The block

The block is just over ½ acre and slopes down towards the Nyaania Valley. There are gum trees left since the ancient days when this valley was used as an Aboriginal passage to the old waterhole -- now in the park-like field opposite our house [Photo]. Natural vegetation has been left untouched and there are Fringe Lilies in the Spring and other flowers.

A small garden has been planted in front of the house, and there's a square for vegetables on the North side, behind the garden tool shed. The scope for gardening is gigantic, but we haven’t been too garden-minded. Most of the block is bush.

Views and situation

The house stands on a hillside at the edge of the Darlington/Glen Forrest boundary, overlooking a national park on the far side of Nyaania Creek and the Heritage Trail.

Dalry Road East is a ‘No Through Road’ that ends outside the house. Just above us, Binbrook Place [Photo] runs for about 300m and stops. There’s no passing traffic. Mostly you hear frogs and birds.

A footpath runs from the end of Dalry Road, down the reserve area to the North of the property, and across the creek to join the Heritage Trail. The Heritage Trail is a popular walk down to Darlington Post Office, and also a fast way for Primary School children to ride their bikes to school in Darlington. Up the Heritage Trail is Glen Forrest village and Helena College, both in easy walking distance.

Here's a view along the east edge of the house [Photo]. And here's the landscape you see if you look to the right [Photo].

Neighbourhood

It is pretty quiet here. The neighbours range in age from a young couple with a baby, to a few retired people. The closest ones who aren’t retired are an engineer, a university Department Head, a Formula One mechanic, an insurance claims adjuster, a civil servant, and a builder. (If you want to know what we do: Jim Heath and Mary Heath.) Most of the houses have a ½ acre block, so there's a feeling of living in the country.

Interestingly, not one of the immediate neighbours has a swimming pool. There is space on our block to install one, but with the Bilgoman Olympic Pool just up the road it's always seemed unnecessary. The Bilgoman opens for early-morning exercise laps and doesn’t close until the last barbecue in the evening.