Gallo Manor, Sandton

The upmarket northern suburb of Gallo Manor has managed to retain an almost park like atmosphere, attributable in part to the lush lawns, established gardens and tree-lined streets, but also because much of the suburb is cordoned off as a high security area, so there is little traffic using this quiet suburb of Johannesburg as a thoroughfare. It helps that Gallo Manor is bounded by Wendywood, another green suburb, and the Johannesburg Country Club.

It’s no surprise then to learn that homes in Gallo Manor are consistently in demand, whatever the market vagaries. Who wouldn’t want to live in a garden suburb within easy reach of Sandton and with excellent access to major arterial roads? Gallo Manor has been touted as contemporary crossover city / country living and has managed this largely because there are few townhouse and cluster developments and many of the homes here are on sprawling properties.

Fourways, Kyalami, Midrand and the airport are all close enough to reach easily, and there are a number of restaurants and shops nearby. Ten minutes away from Monte Casino and the rather big Fourways Mall, there is plenty to choose from over a weekend or in your leisure time.

From Gallo Manor you also have easy access to get out of the city and away from it all, particularly if you head out towards the Magaliesberg and Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage site where at least seven of thirteen fossil sites have yielded hominid remains making it one of the world’s richest concentrations of fossil hominid-bearing sites. You can view the remains of Mrs Ples at the Sterkfontein caves or visit the Wonder Cave where the enormous chamber is believed to be 2.2 million years old.