Port cook??

[pacticenurse]

What is port cook like to live? I have 2 boys age 13 and 10... How close is it to beach / bays?

How close to city by car?

 

Thanks people. :biggrin:

[pacticenurse]

What is point cook like to live? I have 2 boys age 13 and 10... How close is it to beach / bays?

How close to city by car?

 

Thanks people. :biggrin:

 

sorry point cook!!

[Petals]

Hi, sorry I cannot help but there are a lot of members who live in the area and hope one pops along to help you. In Melbourne we have the Yarra River and people tend to prefer to live one side or the other.

 

If you have not already spotted it there is an associate forum called Life in Victoria and there is a link at the foot of this one. Join up, there are a lot of members who have recently arrived and some of those are living in the area.

 

Good luck

[surfndirt]

Hya,

 

Point Cook is a new build estate - there are a few pretty big problems with the joint;

 

1) Terrible congestion at peak times - was an article in the paper the other day with some people who literally couldn't get to the freeway even

2) Cheap housing = boguns

3) No public transport

4) Not really near a beach that doesn't stink

 

Houses may look nice on the internet but that's about it. There's a reason it seems cheap (always is hey!)

 

In the west, try;

 

Williamstown

Altona

Spotswood

Yarraville

 

Hope this helps.....

[Anna333]

Hya,

 

Point Cook is a new build estate - there are a few pretty big problems with the joint;

 

1) Terrible congestion at peak times - was an article in the paper the other day with some people who literally couldn't get to the freeway even

2) Cheap housing = boguns

3) No public transport

4) Not really near a beach that doesn't stink

 

Houses may look nice on the internet but that's about it. There's a reason it seems cheap (always is hey!)

 

In the west, try;

 

Williamstown

Altona

Spotswood

Yarraville

 

Hope this helps.....

 

I wouldn't be as blunt as this, but I guess is does sum up why we aren't moving to Point Cook. However some of the other suburbs you've listed are a way different price bracket - not really comparable!

 

To the OP - We're buying a place on the western fringe of Altona Meadows where housing is more reasonably priced than Williamstown & Altona but is a good location in terms of proximity to large open space, beach, train, it has quiet courts, potential for large garden (relatively speaking). There's a post that I've updated regularly on our search for an area in the west of Melbourne to settle. You may find this helpful. http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/victoria/159390-working-deerpark-west-melbourne-where-settle.html

[pacticenurse]

Thanks people..

[surfndirt]

I have been here a long time and seen the joint go from a small development to the sprawl it is now - and known many, many people who made the 'point cook' mistake. The other burbs are only not comparable if the OP wishes to join the great Australian mortgage slave business..... Renting in these areas is not that different. Why would someone move to another country and buy a place straight away - madness (and it's just basic madness to buy somewhere here anyway....)

[flybyknight]

spose it depends where you are on the estate, were towards the shops in the centre and i've never had to wait more than 10 mins to get on the freeway... but then its a car park lol

its still a car park at the altona exit, so the only benefit is being a couple of exits closer.

it depends what you want, for us point cook works well, a pretty new, cheap house with solar, keeps our overheads low so we can get established.

our intention was never to stay, more to have a base so we could sort out where we want to be.

 

a word of caution about getting too close to the western side of the city, there is a huge pollution problem around the brooklyn area, it spews noxious fumes around the m1/m80 junction area of the freeway. (a tannery or tallow rendering plant or suchlike)

i fear for my health just driving through it, i would be devaststed if i owned a house that could end up in the 'cloud'

[gwolst77]

I've been living in PC since October and can't really fault it, because I did my research before signing my lease I probably saved myself having to live with some of the things that grate other people nerves living here.

 

Broadband is a pain (even just getting broadband) so make sure that you get a place on the Alamanda or Kingsford estates which have fiber optic (I think a few new builds on Sanctuary Lakes now have fiber optic)

 

Traffic is a pain in the morning if you are like the rest of the sheep and just try the usual roads out of the suburbs. I still can't believe more people at the bottom end of PC don't drive down Hoppers Lane and get on the freeway there (either at Hoppers Station or Duncan's Road). It's less than five minutes driving in the wrong direction as opposed to waiting 30 minutes on Point Cook road.

BUT if the freeway is busy you are still going to be stuck in traffic regardless (as per another post). There are plenty of times I have done from my house into the city in about 30 minutes and other times it has took over an hour. But on balance it's still nowhere near as bad as commuting the same distance into a major UK city. The trains are good and cheap (compared to the UK) so that's always another option.

 

The houses are all new build and are the same quality as new build in the UK (probably better when compared to the UK's big volume builders), my house is very large and nice and I would not get anything like it in the UK for the price I am paying here (renting). The problem with new builds is you either like new build or you don't, I know plenty of people with old house with plenty of character that have far more things wrong with them than new builds.

