A residential block 13.5 km from the CBD for $250,000. Sounds too good to be true? Annoyingly, it's true.
The block is at 12 Duranta Drive, Gowanbrae. It's about 205 m², and the asking price is roughly a quarter of the suburb's median house value, which OnTheHouse put at about $995,000 in August 2026. In a city where "entry level" usually means a long drive and a longer mortgage, that's a number worth reading twice.
The owner did the reading for you. "I priced it at $250,000 and then went looking for anything cheaper inside 15 km," they say. "I could not find a residential block."
It also sits on a rise, and the owner insists the view is great. We'd recommend seeing it for yourself. Owners are rarely neutral about their views, but this one has a hill on their side.
Where exactly is "near"?
In Melbourne property speak, "near the city" can mean anything from a tram ride to a packed lunch. Here it means 13.5 km north-west of the CBD, in a quiet, established pocket of the City of Merri-bek.
Gowanbrae went up mostly through the 1990s and 2000s. The Tullamarine Freeway runs along one side and Moonee Ponds Creek along another. There's a small village shopping strip, Gowanbrae Primary School, and parks and walking paths along the creek, with the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail running right past.
Melbourne Airport is about five minutes away by car, so you could be at the check-in desk before your mate in the outer estates has finished defrosting the windscreen. Westfield Airport West and Essendon Fields are nearby for the weekly shop and everything else.
For the city, the Tullamarine Freeway gives you a direct run. Prefer to leave the car at home? The route 59 tram starts at Westfield Airport West, about 1.5 km from Gowanbrae, and rolls all the way to Flinders Street in about 50 minutes, coffee in hand. Glenroy station on the Craigieburn line is a short drive the other way.
Right, what's the catch?
Fair question. A few honest ones.
It's small. About 205 m², to be confirmed on title. You won't be putting in a tennis court. It's also just land, so you'll need to build, and there's no permit yet. Any build needs City of Merri-bek approval. And the train is a short drive, not a stroll.
That's the list. We looked for a longer one and got bored.
What you could actually build
A block of about 200 m² suits a narrow-lot two-storey home, and Melbourne volume builders publish designs for lots about this size. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a single garage is typical. Plenty of people live in less, and most of them paid more.
Because there's no permit yet, you choose the design. That's the upside of starting from dirt: nobody has picked the tiles for you.
How the numbers stack up
The Victorian First Home Owner Grant offers $10,000 for a new home where land plus build comes to $750,000 or less. With the land at $250,000, a build of up to $500,000 stays under the cap. Check eligibility at sro.vic.gov.au before you start mentally spending it.
Per square metre, this block works out at about $1,220. A 146 m² lot in Footscray is listed at $475,000, about $3,250/m². A 85 m² lot in Yarraville is also $475,000, about $5,590/m². Bigger outer lots, like 130 McIntyre Road, Sunshine North (650 m², $520,000), are cheaper per square metre but cost about twice as much in total, and it's the total your bank tends to care about.
Who this is for
First home buyers who'd like to own something with a Melbourne postcode that doesn't need a GPS to find. Builders and small developers who know their way around a narrow-lot design. Frequent flyers. People who want trails, a school and a freeway on-ramp, and who'd happily trade a big backyard for a short drive to town.
How it compares
| Address | km to CBD | Land | Price from | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Duranta Drive, Gowanbrae VIC 3043 | 13.5 km | about 205 m² | $250,000 | Residential (NRZ1) |
| 5B Betson Court, Kealba VIC 3021 | 14.6 km | n/a | $330,000 | Residential (NRZ1) |
| 18 Urana Avenue, Sunshine North VIC 3020 | 12.4 km | 259 m² | $370,000 | Residential (GRZ1) |
| 5 Jerrold Street, Footscray VIC 3011 | 6.0 km | 146 m² | $475,000 | Residential (GRZ1) |
| 2/1 Thomas Street, Yarraville VIC 3013 | 6.4 km | 85 m² | $475,000 | Residential (GRZ1) |
| 70 Marigold Crescent, Gowanbrae VIC 3043 | 13.6 km | 451 m² | $500,000 | Residential (NRZ1) |
| 130 Mcintyre Road, Sunshine North VIC 3020 | 12.4 km | 650 m² | $520,000 | Residential (GRZ1) |
| 13 Balderrie Court, Gowanbrae VIC 3043 | 13.6 km | n/a | $540,000 | Residential (NRZ1) |
| 3 Mia Court, Sunshine West VIC 3020 | 13.5 km | 629 m² | $540,000 | Residential (NRZ1) |
Residential land only. Source: Homely, 18 September 2026. Zoning for every lot checked against the Victorian Government's planning zone data (Vicmap), 21 September 2026.
Key numbers
The details
- Land size is about 205 m² and is to be confirmed on title.
- There's no permit yet, so you choose the design and apply.
- Any build needs City of Merri-bek approval.
- Grant eligibility is set by the State Revenue Office; check at sro.vic.gov.au.
- Listed with agent Jason Barbara.
- See the listing on realestate.com.au or Allhomes.
How we checked
On 18 September 2026 we searched Homely and ran a general web search for land advertised within 15 km of the CBD. We found only about 20 priced land listings of any kind. No residential block was advertised for less than $250,000. The only priced land under $300,000 was industrial, two lots in Sunshine North, and the next priced residential block was $330,000 in Kealba. Other Gowanbrae lots that day were 70 Marigold Crescent at $500,000 (451 m²) and 13 Balderrie Court at $540,000.
We didn't check realestate.com.au or Domain. Three inner lots had no price listed that day (Preston 259 m², Templestowe Lower 200 m², Kensington 333 m²). Details of other listings come from Homely. The zoning of every lot in the table was checked against the Victorian Government's planning zone data (Vicmap) on 21 September 2026; 12 Duranta Drive is in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, and the two cheaper Sunshine North lots are in the Industrial 3 Zone.
“I would rather it went to someone who will build on it”The owner
So if you've been waiting for Melbourne to cut you a break, this might be it, and the view comes free.
This article is published by the vendor of 12 Duranta Drive, Gowanbrae.
Published by the vendor. Details and enquiries: https://12durantadrive.com/
*Based on all residential blocks advertised with a price on Homely, plus a general web search, within 15 km of Melbourne's CBD on 18 September 2026. 12 Duranta Drive was the lowest priced. The next lowest was $330,000-$360,000 (Kealba, 14.6 km). The only cheaper land inside 15 km was unserviced industrial land in Sunshine North, which is not residential. realestate.com.au and Domain were not included. Three small lots inside 15 km showed no price and could not be compared.