Hi All

Its been a while since Ive posted but could some Geelong people out there help me please.

We currently stay in Albury but are moving to Geelong in about 6 months time.

A few questions:

Is there many brits staying there?
Where is the best area to live?
Are the beaches good?
Is the shopping good (haha)

Any replies would be great

Thanks x

I don't think there is a beach actually in Geelong, but you have the great ocean road near it which has some good spots and more beaches on the East side of the bay.

I suppose that the shops will have everything you need, and Melbourne is only about an hour away.

Geelong is nice. If I worked on the West side of Melbourne I would think about living there. It's only really the commute time which would make me think twice about living there if I were working in Melbourne,

Thanks for that.

My husband was thinking of commuting into Melbourne via train for his work if he had to move there.

Is this quite a long haul to make twice a day, 5 days a week?

Thanks

It takes about an hour to get into Southern Cross in Melbourne.

If your husband knows where he will work he can look at:
http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/

for timetable info .

I suppose it depends on how willing he is to commute that length of time each day. When I was living in London it took me about an hour to commute on underground then overland train. Can't say that I would be willing to do that length of commute again.

No, I wouldnt want to use 2 hours out my day for travel but I know people who do. We'll have a look at the timetable you attached to get a better understanding of the links.

Thanks again

Great beaches just outside Geelong and lots of really nice coastal surf tourist towns nearby, but inside Geelong l think the beach is an Industrial port area. If it was me l would live within 20 30 minutes just outside geelong in one of the nice small towns with great beaches like Queenscliffe, Anglesea or Torquay.

Ive heard that a place called Waurn Ponds (probably not spelling correct) is a nice place to stay?

I'm living in Wandana Heights and absolutely loving it. Highton is lovely too - super veggie shop and cafes there!

There is a beach (Eastern Beach) in Geelong. It has a large sea water swimming pool and a small paddling pool. The front at Geelong seems to have had a lot of money spent on it in recent years and there are some pretty 'trendy' places to eat down there now.

Absolutely have no regrets moving to Geelong from the East side of Melbourne. The Great Ocean Road is just stunning and on our doorstep - perfect!

Sounds fantastic where you stay, might give that a look now!

Thanks

Hey,

Just my opinion and personal experience, we travelled last March and on all our travels between Sydney and Adelaide;Geelong was the worst place we visited, We spent a weekend there and cut it short after 2 days and moved out, It was horrible.

We found area's surrounding it so much nicer, We ended up staying in Torquay which is gorgeous and a world apart from Geelong. I actually never want to visit Geelong as long as I live, it made me feel depressed. Don't get me wrong there were some nice areas and good bars/ cafes but the area in general really wasn't for me, There were 5 of us travelling and we all felt the same.

I used to work in Geelong (and commuted from Melbourne!) so have lots of Geelong born and bred friends.
Highton is new housing estate on top of a hil with great views (until they build some more) and huge houses.
Newtown is 'old" Geelong and to me has lots of appeal- lovely houses, shops in walking distance, not too far to Eastern Beach (which is packed in summer). Also Geelong West borders this area as does Herne Hill.

Avoid Norxxx anything- Norlane, North Geelong etc as well as Corio. Corio is where the oil refinery is.

Some love Geelong (like my mates) but it is not for others (like me!)

Thanks for your comments guys, Im taking them all on board.

Going down for the weekend next month so will make it my point to visit Torquy, sounds a nice place. Just hope the houses there are not too dear as sometimes in these little coastal towns, the house prices are sky high.

Will look at other areas too as it seems to be the places surrounding Geelong are the best areas to live.

Cheers

I have the pleasure of working in Geelong at the Shell refinery in Corio. The Corio and Norlane areas aren't my cup of tea at all although cheap housing is available in these areas but with good reason. As I didn't want to travel from Melbourne every day I decided that we would be best living close by and chose Torquay. I love Torquay as do the wife and kids its friendly and has plenty nice places to eat and drink with the added bonus of some stunning beaches. There are many great seaside towns on the Bellarine with the most notable being Queenscliff and Oceangrove I would happily live in both of these before Geelong. As has been mentioned Geelong has some nice areas the pick of the bunch being Highton, Newtown and some areas of the centre. Overall I wouldn't live in Geelong its not horrendous but its just not that nice either and with so many great places on its doorstep you have plenty alternatives to choose from.

Sorry Geelong that’s how I feel about you!

Im use Geelong wont take it personally (ha ha)

I really like the sound of Torquay but will keep an open mind as we all have different tastes but tell me something, are the houses expensive there?

I mean, how much is the 3 bedroom homes selling at? I know all houses are different but just a general guide.

Thanks

The average 3 bed house is about $470,000 or you could build from scratch for $420,00.

We are currently renting as we are on a 457 but if we eventually get the PR visa that we want then building looks to be our best option.

Torquay is nice but also consider other towns on the Bellarine as summer and easter in Torquay are a tad busy. This bothers many locals as the cafes and supermarkets are rammed. Easter didn't bother me too much but I have yet to experience a full summer season.....the jury is still out.