Flinders for the rich and famous
Sarah-Jane Collins and Natalie Craig
January 19, 2008
BLACK cliffs drop to a volcanic coastline where the sea pounds hard against the deep red rock. Along the bluffs there is a menacing beauty hard to ignore.
It is a breathtaking view. And in the past year, the sleepy seaside town of Flinders has begun to get noticed.
A short drive away, through the small town centre, a creaky pier extends out along calmer waters. The shallow sea is dotted with small boats, remnants of the town's long history as a fishing village and family holiday spot. And then you notice the black stretch limo. The big money has come to town. Last November, a newly built house high above the cliffs sold for more than $6 million.
There have been six building approvals for houses over $1 million in the 2006-07 financial year, putting the suburb at number six, behind Portsea and the likes of Toorak and Brighton in the million-dollar club.
The tiny town has burst onto the scene as a serious player on the Mornington Peninsula. Or as one local real estate agent puts it: "The Portsea when you don't want to go to Portsea."
And, asks acting Victorian building commissioner Sarah McCann-Bartlett: "How high can prices go? How long is a piece of string? People are building their dream homes in Flinders. I think what we're seeing is a mix of luxury family holiday homes and sea changer retirees building their dream homes."
Ms McCann-Bartlett says the approvals reflected confidence in the economy, higher land values and people capitalising on growth at the luxury end of the market, where a distinct trend had emerged for sustainable design in a green wedge area, where everything from views to vegetation were protected.`
Flinders is a rural enclave where people are planning to retire in the long term.
For the moment, many use their houses as weekenders, .
Perhaps they are merely fitting in a few rounds on the famous Cape Schanck golf course`.
Of course, Flinders has always been a holiday spot, but locals have noticed a bigger change. At the General Store, employee Kylie Collison says the local trade in family holidays had dropped significantly as the town changed into a holiday haven for the rich and famous. "The prices are going up, and there seems to be more money people coming through," she says. "Families who used to stay here for Christmas can't really afford it any more because it's got a bit of a name."
Locals all know about their new neighbours, the rich and famous who have made Flinders their getaway. Kate DiPasquale who has lived in the area all her life, says that in the past year the number of people in town had swelled significantly. "John Farnham is building a house round here at the moment," she says.
Other names that get mentioned in the main street include Neil Mitchell, Daryl Somers, Max Walker and Dermott Brereton. Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser is also a regular.
Tony Wise, who runs the chemist shop, says he was not surprised so many prominent names fled to Flinders.
"You can come over here and be anonymous and still get your house overlooking the bay," he says. "And you're nice and close to the wineries and all that."
He expects Flinders to continue to boom.
It's the mecca of the peninsula.