LadyCroft Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Well the title says it all really. We were here years ago when the exchange rate was high and cost of living not so high. Now we are back permanently, we had decided we would have a little house in Mentone with a small garden and the kids would go to Parkdale primary. Well, we can only afford an apartment now and although we thought "Yes! We can live in an apartment!" it is just not going to be practical. We have been in a 2 bed apartment since we arrived and it is HELL with our kids. I thought we would be fine living in the apartment and going to the local parks to run around but they are stir crazy. I SOOOOO wanted us to live in Metone by the sea with the local friendly feel to the place and the shops..... Sigh ANYWAY I digress... We have been trawling through Realestate.com.au and Highton, Geelong keeps coming up as a really nice area with a house and garden for what we were going to pay in Mentone for a 2 bed apartment. I know once we are more established and settled we can always move at the end of our rental agreement if we are not happy but if we love it there then great. I have been told to avoid Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes as the internet and services are a bit hit and miss as well as issues with traffic stand still trying to get through to Melbourne. Can anyone help me with which parts of Highton I should be looking at or avoiding? I have also been told not to rent in GRovedale although there are some lovely houses there. I don't mean to offend anyone living in these areas as I am sure they are fine - I think the friends we have asked would like us to live in the Eastern suburbs near them as they have moved around over the years and love where they are now so are just trying to help us avoid what they went through but we have very limited experience of living in Melbourne so are open to new areas as long as they are kid friendly and safe. Also, I won't have the car so will need to be able to walk or take the bus to school with a stroller in tow so I guess I need to be close enough to PRimary schools to be able to walk. Thanks for your help with this. I didn't take into account how expensive rentals have got since we were here in 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikko Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Hi, we ended up Geelong (Leopold actually), we rented a holiday let on arrival for 4 weeks so did't have heaps of time to make a choice on where we wanted to be. We already knew about Highton and also Newton as being fairly 'nice' areas so started looking around those areas. We don't have any children so school catchment areas were not important to us, but my wife does not drive so we had to be on a bus route into Geelong for her work (nurse). There were some very nice houses and the rent was not as expensive as the Melbourne suburbs. The areas were fairly built up which (coming from a big city) we wanted to try something different. Whilst on a drive to Ocean Grove we passed through Leopold and decided to give it a look, long story short we have been in our rental in Leopold since July 2012 and we have just bought a house and land package also in Leopold. As you are already in Oz come down and visit the area (maybe stay overnight in a hotel) to get a feel of the different areas, check out the public transport links (most are not very good with 1 bus per hour, maybe 2 per hour at school times) my wife manages with the busses and we are about 10k outside Geelong). Geelong itself is a great place, sure it has it's down sides and bad areas but everywhere has those now. I can imagine it would be a great place to bring up children as the town is very children friendly, there is always something going on down on the sea front and we are just b20 mins away from the beaches at Torquay, Ocean grove and Barwon Heads. Good luck with the move. Nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 The Outer East suburbs are very pretty. Heathmont, East Ringwood, Ferntree Gully, Boronia all should be pretty cheap and they are on railway lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Hun what's your budget and I will have a look around for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Well the title says it all really. We were here years ago when the exchange rate was high and cost of living not so high. Now we are back permanently, we had decided we would have a little house in Mentone with a small garden and the kids would go to Parkdale primary. You haven't considered another area more local? Our kids go to Parkdale Primary and some kids in their class come from as far away as Aspendale Gardens. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanig Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 We live in Geelong (well, Lara actually - which is close enough to count..) Highton, Wanadana Heights, Newtown are good areas, so is Grovedale, but it sounds like you have been put off that suburb already. As previously mentioned, its certainly worth coming to this side of the bay for a look-see. We don't have children, so cannot comment on schools etc. Personally I think Geelong is a great place, 20-30mins from the beaches at Torquay, Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove. Easy access to Melbourne on the train. Generally traffic is light, so easy to get around. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCroft Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Hun what's your budget and I will have a look around for you Our budget is under $400 but we need at least 2 bed and a car space. Would like 3 bed for parents coming to stay for hols ideally. Buzzy Bee - I wasn't too sure how far we could be from Mentone/Parkdale so started looking further afield. Will look at surrounding suburbs too but am looking at Geelong as an option since we've never actually stayed there and there are a couple of job opportunities there too so I'm trying to be a bit more flexible since it's me who really loves Mentone but OH is not bothered where we end up as long as it's near the coast,safe with decent schools and toddler friendly. Thanks for the replies! It's hard this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Our budget is under $400 but we need at least 2 bed and a car space. Would like 3 bed for parents coming to stay for hols ideally. Buzzy Bee - I wasn't too sure how far we could be from Mentone/Parkdale so started looking further afield. Will look at surrounding suburbs too but am looking at Geelong as an option since we've never actually stayed there and there are a couple of job opportunities there too so I'm trying to be a bit more flexible since it's me who really loves Mentone but OH is not bothered where we end up as long as it's near the coast,safe with decent schools and toddler friendly. Thanks for the replies! It's hard this! What about Mordialloc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/property-townhouse-house-with-2-bedrooms-between-0-400-in-mordialloc%3b+parkdale%3b+aspendale/list-1?maxBeds=any&source=refinements The one here - http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-mordialloc-401954796 is a 3 bed house within 3 mins walk of the beach and Mordialloc shops. I know the house. Only downside is the street might be noisy on weekend evenings. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I was also going to suggest Mordialloc - great little suburb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I was also going to suggest Mordialloc - great little suburb It is a lovely place and one where I could happily live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 The trouble is the city tends to sprawl so even when you think you are living in closer often find that you still need a second car to get around. We are spoilt where I live because for once the planners got it right and everyone can walk to the schools and shops here. To live close enough to walk to facilities is often more expensive due to demand as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCroft Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 I posted a huge reply and it's gone so here goes with a smaller one. Keeping an eye on Mordialloc and Cheltenham now. How about Frankston South? We have seen quite a few properties but they're getting further towards Frankston North and the Uni buildings... Is this still an OK area or not? Robinson Road and Lardner Road at all??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCroft Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Sorry - more to add. We have seen a lovely place in Seaford but it is on East Avenue and I have no idea what it is like there. Would that be recommended or not? THanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Sorry - more to add. We have seen a lovely place in Seaford but it is on East Avenue and I have no idea what it is like there. Would that be recommended or not? THanks I would choose Frankston South over Seaford. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
websitepete Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Our budget is under $400 but we need at least 2 bed and a car space. Would like 3 bed for parents coming to stay for hols ideally. Buzzy Bee - I wasn't too sure how far we could be from Mentone/Parkdale so started looking further afield. Will look at surrounding suburbs too but am looking at Geelong as an option since we've never actually stayed there and there are a couple of job opportunities there too so I'm trying to be a bit more flexible since it's me who really loves Mentone but OH is not bothered where we end up as long as it's near the coast,safe with decent schools and toddler friendly. Thanks for the replies! It's hard this! What about regional Vic ? l can sell you a house with 4 bedrooms for $270K lol.... l ain't trying to sell the house just yet, but we are planning to sell amd move from South Gippsland to another regional area in the Yarra Ranges. I just think housing in many parts of Melbourne is ridiculously expensive and l don't understand the justification of such pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambethlad Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Avoid Frankston North it's full of low-life and gives the rest of Frankston a bad name. Mornington is very nice and seems to be a place favored by new arrivals from the UK. Also Carrum Downs, Skye and Langwarrin are more reasonably priced and only 10 mins to the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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