Young family put down roots to grow in the Goulburn Valley
John and Chelsea McNamara are a young couple who have chosen to make Shepparton home.
Originally from the western suburbs of Melbourne, John, a lawyer with Victoria Police, and Chelsea, who works in early childhood education, lived in Bendigo for a period before making the move to Shepparton two years ago.
When they realised building their own dream home was within their grasp, they jumped at the chance and used the State Government’s First Home Buyer’s Grant to make up part of their deposit.
With a young daughter, Penelope, coming up on her second birthday, the decision to put down roots was an easy one to make.
John: “We love it. Seriously, we’ve had the opportunity to move back to Melbourne, but this is where we want to be. The fact it takes me seven minutes to get from my doorstep to work, it’s unbelievable.”
Chelsea quickly made friends with other young mums in the area, and John joined a local cricket club. The pair have immersed themselves in the community.
Their new four-bedroom home, built by SouthernVale Homes, is due to be completed in October. They couldn’t have been happier with the build so far.
Chelsea: “We looked at all the display homes along Sanctuary Drive in Kialla Lakes and the SouthernVale home was our favourite. We actually found the house we wanted first and the block later.
“The builder has encouraged us to ask lots of questions. We haven’t felt we were pushed in any direction. At times we’ve said: This is what we want and this is our budget, and they’ve managed to find a way to make it work. It’s been wonderful.”
Compared to their previous lives in Melbourne, the couple couldn’t be more comfortable living regionally in the Goulburn Valley.
Gesturing to the space around her new family home, Chelsea said, “It’s not so rushed; everything is not tense. You can breathe here.”
