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Social issues have bubbled away over the years, mainly petty crime. Recent incidents at the railway station, involving assaults and violence with machetes, are creating an atmosphere of fear and disorder, some residents say.
The police conduct regular patrols. Top of the offence list in Cardinia Shire is theft from motor vehicles, but the crime rate is lower than the Victorian average. Sure, we have issues like most places, but I feel the general population of Pakenham is not impacted unduly.
The stereotype that we are all bogans is annoying. If it were ever true, I don’t believe it is now. I’m proud of our town. To me, it still feels similar to the country town of old, with welcoming friendly folk. When shopping, I regularly bump into people I know, some from my years as a teacher in the area.
Our township, arguably the suburb that is furthest from CBD since becoming part of Melbourne in 2016, has blossomed into a haven for young families drawn by the cheaper land and rents. According to the most recent census, people with countries of birth other than Australia, are India (6 per cent), England (3.2 per cent) and Sri Lanka (2 per cent). We have modern sporting facilities. Cardinia Life – a leisure facility in the Lakeside precinct – has pools, basketball courts and a gym. At times, when all the vehicles overflow the car park, it seems a little too beloved.
Access to parks and bush areas with walking and cycling trails are a valued feature of Pakenham. Ollie, our dog, loves her walks along the Toomuc Valley Road trail with the smells left by horses, kangaroos and wombats, as well as other dogs. Lakes, sea and bush are all within an hour. Where I live, ten minutes from the town centre, we see kangaroos daily, occasional wombats, echidnas, deer (a feral pest), and assorted native birds and smaller animals. The kookaburras peer down from the grandkids’ basketball ring like judges passing a verdict on our misdemeanours. The magpie family, which bagged our property as theirs, sees off anyone or anything intruding on their domain, including the kookaburras. We are tolerated as the keepers of their territory. King parrots frequently fly onto our verandah to check if I’ll feed them, but I won’t.
Pakenham was the end of the Metro railway line, but that’s now the new Pakenham East station, which opened last year. The line is the city’s longest metropolitan railway track at almost 60 kilometres. The somewhat remote station is a sign of changes to come. Freeways have been a game-changer. Off-peak, we can drive to the city in under an hour. During peak hours, the Monash Freeway is a war zone, and it takes much longer.
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For many Pakenhamites, one of the highlights of the suburb is the Lakeside development, with its walking path around the beautiful man-made lake, officially named Lakeside Pakenham Lake. New broods of swans, ducks and other waterfowl emerge from the reed beds each spring. It’s even big enough for a sailing club.
Among the advantages of all the space here are the possibilities. We’re hopeful a long-planned FIA Grade 2 racetrack and motor sport facility could be built on a 65-hectare site in the suburb’s south. Reports suggest that part of the benefit would be to reduce hoon driving, which is occasionally a problem at night in the new factory areas.
Schools are prolific, both public and private. But even out here on Melbourne’s fringes, traffic can be a problem with all those parents causing significant congestion at drop-off and pick-up, leaving parents cranky.
I never feel the need to travel out of Pakenham to dine, including first-class food at Shanikas. But should you want more choice, I’d recommend Jason’s in Upper Beaconsfield, and the two-hatted O.My in Beaconsfield, last year’s restaurant of the year.
My suburb is exploding with people, but I love its history, fresh air and peaceful, semi-rural life. The judgment by some that we’re all bogans shows their limited viewpoint of the diversity of cultures, interests and lifestyles of the people here. As an ex-city-slicker, farmer and now retired teacher, I couldn’t have known years ago when I stood beside my broken-down car that those faint lights in the distance would become the heart of my home town.
Kate Feher is a resident of Pakenham.
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