Blue Mountains area west of Sydney. It has hotels, motels, trendy restaurants and cafes in converted old buildings. An icon worth a visit is the Paragon Cafe. Katoomba has a train station which is used by both tourists and residents who commute to work closer to the city. Homes in Katoomba vary in all styles from workmans cottages to mansions. Many have commanding views of the mountains and valleys.

Leura is a very pretty town, with delightful speciality shops – and tourists love it. That’s why it is a very busy village on the weekends, when it is hard to park your car and get a seat at one of the highly regarded cafes. The homes in Leura vary from new, mundane homes with great gardens, to dilapidated big old homes needing some TLC.

South Hedland is a residential area of Port Hedland, very popular with residents. The homes here are well maintained with as good a gardens as is possible in this inhospitable part of Australia. To access it you need to turn off the Great Northern Highway at Hamilton Road. Like most of the homes in this area however, they have a constant covering of red dust. There are housing options to suit most budgets and lifestyles, and an excellent shopping centre.

Always a welcome site on a long drive, a roadhouse like Willare is one of the better ones on the Great North Highway/Savannah Way. There is a small community in Willare as well, but it is off the main road, and private. The Roadhouse however is a great meeting place for travellers along this popular Kimberley route. The toilet facilities are good, and the outside table area well cared for. There are camping facilities for those wishing to enjoy the owners continued hospitality.

Wyndham is a Kimberley town with an almost total aboriginal population. Houses are modest and some are maintained better than others. The small group of shops is handy for locals and travellers alike, and the huge model of a saltwater crocodile in the park in front of the shops is worth a photo, but beware of hawkers. The hairpin drive up to Five Rivers Lookout is worth the effort, but watch out for tourist coaches hogging the road.

Perched just above the Argyle Dam wall, Lake Argyle village is a popular lunchtime spot for travellers who have come to see this magnificent body of water, and to learn about the Ord River Scheme. Triple J Cruises run fantastic jetboat tours between here and Kununurra, with shuttle buses doing the return trip. The Tavern – the only business in the village – has as its specialty, Silver Cobbler, caught fresh in the Lake. Bus groups often have lunch here before going on the cruise. Around the Tavern is a pleasant, though hot, camping ground and there are plans afoot to develop this into a more resort style complex. Urgh!

Palmerston was the original name for the largest city in the Northern Territory, but it was renamed Darwin after Charles Darwin. When a new housing district was established south east of the city along the Stuart Highway, it was named Palmerston. This area is popular with residents who commute to both Darwin, or take the drive to Kakadu National Park for employment. There are several suburbs within Palmerston, with varying levels of comfort and care. There is a well resourced shopping centre that caters to the needs of both residents and travellers.

When botanists conducted experiments in this area in the 1870s and decided that it was perfect for agricultural crops, it was though that here would be the foodbowl of the north. Chinese workers in the Territory’s mines successfully grew rice here, but larger scale projects were twarted by rodents, birds and salinity. Eventually in the mid 20th century the scheme was abandoned. Nowadays modern technology has seen a resurgence of agricultural activity in Humpty Doo, with mangoes one of the most popular crops. Homes are on farmland and are well looked after.

The Gardens is an aptly named area of Darwin that is an oasis in a hot and steamy city. The suburb is host to the Royal Botanic Gardens (with its much photographed water feature), Gardens Park Golf Course and The Gardens Oval. There are only a few residential streets in The Gardens, and the homes are expensive.

Beecroft is an older suburb in Sydney’s north-west that has managed to retain the charm of large houses with well kept gardens. There are few unit developments in the area, though several nursing homes have been built for aging residents. Beecroft has the busy Beecroft Road running through it, which connects it to Epping and Pennant Hills. It has a public school and the convenience of a train station.

Macquarie Park has in the last 20 years developed into a massive business centre, with the likes of Optus and Goodman Fielder being headquartered there. Add to the mixture of technology based companies is the Macquarie University Campus and associated student accommodation options, and the Macquarie Shopping Centre (Myer, Big W, Target, Woolworths, Franklins and specialty stores). In February 2009 the Macquarie Uni train station, a stop on the new Epping to Chatswood was opened.

Marsfield has become a very popular student accommodation location for those attending Macquarie University. It is also home to several nursing homes and retirement villages. While there are sections of the suburb with some large and impressive homes, the main roads are lined with bland, medium to high density accommodation. A Woolworths supermarket on Epping Road is popular for day to day supplies, with Macquarie Shopping Centre nearby. Transport to the city is either via by bus or train from Macquarie Uni.

Willoughby has a lot going for it easy access to the city via the Warrigah Freeway, schools, busses, pleasant shopping strip, great pub. Sadly though the big blocks on which most of the homes here are built make home prices out of the reach of many. Another black spot is the massive television transmission tower of the Channel 9 studios, which dominates the view of many homes.

In contrast to the hustle and bustle of downtown Chatswood, most of Chatswood West is quiet, leafy and family friendly. Following the natural landscape, it slopes from the ridge along which the Pacific Highway is built, down to the Lane Cove River valley, which is hugged by the National Park of the same name. The busy Fullers Road is perhaps the only blot on the landscape, with area having a mixture of high, medium and low density homes. Chatswood High School, Chatswood Public School, lots of parks and easy access to the train station and busses make it an ideal family home location.

For several decades inner city Balmain has been the address of choice for young singles, couples and families with an alternative bent on life. The more traditional Australian family craves the home on a suburban block with enough yard to throw a ball, no so the folks in Balmain. Here, they feel blessed if they have enough room to park their cars off the very narrow streets. Packed tightly together, many of the terraced houses have been restored to create comfortable living areas – but I was very glad to get out and have some elbow room. If its jazz you like – then Balmain is the place to be with several of the many pubs hosting jazz bands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.