Tecoma, VIC 3160

We moved here 6 years ago and not a day goes by where I don't appreciate the beauty of where we live.
The views, the sunsets, the sun over the trees, the mist and fog in the winter. It's just food for the soul. I love that it has a small town feel. The pace and the vibe is so far from the city rat race... Every time I come home, it's such a great feeling. It's like escaping the craziness for chill. I am blessed to live here. I also love the creative buzz throughout the community. This extends to Upwey, Belgrave and further up the hill. The hills is one creative community. Music, Art, Fashion, Businesses etc... there is a an abundance of creative people, spaces, places . I enjoy being part of such a great place.

Grab a cup of tea, this will be a lengthy review because I have lots to say about this wonderful place.

Tecoma is incredibly beautiful. There are so many lush trees here, the air is crisp and clean, and there is a beautiful view of the mountains from Burwood Highway. There is a gorgeous walk along the Belgrave rail trail which feels like you're walking through the forest in some parts. Sherbrooke forest walks are nearby down Terrys Avenue and if you pick the right time to walk you can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, in the best way.

There is a very friendly convenience store in Tecoma (Bon Ton Mini Mart) for wine, junk food, magazines and emergency groceries. The Salvos has great finds as do the secondhand clothing shops in the main shopping strip on Burwood Highway, which also has takeaways like charcoal chicken, Indian, etc. Neighbouring Belgrave has lots of great cafes and shops, a Woolworths, a regular Sunday produce market, lots of secondhand shops and a monthly craft market. Coffee and bread/pastry is fantastic at The Blacksmith in Belgrave. Earthly Pleasures cafe is a great place for a special meal and to take guests. If you like nightlife you'll enjoy Gin Lane and Ruby's, and if you're a movie buff get a membership at the local cinema (Cameo Cinemas), for cheap tickets and a lovely experience. Much cheaper and more enjoyable than the major cinemas. Officeworks, Petbarn and a great organic/healthy supermarket called Wholefood Merchants are down Burwood Highway in Ferntree Gully. Knox City is only a 15-20 minute drive away, Fountain Gate is about 25 minutes. Lysterfield Lake is about 15 minutes away.

Public transport is great if you live within reasonable walking or driving distance to the train station. It's an hour to the city, unless there are replacement buses like there have been for the past few months, in which case it's more like 1.5-2 hours. As a woman I feel safe walking home from the station at night (I live a 5-minute walk away). There are always friendly PSO's at the train station, too.

Tecoma is very community-minded and family friendly. It's also a health-conscious and eco-conscious suburb. On Burwood Hwy there is a communal effort at the Uniting Church called 'Food is Free Tecoma' where you can donate fresh food and drygoods to those who are struggling, or take food for yourself if you're going through hard times. There are also free meals nights in Upwey that you can partake in, whether as a diner or a volunteer.

The major cons of the area are fire danger and the previously mentioned commute to the city. If you're thinking of moving here, my advice is to attend a summer CFA meeting at Tecoma Primary School first to find out the realities of fire season. In a nutshell, the CFA recommends avoiding being in the area on Severe and Extreme fire danger days as in an emergency there will be standstill traffic. Unfortunately my partner and I have three cats which makes spending the day at Knox or the beach on Severe and Extreme fire danger days impossible. This has made summers here very inconvenient as we must rely on family and friends to accommodate us on those days (there were about 6 in summer 2015 - Feb 2016, none in summer 2016-2017 as yet). If you don't have pets then leaving Tecoma on Severe or Extreme fire danger days is completely doable, but if there are a few days in a row you may have to stay overnight elsewhere, and there is of course the risk that your house and belongings will go up in flames while you are away.

My partner and I will be sadly moving away from this beautiful place in the next month or so, due to the fire danger and the long commute (we both work in the city). Despite these issues, I would wholeheartedly recommend Tecoma as a beautiful place to live. I will miss it terribly.

The best tree change I did 3 years ago even though I work in Richmond. The train takes an hour but good time to relax. If you want to grow in a beautiful area, want to own a property and raise kids in a good environment surely the best region. Shops and Supermarket are not far like 5-10 min drive. Internet is good - most important thing in life. Has good schools, childcare and hospitals too. Will need to stay on top of house pest inspection once a year. Some good gyms and eating out options are there too.

Tecoma is a great place to live. Having lived in a couple of spots in the Dandenong Ranges I loveTecoma the best. It has some pretty housing stock, is lovely and green but is till very conveniently located to the major shopping areas. It takes about 45 mins (sometimes less) at night to get home if going out in the city. But there are a range of beautiful places to visit and eat here as well. Ruby's at belgrave has great entertainment and the Cameo cinema is a great independently owned cinema. The local schools are great. There is a strong alternative green scene here if you are into that, with places to buy organic/green products and people with share interests. Also a great area for artists and there is a fantastic Open studio program annually. I particularly love the ability to go for bush walks in the Sherbrooke forest (off Terry's avenue) or at the beautiful Birds land reserve. It has a really great character and feel being a bit smaller that neighbouring Upwey and Belgrave. We are very happy here feeling that it has the best of both worlds..it is not as remote as other areas of the hills we have lived in (like Monbulk) but still has small town feel and is green and clean. It is only 15 mins away from Knox city hopping centre and about 20 mins from Fountain gate but i do enjoy shopping locally esp for gifts at markets (kallista or Upwey) or up the hill at Olinda. People love coming to visit us here as there are plenty of touristy things to do as well.

Great spot..I do the daily commute to the city sometimes by train where you always get a seat or Give your self an hour door to door by car. Wake up to the kookaburras then walk to cares for weekend brunch with great food and coffee, organic grocers and an excellent out door cinema in nearby belgravelanterns. Everything you need is near by with Knox shopping centre 15 minutes away, the Glen 25 minutes and the beach about 35 minutes. Don't forget to go to birds land for a beautiful walk and kangaroo spotting or oyster lysterfield lake for a swim and checkout nearby farmers markets you can have it all out here as rents and mortgages have stayed reasonable