Best streets: Moonee Ponds

1 Park Street

Park Street ticks all the boxes: the location of one of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School’s campuses; one grand heritage home after another; old leafy trees and well-maintained nature strips; long sweeping driveways and a position high on the hill.

It may sound like a street in one of a number of the wealthy eastern suburbs but Park Street is proof that old-style wealth and privilege can also be found in the west.

“It’s always been the blue ribbon trophy street,” says John Morello, director of Thompson Real Estate in Flemington and a lifetime Moonee Ponds resident.

That’s why a 1950s clubhouse with around 1980 square metres of cleared land sold to Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School in May this year for $3.16 million and, in the past three months, houses in the street have achieved prices of about $4 million to $5 million.

And while private schools, prestige properties, great shopping and proximity to the CBD may invite comparisons to Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, Park Street’s charm is that, despite the rising property values, it remains quintessentially Moonee Ponds.

2 Ardmillan Road

Parallel to Park Street, Ardmillan Road shares much of the appeal of its neighbour but without the over-the-top grand mansions and shady streetscape.

The road tells a story of solid but unpretentious middle-class wealth through the generations, regardless of the age or style of the home.

A sign proudly notes the 1991 award for the most attractive street and, although it may seem like a modest achievement, it’s hard to fault the judgment — Ardmillan is neat, well-maintained, with a few small trees and some lovely older homes.

It also has a lovely hilltop position, is close to Moonee Ponds Station and has some houses of note.

Nos. 36 and 8 are both Victorian showpieces, set far back from the road with multiple bedrooms and authentic period details.

No. 36 sold for $4.65 million in March but more modest homes also achieve good prices, reflecting the demand for homes in this exclusive private school zone. A three-bedroom brick home needing renovation at 57 Ardmillan Road is a case in point — it sold for just over $1.3 million in June.

3 Chaucer Street

One of several neighbouring streets named after famous British poets, Chaucer Street runs from the railway line down to Ascot Vale Road and is only a few streets away from the Puckle Street shopping precinct.

Heritage-listed, it is full of beautifully maintained Victorian terraces and Edwardian homes, and the protection means they will stay that way.

A row of 10 two-storey detached brick terraces circa 1880s are in perfect condition and on the other side of the street, single-storey brick houses feature bay windows and wrought iron fences.

A few 1960s and 1970s renovations may have stripped some homes of their original features but a buyer wanting to restore these homes to their former glory will definitely reap the rewards.

That’s if they get the chance — John Morello says the streets in Poets’ Corner are some of the most tightly held in Moonee Ponds.

Intense competition for properties means buyers can expect to pay more than $1 million for a small single-fronted home and between $1 million and $2 million for a two-storey house. Beautifully renovated heritage properties climb from there.