I think you are spot on with your observation.
A friend bought there a year ago and is loving it as he has a young family and the place is conducive for that. He has been trying to persuade me to invest there. The average house price in Macleod is $442k but the houses in Springthorpe seem anywhere between $650k to $900k+ !
Since I live in Sydney, that can never be a PPOR, end of story.
Thanks for your input!