Mediterranean Meditation

The Age

Saturday February 16, 2008

Mary O'Brien

Seaford has retained its rustic charms, writes Mary O'Brien.

WHEN I first came to Melbourne many years ago, Seaford was the first beach that I explored. I trudged down from the train station, crossed the Nepean Highway and followed the short path through the dunes. The sun was shining, the azure water sparkling and I thought I had found a little piece of the Mediterranean on the other side of the world.

Seaford beach hasn't changed all that much over the years. The rustic pier is still there and the beach remains unspoilt. Work is under way on a new lifesaving club that will blend in with the natural environment. Frankston City Council has ambitious plans for the foreshore, village and Kananook Creek.

The suburb, 38 kilometres from Melbourne, is delightful for beach lovers, walkers and bird enthusiasts. The dunes and foreshore walking trails block much of the noise from the Nepean Highway. You can walk along the beachfront or explore the trail behind, one of the few remaining strands of natural coastal vegetation in the Melbourne area. You can cross the Nepean and walk along the shady banks of the still and dark waters of Kananook Creek. There are also many trails through Seaford Wetlands, a nature reserve listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Seaford is built on the site of the Karrum Karrum swamp, which stretched between Mordialloc, Frankston and Dandenong before European settlement and was home to the Bunurong Aboriginal people. The swamp was drained in the early 20th century to create farming land.

People flocked to Seaford in the 1950s and 1960s because of its beaches and affordability. Today it has a fairly youthful population with about 28% aged 20 to 39 and another 28% aged 40 to 50.

TOP TEN SPOTS

1 Seaford Life Saving Club, opposite Station Street. The club is being rebuilt on environmentally sustainable lines and will include community facilities and a small cafe.

2 The beach. Seaford has five kilometres of beaches, stretching from Carrum in the north to Frankston in the south. This is one of the main attractions of the area.

3 Kananook Creek Reserve, Seaford Road to Overton Road. The native bushland reserve runs in a line parallel to the Nepean Highway for six kilometres. Many lucky residents have gardens or decks overlooking the creek.

4 Seaford Wetlands. Stretching over 103 hectares, the wetlands have 300-year-old river red gums and many rare and endangered migratory bird species. It's worth having a look from the elevated viewing platform behind Austin Road.

5 Seaford Village. The shopping strip runs along the Nepean Highway and down Station Street. You can drop into Frankston City's community shop for information or browse through the second-hand books at Studio Rosa Bookshop and Florist. The village will get a facelift under Frankston City's master plan.

6 Frankston Women's Cricket Club, Belvedere Reserve, East Road. A great summer game and it's not every suburb that has a women's cricket club.

7 Seaford Holistic Centre and Cafe, 131 Nepean Highway. A modest cosy cafe with a small deck out the front. You can have a coffee or massage or indulge in a tasty flourless orange cake.

8 Frankston City Motorcycle Park, Old Wells Road. Adventurous types practise their skills at weekends in the three tracks graded for learners, intermediate and advanced. For those who prefer to travel under their own steam, the BMX bike track is next door.

9 Two Cans Antiques, factory 2/11 Cumberland Drive. Open Saturdays 10am-4pm. It's worth having a rummage around in this warehouse as you never know what you will find among the 19th-century furniture and bric-a-brac.

10 Seaford Farmers' Market, Broughton Reserve. The market is on every third Sunday of the month from 8am to 1pm. Stallholders set up near the community centre offering the usual selection of seasonal produce.

HOME TRUTHS

SPORTS AND RECREATION

There's no shortage of open space here with the Seaford foreshore, Kananook Creek and the Edithvale-Seaford wetlands. If you want to keep fit, you can choose from many charming walks and bike paths. There are also several parks including Riviera Reserve rugby and athletics grounds, Seaford North Reserve soccer and skateboard ramp and the Kananook Reserve and basketball stadium.

TRANSPORT

If you take an express train you can travel from Seaford to the city in less than an hour on the Frankston line from either Seaford or Kananook station. Frankston is seven minutes away by train in the opposite direction. If you are travelling by car, the Frankston Freeway is only minutes away. The Nepean Highway cuts through the suburb and the Dandenong-Frankston Road is another busy thoroughfare. EastLink will make it much easier to cross the city when it opens.

SCHOOLS

Young families can choose from a range of primary schools, including Belvedere Park, Kananook, Seaford North, Seaford Park, Seaford Primary and St Anne's. Secondary school students don't have to travel far with Patterson River Secondary College in nearby Carrum and Monterey Secondary College and John Paul Catholic co-ed college, Frankston, on the outskirts of the suburb.

© 2008 The Age

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