71 Ramsden Street, Clifton Hill VIC 3068

We were lucky enough to call 71 Ramsden street our home for eight years, first as a newly married couple and then the parents of two boys and a schnauzer. The lifestyle that the house and its amazing location afforded throughout that time has given us the happiest of memories.

The amenity of the house belies its size. It has comfortably and happily accommodated us, our growing boys and dog for years, including throughout the lockdowns. The built-in robes in the bedrooms are vast, and the mezzanine has operated as office space for two busy home-workers, a spare bedroom and a fantastic way of getting laundry out of the way - and sometimes all three. We love the kitchen - particularly the oversize hob and oven - which has made hosting friends and family easy and cooking a pleasure rather than a chore.  

The garden is lush in spring and summer, with the Boston Ivy providing a wall of green, and rosemary perfuming the air. The trained crab apple and honeysuckle blossom generously attracting butterflies and the south east corner is a suntrap perfect for tomatoes and citrus. Al fresco lunches and dinners have been a regular fixture, giving us a front row seat to watch the hundreds of flying foxes soaring overhead at dusk.

With parks at either end of the street, we were spoilt for choice for sunny afternoon picnics, or a chance to let the kids run off steam. Darling Gardens is a shady oasis, while Quarries Park’s adventure playground, sports pitches and city views gave us all the weekend options we needed. A couple of minutes further on, the Merri Creek trail, with its paths down to the beautiful field and old swimming hole at Deep Rock, or running/bike path to Collingwood Children’s Farm and beyond, meant we were never short of things to do.   

For lazier weekend mornings, there’s a host of excellent cafes in the area - Dirty Apron, Tarda, Uncle Drew all within six minutes, and Two Bob and Cavallini on Queens Parade - and for drinks or dinner there are Spensley’s and Pizza Shop three minutes’ walk, or plenty of more exotic options on Queens Parade (Triakosia and Balti Curry House are our favourites). The Terminus is a stand out pub, less than 10 minutes walk away, and even more options present themselves in Northcote (you can walk to Westgarth's High Street in 15 minutes) or Collingwood (a 15 minute stroll through Darling Gardens).  

We have also relished the sense of community in the area, both our lovely immediate neighbours and the broader community around the schools, allowing us to make lifelong friends. It’s that community that will see us keeping our kids at Spensley St, despite our move into Northcote. 

Commuting-wise, the house is less than 5 minutes from the Station, so you can be in the city within 20 minutes of closing the front door. Coming home, all trains stop in Clifton Hill so you’re never waiting long. Otherwise there’s the 86 tram that drops you off on Queens Parade and the dedicated (and well protected) bike lanes make for easy cycling.

But one of the real draw cards for this part of town is that, if you don’t want to/can work from home, you needn’t use a car or interact with a main road for days at a time. The local cafes and shops (Flower of Sorrento on Spensley Street, Costas’ milk bar on Ramsden St) will deal with most day to day needs, Spensley St Primary school, Walker St Community Kinder and Goodstart Day daycare are each within an easy 850m walk away, there’s an extremely convenient recycling centre just on Roseneath St, and an amazing community compost initiative just on Yarrabing Lane. 

We’re sad to be moving on but are so grateful for all of the special times we have enjoyed at 71 Ramsden St. We wish whoever moves in after us years of memories as happy as our own.