Somerville and Pearcedale - what are these areas really like?

[Luma]

We have been looking around and have seen a lot of advice on this website too so have narrowed down our search area.

Trying to find out what Somerville is like and are there parts to avoid when buying? Same with Pearcedale but think we might still not be ready for somewhere quite as villagey (although it is lovely).

 

Need to know if the Primary and Secondary college in Somerville have good reputation.

How is internet access as we need to have this for work.

What is it like in general - friendly, small town feel?

 

Sorry to ask this one BUT when I mentioned to our Australian friends that we were looking in Somerville (we have a tight budget so can't go over $400,000) and got a look of horror "Scumersville? No chance!". This doesn't match what we have read on here about Somersville and they did say it was really years ago and they don't really know what the place is like now. It has kid of put us off a bit though.

 

Cheers for replying!

[Petals]

Lived in Somerville for 29 years and yes there are those that give it a bad name I don't know why, think its the pub, the pub used to be a bit rough and my children never went there and I have only been there 3 or 4 time sin 29 years, however they do not have live music now so its much different. The problems came from the blow ins from the areas around not the people who live here.

 

Somerville is ideal why because its the only town on the Peninsula that has been designed properly. If you live in the town you can walk to everything. The problem in Somerville is that there are never many houses for sale and the decent property is very very tightly held. The town is zoned residential in the middle and then it is ringed by acreage properties. its a town that serviced the apple industry a long time ago but those properties are now horse studs so there are a lot of horsey people around Somerville.

 

We have excellent medical ltos of doctors, there is a womens clinic and another large clinic which I go to but does not bulk bill. There are a couple of bulk billing medical centres. There are two optometrists plenty of physios, gyms and swimming pool at one gym.

 

Good cricket, football and tennis clubs.

 

My children went to Top Tyabb Primary school and it was fine and then they went to private high school. I have no idea about the high school but I could walk to it in 10 minutes and I live on acreage. There are three primary schools in Somerville Somerville primary school which is in lower Somerville and Somerville Rise which is next to the high school. My neighbour sends her chldren to lower Somerville as the school is smaller. There is a catholic primary school St Brendans. There are a couple of child care centres. Couple of dentists.

 

Four supermarkets, Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA. Target, Rivers, McDonalds. Chinese and Thai restaurants, wine bar where my children go when they come home.

 

Southern Command Centre of for the police is under construction in Somerville so that it will cover the area to Mornington, Baxter, Langwarrin, etc.

 

There is a retirement village in Somerville.

 

Agents will say that people tend to move from one house to another in Somerville. We have the train station and a bus route.

 

Its 10 mins to Mornington, 10 mins to Hastings, 10 mins to Mount Eliza and 10 minutes to Frankston.

 

Mornington Peninsula freeway is closest to Somerville so I can leave my home and drive to my daughter's place in Brunswick in 40 minutes traffic permitting and not peak.

 

Its about 40 minutes to the Monash Medical Centre.

 

Being close to Frankston we have the TAFE college and Monash University. Frankston Hospital and private hospitals around.

 

20 minutes to Balnarring Beach which suits me.

 

There are a lot of smaller houses that were built 30 odd years ago but they are on larger land than what is on offer these days. So good dooer uppers but unfortunately in competition with developers and negative gearers.

 

As a rule of thumb you can judge the streets by the price of houses.

 

If you look on realestate.com.au you will see the houses that are over 450 to 500 plus are in the probably better estates. That is not to say that the other areas are bad just that the housing is a lot smaller and dated.

 

Then you can get a million dollar property like the one sold across from me on 3 acres.

 

The town is divided by the rail line and the village is on the lower Somerville side.

 

Pearcedale is ok but getting built up and most people come to Somerville to shop as there are no major supermarkets there. Its country and its dog land lots of kennels, horse studs.

 

Westernport is a farming area and has lots of studs, racing studs, vegetable farms and wealthy older families that have been here for generations as opposed to Mornington and Port Phillip side which is a commuter centre.

 

There are a few of us who live in Somerville and we all stay. If my car breaks down I can walk to the doc.

[Parley]

 

@dmjg lives there too.

[RAS]

What a brilliant reply Petals.

[Luma]

Thank you Petals. So are there certain streets to avoid? Liking the way most of the main streets seem to have uk style culdesac set up off them all.

 

Any idea about internet access? Is there high-speed internet access in Somerville? Have friends in Canons Creek which is very pretty but they basically have no internet really. Something we've not thought about until now having rented closer to the city previously.

[Petals]

ADSL2 is available in Somerville which is what I use. Newer housing may not have phone lines, like all other areas you need to ask the question when buying and when renting. I am with Telstra and have no complaints.

