The then Epping resident had been looking for a property since May but found most of the suburbs in her area out of her price range.

"Dad always said, 'Buy a house'. I looked in every suburb you can think of and the median price was around $400,000."

A friend suggested she consider Melton as an option and she was sold almost immediately.

Ms Madzar said she was surprised to learn that Melton was closer by train to the city than where she had lived in Epping.

"I had a look on the internet and couldn't believe the prices.

"Then I came for a drive out here and had lunch and found the people were really friendly."

And what about Melton's sometimes less-than-glamorous reputation?

In Epping, she had seen drug raids at her neighbour's, had put up with incessant traffic outside her home and pollution from living near an industrial estate.

"I've never had such a quiet sleep," she said, remembering her first night in her new home.

Over the past few weeks, the Express Telegraph has chronicled the shire's rapid population growth and increasingly multicultural make-up.

But much of the growth, regardless of ethnic origin, is being fuelled by affordable housing.

State Government data shows 1328 buyers in the Burnside, Deer Park and Caroline Springs areas were given first-home owner grants. A further 571 grants were for buyers in Melton township.

Phil Hickmott, of Woods Real Estate, said Melton was beginning to "stand on its own two feet" as a market for all types of home buyers, with only a minority of sales since September going to first-home buyers.

Mr Hickmott said the agency had sold up to 470 blocks at Botanica Springs since last May.

He said first-home buyer numbers had dropped but Melton remained attractive to other buyers because of its proximity to the city and affordable land.