username02

Still undecided where to look in Australia - we have family in Ballarat, so somewhere in Victoria seems most sensible. We like the idea of being nearer the coast, and close to Melbourne, but no idea what the various suburbs are like.

Basically young family, two kids (7 & 9) so decent schools essential. Don't want to be too far from the coast or CBD, but don't want to pay over the odds for the privilege either.

Not afraid of doing our own research, just want some areas (besides Mornington) we can focus on.

loulou_tropicana

Hi there,

I moved from Birmingham to Melbourne 16 months ago and I live in a suburb called Elwood, it's a lovely place, probs 10 min drive to the CBD and a 5 min walk to the beach, excellent tram services from here to the city also, it's not terribly cheap though, I pay $250 per week for a one bed flat, other nice suburbs nearby are Sandringham, Elsternwick, Brighton, Port Melbourne, Middle Park, Williamstown, Cheltenham, Hampton. Have a look on realestate.com.au at these areas and see what you think, good luck with your move, Lou x

Simo429

were thinking about rosebud due to the missus' family! going to see it in june

Petals

Rosebud is a long way from the city and a big commute. Its an area very popular with retired people. I live on the Peninsula but further in and it takes us an hour to get to the city, more in peak times.

You mention that you have family in Ballarat would you be keeping in close contact with them, if so I would look in the Western Suburbs as you would not have to drive through the city to see them.

Point Cook, Altona, Sanctuary Lakes are areas you may like to look at, further in Williamstown. Depends on the budget how close in you can live as it becomes much dearer to rent or buy closer to the city. Geelong is also popular with Brits and some do commute to Melbourne from there.

The Southern Suburbs are nice, Elwood is more a younger area with a lot of rentals I lived in Elwood before I was married.

Once you post more info then people have more idea of exactly where and what you want.

Have a look at Domain.com.au and Realestate.com.au, also google world however the maps are not up to date as has been said in another post on here.

username02

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, we'd be in close/regular contact with the family in Ballarat, so making that trip easier would be good.

Commute into Melbourne will hopefully be irrelevant as I'll be working from home, so the trip would mainly be shopping & days/evenings out. Thefefore a nice suburb for us and the kids along with proximity to the bay/coast are the main features now.

Simo429

the commute isnt a problem as im a teacher but the retiree situation may be i guess we'll just have to see for ourselves

Pomster

we have a holiday home in Rye- about 5 mins from Rosebud. It is not especially retiree area, but does get very quiet in winter, as there are many many holiday homes.

At the moment it is like Brighton (UK) on the beaches, foreshore is full of tents and campervans.

Rosebud/Tookgarook/Rye all have year round populations and schools, so as a teacher you should find options!

Petals

I think if you have the options at home I would pick Mount Martha, Mornington, Mount Martha, Frankston South if you want to be on the Port Phillip Bay side as there is more choice of schools, more choice of work schools and you can get to the city easier. Also more options for the children as they grow.

bigAPE

In order to be able to advise you properly you will need to provide a little more information otherwise you will get 50 answers and all wildly different.

1. Are you planning on renting long term until you find the correct house ?
2. If so, what is you estimated monthly budget ?
3. If you plan on buying straight away what budget do you have, how many rooms will you need, etc ?
4. Will you be working from home, locally or in the CBD ?
5. If you are planning on working in the CBD, what commute time would be acceptable ?
6. If you are planning on working from home, do you require a fast internet connection or other similar services ?
7. How long are you prepared to drive for to get to the beach ?
8. What sports and other activities are you into ?
9. What is an acceptable travelling time to regularly visit relatives in Ballarat?

I think that would be a good place to start. It might sound invasive, but if you want qualified advice you need to provide the information which will help us to focus in on some realistic options.

Al

Molko1974

We used to live in Port Melbourne. There is a beach there, walking distance to St Kilda and a quick tram ride into the city. I used to walk home from the city.

Geelong Gent

Depends if you are assuming you will have broadband to work from home?

bigAPE

Sorry, I only just saw this reply. Doh!

If you could provide some feedback on the other questions we might be able to help you further. Budget and rental vs purchase being the two key ones.

meljk

Sorry Schwuk to hijack your thread but your question is pretty much identical to ours.

We are looking to move to Melbourne in July initially on a 2 year secondment, but if we fall in love we would definitely consider applying for citizenship.

We will be looking for a rented home, we have a 6 year old daughter so good schools are essential. We’d like to be within 30 mins of the coast and within 1 hour of a good surfing beach.

I’ve read about a beach cycle path (thanks bigAPE) and would love to be within easy access (20 mins) of that. In the UK We are members of a health club that offers swimming, tennis, etc and it would be good to be within 20mins of something similar. I’m sure Melbourne isn’t short of those!

OH will be working in CBD and would commute door to door up to an hour.

I will not be working initially so it would be good to live in an area that has a nice community feel with a few shops.

In terms of budget we can probably go to $600Aud per week, but that is flexible.

Would really appreciate any thoughts on areas that could suit us.

Cant wait to be there!!!

bigAPE

Well I hate to blow the Bayside trumpet but, that sounds pretty much what your after and Hampton, Sandringham, Black Rock are easily within your budget.

This is a link to the properties in that area currently up for rental

RealEstate.com.au - 3 Bed Houses/Townhouse $500-$600pw Hampton & Surrounding burbs

• All the burbs mentioned have high streets with cafe / small boutique shop and a nice atmosphere and very low crime rates
• 10-20 mins walk from the beaches
• 20-40 mins from the CBD by car depending on traffic (great for taxis in and back at night)
• 15 min drive to St Kilda (awesome hangout on a Sunday or any day)
• 10 mins from Southlands Mall and 20 mins from Chadstone Mall (even bigger)
• about 1-1.5 hrs from Mornington Peninsula Coastline
• Within 1 hours drive of the Dandenong Ranges and the forests (stunning)
• Within 2 hours drive of the snow in the Winter
• Gyms are everywhere, Hampton alone have 3-4 of them and most are HUGE with loads of classes and gear. Melbourne is a highly sports oriented area.
• Both Hampton Primary (where our boys are) and Sandringham Primary are excellent public schools.

Here's a few photos I've taken of the surrounding beaches and parks in and around Hampton





Hope this helps give you an idea of what is possible

My wife just pointed out that I should mention a couple of those photos are not in Bayside. One is of the rock formation at St Andrews Beach near Sorrento (we go there a lot) and another is of the Winter snow at Mt Baw Baw

Al

meljk

Thank you so much for all of this info and the photos, the beach looks stunning, particularly as I sit at my desk looking out at a cold grey drizzly sky!

We had been looking to the South East but weren’t sure where to go from there in terms of schools, etc. Thanks so much Ill continue with some more research in those areas that you have mentioned.

Mel