At 135 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, it may be a little too far for a daily commute, although some residents head to jobs in outer Melbourne suburbs such as Cranbourne and Dandenong.

A number of new housing estates will only hasten the pace of change, but the town is well prepared for this, from a recent council beautification project for the main commercial centre to a new hospital that opened in 2014.

The town is really expanding, but there is already a good range of infrastructure to cope with the new families moving into the area. Leongatha has some great established schools and a big sporting culture. Club sports are huge here and take up most weekends for families, and if you want the beach, Inverloch is only 20 minutes away.

Hit the Great Southern Rail Trail, a 72-kilometre walking, cycling and horse-riding trail that begins in Leongatha and heads southeast to Port Welshpool. The 7.8-kilometre initial section to Koonwarra is relatively flat and good for children to tackle, and if you feel like heading further onwards, you’ll pass through character-filled small towns such as Meeniyan, Foster and Fish Creek, home to attractions such as wineries, galleries and antique shops.