AJ235 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Hi all I have read a few things about Point Cook on the forum but I just wondered if anyone could help clarify a few questions... My husband and I have recently moved to Melbourne and are currently living with family in Oakleigh. My husband works in the city and I will be starting a job in Laverton on 2nd Jan and we are looking to rent somewhere closer to my work. We have been looking at some properties in Point cook (more specifically sanctuary lakes and saltwater coast). If anyone lives here or has done could you please advise of your opinion of these areas. Can you get good internet access (it is important as we like to skype and facetime the UK quite regularly)? Are the areas generally safe? What is transport and traffic like? (we will have a car and I will more than likely drop my husband to Laverton station on my way to work). Is there big competition for rental properties? (we have never rented before so dont have a rental history or references from previous landlords but do have jobs and would have no problem paying the rent) We are a young couple with no children so will probably travel into the city but you appear to get more space for your money in PC. If anyone could advise of any other areas within reasonable commuting distance to our work that would be great. Many thanks for your help. This is my first post but i've already got so much information over the past few months! Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeTMI Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Hi Amy Welcome to PIO and the Victoria section. I'm sorry I am around the other side of Melbourne and don't know that area enough to advise you. I'm sure some of the forum folks will be along soon. You could also ask the same question in the Life In Victoria PIO sister site http://www.lifeinvictoria.com/ to broaden the opinion you obtain. Tee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ235 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Thank you I will do that now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 We only stayed in PC (Jamieson Way) for six weeks before moving to Altona, so this is a bit limited, but : Saltwater Coast is a long way from anything else. It is very self contained, but isolated. It'll take a few years for the building to join it up with everything else. Sanctuary Lakes is better situated, closer to the shops and schools. There are more properties in Point Cook itself for rent than anywhere else. The houses are generally very new and very nice, and while there is competition, there is more supply - check out domain.com.au for a comparison between suburbs. My wife used to drop me at Laverton every morning. Traffic to Laverton can be heavy, esp if the freeway backs up, but most mornings it's fine. There are a small number of roads through PC that feed the freeway (have a look at the street layout on Google and you'll see what I mean), and it doesn't take much to congest them. Train links to the CBD are excellent, and $32 a week, going up a bit in the New Year, but still affordable. I always thought PC was very safe, but away from the town centre, is very, very quiet in the evenings. As we have kids, we didn't get out really in the evenings. Hope this is of some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ235 Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Hi Scott Thanks for the info Just wondering if you could tell me if you like living in Altona as we were also going to view a couple of properties there? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 We used to live in Williamstown which is absolutely divine but can be expensive but you can get a bargain if you are lucky. We had a 2 bed flat with a large garden for 295 a week right on the sea front. Parts of Newport are OK but not too near the oil refinery. Parts of Altona are nice but not Altona Meadows and definitely not Laverton itself - its a dump. I've only been to Point Cook a few times to have a look around and didn't like it at all. The houses themselves are lovely and modern but have no back garden and public transport, traffic and facilities there are terrible. Its like a giant luxury Wimpey estate with no soul. I certainly wouldn't live there although lots of people like it. parts of Werribee are ok. There are certainly good public facilities, shops, retails parks etc but parts of Werribee suffer from the same problems that Point Cook does. We have moved to Brisbane but if we moved back to Melbourne it would be Williamstown again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leanda Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I have to agree and disagree with boganbear. I live in point cook but the older part and we have a large back yard. Sl. Has some big houses with big back yards but can be pricier than pc. Salt water coast is nice but new and smaller plots. The traffic can be horrendous at peak times but that is true for a lot of the west now. Public transport is pretty lousy but they are building a new train station at Williams landing which is due to open early next year so it should help a bit. I like the facilities we have here, lots of parks and primary schools, although secondary schools still have a way to go. We have a half decent shopping centre, which although isn't perfect, it's enough to kill an hour. I work in Altona and there are nice parts but also quite a few I would personally stay away from. Williamstown is gorgeous but pricey. Lots of bars, restaurants and shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Hi AJ We've been in Altona a month now, and yes, we like it so far, but have still to really get into local life - partly due to me working long hours, partly due to the kids haven't started school yet. We're close to the centre of Altona itself, and again, its quiet, but Pier Street has a couple of bars / cafe's - couldn't say what they are like. Most of the properties for less than $400 in Altona itself are either older properties and are just tired rentals, or brand new, very nice but smaller units. Trains to the CBD are every 20 mins at peak time : Laverton is actually better. We got lucky, and found one that's not too tired, and has a massive back yard : just what we needed for the kids, although I had to spend more than I really wanted to on a lawnmower and edger The beach is within walking distance which is great, just being able to see the sea, and I'm going to look at learning to kitesurf after Christmas : part of the beach is a kitesurfing zone And the shopping centres at Sanctuary Lakes, Point Cook Town Centre and Hoppers Crossing are easy to get to for anything you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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