We came to Marysville to work for ourselves, and to escape the rat-race of Melbourne.

With two small children it was very difficult being in the city, working the long hours that the hospitality industry requires. We figured that by doing something for ourselves we could put our boys first and make our own rules. This has certainly been the case – it was the best decision we could have made.

The Marysville Patisserie has always been a family business, with all products made on the premises. Both Christine and I are qualified chefs, with Christine being the business’ pastry chef. We are fully licensed and open Wednesday to Sunday, doing morning and afternoon teas, lunches and dinners. We also make our own gourmet fudge and gelato.

We originally established Marysville Patisserie in 2002 in a rented shop on Murchison Street. The business started off very well and grew very quickly. After the first twelve months we realised that in order for the business to keep growing we would need a larger space. We bought the land on Falls Road and built our dream project – a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home above the restaurant. By 2005 and we had everything we’d ever dreamed about: a great business and a family home; and living upstairs meant that we could work and look after our two boys at the same time.

During and after the 2009 fires, the community united.

It was a great help being part of a large “family” that understood how we were feeling. Community spirit was, and continues to, be fantastic. It has helped us to recover quickly and move forward with our lives. It’s always good seeing a friendly face or talking to someone who understands.

Marysville is a great place to live and bring up a family. It has a great community, and plenty of space for kids to play and run outside without the dangers of the city or the suburbs. The park, lake and walking tracks are all fantastic. Our favorite thing to do here is going for walks after a long day’s work. It’s always a good way to clear the mind. The schools are great, with small class sizes and teachers that know the kids personalities, not just their names. Being only an hour and half drive away from Melbourne means it’s very accessible if you need to shop or travel to the city for any reason.

Visitors should be flocking to the area right now.

The rivers are running fast and are full of trout. The golf course is looking fantastic, all the walking tracks have been made wider and redone with fresh gravel, and we have wild flowers in abundance because of the added sun light reaching to the ground. The regrowth on the trees is great, Lake Mountain has been developed and there are a lot of activities going on there. We have a new primary school with all the best technology and less than fifty students, and a fantastic community centre with gym and doctors rooms. There are so many things for the kids to do in the park, there are bike tracks, the skate park, fishing, football and cricket clubs for all age groups. There are also guilds, Lions Clubs, and even a “men’s shed” to name only some of the things happening in the area.

Marysville has a bright future and has developed enormously since 2009. It is progressing fast, and in a couple more years I feel it will become the top tourist destination it deserves to be. We are very confident that the town will continue to grow and prosper, with so much to offer and even more things coming in the next year or two. You won’t want to miss out.

Marysville – Wish You Were Here

For more information: http://www.marysvillepatisserie.com.au/