Jason Spencer

I have lived on Serpells Rd for about 5 years now. The big attraction is space, most blocks are 1 acre and that means larger homes and something so rare these days, a big backyard! Serpells Road has become known as one of the best streets in Templestowe, homes would range in price from $1.5 to $7 million and are a mix of older style homes from the 1970's to more modern mansions, and no shortage of French/traditional style homes. St Charles Borromeo Templestowe, Templestowe Park Primary and also Serpells Primary School are all walkable. It is a very quiet street, yes we see some cars being a main road but nowhere that it is noticeable from inside your homes. Shopping wise we are spoilt, with Westfield Doncaster 5 minutes away. We also have the Pines Shopping Centre 5 minutes away and many local restaurants and pubs within 10 minutes at James Street Templestowe. Public transport is not fantastic in Templestowe, we have plenty of buses in fact I have a bus stop right outside my door. You can catch a bus to Westfield Doncaster which then can connect you to the city or Box Hill Central if you need to catch a train elsewhere. The Eastern Freeway makes the commute to the city easy, it can take up to one hour in peak hour but off-peak 30 minutes is possible.

I have been renting for a few months now and absolutely love Princely Terrace. The street is off Chivers Rd in a pocket between Reynolds Road and Porter Street and as a lifelong resident of Templestowe never new it existed.

All properties are on 1 acre blocks and being a no through road there is zero traffic. It is very very quiet and neighbours while friendly keep to themselves, I guess that's what happens when you have big blocks, you just dont see anybody. You better like gardening though, an acre means lots of trees!

At the end of Chivers Road is the bus that takes you to the city or to the Pines Shopping Center. Shopping overall is fantastic, you have Westfield Doncaster 5 minutes away which has lots to do, we love the Village Gold Class cinemas. Other shops include The Pines which has Coles, Safeway, Aldi and Target. If you want take out or restaurants we have Anderson St closeby as well as Blackburn Road which has almost every food option you can think of.

There are great Primary Schools in the area, Templestowe Park Primary and St Charles Borromeo are fantastic.

Not that you need them when you are on an acre but we have Westerfold Park about 30 seconds away and Eltham Park with it's miniature trains 5 minutes away.

Templestowe is getting expensive and you can see from the mansions going up but there are still some bargains to be had if you are prepared to live in an older 1970's or 1980's style home.

Warwick Rd is a very quiet street in Pascoe Vale. Very large blocks for the area though many have now been developed into multiple units. Convenient Derby St shops up one end and huge park (Dunstan Reserve) up the other. Easy access to the Tullamarine Freeway and or Bell St.

This was once a very affordable area but now large blocks can cost over $700k. Definitely recommend!

Have been a frequent visitor to Hadfield over the past 10 years and recently have noticed many new 40 square homes hitting the market - no doubt developers have started to see the potential and flow on from the boom in Pascoe Vale.

High percentage of young families, value for money compared with other suburbs. Great facilities and recently developed University Hill for shopping.

More health spas than anywhere else for a reason, a very relaxing place to visit, would be fantastic to retire to.

Was once a hidden gem but has recently been discovered and prices are started to get up around Sorrento levels.

I lived in Doncaster for almost 10 years. Most blocks are the standard quarter acre which means large homes, big backyards. Doncaster Shoppingtown is a big highlight and with the recent expansion which places it amongst the top 2 in Melbourne, it has helped boost property prices. Very good public schools in the area, some of the best parks (Ruffey Lake Park) etc and many dining options (so many take away and restaurants) Doncaster is a suburb I would happily live in again.

It's also interesting to see the boom in new apartments around the Doncaster Shoppingtown/Doncaster Hill area with options including multi-million dollar penthouses with city views.

Definitely a suburb on the up.