Bennybc , My pick would be Dromana then Mccrae , Safety beach ,Rosebud sth with Mount Martha in there somewhere maybe infront of Dromana or maybe just behind . I don't know mt eliza but it has a good reputation and is close to frankston and mornington [dam busy place]
Trouble with MT martha is the amount of fires they have over summer . I think it was something like 15 ish but u'd need to check .Freakin fire bugs need to be shot .
In no particular order and passing comments only . Safety beach is relatively flat and has no shopping centre . There are some good estates in there like the golf course , my Mum lived on the golf course for 10 odd years and there is the old section nearer the beach with some shacks and also big houses . Magic beach .
Dromana has 3 or 4 sections . The old section behind the shops which has some new developments but alot of old fibro cottages as well , I don't like it as much as the hills section . The hills section of Dromana above the freeway on Arthurs seat hill is excellent as much is north facing with magical views over dromana/safety beach/mt martha and the city on a clear day.
One can walk from the hills section to the beach in 10-12 mins [ pedestrian walk over the freeway on pier - jetty street]but further up the hill the views are better but u got to walk further to the shops and beach . Cheap houses still exist in the section between the freeway and boundary road [ 340 - 800 ish tops , like tennent , you yangs, macedon , seaview, elizabeth,panoramic etc . The roads run west to east [left to right]so houses face north . High side of the road front of house faces north , low side of road rear of house faces north so one can get good light depending on house design . Some streets in this pocket have good to average views , Drive down Jetty street from Boundary and u'll see the magic setting . Freeway access is excellent ,exit and entrance from Mccullock and arthurs seat rd and walking distance to primary school , ovals, tennis club and yep 11 mins walk to dromana pier and shops . maps.google.com.au then put in jetty road dromana and u'll see the street names mentioned .
Higher up the hill is just magnificent but u may have to pay 450k upwards [ for a 2 bedder]but the views are stunning , anything above boundary is stunning . But note some pockets on the hill get much freeway noise and u could pay over 1 mill .
The old part of Dromana around latrobe pde and say clarendon is super expensive but stunning , blocks make 1 mill plus ,iff have views .
Dromana has a nice shopping centre strip with a richies complex etc and it has the best beach strip and the best views as well . walk the pier and u'll see what i mean . views to mt martha the city and arthurs seat as well. I walked it again on Monday and just love it and I'm not a beach person .
Mccrae is lovely but most of it isn't near the beach and on the hill although good access exists down lonsdale street and latrobe with a new supermarket coles complex there . Alot of the hills homes face more west than north but the views are stunning over Rosebud to the heads . I love it but can't afford it unless u go down to Austin ave Mccrae where affordable houses go for around 400 ish , This is where rosebud south starts as well which is a really nice spot but note none of this area has good beach access like dromana does but it does have alot of really nice middle of the road houses for around 400-500 k . Occasional cheapy at 350k upwards . Elizabeth drive rosebud sth is also lovely on the hill as is some parts of waterfall gully road area . But not good beach access . Apparently the college in rosebud sth is excellent but ????
Rosebud has a big shopping strip down on the penninsula with good parking ,picture cinemas , aldi safeway coles and lots of shops /markets etc but although I rent here short term I'm not a big fan of it .
Tootgarook is interesting but freeway access is horrible and no shopping unless u go to rosebud and rye . Lots of holiday houses and also high fire risk . I've placed several offers down there but I wasn't convinced on the area . 5 bedroom house went for 350k ish recently . ummmmm
Happy hunting mate and give us a yell if u want an opinion as I've just spent 2 months driving many areas down here with the intention of buying . But please note I also gave up last year looking for a house when i saw a 2 bedroom house on the hill make 480 , since then i've seen small fibros with views make 600 and one i posted last week went for over 1 mill . HOuses from 300 ish still exist but u don't get much for that .
