“We knew Winterfield was a quiet community located close to shops, parks, childcare, and schools, making it the perfect fit for the lifestyle we always wanted. Upon visiting we instantly knew it was the community for us. We put down a deposit that day!”
Susma Malakar, future Winterfield resident
It was love at first sight for new residents Susma and Biren when they visited Winterfield for the first time.
Susma and Biren migrated to Australia a decade ago, holding the personal dream of independent homeownership. Susma said, “we had a strong desire to have a place to create a family and call our own. We knew Winterfield was a quiet community located close to shops, parks, childcare, and schools making it the perfect fit for the lifestyle we always wanted. Upon visiting, we instantly knew it was the community for us. We put down a deposit that day!”
Established in Winter Valley near flourishing Ballarat, Winterfield offers a vibrant lifestyle to over 700 families who now call the community home. The estate is spread across 1,320,000sqm including a 17,400sqm public park with a large modern playground, a 3,543sqm oval, sheltered BBQ and toilet facilities, 50,000sqm of wetlands and a creek reserve.
In a few short years the estate and its surrounds will also enjoy a new Catholic school on a 35,000sqm parcel of land and a future government primary and secondary schools on a nearby 100,000sqm site.
“Getting the indoor-outdoor living component right was an important part of our Winterfield buying decision,” said Biren. “We choose a big block to provide a good balance between outdoor space with a backyard we could call our own, and a spacious indoor living area capable of hosting a busy kitchen and large pantry. It wasn’t an easy choice, but we think we got it right in the end.”
“We also had to make some tough decisions, deciding how to achieve our new home’s energy efficiency rating,” added Susma. “Choices about insulation, glazed windows, and zone heating and cooling each improved our energy rating and lowered our power bills, but with a higher upfront cost. It was a really tough decision. In the end, we followed the advice of our builder, JG King, and opted to invest upfront to keep our living expenses low. Now that we have lived through a winter in our new home, we are delighted with how things have worked out.”
With Susma and Biren living happily in their own space, their focus has shifted to putting their personal touch on their new home. Susma said, “there are so many choices, such as furniture and appliances. We are excited to be creating our own space and starting a new chapter.”
Susma and Biren didn’t have permanent residency meaning they faced additional challenges entering the Victorian housing market. “We needed to do a lot of research on the local market and ownership rules, but we were lucky as the local Goldfields’ team was on hand to guide us through the process.”
Like many new residents, Susma and Biren are thrilled to be living in their new home. Life has become much easier being a two-minute drive from the Delacombe Town Centre and a ten-minute drive from Ballarat’s CBD. In their own words, “we had to be close to local amenity and our home had to suit our living standards and expectations. At Winterfield, we’ve got just that!”
Goldfields is delighted that Susma and Biren’s homeownership journey has worked out as they’d hoped. As Winterfield continues to develop and grow, we hope many other aspirational homeowners will join them.