NEWS SUMMER 2018-19
CELEBRATING OVER 28 YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE NORTH EASTERN SUBURBS The outlook for buying, selling and investing in 2019
Summer
Market Report
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER EDITION OF THE MORRISON KLEEMAN PROPERTY REPORT.
T
he Melbourne property market cooled again over the September quarter, providing a plethora of opportunities for buyers and investors. Yet while slowing demand adversely affected clearance rates throughout Melbourne, many vendors successfully adapted, and chose to sell privately. “Agents certainly suggest a couple of options to vendors now, whereas 12 or 18 months ago it would have been to go to auction,” said Mr Geoff White, Head of Australian Real Estate for CoreLogic. “Clearly the Melbourne market is susceptible to volume and the volume is not being matched by the demand of people attending auctions.” Less buying throughout Spring meant that the clearance rate for Metropolitan Melbourne fell to 57.4 per cent for the September quarter. This slowing clearance rate meant its average days on market slipped to 36, with a September house median of $835,000. Perhaps surprisingly, given some perceived buying pessimism reported around the market, this falling Metropolitan Melbourne house median wasn’t a big drop from the $840,000 median reported for June. In fact, when considered in alignment with only slight quarterly house price median decreases for Middle and Outer Melbourne; which have grown 3.7 and 7.1 per cent annually, prices are still considerably higher than they were 12 months ago. Closer to home, some of our local suburbs not only held steady, they also provided substantial growth throughout the September quarter. Lower Plenty and Montmorency house medians both grew 4.7 per cent during this period to now sit at $1,350,000 and $940,000 respectively. While Watsonia also produced a considerable 4.2 per cent median house price growth for September, Eltham
North rose an astonishing 9.3 per cent, and has an updated house median of $1,001,000. In relation to properties cleared by auction, Lower Plenty and Watsonia’s impressive median house growth was evident in their steady 70.4 and 67.2 per cent clearance rates. Doreen also bucked the slowing auction clearance trend reported for Metropolitan Melbourne, successfully clearing
72.3 per cent of sales through auctions
for the September quarter. In addition to competitive house medians and strong clearance rates, while Metropolitan Melbourne’s average days on market now sits at 36 days, locally, all of Greensborough, Eltham and Doreen were well below this, Doreen itself averaging only 23 days on market. Therefore, while there has been an obvious decrease in the Melbourne property market over
the last 3-6 months, the local suburbs we represent remain strong, presenting a great time for buyers to jump into the market. In this edition of our magazine, we feature Michael Wilson Diamond Jewellers, the Greensborough Historical Society and the popular café restaurant Tancks Corner. While Michael Wilson is a celebrated craftsman with a long history of design excellence within our community, both
the Greensborough Historical Society (GHS) and Tancks Corner clearly also understand the importance of historical connection to the community – ‘Tancks Corner’ being the name of the original Yarrambat township. Kind Regards, Graham Morrison
Notable Locals PEOPLE AND PLACES OF NOTE IN THE DIAMOND VALLEY
TANCKS CORNER
W
hen you walk inside Tancks Corner and sit at a table underneath the open-ceilinged trusses that help frame this impressive homestead building, it is almost impossible not to feel at ease straight away – a collective sigh of relief to be back ‘home’ in the country.
Yet Tancks Corner, the original name of the Yarrambat township where this impressive café restaurant and homewares space is based, cannot be necessarily identified as either regional or suburban, modern or traditional. “It’s meant to be homely, people truly love to sit in there,” says Sue Lauber, one of the original business founders and innovators, along with husband Chris. “It’s not too frenchy or too rustic and it’s not too country or too contemporary.” In effect, Tancks Corner is simply an effective balance of styles that helps people feel at home in a beautiful dining space. Style, décor and delivering products of excellence come naturally to Sue. Possessing extensive experience working alongside retailers in a buying and marketing capacity through Seafolly, she grew to understand trends and identify opportunities for development. Therefore, once Sue’s mother Jane acquired the Yarrambat post office and built a neighbouring house on the property, Sue was inspired to bring her dream to fruition and develop the additional Tanks Corner space.
