After 7 years at Mount Dandenong, the last two spent in and out of lockdowns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Vanessa and I decided in late 2021 that we would like to live somewhere with a bit more space around us, away from the suburban rat race. Two years of working from home had proven that we were both able to do our jobs remotely for the most part. and although Mount Dandenong is hardly a busy suburb, it is still part of Melbourne, a city we have both fallen out of love with.
After much discussion, we decided to start looking around for a property that was off the beaten track, but still close enough to a railway line and/or a major highway so that we would be able to commute into the CBD whenever necessary. For Vanessa, a house with a big kitchen and enough space to entertain guests was an absolute must-have, while for me it was all about the land and the wide open spaces, somewhere that we could potentially turn a profit from in future years, whether from livestock or produce. Ideally we wanted somewhere within 2 hours drive of the CBD, with a good community around it, but where you wouldn’t ever feel hemmed in by encroaching suburbia.
After looking at a number of houses in lots of different regions, we struck pay dirt when we came across a listing for a property in Axedale, in central Victoria. Situated roughly halfway between Bendigo and Heathcote and approximately 15 minutes drive from each, Axedale offered us the perfect blend of rural lifestyle and ease of commute, with access to high speed broadband making it the perfect spot for setting up our home offices.
The house is simply stunning, only 7 years old, and feature-packed with all the mod-cons you could ask for, including a massive kitchen with a four-metre long island bench and a separate butler’s pantry. With 3 large bedrooms and a study that could easily double as a fourth bedroom, it is an entertainer’s dream, and there’s even a huge shed that will make a perfect art studio for me.
It’s situated on 23 acres (9.31 ha) of beautiful pasture land that runs down to Axe Creek, a tributary of the Campaspe River, lined by stunning River Red Gums and abundant with birdlife, including kingfishers, flame robins and a number of different parrot species. From our bedroom window we can look out and watch the sunrise over the low hills of the Sugarloaf Range just a stone’s throw away, while the back veranda looks out towards the creek, where the sunsets in the evening are absolutely stunning.
Along with the property we also purchased some livestock, including a dozen sheep, 3 steers and an alpaca. As an added bonus, one of the ewes was pregnant, and she gave birth to a lamb on the night before we moved in to the house.
The sheep haven’t been named, but the previous owners had named the steers – the larger of the three is Buttercup, while the two twins are named Arnie and DeVito. The alpaca, named Rosie, acts as a herd guard for the sheep – apparently there has never been a lamb lost to foxes on the property since Rosie came on the scene.
The dogs didn’t know what to make of all these animals at first, but Reinhardt quickly made friends with the steers, who themselves are really just like big puppy dogs. Heide is a little less sure of them, but is slowly getting used to them. Her favourite pastime lately is to sit at the window and watch the dozens of kangaroos that graze throughout the day in the paddocks around us.
