Admiring glossy renders is a familiar ritual of buying off the plan. They show mature trees, immaculate gardens and people strolling through an upscale neighbourhood that may still be years away. Walk through Moonee Valley Park, however, and many of its original renders have come to life.
Part of the redevelopment of the 40-hectare Moonee Valley Racecourse site, Moonee Valley Park was launching in 2019 an a “neighbourhood within a park”, with about half the site devoted to green space and living landscapes.
Five residential stages comprising 479 homes have since been delivered Residents have moved in, gardens are maturing, and parklands, hospitality venues and landscaped pedestrian connections are in use.
That gives the next wave of buyers something unusual in an off-the-plan purchase: a neighborhood they can explore before their own home is built.
It is particularly relevant to The Eveline, the next major residential stage of the $3.7 billion development. Its 396 apartments are yet to be built, but prospective purchasers can already see how the broader vision is taking shape.
For Hamton development director Simon Lewin, that changes the equation for buyers.
“Buying off the plan has always come with a degree of uncertainty about what you’re actually going to receive,” he says. “At Moonee Valley Park, you can experience it.”
A track record buyers can see
Developed by Hamton, now celebrating 20 years in Melbourne, in joint venture with Hostplus and in partnership with Moonee Valley Racing Club, the precinct sits about six kilometers from the CBD.
“In this volatile market, a lot of projects stay in limbo and don’t proceed,” Lewin says. Whereas prospective purchasers at MVP can visit the site and see first-hand what we deliver. That gives buyers greater certainty, confidence and comfort.”
Many buyers already know the area well. Lewin says many of our buyers are local, coming from neighbouring suburbs. They already have a strong affinity with the area and want to remain part of the community they know and love.
Hamton has gone a step further for buyers of The Eveline, creating a fully fitted-out apartments in the development’s finishes within the already delivered Trackside House. Here, eligible purchasers can stay overnight, experience the amenities and get a genuine feel for life at Moonee Valley Park
A landscape already taking root
Perhaps the clearest evidence of the master plan taking hold is outside the buildings.
As one of the first EnviroDevelopment Excellence and Nature Based Cities accredited project, Moonee Valley Park sets a higher benchmark for nature-led design.
Tract director and landscape architect Janis Fischer has worked across Moonee Valley Park and says The Eveline will arrive in a substantially established setting.
“It’s like moving into an established neighbourhood,” she says. “You can walk around the precinct, and see what the neighbourhood looks like now, and easily imagine what it’s going to look like in another couple of years.”
The 5000-square-metre Tote Park was delivered in 2020, before the first residents moved in, with rolling lawns, meandering gardens and a nature playground. Maple Walk connects Thomas Street with Tote Park, while Stonepine Square immediately north of The Eveline, is anchored by mature heritage trees.
Tract has used advanced trees, green facades and planting tailored to the soil volumes, irrigation requirements and microclimate conditions. Its long involvement has allowed the landscape strategy to respond to lessons from earlier stages.
“Being on this project long terms means we can look at the early stages, see what’s working and, if something’s not working, adapt for the future stages,” Fischer says.
Lessons from earlier stages
Lewing describes a similar feedback loop on the residential side. Earlier stages have helped Hamton refine apartment sizes, product mix and communal facilities, while downsizers have reinforced the importance of generous living spaces without the upkeep
“A lot of our buyers are downsizers and want the room without the maintenance,” he says.
That experience has influenced The Eveline‘s 396 residences – 243 in Eveline East and 153 in Eveline West – and its shared amenities.
Lewin says experience from an earlier stage showed that a larger, 25-metre lap pool would better serve residents swimming for exercise and recreation.
Other amenities include covered entry and double-height lobby with a residents’ lounge, gym and yoga room, sauna and steam room, co-working areas and rooftop spaces with private dining rooms, a shared kitchen, spa and community vegetable garden
The emphasis, Lewin says, is on how residents will use the facilities. Co-working areas respond to demand for quiet places outside the apartment, while larger terraces extend living spaces outdoors.
A new outlook on the racecourse
The Eveline also marks a significant transition for Moonee Valley Park.
Designed by Cera Stribley, it is the first residential development on the former grandstand site and has a closer relationship with the track than earlier stages. Its curved architecture, cascading greenery and interiors draw on biophilic principles.
The removal of the grandstand has opened the site visually, Lewin says, while a new underpass connects towards the racecourse infield.
Track-facing apartments will look across the racecourse towards Melbourne’s skyline, while west-facing homes will capture sunsets over Moonee Ponds. Others overlook Stonepine Square, Maple Walk, Tote Park and internal gardens.
The gardens have been designed for long-term resilience. The buildings create different pockets of sun, shade, wind and reflected heat at ground level, so plants have been selected for the conditions around each building. A diverse plant palette will also help the landscape withstand increasingly extreme summers.
An established, evolving community
Much of Moonee Valley Park’s privately owned landscape is publicly accessible, allowing people to move through areas such as Maple Walk rather than creating a gated enclave.
Cars are largely kept below ground, giving priority to pedestrians, planting and open space. Homes are connected to parks, hospitality, future retail and surrounding services of Moonee Ponds.
For Lewin, that distinguishes The Eveline from a standalone apartment project.
“A master-planned community can often leave purchasers feeling like they’re moving into a construction site,” he says “At Moonee Valley Park, you’re moving into an established community with completed homes, public spaces and amenities already in place.”
Construction is scheduled to begin Q4 this year, with completion expected in the third quarter of 2029.
For buyers deciding today, the most persuasive part of the master plan may be what is already there: occupied homes, established gardens and a community taking shape
Article featured on Domain.com.au.