SOURCE REFERENCE: TANCKS CORNER
“I’ve got a bit of a big, crazy self-belief and I just knew if we did something, we would do well,” says Sue. “I think it’s about knowing who you are, what your product is and really sticking with it. I noticed that as retailers became a little shaky, one business model that thrived were dual-concept type shops. For example, café and gift shops which were out in the country or regional areas. So when I visited these stores I just really got it.” Complimenting Sue’s background’s in buying, Chris’s hospitality experience saw him take the reins with the menu. This led to him sourcing the coffee machine, the delicious Allpress Coffee, and designing a seasonal menu that reflects the highest quality of locally grown produce. Because of the SOURCE REFERENCE: TANCKS CORNER overwhelming success of the café since the business first opened early-2012, Sue has recently scaled back much of the homewares stock to concentrate more on the hospitality space. Clearly, the all-day breakfast and lunch menu has such an appreciative, loyal following, that customers continue returning to this idyllic Yarrambat hideaway, despite less homeware treasures on display than previously. “A lot of our menu products are key-sourced,” says Sue. “The eggs come from a farm in Mitcham which are the most delicious, freshest of eggs. I think the reason why our customers keep returning is the overall experience and honesty in everything. The produce is very, very fresh which is very important to me. We have a real respect for the produce along with the customers themselves. It all has to marry to work.” tanckscorner.com.au
SOURCE REFERENCE: TANCKS CORNER
SOURCE REFERENCE: TANCKS CORNER
Notable Locals PEOPLE AND PLACES OF NOTE IN THE DIAMOND VALLEY
GREENSBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A
t its heart, the Greensborough Historical Society (GHS) is a community organisation that survives, thrives and prospers due to the voluntary contributions of its members. While its clear focus today is on preserving, documenting and communicating local history to its members and interested parties – something it achieves very successfully via the society website and the resources contained at the History Resource Centre – perhaps it is in the society’s ability to disseminate and share stories of local history to the greater community, that provides an even more meaningful impact going forward. “We’ve done a lot,” says Noel Withers, President of the Greensborough Historical Society since its inception in 2010. “Our focus is that even though we are here at the Resource Centre doing a lot of research, it is so important that this research goes out to the community. We do various talks to community organisations which include local schools, probus and rotary groups who are really interested in the material we present. With the school kids, it is essential to deliver a presentation that really interests and involves them. You want to take them on a historical journey where they can use their imagination as to how the journey would have taken place. They are often much more knowledgeable than we think.”
SOURCE REFERENCE: GREENSBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
SOURCE REFERENCE: GREENSBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Sharing and celebrating these stories with schoolchildren – both current and former – has become even more important with this year’s 140th anniversary of Greensborough Primary School. As part of the festivities which were celebrated during August, the GHS were involved in the preparation of a historical booklet along with presentations to the children, former pupils, and interested onlookers.
in the success of the GHS itself. From the archivist training she received from Victorian Museums in the early days of the society’s formation, Sue was able to help implement an award-winning collation process to help members and non-members easily access local historical information. Through the community information that Sue, Noel and other valued society members have been able to source and upload onto the society’s website today, other collection registers continue to benefit also.
Another recent success of the GHS has been the installation of informative plaques around some of the more historically noteworthy locations of Greensborough. These plaques include descriptions of important sites such as Huitt’s Tearooms, Marble Hall and even early photos of locals swimming in the Plenty River. In relation to the river, some local historians believe that nearby Partingtons Flat may have been the site of John Batman’s historic 1835 meeting with the First Australians, and not along the Merri Creek that has been reported elsewhere. While confirmation of the exact meeting place between Batman and the Indigenous leaders is still up for debate, the plaques help to illustrate more of Greensborough’s history from 1840 onwards.
“Our website has been very popular, with a lot of the information we get also shared with Museums Victoria,” says Noel. “We keep hardcopy originals in the filing cabinets, with everything scanned and stored electronically also – not only here but in backups through the Victorian collections register. www.greensboroughhistorical.org.au
Sue Ballantyne, a member of the GHS who liaised with Greensborough Primary School as part of their anniversary celebrations, has also played a huge part
SOURCE REFERENCE: GREENSBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
What’s on in
The North Eastern Suburbs
A selection of the many wonderful events running in the local area over the coming weeks.
CITY OF WHITTLESEA CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT
T
is the season for festive fun so bring the family along to share the spirit at the City of Whittlesea Carols by Candlelight.
The Community Carols choir and the Diamond Valley Brass Brand will be performing. Enjoy free face painting, art workshops and other acts drawn from the Whittlesea community. We’re trying to reduce the impact on the environment, so this event will be free from polystyrene packaging and plastic items including balloons, bags and straws, and we encourage you to bring along your own reusable coffee cup, bag and water bottle.
LOCATION TERRACE LAWNS, CIVIC CENTRE 25 FERRES BOULEVARD SOUTH MORANG DATE & TIME 7PM-10PM FRIDAY 14TH DECEMBER 2018 COST FREE
AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATIONS
G
et ready to celebrate everything Australian with your local community.
An evening of music and entertainment supporting the recipients of the City of Whittlesea Australia Day Awards. A free, inclusive event which culminates in a spectacular fireworks display. We’re trying to reduce the impact on the environment, so this event will be free from polystyrene packaging and plastic items including balloons, bags and straws, and we encourage you to bring along your own reusable coffee cup, bag and water bottle.
