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New Life in Melbourne

New Life in Melbourne

Old Nov 11th 2003, 12:49 pm
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Talking New Life in Melbourne

Hi,

Me, my husband and baby are planning to move to Melbourne in Feb 2004.

We are planning to let our house in the UK and rent in Melbourne. Can anyone suggest a good suburb to rent a 2 bed house?

We are in our early thirties and baby will be 1yr 1mnth old. We don't want to spend a fortune on renting but want somewhere clean and safe and within 1hrs commuting distance of the CBD by car, bus or train. We do have a bit of life left in us so don't want to be in the back of beyond just yet!

Even a good real estate contact would be helpful and any other infor re: moving to Oz ie. shipping belongings over etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Caroline G
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Old Nov 11th 2003, 1:22 pm
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Default Re: New Life in Melbourne

Originally posted by Caroline G
Hi,

Me, my husband and baby are planning to move to Melbourne in Feb 2004.

We are planning to let our house in the UK and rent in Melbourne. Can anyone suggest a good suburb to rent a 2 bed house?

We are in our early thirties and baby will be 1yr 1mnth old. We don't want to spend a fortune on renting but want somewhere clean and safe and within 1hrs commuting distance of the CBD by car, bus or train. We do have a bit of life left in us so don't want to be in the back of beyond just yet!

Even a good real estate contact would be helpful and any other infor re: moving to Oz ie. shipping belongings over etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Caroline G
Hi Caroline

Ex-Melburnian, going back to Melbourne here. For rentals you can try a website like www.domain.com.au or www.realestate.com.au I know Williamstown and the western side more. Reputable agents in these areas include Sweeney's, Compton and Green, Jas Stephens, Wilson and Pride, Hocking Stuart and so on. You'll find them on the above mentioned websites.

As far as recommending a good suburb that's a toughie because there are so many and I don't know where work might be and what your budget is etc. Generally speaking you will find rents quite high in the city itself and the inner suburbs to the east and south in particular. Rents will tend to decrease the further you move out and the further west and north you go. There are exceptions of course such as Williamstown where rentals are relatively high.

Do a bit of 'surfing' and get back to me (PM if you prefer) if you have more specific questions. There are others with lots of info and suggested websites who will probably come in with a reply. You can also do a search in this forum to get previous posts (just type in Melbourne in the search box and you'll get a lot of results).

The public transport system is very good and integrated. Melbourne is divided into zones and you can buy tickets for differing lenghts of time ranging from an hour or so to daily etc. The trains, trams and buses will accept the same ticket. The websites will indicate how far properties are from stations etc but most places within a reasonable commute of the CBD are close to some public transport.

Good luck

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Old Nov 11th 2003, 2:08 pm
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Default Re: New Life in Melbourne

OzTennis,

Thanks for that information.

I've had a look at a few rental sites and as you say Melbourne has a hugh suburban area and the searches require you to put in a suburb or zip code which is a bit tricky when you don't have any idea which ones to pick.

I had a look at the forum the other day and read that Williamstown is a bit pricey as you also say.

I also read that the Dandenong area was pretty nice for familes but it looks like a bit of a commute. What do you reckon?

n respect of budget, my husband hasn't got a job lined up and reckon it's best to get to Oz and look for work as companies/emp agencies would prefer you in the country for interviews etc. He's looking for work in the IT industry. We got a skilled visa granted based on my husbands line of work.

We've started watching, 'Kath & Kim' to get educated to the Melbourne way of life...

I'll do some sufing when baby is in bed for the night and will come back to you with some questions if you are sure you don't mind.

Thanks again,
Caroline G
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Old Nov 11th 2003, 2:22 pm
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Default Re: New Life in Melbourne

Originally posted by Caroline G
OzTennis,

Thanks for that information.

I've had a look at a few rental sites and as you say Melbourne has a hugh suburban area and the searches require you to put in a suburb or zip code which is a bit tricky when you don't have any idea which ones to pick.

I had a look at the forum the other day and read that Williamstown is a bit pricey as you also say.

I also read that the Dandenong area was pretty nice for familes but it looks like a bit of a commute. What do you reckon?

n respect of budget, my husband hasn't got a job lined up and reckon it's best to get to Oz and look for work as companies/emp agencies would prefer you in the country for interviews etc. He's looking for work in the IT industry. We got a skilled visa granted based on my husbands line of work.