 

There are several towers up near the water tanks on the top of the hill. Somerville is on top of a hill and parts of it overlook Westernport Bay.

 

There are plenty of activities as well as the usual sports, basketball and netball are played. Community house is alive and well. There is a skate park and bike paths to Frankston and down to Somers and Balnarring.

 

High schools aplenty both private and public. Toorak College, Peninsula School, Woodleigh, Bayside Cristian College, Flinders Christian College, Padua Mornington and Tyabb campuses. Plenty of horse riding if needed, lessons, agistment eetc. Hastings has a terrific swimming pool and also a great area for walking dogs. Also there is a boardwalk across from Hastings to Crib Point and its a good ride or walk.

 

Westernport Hotel has lovely meals and lovely seating, seating is the best around. Food is also good. Baxter Tav is ok but I think its a bit dearer and not so sure the food is as good.

 

The Thai in Somerville is very very popular lovely food. The Indian used to be good but the last time I was there I was disappointed. They have been around the Peninsulal for years used to have a restaurant in Frankston yonks ago and then came to Somerville and they had a Tandori Oven and a good cook but he was old so guess he has now retired and noticed the tandori oven was not there or not being used last time I went. My daughter has been to the Indian at Baxter and she says its ok. There is another one at Hastings but have not tried that one.

 

Fish and chips are fine here in Somerville albeit the Aussie variety, flake etc which I like.

 

Can't think of any areas that I would avoid in Somerville, most property is privately owned and its like tatts, if you get good neighbours or bad and nothing to do with who they are or how much cash they have.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Petals

[dmjg]

Petals has covered most things.

 

For us, internet is all mobile. We have the ipad with 8GB on Telstra and the two phones with unlimited calls, text, 300min to uk and 4GB to share per month each on Vodafone.

 

Our 7yo goes to Somerville Primary and loves it. The 4 yo will start there next year.

 

I am a teacher myself in a secondary closer to Melbourne and amongst teachers and patents outside the village, Somerville Secondary has had a bad name.

 

But.

 

Its a small secondary school, (Mornington Sec Coll runs buses to themselves poaching Sommie Kids, they are also a massive school 1800)

 

I am hooked into every gov teaching job on the peninsula and in 6 years there has never been a Maths or Science job advertised. It says the staff are settled.

 

Next door has their twins there, they started this year and are loving it.

 

It was affiliated with Mt Erin in Frankston for years which did it no favours, but is not any more.

 

It has one of the best VCAL programs around for non uni inclined kids.

 

Its our biggest deliemma for the future, and we have no idea what to do when the time comes for our little boy to leave his small pond???

 

However, the teachers will be no better or no worse than any other school in the country, and if they are prepared to work, and their parents prepared to support them and the school, i believe any kid can achieve wherever their schooling.

 

 

 

 

We live in a 3 bed 70's house in a 1/5 acre block. Its not huge but its easy to keep on top of, we have a good sized back yard, plenty of room for my veggie plots, a big deck and a granny flat.

 

People over the years have made their mark on the place, some of it not to our liking, but paint solves a myriad of cosmetic issues. For us this included a psychedelic purple bedroom, another navy blue and a third with a textured terracotta wall.

 

Kitchens and bathrooms may need to be updated or replaced and west facing windows too, but if you get the place for the right price, they are generally well built, although not well insulated.

 

For our first 5 years i was Bunnings best customer, now the place is fairly much as we want it.

[jako]

Hi, we have been living in Pearcedale for nearly three years and love it, it's much smaller than somerville and not as busy, somerville is about 10 mins away,frankston 20, mornington 25' there's a small shopping centre where you can get most things you need and as I say the bigger shops arnt far away , there's no pub in pearcedale which makes it nice and quiet at night, there not much building around here unless you count botanic ridge which is another 10 mins down the road, I'd say it is great for families , there's loads of space , people are friendly , great for walks etc and just far enough away from busy places if you know what I mean, have a look on google earth and Wikipedia for more info, good luck, jako

[Celt Down Under]

We have lived in Somerville for 23 years and it is a great place to live. There is nothing that I can add that has not already been mentioned. Only wish we had moved here sooner rather than living in Frankston for 11 years first.

[bayside]

Sommerville is the better option however Mornington and Mt Eliza are more popular and have more going for them. Not to mention 13% of Mt Eliza and Mornington are british migrants being the highest of any suburb in Melbourne.

[eolhc]

I have only lived in somerville for about 3 years but from everything i've seen it is great!! i live right near a bunch of shops (my main thing i love).

 

The only thing that somerville could improve is graffiti.

I know it's very hard to really stop kids graffiting everywhere and yes, this happens in a lot of other places to but, it could definetly be better!