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The cache was priceless. Officially, I was a resident of plain-jane Point Cook, but my letters and parcels marked me a proud inhabitant of the refined community of Sanctuary Lakes. Personal key cards granted us free gym, pool, golf, tennis, and 24/7 security. I was kayaking with the swans at sunset and looking down my nose at outsiders, realising I’d found myself inside yet another gated realm.

My builder mates referred to Sanctuary Lakes as Legoland and, to be fair, it does have a very Truman Show vibe to it, with its lack of established trees, stringent rules around bins and landscaping, and the dully cosmetic houses themselves, all pale and emptily beaming like Stepford Wives.

But the sunsets are gorgeous, with fiery pastels spreading across the softly rippling lake, itself dotted with random pelicans and stand-up paddleboarders, all of it sharply accented by the occasional roar of resident Lamborghinis, while the speed limit mafia mums watch censoriously from their windows.

As Point Cook grew, we did too, gaining friendly new neighbours from around the world and two new Asian supermarkets. With such a large population, Point Cook has attracted all kinds of titles, including a recent claim to be the mum capital of Australia.

But perhaps most deserving is its title as the most multicultural suburb in Australia. Point Cook leads the nation in diversity, with residents from 146 different countries, including at least 20 people from 86 countries, and the greatest range of languages spoken at home (83). Seventy per cent of Point Cookians have both parents born overseas.

With several shopping centres, 12 schools and endless sporting clubs, everyone in this rapidly multiplying kingdom is catered for, even though getting in and out of the eastern edge of the suburb through the single-lane Point Cook Road remains an absolute horror show during peak hour. Public transport has never been superb here and life remains difficult without a car. Buses are sporadic, and Williams Landing train station on the other side of the freeway feels ages away.

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When needing a break, my favourite escape has always been the salt flats and adjacent Cheetham Wetlands across Skeleton Creek in Altona Meadows. Born from the Victorian government’s purchase of the Cheetham Saltworks that operated here from 1924 to 1990, the wetlands dominate the coastline and provide a vital habitat and conservation area for more than 200 bird species. I’ve found myself regularly walking its hard-packed salt pans at dusk, tracing the vast deserted coastline as the city glittered across the bay and seabirds screeched above.

But the true avian stars of Point Cook are Sanctuary Lakes’ swans, showing up regularly to snap up the frozen peas or grass I fed them from my backyard. Swans are confounding creatures. Both vicious and graceful, they have an imperious air, yet they’re also loveable goofballs.

They were my favourite thing about Point Cook before I left the island and moved interstate during the COVID years. Now back in Melbourne, I’m drawn back to my old suburb. While Sanctuary Lakes’ body corporate fees might keep me out of Legoland, I won’t forget the sight of those swans in full flight, wide wings kissing the ripples of the late afternoon tide, before rising slowly into another gorgeous suburban dusk.

David Goodwin is a freelance writer. His debut memoir is Servo, published by Hachette.

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