Cooke's perfect place to call home
Retirees Maggie and Geoff Cooke can’t wait for the move into their new house at Parkindula in Bluestone – scheduled by builder Fairmont Homes for May 2018 – and to making it their “forever home”.
And it’s about time. It will be the couple’s sixth home including one live-in ‘reno’ and four previous new house builds … over 42 years!
After downsizing twice, former University Library Officer Maggie and Licensed Land Surveyor Geoff had been finding things a bit cramped in their busy retirements and started thinking about building again.
But Maggie had two conditions – she wanted a flat block which didn’t need the extensive retaining common in hills areas, as well as no gum trees.
They’d looked at lots of estates and had registered their interest at Bluestone but hadn’t found a block which fitted the bill. But one day while talking on the phone to Sales Consultant, Vicki McRae, a message flashed up on Maggie’s computer: “flat blocks at Bluestone”. Within 24-hours they’d arranged with Vicki to meet at the site and found the block that fitted all their criteria.
“The entrance to the estate is quite beautiful and that’s now being continued down through to the area around the historic homestead, which Peet is restoring. They are putting in tennis courts and picnic areas. It’s going to be quite spectacular when it’s all finished. And the area just keeps growing and growing.
“We love to walk our dogs. It was one of the reasons we were attracted to Parkindula. There are lots of great walking trails and there’s also a dog park not too far away. Our puppy Harper loves to socialise with all the other dogs in the park and with flat areas to walk, including the Tallinga wetlands, it is a lot easier for our old girl Willow.”
“We are going to end up with a big home and quite a small garden. We’re having four bedrooms and two living rooms. There’s 280 square metres of living area on 540 square metres of land.”
The extra bedrooms will be pressed into use when their son and his partner, and daughter and her husband, visit from New Zealand and Victoria, respectively.
“We think this will be our ‘forever home’ – our son keeps saying it will be. But we said that about the last one!” said Maggie, chuckling and with tongue-in-cheek….