 

Bogan's I think the term Chav would be a comparable UK equivalent and is very subjective term in itself. I have heard the term used to describe people you would class as Chav's back in the UK (even though I never use the term), but I have also heard people use it as a derogative term for somebody who is basically working class (heard many people call Julia Gillard a Bogan because of her voice/accent). You have to remember that PC has a population of over 35,000 and is estimated to be in there region of 50,000 in a couple of years time, so there are going to be all types of backgrounds living here. Where I live there are more people driving Audi's and BMW's (and premium European cars expensive over here) or top of the range cars from the Far East than bangers.

 

I personally think its great living here but then again I emigrated from deepest darkest Lancashire (so my standards may be low compared to some). I know plenty of people who have lived in PC for over 5 years and love it, but to remain balanced I have also met a few who have moved on (for various reasons). Lots of different types of people and lots of different cultures live here. Also there are fantastic play areas and facilities for the kids, so when compared to my old life back in the UK our quality of life is million times better.

 

BEWARE there is a bias towards the eastern suburbs in Melbourne. I don't understand it really apart from the western suburbs have traditionally been the industrial areas. We went for a drive of the Xmas period around the areas we first considered moving to along the southern eastern coast after driving around we are glad we made the move to PC (with the exception of Mornington but that is to far away from the CBD). As for buying I am not going to be doing that for a while anyway. Also bear in mind a lot of people will own property for investments reasons, but just rent the house they actually live in.

[DeePee]

Couldnt agree more than the post above.

 

We've lived (myself, wife and 18mth old son) since January and find it a very pleasant place to live. Traffic is awful in the mornings on the main roads into the city, but its exactly the same on the other side of the bridge. We lived in St Kilda for a while so have experienced that too, which for the niceties it has, it has far too many undesirables for children which in my opinion are far more dangerous than 'boguns'.

[pacticenurse]

Thanks for all the interesting info... Really helpful ..

[pacticenurse]

Couldnt agree more than the post above.

 

We've lived (myself, wife and 18mth old son) since January and find it a very pleasant place to live. Traffic is awful in the mornings on the main roads into the city, but its exactly the same on the other side of the bridge. We lived in St Kilda for a while so have experienced that too, which for the niceties it has, it has far too many undesirables for children which in my opinion are far more dangerous than 'boguns'.

 

Hi DeePee.. Can you tell me more about st kilda?

Thanks....

[DeePee]

Hi DeePee.. Can you tell me more about st kilda?

Thanks....

 

St Kilda is great for bars, restaurants, coffee shops and cake shops especially around Ackland Street and Fitzroy Street. I'd say the area would be more appealing to the childfree sort of person, and it would probably be the place where my wife and I would settle if we didnt have a son.

 

There are a lot of backpackers who pass through St Kilda, and its generally a party atmosphere where there could be DJ playing in The Vineyard, a band playing in THe Esplanade or even an Elvis Impersonator playing in Claypots... there always seems to be something happening.

 

St Kilda beach is ok I suppose, definately not one of the best visually compared to the others on offer a bit further South. Public transport is very good with, buses and trams very regular...and Balaclava train station is not too far away.

 

Rental prices are very expensive for the actual living space you'll get...we stayed in a 1 bedroom apartment on Barkly Street and were paying $370 per week...we've gone from that to a 4 bedroom detached house for the same price out in the suburbs.

 

With the party atmosphere comes the undesirables such as prostitutes and druggies, but I suppose its part and parcel with the party culture the area seems to have. Although I'd say its not the best place to raise a kid, we have spent many a fun day in St Kilda botanical gardens where families seem to congregate at weekends.

 

If I could get a decent size property in St Kilda (that I thought was value for money), then we'd probably move back there.

[Tea4two]

Hi there, I talk first hand from someone who made the PC mistake as others put it lol. Its harsh to say its full of bogans because its not. I havent seen any trouble since being here. The houses (mainly Sanctuary Lakes and Alamanda) offer more than you would get elsewhere - communical pools/gym etc. But there's a price to pay. Point Cook is multicultural which attracted us there to begin with- however every culture tends to stick to their own little pockets. I find this a little strange. Traffic is a nightmare. People can positively ignore this aspect but its truly awful and both my husband and I cant wait to shave 2 hours a day off our daily commute to work. I didnt see the appeal of the East when I first came but now I do. We are moving to Sandringham two mins from the train station and a beautiful beach and I can walk to shops and restaurants and the beach! Ive not walked anywhere for a while in Point Cook! When ive tried to get active, my daily run involves an uninspiring jog round the same old housing estates. Its a little out of it here and feels almost like you could be anywhere, not OZ. Then when I travel through the city daily I feel alive!

 

But i'll be sad to go. I like our estate and the communal pool and the are more Brits here than anywhere. I've got used to certain places and restaurants and it feels a bit like home. But that cant compete with an 18 minute commute! I've been driving to the train station, getting a train, swapping to another one and then walking. 1.5 hours each way!

 

Depends what you want but if money isnt a problem i'd look along the Sandringham line or the other line as far as Mordialloc. Nice beachside feel and lots of character xxx