After much searching, admittedly in completely different areas, we have now found a house in the Dandenongs — at Cockatoo, near the end of the Puffing Billy line!
We had a long list of requirements for our home-to-be, and after months of searching between Melbourne (work) and Bendigo (family) we realised a few things: the areas around Mount Macedon — Woodend, Macedon, Riddell’s Creek — are too expensive by half; Lerderderg State Forest (Blackwood, Dale’s Creek) is quite nice, but properties are few and far between; and none of the towns along the Western Freeway out to Ballarat were mountainous enough and took our fancy. So we widened our search, ranging all the way down the coast on either side of the city, from Corio Bay to Phillip Island.
Dee’s spent a fair bit of time in the Dandenong Ranges (and nearby Boronia), so it was nice to find this one out that way:
We inspected it and put in a healthy offer immediately. A bit of negotiation (and a whole lot of paperwork) and it’s ours!
Tomorrow morning we’re off to our local legal advisor to go through the contract and start the conveyancing process. Once that’s done, it’s 90 days until settlement and we move in!