Hunsloh

So i have managed to narrow my search down to these two places.

 

can anyone advise on me on the positive and negatives of each place please for a family with one 5 year old child.

Also an idea of commute time to cbd for a tradie starting work around 6.30 to 7 am.

 

thanks

stephen

I have lived in the area for about 15 years so...

Boronia

Positives - nice and leafy. Big blocks. Cheaper houses, Fabulous views of the Dandenongs. It has a cinema and a reasonable size shopping plaza. Train line to the city takes about 45 mins in peak hour with express trains. Good soli & one of the wettest spots in Melbourne so if you want to have a nice garden this is the place to be. Bike tracks everywhere. Lots of king parrots/rosellas/cockies. 15mins to Eastlink which then takes 25 minutes to Hoddle Street End (not in peak hour that is). If you are starting work at 6.30 then you would probably want to be leaving home no later than 5.45

Negatives - around the station is a bit tatty...you get the usual dispticks who like to hang around transport interchanges (but this is probably the same everywhere). High schools aren't so good - the best government school in the Knox area is Wantirna College but it is getting increasingly harder to get your kids in there if you do don't live in Wantirna (the next suburb)

Ferntree Gully

Positives - a similar area to Boronia but a little more hilly. A few pubs and you sometimes get band at the middle (the Ferntree Gully Hotel). It has a hospital with a casualty department (my last child was born there - very impressed with the standard of care we got). It has the thousand steps walk which is very popular and as it is a bit higher, it is one of the cooler spots in Melbourne on hot days

It has two train stations which are just up the line from Boronia so travel times to the city are similar. You get fabulous views right out over Melbourne from some spots

Negatives - high schools again. There is a catholic school (St Joes) which has a good reputation but again government schools aren't so good and people try to get their kids in Wantirna College. Because it has so many trees its one of the higher fire danger areas.

Both areas are about 45 minutes from the beach but they are unfortunately bay beaches so not as good as those on the open ocean (no surf) , but that is a problem Melbourne wide.

The local bigger nightspot is the Knox City complex which is one of the biggest shopping centres in Melbourne and has pubs/cinemas/a little night club/loads of restaurants and is pretty busy in the evening

Its a good spot to live, its a bit hillier than the rest of Melbourne, which can be a bit flat and anonymous and there are so many trees you can hardly see the houses. Other spots in the area that worth a look are Bayswater (has got a brand new railway station and the level crossings have gone- lots of places to eat), Wantirna South (getting a bit pricey now the Chinese are moving in from Glen Waverley) and the Basin.

Just as well your wife isn't hoping to get a job as a primary teacher, in fact, having the time off to be with the kids might be a good time for her to look around and see what sort of career change she might like to make. Too many unemployed teachers unfortunately! I'm surprised that any states are still sponsoring primary teachers actually. She would be wise to take a career break when you do actually plan your move for real. Enjoy the holiday!

There isnt a shortage of primary school teachers in the established suburbs of Melbourne, but there is in the growth areas. If your wife is prepared to look at Pakenham/Cranbourne or Mernda/Craigieburn there are plenty of opportunities

Your train must go express from Ringwood to Flinders St. :laugh:

 

To be fair allow 45 minutes but it is the best train line.

Express all the way lfrom Box Hill actually but still only takes half an hour Ringwood to Parliament (45 minutes from Croydon) . Not so good for those living in Camberwell/Glenferrie as it doesnt stop there so much these days :shocked:

Croydon is fine. It's a nice suburb, but the OP did say they wanted a 30 minute commute, which doesn't equate with their $850k budget.

Ringwood/Heatherdale/Mitcham are all with half an hour on the train from the CBD - you can get a decent enough houses there for $850k with good government schiools around. Great views of the hills, leafy suburbs and not flat as a pancake like some parts of Melbourne