noodle

Hi OzTennis
Have you any idea why it is that everyone moving to Melbourne chooses to live east of Melbourne? How does Williamstown compare? When I started my research, I read somewhere that the best place was in the east and that the west of Melb was the poorer area. I'll try and see where I got that info from. Just wondered on your opinion.

Noodle.x

OzTennis

http://www.consylpublishing.co.uk/aonov035.htm

OzTennis

noodle

This is what I read:


Rich, poor and middle classes are spread all over Melbourne, with lower socio-economic peoples tending to lived west and north, the east and inner bayside suburbs being long settled with the rich and nouveau rich. Middle class people are to be found in virtually every area. Melbourne has its share of suburbs with slum housing, where the poor, who exist on government handouts, survive rather than live.

koala_mac

Darn it - don't want too many more telly programmes like that, pushing up the prices in Carlton

*saunters off to check out Docklands*

[hurrah for realestate.com.au!]

cannr

I am an ex-Melbourinian and would recommend Blackburn and the surrounding suburbs. The post code for Blackburn is 3130 if that helps.

OzTennis

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin. The original (white) settlement was at Williamstown which has an excellent port. However, they soon found that there wasn't abundant fresh water supplies so they moved up the river Yarra to what is now the CBD. The river mouth has been dredged over the years to make it navigable. The land to the west of the city was flat (volcanic in origin) and the first noxious industries - tanneries, meatworks etc were put there. The better off preferred the higher ground to the east and south east of the city - to get away from the smells.

Industry as it developed, tended to be in the west and this is where the factory workers houses were built - Footscray, Flemington, North Melbourne (more west than north despite its name), Yarraville etc. The rich lived in Toorak and South Yarra and spread out from there over the years - into Prahran, Kew, Hawthorn and suburbs like this mentioned previously.

The early migrants, predominantly from Britain and Southern Europe could only afford to settle in the west and the inner suburbs like Carlton, Fitzroy and Collingwood (don't panic K_M it changes!). Melbourne expanded out towards the Dandenongs Ranges to the east, towards Frankston in the south east and towards Laverton, Hoppers Crossing etc to the west. New industries such as motor vehicles, food processing were located in places such as Dandenong, Fishermen's Bend/Port Melbourne and Broadmeadows. Younger families and those on lower budgets were really forced to moved out into the outer suburbs. Starting about 20 or 30 years ago the 'yuppies' wanted inner city living. A lot of people were forced out of the inner suburbs by offers too good to refuse. You also had new wave migration from Asia - the Europeans moved out into the 'burbs' and the Asians took their place - in Richmond and Footscray in particular.

The Docklands area has been developed and lot of high rise up-market flats put into the CBD. Those on higher incomes have taken over Carlton etc and now they are moving into the western suburbs. Property prices in places like Yarraville, Newport and Williamstown have been escalating over the last 10 to 20 years.

Williamstown is a unique place. It has the bay, views across to the CBD (the best view in Melbourne is from The Strand, Williamstown - you see the city, Dandenongs in background, Great Dividing Range and all the boats). My friend bought a double storey house on The Strand for $80,000 in the late 70's and his parents said he was mad - he sold it for over $1.5 million in the mid 90's and it just resold for $2.4 million in September. Median property prices have gone from under $100k to $666k in 10 years as HP mentioned. As you move away from the water prices fall dramatically. Suburbs like Yarraville have been completely transformed as people wanting to be near the city but not able to afford the prices close on the east and south side have bought up, renovated, extended etc.

So people are starting to wake up to the west. Having said that there are areas where you will find much lower prices and they aren't as desirable for various reasons.

That'll do for now, no time to proof read, hope this helps.

P.S. Williamstown is Melbourne's hidden secret, don't tell anyone about it.

http://www.williamstowninfo.com.au/

OzTennis

Must go I have a class soon

noodle

Oh, you are a diamond! Thanks for taking the time to tell me all that. You should write a book on Melbourne with all your knowledge. I'll be badgering you from now on, so beware!!

thanks again, Noodle.x

OzTennis

'No worries mate', this is what the forum is mainly for - helping each other and sharing experiences.

OzTennis

OzTennis

Yep, 'Neighbours country' as I call it. Blackburn English Language School, Eley Rd, Blackburn South = Erinsborough High School in Neighbours. Nice area, used to be outer suburbs, now middle, quite affordable - hills to the east, city to the west. Good shopping - Forest Hills, Knox City etc.

OzTennis

OzTennis

Nah, I leave the book writing to my brother who lectures in Geography at one of the uni's.

OzTennis

Caroline G

Cannr,

I know Watford well. What do you think about it so far? How do you think it compares to Melbourne????

HiddenPaw

Hello all
Can I just add a bit of info re 'Docklands'. There is a lot of development going on there at the moment and they sure are turning it into a nice place (lots of trendy restaurants along the waters edge, etc). However, property sales aren't booming in that area and there are a lot of vacant properties. Check out tenancy and selling rates if you are seriously looking at this area. I worked for a big home loan company and recently we weren't giving loans to people buying property in the CBD or Docklands because of the dry market in re-selling, and over-supply of vacant properties (we did one reposession and the apartment was revalued at 65% of what the person had bought it for 10 months previously.) The builder and estate agent were still trying to sell unsold properties at the full 100% price! Many of the big banks have the same policy about inner city apts at the moment.
I know things change all the time, but just something to consider, particularly as they have now said the property market in Mel is slowing down.
HP

HiddenPaw

Fantastic history lesson too OT!

OzTennis

HP

That's very interesting to read about Docklands and excellent advice about what to check out for anyone thinking of buying there. We wondered too whether there would be an oversupply with all the building going on there and along the river - Mirvac, Central Equity etc. Apparently a lot of the flats and apartments there don't have a kitchen - just a microwave - because most residents eat out. Our friend bought in the newer ones on the 'Footscray side' of Telstra Dome - seems very happy with it. In his complex he has a supermarket, gym, countless restaurants (Matthew Richardson and a few footballers own one of the restaurants) and so on and he is walking distance to work near the Rialto building.

http://www.docklands.vic.gov.au/docklands/

http://www.melbourne.com.au/docklands.htm

http://www.propertylook.com.au/listi...p?lstkey=25200

OzTennis