Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Hi, first post and our New Years Resolutions are:

1) Cut back on the chocolate
2) Emigrate to Melbourne

And trust me we have more chance of achieving No 2 :D

I know what we're looking for in an area, (in no particular order), but have no idea where to start:

- family friendly
- schools, primary & secondary (if you know which locals like and which they don't even better!)
- Less than 30 mins by train to CBD
- A guide as to whether a 4 bed house with pool will be low/med/high cost
(low - upto $500 000, med upto $1 million, high over $1 million)
- Community facilities - not country types, we'd like a few! shops, library, parks, cafes, easy to walk or requires car.

I've had a quick go with the search facility but Melbourne & suburbs brings out quite a lot, so I'm helping you can point me in the right direction.

So if where you live sounds like it ticks at least some of our boxes, or you know a suburb that might, that I can then search for, that would be really great.

Hope this isn't too many questions for a first post!

WithIce x

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Some of the suburbs further round the bay will fit that description with the $1mil price and the train ride. Black Rock, Cheltenham, Mentone. They are also near the beach.

I imagine some of the Western suburbs would get that for the up to $500K price and would be a similar train journey in.

Best thing to do is find a map of Melbourne and use:

www.realestate.com.au

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Welcome!
We are in Hawthorn.
Known as a fairly expensive area, it is a green and generally old fashion suburb. Very beautiful and less than 10 minutes away from the city (Both Tram AND Train!). You can sell your car!
I love it...:rofl: many shops and clubs are at our doorstep if you go near Glenferrie Rd, you will get a fantastic Yarra view if you go for areas around the Hawthorn train station.:thumbup:

Cheers,
PS. AND VERY SECURE.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Good luck with that. I don't touch the stuff, myself, but Thribble assures me that the Dairy Milk in Australia is nowhere near as nice as it is in Britain, so that may make it easier. The New Zealand version comes far closer. Apparently. It's all about the crumb, I am told.

Good luck with that, too. Certainly one of the best moves that I ever made!

They sound like reasonable requirements, although not being in the family way or owning a house here, relaying my own experiences will be of little value to you. I'm sure those with kids will be able to advise on good schools and so on. You can get a fair way out of the CBD on public transport in a half-an-hour, so you should get a lot of selection. I'd suggest that you find some sample homes that you like the look of on Domain and then use the Metlink journey planner to find out how long the commute from "your new address" to (say) Collins St would take. Remember that we have trams and buses here in Melbourne as well as the train services and the standard of public transport is excellent. In the UK I would drive everywhere, yet here I rarely use the car.

We're in South Melbourne and can walk to the CBD inside half-an-hour or ten minutes on a 55 tram. There are also so good shops, cafés and South Melbourne market nearby. When we lived in South Yarra we could have eaten out most nights of the year and never gone back to the same place, that was about a 45-minute walk from the City, not too long on the bus.

Not at all. Welcome to the forum and good luck with those resolutions!

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

my comments for you

Investigate stamp duty and consider the + on the end of asking prices.

West and to some degree North includes new estates (more new house but vary sparse land). Its been the heavy industrial area of Melbourne for over 100 years for a reason. Others will come up with excuses because they have bought there and need to justify their mistakes. I implore you too think very very hard and research behind the wheel of your car rather than the web on this.

East - better more established housing stock up to about 15 or 20km from the CBD is decent then you hit no so further out suburbs, then further out you get better suburbs with more decent value for money and quality of neighbourhoods - closer to CBD and sea the more you pay. My recommendations for you:

Balwyn
Camberwell
Surrey Hills
Hawthorn East (Hawthorn may be too much)
Kew
Malvern
Glen Iris
Burwood

Glen and Mount Waverley (both neighbouring suburbs)

Elsternwick
Caulfield (north and south)
Bentleigh
Hampton
Beaumaris


Bit further out that are nice but beyound 30 mins is

Eltham
Berwick

Consider the variance in temperature in Melbourne (which is a big plus) - just take this into account when looking at property ie large modern home with no eaves and large AC units - your just looking for trouble.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Hi Shane
Good post, will take a look at those areas myself and research a bit.
Meant to email you the other day to wish you and your family happy christmas and a great new year. It will be a very happy year for you with the new addition to the family on the way.
I have just got back from the folks, was there for 2 days and it was 2 days too long I tell ya. Back to normal here now.
Anyway have a great new years eve if you are planning anything and we will talk next week.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Hi GG

