Sandringham: From Gipsy Village to posh bayside 'burb

How different the fortunes of Sandringham could have been. The bayside ‘burb started life with the inglorious name of Gipsy Village, bestowed in 1851.

Gipsy Village it remained, until the late 1880s when politician C.H. James bought land near Gipsy Village and headed in the other direction in the nomenclature stakes, calling it Sandringham after the residence of the then Prince of Wales.

It’s certainly a grand name for a suburb located 16 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD. The housing mix has fewer mansions fit for royalty but many more art deco and Edwardian homes mixed in with Californian bungalows apartment blocks and courtyard properties.

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For its residents, Sandringham encapsulates that classic real estate dichotomy: close enough to the city, and far enough away. The train journey to the city is only half an hour, while some big drawcards are much closer to home.

We’re talking about the beach, of course. Not just the 2.5-kilometre-long stretch of sand but the running, walking and cycling tracks snaking above it. Sandringham is a suburb for the outdoor minded.

Almost a quarter of the area comprises green space and parkland. Cafes engage in caffeine wars on the main shopping strip of Station Street, and you can eat fish and chips while gazing out to sea at the yacht club’s Harbour View restaurant.

35 Gladstone Street 

Photo: Urban Angles

$2.95 million
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

Agent: Buxton Real Estate, Richard Slade 0419 588 873

Within easy walking distance of the bay, this fully renovated 1920s family home with plenty of period features offers four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a swimming pool and spa set within a stylishly landscaped garden leading onto two double garages.

4/388 Bluff Road

Photo: Supplied

$1.15 million
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

Agent: Hocking Stuart, Nick Kiloh 0429 117 724

A secluded freestanding townhouse set 35 metres back from the street, this two-storey home has three bedrooms and a study (or fourth bedroom), with north-facing living and dining opening onto a smart courtyard, as well as a garage with internal access.