Dear Woodlands 6018,
It’s no secret that I love you, Woodlands. We’ve known each other our entire lives. You’re the freckle on the face in the City of Stirling. The suburb that no one knows of until you mention that its next to Innaloo Shopping Centre. The one whose streets are lined with peppermint trees etched with the initials of Year 7 relationships that they were convinced would last forever.
Woodlands, you’re safe, you’re reliable and you’re quiet. The slow, sleepy neighbourhood of the northern suburbs. You’re everything the ideal suburb should be. The kind of suburb where the garden snails aren’t afraid to crawl across driveways because not many cars ever pass through here. The suburb whose letterboxes are always littered with pamphlets from local real estate agents and reminders about an upcoming garage sale. The one where putting the bins out turns into the weekly catch up with the neighbours.
Although some might say you don’t have much in the way of substance, I tend to disagree. You’re home to the best fish and chips shop I’ll ever know, and no one can convince me otherwise. At the heart of you lies Jackaddar Lake. The place of many picnics with old primary school friends, after school walks home and retirees sailing their boats in the water. The fact that I know most of the people who live in the entire suburb I think speaks for itself.
I love you Woodlands because you’re not complicated. You never try to be something you’re not.
I also want to let you know that although I hope to move away sometime, I’ll always remember you.
With love,
Sophie from Castle Road.