My suburb makes some people panic, but it’s a case of mistaken identity

2 days ago 4

Opinion

December 8, 2025 — 7.00pm

OK, I know what you’re thinking. You’re a bit concerned. You took a wrong turn off the Tulla freeway on the way to the airport, and now you’re lost. You think you might be in Broadmeadows, and its reputation has you nervously looking for knives.

Up there is a sign, and it says Westmeadows Village. Huh? You’ve never heard of this place. And what’s with calling it a village? Are the locals trying to get fancy? But wait, as you drive around, trying to escape, you start to see what you’ve stumbled into.

You cross a lovely old bluestone bridge, dating to 1869 (although it replaced a much earlier one at this spot). The bridge spans Moonee Ponds Creek, burbling along below. A creek running through the town? With a sign that warns drivers to watch out for the resident ducks? That’s pretty cute, you have to admit. Hmmm. It’s kinda nice here, actually.

You admire the church that’s older than the state of Victoria, and the Old Coach House from an era when horse-drawn carriage journeys were a key form of transport, not just for recent eHarmony match-ups. There’s even the rare sight of an old bluestone lock-up.

As a country boy, I’d driven past the Westmeadows oval on Mickleham Road many times as I headed into the city, but didn’t know anything about the suburb. It was only after I’d moved to the big smoke that I realised I wanted to settle somewhere with a bush feel, and found it here. Only about 20 kilometres from Bourke Street, yet with plenty of country charm, it’s a hidden gem, Westy, and I feel fortunate to have uncovered it.

One of the things they often say to you when you join the constabulary is that you shouldn’t live where you work, but I disregarded that advice. I even discovered my forever home thanks to some local hoons. One of the few elements disturbing the serenity in Westmeadows, annoying many locals, according to surveys, is the number of illegal dirt bike riders buzzing around.

Yet one day, I followed a couple of them into a spot I’d never been before, and was struck, fortunately not by the motorcyclists, but by how pretty this part of Westmeadows was. Eventually, I found a house on that same street. Thanks, hoons!

With not one, but two dog-paddle-sized creeks meeting in the town, and eight footbridges, Westy is perfect for dog walking. My wife, my dog Nala and I – not always in that order – are frequent walkers, sometimes pausing to admire one of the two fabulous fairy gardens in local parks, or the community indigenous garden, and often meeting other pooches and their pawrents on the way.

Yuroke Creek trickles down from Attwood – which I consider to be part of Westmeadows, as they seamlessly melt together – but offers such a sublime setting that it apparently has the highest home retention rates in Melbourne.

You can follow the Moonee Ponds Creek path all the way into nearby Woodlands Park. There’s even a secret swimming spot, a location known only to locals. How country is that! On this path, you can see all kinds of beautiful birds, echidnas, a snake or two and, of course, resident roos (real ones) and roos (painted on the Qantas aircraft at the airport).

The aircraft, like the birds, fly very low as they come in to land; it’s easy to see the livery and imagine where they have come from, but the noise doesn’t bother us in Westmeadows as the flight paths are not directly overhead. The flocks of cockies make a greater racket!

The east-west flight path travels over vacant reserved land just to our north, clipping over the north-east tip of our suburb that is Broadmeadows Valley Park and a collection of sporting fields and dog parks. With the airport’s third runway planned to begin operations in 2031, the impact may change, although it’s expected that most of that noise will be elsewhere. Locals seem more concerned about the prospect of a new airport motel adding to the traffic on Mickleham Road.

Back in the centre of Westmeadows, a different kind of watering hole can be found at Westmeadows Tavern. Yeah, it’s gone modern with gaming machines and a bistro, but it still has the public bar, the kind where people sometimes spill out onto the footpath, and they sometimes also spill their beer on my dog as we walk past. That’s OK, Nala likes beer.

Industry bypassed Westmeadows back in the day, and it now has no tram or train, no secondary school and a grand total of just 25 shops in the shopping strip. Some may lament the absence of more amenities, and curse the sheer craziness of Mick Road, which bisects the suburb.

But in this case, less is more. It has the modern needs covered – takeaway food, a chemist, doctor’s clinic, mechanic, cafe, a community op-shop and even an award-winning pasta retailer. Yes, there’s a pasta shop here, that makes its own champion linguine. Maybe that’s why so many people are out walking dogs at any given time – to burn off the carbs.

As a local copper, I was exposed to the underbelly of the northern suburbs, but as far as local knowledge goes, I have nothing on a former local mayor who has lived in my street since the land my house was built on was occupied by cows. He claims the credit for adding “village” to “Westmeadows”. He suggested it to the council a few years ago because in his eyes, the original “old town” retained that village feel, as opposed to other suburbs around it and even to the newer sections of Westmeadows. Whether he’s responsible or not, Hume Council erected signs that announce that you’re entering Westmeadows Village, and I love that.

These are the features that say that this is not just another suburb. It’s people with a sense of connection. I intend never to leave. I have a plan to be laid to rest, well away from the favoured runs of the motorcyclist hoons, under the biggest tree along the creek, if I (well, my kids) can get away with it. A perfect, peaceful spot, just like the suburb itself.

Jason Doyle is a retired police officer who lives in Westmeadows.