In the City of Brimbank, the middle-ring suburb 17km west of Melbourne’s CBD, is rich in history and diversity.

Originally called Kororoit Creek after the waterway flowing through it, it was renamed Deer Park in 1889 when the Melbourne Hunt Club used the area for its stock of game deer.

The original Hunt Club building still stands on Ballarat Road, next to the Deer Park sports oval, and is now called the Hunt Club Community and Arts Centre.

Deer Park was the site of Melbourne's first explosives factory in the 1870s, which grew to become one of the largest explosives, chemical and plastics manufacturers in Australia.

In the 1920s, homes were built for factory workers and the area developed from a rural village to an industrial suburb.

The 2016 census recorded a multicultural population of 18,126 in the postcode, including residents of Maltese, Italian, Vietnamese, Spanish and Macedonian descent.

Barry Plant agents say Deer Park is a growing suburb in the west.

“It is becoming more cosmopolitan and people are wanting to stay rather than move as there is everything here at their doorstep,” they said.

“There are new cafes and restaurants starting up on Ballarat Road, and good access to the city, airport, Ballarat, Geelong and beyond.”

The suburb is serviced by an efficient bus network and a train station on the Melton greater-metropolitan line and the Regional Rail Link.

There is a proximity to major arterial roads, including the Western Freeway, Calder Highway, ring road, Ballarat and Station roads, plus the Deer Park Bypass.

“Deer Park has a diversity in housing that caters to all needs and buyers are seeing value in the area and the potential for growth,” Barry Plant agents said.

“Buyers are attracted to its affordability, larger blocks, wider streets and community feel.”

In May 2021, realestate.com.au listed Deer Park as a high-demand market, with 904 visits per property.

Median property prices in the past year ranged from $590,000 for houses to $460,000 for units, perfect for those seeking affordable entry-level accommodation.

Investors will find Deer Park homes lease for about $370 a week and generate an annual yield of 3.3 per cent, while units rent for $358 a week with a rental yield of 4 per cent.

Based on five years of sales, Deer Park has seen a growth rate of 8.4 per cent for houses and 7.3 per cent for units.

In the southern outskirts of the suburb that surrounds Mt Derrimut, farms have been developed into residential estates, including Brimbank Gardens and St Andrews Field.

There are a variety of house types in Deer Park including period homes, older-style brick and weatherboard houses on large blocks, and modern dwellings in new estates.

Families will appreciate the numerous parks, playgrounds, community and childcare centres, two public primary schools, St Peter Chanel Catholic primary school, and Victoria University Secondary College.

The Hunt Club Community and Arts Centre provides creative programs for all ages, pilates and yoga sessions, school holiday programs, art galleries and exhibitions.

Residents have a choice of medical centres and sporting facilities including cricket, tennis clubs and football clubs.

Abundant with native flora and fauna, Kororoit Creek flows on the northern boundary of the suburb, and includes Kororoit Creek Trail with playgrounds and bicycle and walking tracks.

At the corner of Neal and Station roads, Brimbank Shopping Centre offers supermarkets, department stores and food courts, while the nearby Ballarat Road strip has new cafes and restaurants.

The suburb is within a quick drive of Cairnlea and Highpoint shopping centres, while DFO Essendon factory outlet complex is not far away.