We've started watching, 'Kath & Kim' to get educated to the Melbourne way of life...

I'll do some sufing when baby is in bed for the night and will come back to you with some questions if you are sure you don't mind.

Thanks again,
Caroline G
Caroline

Honest opinion - Dandenong - NO. It has its fair share of problems and the low property prices and rental values will reflect that. It is probably within the maximum commute distance you suggested. Commute times are extremely variable by car depending on the time of day and whether you use the freeways with the e-tags (device in your car which charges you when you go under the gantries). There are plenty of non-toll roads but of course it takes you longer to travel on these. For example you could do the likes of Dandenong in well under an hour by train. My brother lives at Frankston which is further out and he is about an hour from CBD by road avoiding the e-tag roads, well under by train.

Kath and Kim eh. I saw it mentioned in other posts and it had a feature in this week's TV and Sat Week magazine. I meant to catch it at the weekend. Neighbours is set in suburbs which would probably suit your needs. Try searching the property website for Vermont, Vermont South, Nunawading, Blackburn, Blackburn South etc which is where it is set. These are probably 45 minutes commute from CBD, easterly rather than south easterly as with Dandenong and much nicer (but inevitably dearer than Dandenong).

Get back to me if you need any more help.

OzTennis
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Old Nov 11th 2003, 2:56 pm
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Default Re: New Life in Melbourne

Caroline

I'm pretty much after what you're after. I've done a fair bit of research into the suburbs. I've sent you a pm.

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Old Nov 11th 2003, 3:30 pm
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Thanks noodle - got it. Sent u one back.
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Old Nov 11th 2003, 5:50 pm
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we are looking at the Berwick area. I have a friend here who comes from there and a new friend (yet to meet) who lives there. The write up on the place looks good.

Tennisoz do you know much about that area???

cheers
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Old Nov 11th 2003, 8:10 pm
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Have to agree with OT about the suburb of Dandenong being best avoided.

Did you mean Mt Dandenong area (which isn't the same as Dandenong suburb) - it's lovely up there - very green and hilly. I for one would live there!!

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Old Nov 11th 2003, 8:46 pm
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I saw a posting on this site when reading through a chat forum about Dandenong and that stuck in my mind. I did a bit of surfing and found some information about the Dandenong range and area which looked very lush etc. I've been cross referencing with the Lonely Planet Guide which we bought for our last holiday (which is helpful in a limited capacity in respect of migration).

I didn't realise that there was a Dandenong suburb and separate Dandenong area to be honest. But now I know - so thanks Hiddenpaw.

We would like to rent in order to look around without being tied to one particular area.

We'll probably want to rent furniture in case we want to move around freely so if anyone knows of a good rental company drop me a line.

Berwick has been recommended a few times now and I've had a quick look on a real estate site and the rent doesn't seem too bad.

We currently live about 20 miles from London in a small town which still feels a bit village like but it has lots of facilities and travel links to London, the M1, M25 etc. near by - it's nice to be able to take or leave the hussle & bussle depending on how you feel so somewhere similar in Melbourne would be great.

We like being sociable and don't want to end up in Hicksville.
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Old Nov 12th 2003, 9:53 am
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Originally posted by booboo
we are looking at the Berwick area. I have a friend here who comes from there and a new friend (yet to meet) who lives there. The write up on the place looks good.

Tennisoz do you know much about that area???

cheers
booboo
Just to kill two birds with the one stone so to speak. Firstly, it occurred to me later that you might have not known Caroline about the difference between Dandenong the suburb and the Dandenongs (Ranges) which ironically are not that close together. The hills are due east of the CBD and the suburb is south east. HP is quite right, there are some very nice suburbs in the foothills of the Dandenongs. Try Mt Evelyn, Montrose, Lilydale, Kilsyth, Mooroolbark, Croydon for starters. Slightly closer in (and probably more expensive) are suburbs like Heathmont, Canterbury, Ringwood etc. Recognise some the names? The first lot near the foot of Mt Dandenong are a fair distance out but semi-rural and within your 1 hour commute time. Once you get to the SE Freeway you can be into the CBD reasonably quickly. Public transport pretty good to all suburbs.

