alexandert3

Phillip Island is undoubtedly a lovely place, but the traffic to get to Cowes in Summer is nothing short of ridiculous. It could take up to 90 minutes to get from Bass to Cowes in Summer. The other issue with such a popular tourist destination is not the locals, but rather the visitors who don't always take care of the place. A lot of shops for rent on the main street of Cowes and the shopping strip has become very dated.

Dingley is a great family suburb with relatively large blocks and many parks. The Hawthorne football club have acquired land and will move their playing fields to Dingley in the next 5+ years - this will most likely see the suburb flourish. Some of the people in Dingley are your upper middle class folk who can't quite afford to live in Bayside, so it can sometimes become a pis*ing contents when it comes to who's front lawn is greener or who's Renault is cleaner. That said, most people are very friendly. Public transport is ordinary in Dingley, but it is located close to lots of major roads.

On the outskirts of Dingley/Heatherton is Kingston Council's so called "green-wedge" (formerly the market gardens). More like a "brown-eyesore", this area is in desperate need of low density development or something other than rusted farm sheds, rubbish and dirt mounds.

Mentone resides within the zone of many top Bayside schools so it attracts affluent families. The people of Mentone are friendly and the town is vibrant. Median house prices have gone up considerably over the last 3-5 years. A lot of work is planned in Mentone including the level crossing removal to ease traffic congestion and shopping precinct redevelopment. The best parts of Mentone are near the village. Only downside would be that some of the apartment developments approved by Kingston council are rather ugly and quite large, but that attracts other benefits.

San Remo is the gateway to Phillip Island. It is a beautiful fishing village that consists of long-standing locals and those who have relocated from Melbourne (generally speaking, relatively affluent 50+'s). Many of the blocks in San Remo have stunning bay or ocean views. San Remo also becomes very busy in the Summer Months, during events or long weekends - which is good for local businesses. I believe the Bass Coast is about 5-10 years behind the Morning Peninsula and is a much cheaper alternative until it catches up.