Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Hey all,
We are planning on moving to Melbourne soon and I have been trolling this forum and various others and trying to figure out which would be the best suburb for us to live in. We don't want to buy a car immediately so we really need to live in a well connected burb (public transport to city and other burbs, proximity to markets, Coles, Aldi etc) I have sort of zeroed in on Hawthorn, Prahran, Preston, Brunswick East, Thornbury, Northcote (all at varying distances from the CBD) Our budget is around 300-400$ pw. I also liked some places in St. Kilda East but not sure about the kind of neighbourhood in this suburb. It would also really help to know the streets in these areas that are well connected and close to local markets. Also, is it really possible to live in Melbourne without a car? The public transport seems quite sorted but would be good to have some first hand know-how from people already living there. Thanks!!! |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637096)
Hey all,
We are planning on moving to Melbourne soon and I have been trolling this forum and various others and trying to figure out which would be the best suburb for us to live in. We don't want to buy a car immediately so we really need to live in a well connected burb (public transport to city and other burbs, proximity to markets, Coles, Aldi etc) I have sort of zeroed in on Hawthorn, Prahran, Preston, Brunswick East, Thornbury, Northcote (all at varying distances from the CBD) Our budget is around 300-400$ pw. I also liked some places in St. Kilda East but not sure about the kind of neighbourhood in this suburb. It would also really help to know the streets in these areas that are well connected and close to local markets. Also, is it really possible to live in Melbourne without a car? The public transport seems quite sorted but would be good to have some first hand know-how from people already living there. Thanks!!! Big price difference there in areas, Prahran V Preston for eg. We stayed in some short term accom in Preston for a few night, wasnt that mad on the area. Too much traffic, noise. Cousin lived in Prahran, big money required I though? 300 - 400 is that rent? We found renting v frustrating. Lots advertised as renovated, immaculate etc is complete crap, filty, old, wrecked, not like the piccys. Ended up desperate to find a new place after what we saw. 400 will get a new unit in a less flash suburb. Some hefty competition for the new units for obvious reason once you start looking. If you really want it, compete! submit a good application. Markets vary according to area, but everywhere, prices definitely go with the area, rough area, amazing bargains, and your hardly in danger at a market at 10am in my opinion. |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637096)
Hey all,
We are planning on moving to Melbourne soon and I have been trolling this forum and various others and trying to figure out which would be the best suburb for us to live in. We don't want to buy a car immediately so we really need to live in a well connected burb (public transport to city and other burbs, proximity to markets, Coles, Aldi etc) I have sort of zeroed in on Hawthorn, Prahran, Preston, Brunswick East, Thornbury, Northcote (all at varying distances from the CBD) Our budget is around 300-400$ pw. I also liked some places in St. Kilda East but not sure about the kind of neighbourhood in this suburb. It would also really help to know the streets in these areas that are well connected and close to local markets. Also, is it really possible to live in Melbourne without a car? The public transport seems quite sorted but would be good to have some first hand know-how from people already living there. Thanks!!! St Kilda East is very different from St Kilda in terms of ambiance and reputation! It's a nice suburb, much of it pretty leafy and quiet. For best buzz I'd probably be looking in the part of the suburb bordered by Chapel St, Carlisle St, Alma Rd and Hotham St...if you can work what I mean from a map! The local market is Prahran Market which is nice, but priced accordingly. Not sure what you're seeing rental wise, $400 probably gets an OK 2 bed apartment although I think a lot of them are closer to $450. |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Thanks for the info....right now we don't mind a 1 bedder and there are some decent ones in the range of 350-400$ and few 2BR as well...Im a little worried that there seems to be some misreprentation on the rental websites with regard to the apartments..I just assumed they were genuine..Will just have to get there and figure it out i guess
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Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637144)
Thanks for the info....right now we don't mind a 1 bedder and there are some decent ones in the range of 350-400$ and few 2BR as well...Im a little worried that there seems to be some misreprentation on the rental websites with regard to the apartments..I just assumed they were genuine..Will just have to get there and figure it out i guess
I had a quick look and saw plenty that looked decent in the $400 ballpark, but I also saw some which are right on very busy main roads etc or the immediate vicinity is just no that appealing that I'd probably avoid - none of that is obvious from looking at the photos or map. |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
yes..thats the plan..In any case its mandatory to inspect an apartment before renting one in Australia...just wanted a feel for the best suburbs to look at once we are there.
