Sunday Drive

Thought we'd mark the start of the long Melbourne Cup weekend with a drive to Warralily, the up-and-coming masterplanned estate in Armstrong Creek.

Lesson learned: follow your instincts and the Melway, not the GPS.

It's not the first time our beloved Garmin has led us astray.

The sales copy on the website was enticing -

Warralily is located right where the vibrant city of Geelong meets all the relaxed pleasures of the Surf Coast. Here, where Armstrong Creek meanders its way toward Lake Connewarre, this new community offers you a range of delights.

You’ll be just ten minutes from employment opportunities, shopping, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, schools and universities, as well as surfing, fishing, swimming, boating and more!

+ Click to view Location Map

You’ll have convenient access to:

• Geelong, Torquay and Barwon Heads
• Beaches, rivers and coastal bushlands
• Hospitals, business centres, universities
• Major retail and entertainment centres
• 45 minutes to Melbourne on the new bypass
• 20 minutes to the Bellarine wineries and Queenscliff
• 15 minutes to The Great Ocean Road

The reality takes considerable imagination, because the estate is in a rather ulu location with nothing but paddocks around it - and the highway. The sales consultant also pointed out that the lake is actually not that easy to get to because it's in a biodiversity area and is not designed to cater to large crowds.

Plus points: a new train station is going up in the estate, along with an activity hub, shops and schools. Geelong Lutheran College and Deakin Uni are nearby.

The thing with buying in most new estates is the risk. If you're willing to invest in the longer term vision portrayed in the master plan at pre-build stage, your chances of capital growth are almost guaranteed. From observation, we've noticed that every year, the land prices go up at least $10k for the same block size, and if you buy in a later release (when the roads and infrastructure have been put in), it's going to cost more than if you get in at the early stages.