Quote:
Originally Posted by 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
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It is very difficult to say which places are better than others because it will come down to your personal priorities/preferences and things like whether you enjoy dining with your neighbours or whether a relaxed barbie suits you...!!!
All the places you have listed are fantastic but have different qualities. Brunswick, Coburg and Yarraville are quite trendy places to live and would be my choice if money was no object. However, I was not prepared to lower my standard of living when we came to live in Oz so, rather reluctantly, we are living 20km outside the city.
Camberwell and Hawthorn East are both great areas and remind me or places like Primrose Hill in London and tick a lot of peoples' boxes. For instance, it has great infrastructure, it's in the all important east, has a good community and all that you could wish for in terms of housing possibilities. Again, it comes down to money!
Kew, in my opinion, is a little bit dislocated and getting to and from anywhere other than the city centre will definitely mean a long time spent in the car but does give you good access to other eastern suburbs via the freeway.
Do you prefer modern or traditional architecture? Do you want a single or double storey house? Is having a garden important or will a yard do? Will you need a double garage?
Before we left the U.K., we drew up a list of absolute essentials and, alongside it, a list of desirables. We reviewed it a hundred times before we sealed our fate and stuck rigidly to it.
Another thing that I would recommend is that when you get here and visit all these suburbs, try to use public transport because it's only then that you realise the vast distances from house to station etc. This may not be important if you work at home or have an office with a parking place but when you go out and can't drink, or there isn't a bus after 9pm, you may regret it!
Nelson