[Jader1973]

Hello all,

My wife and I are off to Oz on the 2nd of July, going to visit her parents first (near Noosa) and then off to Melbourne. Neither of us have ever been before - we chose it based on it offering the best employment opportunities for us both (I am an automotive components buyer, my wife is a teacher).

Anyway, needless to say we don't have a house (or jobs), and have no idea which bits to avoid (other than anywhere to the North and West of the city centre apparently).

I've done some checking and found a few areas that are affordable in terms of rent and aren't too far away from the city centre (with no jobs lined up I don't want to end up living on the east side and working on the west side, so I reckon nearer the middle is best to begin with from a commuting point of view). Could anyone give me any feedback on what the following areas are like?

Kew
Brighton East
Hawthorn East
Camberwell
Yarraville
Northcote
Coburg/Coburg North
Brunswick

Sorry if these seem a bit random, I'm working based on anywhere with more than 10 three bed houses within our rental price range.

Finally, anyone know where you can get info on things like crime rates etc?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Doug