MELISSA MONTGOMERY lives in one of the last remaining original houses in One Tree Hill, with husband Scotty and their three children, Carter and Cleo (8), and Matilda (6). They’ve loved it, but now they have to move out! We get to have a look around it, and ask them about their journey here, the neighbourhood and their Singapore recommendations!
What brought you to Singapore?
My Kiwi boyfriend was living here in 2014 and I was commuting from Perth where we originally met. Twelve months later, we surprised ourselves and found we were expecting twins, so I relocated to Singapore in 2015 and we were married by the Swan Lake in the Botanic Gardens. We celebrated with a big party with our friends from around the globe in Bali.
We now have three gorgeous children who’ve had a wonderful opportunity growing up here in the tropics, and we’ve been so lucky to make lifelong expat friends in Singapore.
Where did you first live when you came?
Scotty had a bachelor pad above a mall in Novena, which he loved. When I moved up, we found a gorgeous boutique apartment in Robertson Quay, called Robertson Blue, which worked out quite well pushing a double buggy up and down the river. It was easy and peaceful, with lots of cafés to meet up with other mamas – and sometimes up to 15 prams parked up at the one place!
You then moved to this One Tree Hill house – tell us about it.
It’s an original semi-detached, built around the 1970s, I would guess. We have eight different types of green vintage tiles throughout! The house was mid-reno when we negotiated our lease. It was very basic and I must admit I couldn’t imagine the potential, but lucky my husband could and we were able to turn it into a home.
There was only dead grass when we moved in, so we were so grateful to inherit three lorry trucks of plants from a deceased estate. Before we knew it, the garden was thriving with all the rain in Singapore. Gardens really do make a home. We’ve planted eight coconuts over the years and three of the coconut palms are now over six metres tall.
What have been your best furniture or home décor buys?
During lockdown, we found it really challenging not having a pool. So I bought a large 24-foot Intex pool online. The plastic was rather hideous to look at, so we used packing pallets to frame it in and painted the frame white. As much as my husband will never admit it, it’s been the best investment and still going strong today.
Anything you could have done differently with buying home décor?
I’m always on Carousell scrolling for second-hand gems. We moved to Singapore with two suitcases and our entire house is filled with second-hand furniture. Expats move here from all over the world and then offload some stunning furniture they no longer want or need. We scored a heavy, reclaimed wood coffee table from an Amsterdam rail line; a stunning solid round dining table from our friends who moved here from California; a beautiful marble island bench from the old Turf City junkyard; and a cane outdoor settee from an Indian family. Honestly, if we had a bigger house and if my husband would let me, I would have filled five homes with furniture by now. I love being able to repurpose furniture with lots of character and give it a new life.
What do you enjoy about One Tree Hill?
One Tree Hill has a great community! Halloween last year involved 22 homes in our area. We often have the neighbourhood children playing in our garden – they all come over to jump on the trampoline, swim in the pool, kick the ball or play games on the front lawn. Friends will often drop in for a glass of rosé on a Sunday afternoon if they’re walking past with their dog. It’s a really great network and community. The dads will regularly play tennis together on Saturday at one of the condos, and we all hang by the pool afterwards with the children.
But now you have to move, right?
Yes, our landlord just told us he is moving back in. After six years in this house and eight years in the neighbourhood we have no idea where we will end up; we’re trying to keep an open mind but we love One Tree Hill so much, it’s very central and the children love riding to school nearby.
Favourite thing about living in Singapore?
I love our expat friends and community – they really do become your family when you’re so far from your own. We also love the travel. It’s hard to travel back to our favourite places when there are so many undiscovered places in the region to explore.
Any advice for newcomers?
Expat life is so fun, but you have to put yourself out there and get involved when you arrive. I was pregnant when I moved here, so I joined lots of mum groups to meet people. We’ve since met a lot of great friends through sports clubs as well as the children’s school. We’re quite social and love meeting new people. If you don’t have children, think of something you love and join a group – it could be sports, art, wine or mahjong.
Any regional trips on your bucket list?
We love the untouched island of South Lombok with beautiful surf beaches and laidback lifestyle. The food, people, colonial architecture, climate and culture in Sri Lanka and Vietnam are also our favourites. We would love to do the Mekong River in Laos and explore Cambodia, while a trek in Nepal and a Japan visit are also high on the list.
What about further afield?
We won a trip to a Kenyan beach house in an auction, and we’re dying to find time to get to it!
Melissa’s Singapore Recommendations
Furniture & Décor
- Badger & Fox | badgerandfoxsingapore.com
- Bungalow 55 | thebungalow55.com
- Carousell (“for second-hand finds and international treasures from locals and expats!”) | carousell.sg
- Fairy Floral | IG: @fairyfloral_official
- Hotlotz | hotlotz.com
- LottieisLoving | lottieisloving.com
- The Jungle Emporium jungle-emporium.com
School
- Invictus at Dempsey Hill | invictus.edu.sg
Doctors & Dentists
- DTAP Clinic @ Robertson | dtapclinic.com
- Azure Dental, Bukit Timah | azuredental.com.sg
Hair & Fashion
- Love Hair | lovehairsg.com
- Mokum Hair | IG: @mokum.hair
- Badger & Fox | badgerandfoxsingapore.com
- Far East Plaza | fareastplaza.com.sg
Restaurants, Cafés & Bars
- Guzman Y Gomez (“it’s hard to beat on a Friday night after the Somerset Skate Park with the kiddies”) | gyg.com.sg
- Spago Bar & Lounge (“for a rooftop cocktail for out-of-town visitors” marinabaysands.com/restaurants/spagobar-and-lounge
- Culina Bistro (“for Sydney rock oysters with a glass of Chablis”) | culina.com/culina-bistro
- Big Wine Freaks (“great DJ and vibe”) bigwinefreaks.sg
Airlines & Hotels
- Scoot | flyscoot.com
- Capella Singapore (“for a luxury stay for a special occasion”) | capellahotels.com
- Palm Garden Resort Hoi An | palmgardenresort.com.vn
- Selong Selo, Lombok | selongselo.com
- Nikoi | nikoi.com
Things to Do in Singapore
- “Sentosa Beach is hard to beat! We do ANZA Nippers every Sunday morning – toes in the sand is a key relaxant. I also love strolling through the Botanic Gardens to see what plants would grow well in my garden, and collecting cuttings on neighbourhood walks to propagate at home.
This article first appeared in the January 2025 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
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