There’s more to life than money but isn’t it wonderful to see that Macarthur property prices are no longer the also rans of the Sydney metropolitan area.
And what’s more local people aren’t straying too far when they decide to buy their second or third home.
Some of us are moving from Campbelltown to Elderslie or South Camden and people from Narellan and Mt Annan are moving on to Harrington Grove, Oran Park and Gregory Hills.
Some of us even seek out the semi rural ambience of Picton and other parts of Wollondilly.
And everyone from Liverpool is moving to Macarthur.
But it’s not just about the property prices going up.
Ten years ago a lot of people were leaving the district and moving somewhere else for a number of reasons.
One of them was crime, from car theft to burglary and some of our fellow residents just couldn’t take it anymore.
I remember walking onto the station platform at Leumeah one morning and this woman almost knocking me over because she was talking on her mobile.
When I looked at her face I could see that she was crying and was really emotional, so being a curious journalist I asked her what’s wrong.
I am just fed up, she said.
I’ve just had a brick smashed through a window in my car again. This is the third time and I am packing up our family and moving out of Campbelltown. I’ve had enough, she said before storming out.
Never saw the woman again but there’s no doubt things have changed since then, especially in the past three to four years.
I am sure some locals still leave to go somewhere else, especially if they want to be nearer where the jobs are.
But that’s the next area where we are going to see some huge improvements in Macarthur.
It’s already happening in places like Gregory Hills, where, for example Clintons are building a massive new complex for their Toyota and Lexus range.
If you want to see the massive activity around the region there’s no better place to start than Gregory Hills – where we all have to go these days to renew our rego and driver’s licence.
A huge business park planned for Campbelltown on the western side of the railway line will be a game changer.
And there’s talk council may even consider building a civic centre there as well.
The biggie of all of the game changers is going to be the airport at Badgerys Creek, which will be the catalyst for the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs.
Local jobs, no more than 30 minutes away by bus, car or train.
Make no mistake, the Macarthur area and the south west region of Sydney are the flavour of the month.
After decades of neglect, it’s about time.
