Upwey: Melbourne’s best value for money suburbs revealed with room for the dog, chickens and a bee hive or two

Sharon Meade enjoys her Upwey backyard with Pollo. Picture: Mark Stewart

Upwey was the perfect place for Sharon Meade and her partner David Phelan to raise their kids.

They bought the home, then a modest hills cottage, as Melbourne’s suburban housing market was going crazy in 2001.

About a decade later they extended and expanded, excavating to create a second level below the now three-bedroom main residence and levelling off the back yard with the displaced dirt.

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The result was a home that has let them raise chickens for eggs, grow vegetables, share their garden with local wildlife from possums and echidnas to the odd kangaroo, and even harvesting honey from their own private beehives.

It also left room for a grass basketball court for the kids as they grew up, and plenty of space for their american staffy Pollo to roam.

“It’s turned into the most amazing family home,” Ms Meade said.

“It’s been absolutely beautiful.”

With room for a few chickens to peck around, Melbourne’s egg shortages are a distant memory for Upwey residents. Picture: Mark Stewart.

And there’s plenty of other bird life around to share your time with. Picture: Mark Stewart.

With local bylaws preventing subdivisions in their surrounding area, the pair have also been able to enjoy their time at the property knowing that development was very unlikely — leaving them with only a handful of friendly neighbours and a local shopping strip where you knew most of the people you met.

The pair are now selling the more than 1117sq m home at 106 Alexander Ave, Upwey, with a $900,000-$990,000 asking price via Bell Real Estate’s Elliot Bell.

While the area has remained popular with a variety of buyers, Mr Bell said most were young professionals and families leaving behind central city suburbs — some of them among the most expensive places to buy a home by the square metre in the city.

106 Alexander Ave, Upwey, is listed for sale with a $900,000-$990,000 asking price that includes a big block and tree-lined vista.

The home has been renovated and extended from its original hills cottage.

Meanwhile, Seddon has been ranked Melbourne’s second best suburb for bang for buck with a typical house in the area costing about $810.50 a square metre, according to REIV figures.

Only Narre Warren North had a lower figure at $399.8, but this is likely influenced by high numbers of hobby farms and significantly larger homes in that area.

Nearby Montrose was among Melbourne’s best suburbs for value by the metre, with the typical figure being $876.70.

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