Mooroolbark's houses
Dairy land turned suburb
Victorian Places says settlement in Mooroolbark didn't speed up until after the war. In the 1960s the small dairy farmers sold up for housing, and by 1970 about 9000 people lived here. Some pockets in the east and south-east were still undeveloped in the late 2000s.
Nearly all houses
95.4% of homes were separate houses in 2021 and only 0.2% flats. 49.7% had three bedrooms and 38.7% four or more.
Mostly owned
46.2% of homes were owned with a mortgage and 31.8% outright. 20.4% were rented.
A heritage corner
At Bickleigh Vale, Edna Walling's landscape design led to a subdivision of 15 houses being heritage-listed. If your home is one of them, check what the listing allows before any outdoor work.
Gas, electric, or a bit of both?
Keeping gas. The Victorian Government's 2025 gas reforms didn't change heating for owner occupiers, so a working gas heater can stay. Keep it safe with a gasfitter service at least every two years.
Going electric. Ducted reverse cycle heats and cools the whole house from one system. The ACT Government says reverse cycle has much lower running costs than gas heating, though you'll need new ducts: gas ducts are too narrow to reuse. Our gas to electric page walks through the switch.
Both. Keep the gas ducted heater for winter and add a split system in the living room for summer and the in-between months. It's a common Melbourne setup: 43% of the Melbourne home owners in a 2021 Victorian Government survey cooled with single-unit reverse cycle air conditioners.
What we'd do
If it were our Mooroolbark house
We wouldn't pull out a gas heater that's working well. We'd service it, add a reverse cycle split in the main living area, and use the split on mild days. When the heater does reach the end, that's the time to price ducted reverse cycle properly against a new gas unit.
Sending a Mooroolbark job
Tell us the job and postcode. Licence-checked installers near Mooroolbark who specialise in that work can see it, and only the one who takes it gets your contact details. Should 48 hours pass with no one near Mooroolbark taking it, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it too.