I like all of your recommendations but think that the first in the list are getting crazy pricey at the moment.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Drop me a pm with your email address and I will forward you on the Melbourne suburb guide. It details things like travel time to CBD, schools, crime etc. Well worth a read if your heading to Melbourne.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

New Years Resolution 1): Well, finished off a Chocolate Orange (UK one) last night, so that I could start properly in the morning. Not quite New Year yet so just getting it out of my system - honest! :wink_smile:

New Years Resolution 2):

Thanks, I'll order a map. Any idea of a suburbs map online? I don't want roads, trainlines etc, just something that shows the general position of where all the suburbs are?

I've checked out realestate, I just suspect, with it being Christmas, it may not have the most representative properties. March is quite a good time for house selling/buying in NZ, is it similar in Oz?

Thanks, I'll check it out. Do places nearer the CBD have smaller gardens/plots? Is the style of housing townhouses and apartments etc?

Thanks! If searching on the realestate sites what suburb names would I put in for South Melbourne, which might be suitable? Also would you say that area is quite self contained? I'd prefer to live somewhere that has a bit of an identity and where you don't have to go elsewhere for local facilities, if that's possible?

Thank you for such a comprehensive list of suburbs! I'll have a look into the house buying process, as although we plan to rent first, we will want to buy sooner rather than later, if it all works out.

Do you have a problem with leaky buildings in Oz? Also do you have micro climates in Melbourne? Where we live at the moment if you have your windows facing the right way and live on the right side of the hill then it can make a big difference to how warm or damp your house feels.

Is Melbourne experiencing a housing boom in terms of prices, or just particular areas?

Thanks I'll PM you!

Big thank you for all the replies, we do plan on coming for a reccie next year so I'm hoping to get a shortlist together of areas to go and see. Would ideally have a top 5!

WithIce x

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Well at least they are not declining like in the West.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

Maybe I am 'justifying' why we so 'stupidly' bought in the west- close to city, good transport, close to beaches, good sized blocks, friendly neighbours etc- but obviously our local estate agents and the purchasers for the last year have been wrong. Not surprisingly- we do actually like it here.

House prices in our area (Newport) have gone up by 20pct in a year- but I will tell the EAs and purchasers that they have overpaid as prices apparently are declining!!!!

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

I wrote a long reply this morning, but I think its being checked by moderators (because I'm new maybe?), hopefully its not lost and will appear soon, also I need 3 posts to PM, so waiting on that also.

Thanks for replies so far, I'll see if this post makes it to the board!

WithIce x

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

WithIce - are you a refugee from NZ like us and Geelong Gent? :D

If so, Melbourne for us offers a perfect combination of the lifestyle of rural or semi-rural NZ, and the economy and career opportunities of the UK.

With better weather than either :D

Buzzy

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

By my reckoning New Year's resolutions don't come into effect until next Tuesday. Enjoy the rest of your selection boxes!



Here is a very basic map, which will give you an overview. That page also has touristic information on the suburbs. Online maps such as Google Maps and WhereIs may also prove useful as they mark o local businesses and so forth.

When we were emigrating, we used Google Earth to explore and to show our families where we were going. It's very cool indeed.

South Melbourne is a suburb, albeit an unimaginatively-named one. It's pretty self-contained, but at the same time being so close to the CBD gives you access to many more facilities.

You're very welcome! There's a lot of information in this thread, so I'm sure you'll be able to construct a shortlist with relative ease.

Re: Melbourne Suburbs, Anyone there?
 

hi i woudnt bother too much with the guide as its a bit outdated now.

Crime rates can be bad for a good area as most thieves and muggers dont go to the rough parts as they get the best booty from the best areas. This is a big consideration on burgularies and car theft.

The report says the west is no good.
Go and see for yourself thats what i say, i was pleasantly surprised!

al