My suburb has the best of all worlds. For years, there was a whiff of discontent

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The pioneer-built Christ Church is another reminder of the past. Early English Gothic in style and “one of the most picturesque churches in suburban Melbourne”, according to Heritage Victoria, it proudly looks down Centre Dandenong Road, through the heart of the village. A small retail strip sits in its middle, and while the shops there seem to satisfy most of our needs, it would be nice to see more of the vacant signs on storefronts removed.

It hasn’t all been a walk on the bright side. Major new roads built around us, such as the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and the Westall Road extension, have brought the noise of cars, motorcycles and trucks to some villagers, just as the drone of light planes to and from Moorabbin Airport can test others.

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I haven’t mentioned the rubbish tips yet, have I? Well, they are no longer around, but we lived with them for quite a while. The smell was challenging, especially on warmer days. The tips have gone now, overlaid by new parks, a home for walkers, ducks and friends.

If we want a walk on the nature side, we often go to nearby Braeside Park, a 310-hectare gem. Walks, cycle paths, a waterbird hide, small lakes for ibis and ducks, a playground, picnic areas. It’s where Phar Lap was trained, and there’s even a cattle farm sidling right up against it.

Quiet residential streets were a welcome feature of life in the village, but new major roads have led to a growth in traffic and overhasty drivers. A permanent limit of 40km/h would make sense at our small retail strip. The Hawthorn Football Club is establishing a new headquarters in our area, the Kennedy Centre, which is expected to bring even more visitors to our village.

The redevelopment of the former Kingswood Golf Course – which sold to developers in March 2024 for about $215 million – into a housing estate with about 800 houses is expected to bring another 2000 new residents.

A render of a proposed water park in Dingley Village.

Dingley Village is a bayside suburb that isn’t quite on the water, but it turns out the water is coming to us. After years of planning, a massive 3.8-hectare aquatic park with wave pools – the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere – is due to be built within the next couple of years.

Our suburb may be small, but prominent villagers have included the rock group Jet, who started out playing at local fetes, golfer Bob Shearer and journalist Marcus Clarke, famed for reporting on Melbourne’s slums and writing the Australian classic For the Term of His Natural Life.

The impact the new developments will have on our lives remains unclear, but one aspect isn’t. A large recent community meeting revealed a commitment by all to work together to maintain all the benefits of a special, friendly and supportive environment.

Warren Duncan is a longtime resident of Dingley Village.

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