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Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Also, how hard is it to secure a rental with no previous local rental history? What do new migrants normally do? I've heard that offering to pay 4-6 months rent in advance helps. Any other tips?
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Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by bcworld
(Post 11637150)
Well I would not sign up for one without seeing it in the flesh...and in all honestly you would probably struggle to secure a rental without being here anyway...so you should work on the assumption of using some temp accommodation prior to securing a rental.
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637155)
Also, how hard is it to secure a rental with no previous local rental history? What do new migrants normally do? I've heard that offering to pay 4-6 months rent in advance helps. Any other tips?
You say that you don't want to buy a car straight away, but you imply you might later on. If so I think I'd be thinking of what and where I eventually wanted and jumping accordingly. Close in means you can mostly get by on trams/trains/buses and nightlife is easy - but your get noise, the flats are small/old, and, well it's like living in any city. Further out is cheaper, the houses etc. are bigger (4 bed detached vs 1 bed flat) and you can have as much life as you want - but it's longer to get places and the need for a car goes up. Don't forget, a car becomes necessary if you want to explore Victoria - and parking in heart of town is impossible. I'm convinced there are aussies who never leave the city, despite living such a big country! I think I might look for a long term, short term let (6-8 weeks say) so that you can find your feet, explore your options, and decided which way to jump. It's also enough time, if you find you need, to get a car - and means you don't have to jump at the first available rental. Plus, of course, a job will have a big drive on location. |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Well, we are Indian, not sure how that's going to fly with the agents given that we will be without jobs initially. We are however, well spoken and well educated and have lived around the world. We will have some money in the bank so that should help.
I have heard that in most instances you don't really get to meet the agents and you just have to submit your application. Given the reputation that most Indian migrants have of being xenophobic, challenged linguistically, etc I am concerned that we won't make for very attractive tenants on paper. I am guessing that we will have to prove our credibility through $$$. Oh well!! |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637175)
Well, we are Indian, not sure how that's going to fly with the agents given that we will be without jobs initially. We are however, well spoken and well educated and have lived around the world. We will have some money in the bank so that should help.
Not having a job straight off is not unusual. Reputation of driving capabilities however .... You might find Where Australia's immigrants were born: Melbourne | SBS World News of some use. It gives you a clue of where you might find like minds (and shops).
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637175)
I have heard that in most instances you don't really get to meet the agents and you just have to submit your application. Given the reputation that most Indian migrants have of being xenophobic, challenged linguistically, etc I am concerned that we won't make for very attractive tenants on paper.
|
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637175)
Well, we are Indian, not sure how that's going to fly with the agents given that we will be without jobs initially. We are however, well spoken and well educated and have lived around the world. We will have some money in the bank so that should help.
I have heard that in most instances you don't really get to meet the agents and you just have to submit your application. Given the reputation that most Indian migrants have of being xenophobic, challenged linguistically, etc I am concerned that we won't make for very attractive tenants on paper. I am guessing that we will have to prove our credibility through $$$. Oh well!! |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
LOL on the "Reputation of driving capabilities however" :D
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Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Incidentally, we aren't really looking for "Indian" areas... We want to dive right into the culture of life in Melbourne. Any suburb with a good mix of people is great (and should be safe too)..
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Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637096)
Also, is it really possible to live in Melbourne without a car? The public transport seems quite sorted but would be good to have some first hand know-how from people already living there.
as others have said, it is absolutely possible to live in Melbourne without a car. My experience is probably at the more extreme end of the spectrum though! When we moved to Melbourne at the end of 2010, we managed without a car for almost 1 1/2 years. We live in the south eastern suburb of Glen Waverley, at the end of one of the metro train lines into the city and with a fairly extensive network of bus routes radiating out from Glen Waverley itself. We used public transport almost exclusively, although we hired cars on odd weekends to go beyond the city and see Victoria. I found that to be be a good compromise. Although we managed OK without a car, in the end we decided that whilst it had been an interesting social experiment (we ran 2 cars in England, but lived in a small village with no public transport), we did need to get a car. Several times, our 2 kids needed to be in places that were nowhere near each other at roughly the same time and we found public transport wasn't flexible enough. |
Re: Most well connected suburb of Melbourne
Originally Posted by yellowpuppy
(Post 11637155)
Also, how hard is it to secure a rental with no previous local rental history? What do new migrants normally do? I've heard that offering to pay 4-6 months rent in advance helps. Any other tips?
Please PM me if you would like details of our studio apartment. BB |
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