A chance left turn 20 years ago led me to the suburb of my dreams

I’ve lived in my suburb for exactly 20 years. How did I end up here? Sometimes I still wonder at the serendipity of it all.

It very nearly didn’t happen, I stumbled on my suburb by chance after taking a spontaneous turn off Nepean Highway onto Dane Road, to avoid a car accident ahead.

At the time, I was in a tiny unit in Cheltenham and had spent two years in a fruitless quest to buy a house near the beach. One that was affordable and would tick boxes for public transport, shopping, parks, schools (both public and private) along with the relaxed vibe of the middle-ring suburbs.

I had wanted desperately to live in Sandringham or Hampton. Hampton East wasn’t on my list of hopeful areas. Money was the issue, just as it is for home buyers now, so a chance left turn, and a meandering road, opened our eyes to the possibility.

Hampton East, in Melbourne’s south-eastern corridor – 14 kilometres from the CBD – and part of Bayside Council, is a hidden gem. At the last census, the population was just over 5000, making it one of Melbourne’s smallest suburbs by population.

Hampton East’s identity crisis isn’t helped by the fact it is often confused with Hampton Park, which is out past Dandenong, or misidentified as Moorabbin, which sits to the east and stretches slightly over onto our side of the Nepean Highway.

If you investigate the history of Hampton East, you’ll hit something of a dead end. Thirty years ago, this little pocket was west Moorabbin until it was split off to become part of the new Bayside City Council in 1994 – as part of the Kennett government’s amalgamation of councils – before being renamed Hampton East in 2000. It was a controversial move, not least for some locals – my neighbours, now in their 70s and 80s, are still bitter about the change of identity.

Predominantly composed of residential streets behind Nepean Highway and Bluff Road, Hampton East is often overlooked, or written off as a cluster of public housing. Yes, there are two large estates, relics of the 1950s, and more than a smattering of identifiable “housing commission” freestanding houses. But efforts to integrate public and private housing have had an effect here. House prices are climbing, though Hampton East remains the most affordable suburb in Bayside.

When I first moved here, if a Mercedes or BMW was seen driving in the streets, we would joke that the driver was checking on their investment property. Times have changed and now electric, hybrid and prestige cars sit in many driveways. In 2023, we had a brush with fame when The Block moved in, and records were set in the suburb, and on the show.

Hampton East has a history of farming, like so much of Melbourne’s middle ring. A neighbour, who has since passed away, told me how when she had moved into our street it was paddocks, with agistment for horses. What is now Basterfield Park, named after a former mayor of Moorabbin who lived opposite, was a tip. I exercise with a group most nights in the park, and we love to watch the swans and other birds raising their hatchlings on the island in the lake. There is a market every second month in summer that attracts large crowds to the park.

Some locals may recall the Nellie Kelly nursery on the corner of South and Bluff roads. It is where the development of the famous hybrid passionfruit vine started. Now it is a retirement-living centre.

We walk the dog to Wishart Reserve, with an adjacent children’s playground, which is evocative of the former Wishart farm that was there, with statues of cows and a barn. The dog park is where everyone knows the name of your dog, but no one ever knows your name, a phenomenon not exclusive to this area.

Hampton East has its tennis club, the Moorabbin West Cricket Club, Moorabbin Kangaroos football ground, plus a baseball field adjacent for the Moorabbin Panthers (all reminders of a former identity). The baseball field was the sporting field of Moorabbin West Primary School, which was de-commissioned and sold for private development during the Kennett schools sell-off of the 1990s.

Hampton East is part of the first tranche of the state government’s activity centres earmarked for high-density development. I am no longer torn about this. I am hopeful of increased amenity in the local shopping strip on Nepean Highway, which has teetered with total closure repeatedly.

The local milk bar in Keith Street recently closed for business. Thirty years ago, it had a butcher, a greengrocer, a mixed goods (milk bar) and other businesses. There is enormous potential here – who does not love the thought of walking for coffee, lunch, buying clothing, access to veterinary care, gyms and getting their scripts filled. On the latter, Hampton East is spoiled for choice, with no less than three pharmacies within 300 metres of each other, plus a large medical facility and access to a new day surgery.

I looked at crime statistics published online, and Hampton East enjoys an excellent rating of “relatively safe”. Thirteen out of 100, where zero means no crime. Which is an interesting counterpoint to those who shy away from living near lots of public housing.

Hampton East has potential. It was seen to be a good starter home area in the 1950s, when it began its transformation from farmland into modest priced, modest homes amid the Baby Boom. There was a shortage then, of homes, and of supplies, hence the modest sizing – houses were brick-veneer, and not permitted to be over a certain size. My own home included. It is a modest two-bedroom, one bathroom cream brick veneer on a large block. I am increasingly fond of my 1950s home. I do not know how long I will resist the flyers in my letterbox that promise large amounts of money so a developer can use my property to build up to six storeys.

For now, I like to give a haven to the local birdlife, lizards, foxes, frogs and possums and most particularly to my labrador and cat to enjoy the sunshine with me in my expansive backyard. I am also a relic, I guess.

These days, my neighbours are from many countries, and the area has renters and home owners alike. It is, like most suburbs, evolving. Here’s to the future of Hampton East.

Megan Riley is an executive in the public service, and lives in Hampton East with her dog and a cat.

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