I've probably given you 3 belts of suburbs - foothills of the Dandenongs lot, the Ringwood etc lot and the 'Neighbours' suburbs I mentioned previously .

Booboo - Berwick - nice area. Relatively new, a fair way out - you go through Dandenong and head out about 20 mins to 30 mins further. I haven't been there too often but from what I remember and know it is an area where young families and those with budgets that won't stretch to the inner, closer suburbs can live the 'Aussie dream' of a nice house on a decent sized block at an affordable price. Berwick is on the way to Phillip Island, Gippsland, Wilson's Promentary and so on so there are nice areas to escape into at the weekend etc.

Hope this helps both of you.

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Old Nov 12th 2003, 10:11 am
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My friend lives in Croydon and commutes to CBD by train - takes him about an hour.
The Eastern Freeway does provide a good link to the CBD but unfortunately in rush hour it is very congested, slow to get off the end of the freeway, etc - park and ride is a good option tho.

Average house prices to end Oct for various suburbs are as follows:
Cantebury - $1.01m (!!!)
Croydon - $276k
Lilydale - $280k
Montrose - $300k
Berwick - $260k

(the main difference I guess is that Cantebury is only 12km from CBD, the others are all 30km or more (Berwick about 40km)

Williamstown avg (had to throw that in for OT) - $666k (all the sixes!!) - that's a 31% increase in the last 12months.

If you want to know any other avg suburb prices let me know- I've got a list from the newspaper here!!

Last edited by HiddenPaw; Nov 12th 2003 at 10:15 am.
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Old Nov 12th 2003, 10:25 am
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Hi HiddenPaw - can you give me the average prices for Carlton, Kew, South Yarra, Prahran and Toorak, if they feature on that list?
(I've had a good trawl around realestate.com.au for months, but would be interested to see the averages). Cheers!

K_M
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Old Nov 12th 2003, 11:04 am
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Originally posted by HiddenPaw
My friend lives in Croydon and commutes to CBD by train - takes him about an hour.
The Eastern Freeway does provide a good link to the CBD but unfortunately in rush hour it is very congested, slow to get off the end of the freeway, etc - park and ride is a good option tho.

Average house prices to end Oct for various suburbs are as follows:
Cantebury - $1.01m (!!!)
Croydon - $276k
Lilydale - $280k
Montrose - $300k
Berwick - $260k

(the main difference I guess is that Cantebury is only 12km from CBD, the others are all 30km or more (Berwick about 40km)

Williamstown avg (had to throw that in for OT) - $666k (all the sixes!!) - that's a 31% increase in the last 12months.

If you want to know any other avg suburb prices let me know- I've got a list from the newspaper here!!
Thanks very much HP. I realised afterwards that I shouldn't have thrown Canterbury in. It must have been a Freudian slip because that is where Kylie bought a house for her parents.

I get the same thing regularly (is it the Median Price by Suburb from the Age?) Is this on the internet? (My parents usually cut it out of the paper and send it with other stuff). Williamstown, yes, $666K. Fortunately we bought our place in 1994 and it has gone up about 300% since then. One house nearby (we have a townhouse) sold for over $1 million and the new owners have just knocked it down to build a new house for a similar amount!

Thanks again,

OzTennis
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Old Nov 12th 2003, 12:07 pm
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Originally posted by koala_mac
Hi HiddenPaw - can you give me the average prices for Carlton, Kew, South Yarra, Prahran and Toorak, if they feature on that list?
(I've had a good trawl around realestate.com.au for months, but would be interested to see the averages). Cheers!

K_M

Hi

You can get average house prices on domain.com.au, if you go to suburb profile. From what I remember Toorak's average was about $1.5million!!!
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Old Nov 12th 2003, 12:28 pm
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Hi Oz Tennis

I wondered if you have any knowledge of the bayside suburbs? I've been checking out prices and realise that some are so expensive. Do you know Cheltenham, Sandringham, Bentleigh or Aspendale? Aspendale is about the furthest out we can live from the city and seems fairly reasonable, as does Cheltenham?

thanks in advance

Noodle.
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