LOCATION TERRACE LAWNS, CIVIC CENTRE 25 FERRES BOULEVARD SOUTH MORANG DATE & TIME 6PM-9:30PM SATURDAY 26TH JANUARY 2019 COST FREE
Banyule City Council: Movies on the Move DATE: Saturday 19th January 2019 LOCATION: Binnak Park, Anderson Parade, Watsonia North MOVIE: Jumanji DATE: Saturday 9th February 2019 LOCATION: Anthony Beale Reserve, St Helena Road, St Helena MOVIE: Wonder DATE: Sunday 24th February 2019 LOCATION: Montmorency Park, Para Road, Montmorency MOVIE: Captain Underpants
LOCATION BANYULE CITY COUNCIL
COST FREE
Recent Sales A SELECTION OF OUR SOLD PROPERTIES
1/41 Alexander Street, Montmorency $872,000
31 Jacaranda Drive, Diamond Creek Undisclosed
25 Quail Ave, Whittlesea $985,000
14 Nungeroo Court, Eltham North $860,700
89 Westering Road, Christmas Hills $853,000
10 Kirwana Grove, Montmorency $951,000
17 McCubbin Way, Mernda $622,500
1/3 Airlie Road, Montmorency $610,000
26 Harlin Street, Doreen, $725,000
25 Tarawera Rd, Doreen Undisclosed
12 Haversack Court, Diamond Creek $1,017,500
444 Mt Pleasant Road, Eltham $1,435,000
5 Jayson Avenue, Eltham, $3,050,000
8/5 Eldale Road, Greensborough $ 595,000
45 Hadfield Road West, Upper Plenty $1,050,000
14 Monomeath Avenue, Diamond Creek $1,422,599
Community News ELTHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL
T
h e 2 0 1 9 E l t h a m Ja z z , Fo o d a n d Wi n e Fe s t i v a l o f f e r s g r e a t f u n fo r e ve r yo n e — a n d i t ’s f r e e !
The festival ran initially for just half a day with a handful of bands, and has now grown to a two-day event with almost 30 bands playing on three stages located in Eltham’s town centre. On top of the great entertainment, the festival offers sumptuous food and award-winning local wines, as well as a designated kids area filled with fun activities. An exciting array of jazz, swing, blues and rock’n’roll artists will be performing over the weekend. www.elthamjazz.com.au
LOCATION ELTHAM TOWN SQUARE, ELTHAM DATE 23-24 FEBRUARY 2019
SOURCE REFERENCE: ELTHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL
MEET
SOME OF OUR PEOPLE What do you enjoy about working at Morrison Kleeman? I enjoy the great relationships I have made at Morrison Kleeman. It is like a big family; everyone is easy going and is always there to help out when you need them. Where is the best play to get a coffee? Clay Oven on Greenhill Road doesn’t disappoint with their coffee and egg and bacon rolls. How would you describe your dream home? My dream home would be a modern brick home with high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows with great views and landscaped gardens. It would also have an indoor basketball court, theatre room and a spacious alfresco area with an enclosed pool.
RHYS BURKE
SALES CONSULTANT 0439 467 490 rburke@morrisonkleeman.com.au
How would you describe your dream home? My dream home would be set high on a hill with a view and plenty of land. The house itself would be contemporary and ideal for entertaining. Where is your favourite place to holiday? I’m not too picky when it comes to holiday destinations provided there is water nearby. Whether it is sitting by a river or laying on a beach I don’t really mind. What do you enjoy about working at Morrison Kleeman? Getting to be a part of a great team that is backed by a fantastic brand in the Diamond Valley and surrounds where I have lived my entire life.
BEN SEIVERS
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 0458 800 982 bseivers@morrisonkleeman.com.au
How would you describe your dream home? My Dream home would be super ultra-modern with wow factor around every corner. 5 Bedrooms with a second master/guest room – designated theatre, large study, with 3 other purpose living areas opening up to a huge entertaining alfresco and 15m pool. Gym, sauna, wine cellar, and huge indoor golf simulator. Did I mention maybe a 10 car under house garage? What’s your favourite local restaurant? I have lots of favourite restaurants but Suwan Thai in Lower Plenty is amazing. Its always the go to for an amazing meal and great service. What do you enjoy about working in real estate sales? What I enjoy about working in real estate is genuinely being able to change peoples lives. I enjoy building strong relationships whether it be with a Vendor or a buyer and know that we will continue to have contact well into the future.
PAUL CHWYLA
SALES CONSULTANT 0438 395 753 pchwyla@morrisonkleeman.com.au
Calling up a single person, or a family to tell them they have been successful on a property will never get old, sharing that excitement and knowing I have helped them into a new chapter of their lives is extremely rewarding, and likewise sharing the thrill and excitement of taking offers to my vendors and witnessing their joy is amazing. I am privileged to be able to do what I do and I love coming to work each day because of it.
Editorial by : Michael Fraser (Writer) Project Manager : Belinda Lafranchi Cover image : Shutterstock Town Square, 20 Commercial Place ELTHAM VIC 3095 Phone 9431 2444 Fax 9431 2650 2/86 Grimshaw Street GREENSBOROUGH VIC 3088 Phone 9435 7666 Fax 9435 7677 3/101 Hazel Glen Drive DOREEN VIC 3754 Phone 9717 8780 Fax 9717 8816
morrisonkleeman.com.au Copyright Morrison Kleeman – Views expressed by contributors in this publication are not necessarily endorsed by Morrison Kleeman. No responsibility is accepted by Morrison Kleeman or the editor for the accuracy of the information contained in the text and/or the advertisements. The information contained within is general in nature only and should not be relied upon. Specific professional advice should be sought if the reader intends to consider the information provided further. No reproduction or transmission is permitted without the prior written permission of Morrison Kleeman. If your property is exclusively listed with another agent, please disregard this communication.