tassideb

Hi we are moving to melbourne and we are looking at buying a new house in the craigieburn new developments it looks lovely with all the parks etc in that area but a few people have said that its not a nice area and they wouldnt live there. houses are out of our price range in the eastern suburbs. i am concerned because we have a son about to start grade seven and we are worried about what the high school is like. can anyone let me know what it is like i have checked their website, but local knowledge is best.

ozzieeagle

I live slap bang in the middle of the catchment of people moving up that way for the new builds. Now Craigeburn is a complicated little can of worms. It's basically undergoing a major development, where 20,000 people are going to be accommodated. In between me here in Coburg, and Craigeburn, are some of the least desirable places in Melbourne. Dallas and Coolaroo, just South of Craigeburn are terrible places full of people with domestic issues and adjustment problems. Socially Craigeburn is a town of two halves, the old part, was/is full of spill over from the commission areas of Broadmeadows and Glenroy, whereas the new and much bigger part is filling up with people with plenty of income and good work ethic.

I had considered moving up there myself, because the massive Highlands development is one of the best I've seen, much wider roads than average, much bigger blocks, and plenty of landscaping, kept green by grey water infrastructure. Schooling is the big if, We almost certainly wouldn't have used the local schools up that way in the past, which would not have been a big issue for my oldest daught still at home, as she could be taken to her school in Northcote by via my wife travelling every day to work. However my 10 year old is a totally different story, and one that had us scratching our heads. On past reputation I would have been very reluctant to send our kids to any of the old schools in Craigeburn, with the already large population of newcomers to the area and the new primary schools that have opened could mean that it's ok now. Trouble is I'm having difficutly finding out exactly what the schools are like. We have an out though and could still continue sending him to school in Brunswick, which wouldn't have been a massive problem for us as my wife bascially goes past his school every day.

What you can get for your money up there is 2nd to nowhere in Melbourne, especially when you see how the estates are finished, with golf courses and lakes and abundant green landscaping, combine that with a 25 min drive to the CBD and I'm convinced it's the best value in Melbourne presently.

I'm not moving that way at present, simply because I have a problem with the way the building companies represent their products. IE: all inclusive isn't all inclusive.

I'll keep checking about the schools, but I can find no one presently that has any real issue about Craigeburn being a bad place to live. I've lived in the North for a long time now, and my area has changed beyond recognition, is entirely possible that Craigeburn has as well.

If you dont hear from me in a week or so, give me a prompt and I'll tell you what I've learned, as i've a number of feelers out amongst a lot of people and waiting for indepth feedback on exactly what the feel out there is a present.

BenandPam

I would also be interested to hear what you find out as I have been looking at land in Craigieburn. We have been renting in Sanctuary Lakes for 3 years and the land prices round here are getting pretty expensive. You can certainly get a lot more for your money in Craigieburn. I keep meaning to go up there and have a look around, as the land prices are almost too good to be true.

ozzieeagle

Theres a fantastic lake frontage release scheduled in about 10months, which by my reckoning will be slap bang rite in the middle of the lowest building ebb in years, If they dont delay it the release, it could well be one of the best value buys I've seen. I'm aiming for one of those.

If you do go up there, take a look at the Stockland estate, and have a walk around the lake, it's fantastic, also go to the Golf Club, which apparently is one of the best new courses in Vic.

I'm also keeping a dedicated eye, on finished houses, hopefully with fully landscaped pools coming on the market in the next few months.

We've a couple of Posties at work that live in Craigeburn, that I havn't been able to catch up with yet, as they start work as I leave, I'll make the effort to stay slightly later tomorrow and get their views.

tassideb

thanks your advice has been really helpful