A previously sparse suburb in Melbourne’s north, Mickleham is now exploding. In 2016 it had around 1000 dwellings - by 2026, that number is expected to have grown by approximately 800%.
The growth is being fed by seven significant developments, each of which will bring hundreds if not thousands of new residents to the area. The migration has prompted investment in infrastructure and amenities, with the construction of schools, shopping centres, and a vast business park all underway.
What Mickleham might lack in history it more than makes up for in potential, and with the suburb fast turning into one of Melbourne’s most exciting and dynamic, property buyers are scrambling to invest, and house and land packages are comfortably the most popular way to do so.
But is a house and land package in Mickleham the right opportunity for you?
To work out whether a Mickleham house and land package is a wise investment, let’s first take a closer look at this emerging suburb, and what new residents can expect from it.
The suburb of Mickleham is a neat encapsulation of Melbourne as a whole. It’s a wonderfully diverse and multicultural place, with a little over 60% of the population born in Australia and the remainder being represented by strong Indian, Sri Lankan, and Italian communities, amongst others.
While the residents of Mickleham previously traveled outside of the suburb for work, most commonly to Craigieburn, the CBD or nearby Melbourne Airport, a new project is set to change all that. The Merrifield Business Park will be Victoria’s largest ever master-planned business precinct and promises to create 35,000 jobs for the local area. This is a significant reason behind the suburb’s recent growth and will ensure that residents will have plenty of employment opportunities in the years and decades to come.
If you’re looking for a slice of Melbourne that doesn’t feel like it’s part of a city of five million, Mickleham is a fantastic option—located on flat land that was until very recently used for grazing.
But this almost rural feel doesn’t come with the usual agricultural inconvenience. In essence, the drive to the Melbourne CBD takes as little as 35 minutes, and nearby Donnybrook Station offers express rail services that can get you there in 40.
Along with the residential and commercial developments, Mickleham is also in the process of developing a large town centre. While residents wait for this project to be completed, they can take a 10-minute drive to neighbouring Craigieburn, which offers all the modern convenience that you could ever need.
Mickleham will become a significant hub in the next ten years, and the lifestyle that the suburb offers will only get better and better. Residents who invest now will not only be able to experience this evolution, but will be able to profit from it too.
Mickleham’s property market was all but nonexistent until very recently, with the average house price sitting at around $200,000 (based on minimal sales) in 2015. But as soon as the area was earmarked for development, prices shot up. By the start of 2020, the average cost for a Mickleham home was touching on $550,000.
This incredible leap can be explained by the fact that most of the properties in the area are now brand new and expertly built, rather than old and run down. And as the city grows and develops, prices are expected to continue on this upward trajectory.
With several high profile developments dotting the suburb, potential buyers aren’t short of choice when it comes to house and land packages in Mickleham. Almost every high profile builder is offering homes here, so whether you’re looking for something large or conservative, modern or traditional, family-friendly, or built for a retiree, there’ll be a package for you.
The significant developments in Mickleham include:
Less a community than it is its own city, Merrifield is the largest and most impressive of Mickleham’s developments. Its namesake business park is just one piece of the puzzle, as thousands of people will also eventually call Merrifield home. A 165-hectare city centre, primary and secondary schools, community and aquatic centres and even a waterfront precinct will be added in years to come. What’s more, house and land packages in this crafted city are being sold for as little as $400,000; an incredible price for property in what is likely to become Melbourne’s northern hub.
If you close your eyes and think of the word ‘botanical,’ you’ll dream up images of carefully tended greenery. Happily, this is precisely what this Mickleham community delivers. A development that aims to bring the best of nature to your doorstep, Botanical nails the brief. The central park offers over 20 hectares of gardens, wetlands, playgrounds, and lawns, and pocket parks to divide each of the neighbourhoods. A house and land package in this gorgeous estate can be secured for $450,000 to $550,000.
Trijena is a new community with a real heart. This is a place built for modern families; generous blocks and plenty of open space combine with a wealth of modern amenities to make this the perfect community in which to raise children. And with three bedrooms, two-car garage house and land packages on sale for a tickle over $400,000, Trijena represents some of the very best value available in one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing areas.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Mickleham is the future of Melbourne. As suburbs nearer the CBD get ever more cramped and expensive, real value and quality of life can be found in the proxy cities on the suburban fringe. Here you can pick up a brand new house, on a good slab of land, built to your needs, and all at an incredibly low price. And as more infrastructure is built, amenities added, and jobs created, the quality of life and the value of property in Mickleham will both continue to rise.
When everything is weighed up, a house and land package in Mickleham is one of the savviest property purchases; a modern buyer can make.
