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........

© The Age