Pick Of The Crop

The Age

Saturday July 26, 2008

Susannah Petty

Park Orchards is popular with families needing space, writes Susannah Petty.

PARK Orchards is an anomaly for its area. About 25minutes from Melbourne by car, it makes a statement with its sprawling properties and forest-like feel.

Unlike most of its neighbours - Ringwood and Doncaster among them - Park Orchards has largely eschewed new development, giving it a dated but spacious air. It is largely populated by owner-occupiers.

Rentals are rare, agents say, and when new listings appear they are snapped up.

"It's a fairly tightly held area where, from time to time, rental properties do come up and it tends to be more so when people get transferred rather than people buying an investment property in the area," says Andrew Paterson, of Fletchers Real Estate.

Local history has it that Park Orchards was born from the subdivision of an orchard in the 1920s. However, it wasn't until the 1950s that the area began to capture significant attention.

Paterson says much of the stock of houses was built in the 1970s and 1980s. It's common for homes to extend to four or five bedrooms, with swimming pools and tennis courts.

Ryan King, of Harcourts, says the larger than average lot sizes are a big lure for renters, especially for families. He says renters will pay more for the privilege of having so much space so close to the city. "They do get huge prices," he says. "We've got some houses that can range from $600 to $800 a week."

Paterson says the occasional standard three-bedroom cream brick house does come up. This would be one of Park Orchard's cheapest rental offerings at about $350 a week.

"Middle-of-the-range is about $650 and then the upper is in excess of $1000 (a week)," Paterson says.

Although less dense than its neighbours, Park Orchards offers a reasonable range of services, including two primary schools, several reserves (one being the extensive patch known as The 100 Acres) and a modest but vibrant village centre. For broader shopping needs, locals head to Eastland Shopping Centre in Ringwood.

Park Orchards is also within easy reach of the new EastLink tollway.

King says it's rare for his agency to register more than one rental vacancy every six months, making competition for properties extremely tight.

"It's very sought after, this area," he says.

"It's a lovely area so a lot of people are wanting to stay and live there themselves rather than rent."