Where should we visit?

[Guest lolajays]

We have booked our Rekkie trip in May and are visiting Melbourne and Perth. We want to drive around and look at some towns on the outskirts of the city. Where do you think we should look? we were going to look at Geelong but thats the only place we have been told about. Can you help?

[tracy123]

if your going to geelong take a look at altona, point cook, weribee, hoppers crossing and the new areas that are being built in the west. nice beach in altona best shopping in werribee (all about 45 minutes away from the cbd) also a train line runs through that goes to geelong

display homes open from 10 am onwards make sure if you do look, ask them how much for the display home package because what you see is not what you get, also ask about land soil for that area because they sell a standard slab and you will find thats not good enough and also rock as they charge you if the land is full of rock.

You can pick up a new 4 bed with study on land for $350,000 aud or an older house for around $300,00 aud

 

best of luck

 

Geoffrey

[Guest The Pom Queen]

You just have to visit Mornington Peninsula, it is lovely. Also have a drive through Berwick, Narre Warren South, Lynbrook and Lyndhurst. Most of our clients travel around looking at different suburbs both in the North, West and East but settle in the South East, their favourite areas are Berwick, Lynbrook, Lyndhurst and the Mornington Peninsula.

[Guest claire9592]

I second Tracy123, Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes is absolutly fantastic. We got back from our rekki last month and Point Cook is the place for us, the prices are good, you have everything on your doorstep and the city is only a short distance away. The West is a lot better value for money than the East. We cant wait to get back, this is if the house sells and that is not very likely for the time being.

[Petals]

You could also look at Eltham, Warrandyte, Park Orchards very nice suburbs. Small towns in the Dandenong ranges are lovely too, Monbulk, Kallista,Emerald, and other small towns around there. Also Healesville is a bit further out but a lovely town. Yarra Valley has a lot of nice areas as well.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

The West is a lot better value for money than the East. .

 

Umm, but the journey in to the CBD is not as you have to go over the West Gate Bridge and it is like a car park:wideeyed: Like Sue says, Kallista, Monbulk and Emerald are lovely places to consider.

[tracy123]

Umm, but the journey in to the CBD is not as you have to go over the West Gate Bridge and it is like a car park:wideeyed: Like Sue says, Kallista, Monbulk and Emerald are lovely places to consider.

 

Do you use the Westgate Bridge on a regular basis at peak hour or are you giving your information from radio reports? because in my humble opinion your statement is a slight over exaggeration. I left the CBD at 16:45 on a Thursday afternoon and was in Werribee at 17:30 if I was staying in Altona it would of taken 30 minutes. People living in Toorak are taking that long to get home.

I also found the traffic cleared alot quicker in the west than on the other sides of town but saying that I think the traffic is nowhere near as bad in Victoria as it is in the the UK and without being rude if you say it is, you've lived in Victoria for far to long or you lived in a quiet pocket of the UK

 

Monash Freeway well thats not really free is it? there is a toll, Princess Hwy well thats got traffic lights the whole way into town as does the Nepean Hwy so traffic is slow going. The Eastern Fwy at some point does that not turn into a toll road? and lets face it, it stops being a freeway at Clifton Hill. Tullamarine Fwy well that also turns into a toll road if you want to head into the CBD.

The big difference is with the other Hwy/Fwy's there is a multiple choice of other roads you can take into town but with the Westgate you have 1 other option Footscray road. Unless you live in Sunshine etc.

 

Geoffrey

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hi Geoff

Yes I had to travel with work to the other side of the city and travelled across the bridge on a regular basis and it is a bottle neck hence all the road work to make the roads run smoother. There have been numerous reports as well in the papers, about how bad the Westgate has got take a look here: Readers' Comments: Build second West Gate bridge - call - Herald Sun Unfortunately Geoff since you lived here the population has increased and so has the traffic.

The Monash is just as bad but at least there are numerous other routes to try, and yes there are tolls on the Monash I never said there wasn't? The best route to the city from the East is probably to go up the Nepean to Mordialloc and then up Beach Road, I use to travel back this way sometimes and it was a lot quicker.

 

Maybe I have lived here too long now and like you say compared to the UK traffic jams it probably isn't half as bad, but there is nothing worse being stuck in a traffic jam on a 40 degree day:yes:

[tracy123]

Hi Geoff

Yes I had to travel with work to the other side of the city and travelled across the bridge on a regular basis and it is a bottle neck hence all the road work to make the roads run smoother. There have been numerous reports as well in the papers, about how bad the Westgate has got take a look here: Readers' Comments: Build second West Gate bridge - call - Herald Sun Unfortunately Geoff since you lived here the population has increased and so has the traffic.

The Monash is just as bad but at least there are numerous other routes to try, and yes there are tolls on the Monash I never said there wasn't? The best route to the city from the East is probably to go up the Nepean to Mordialloc and then up Beach Road, I use to travel back this way sometimes and it was a lot quicker.

 

Maybe I have lived here too long now and like you say compared to the UK traffic jams it probably isn't half as bad, but there is nothing worse being stuck in a traffic jam on a 40 degree day:yes:

 

I was over there last month and in honesty thought the traffic was a breeze (no matter what freeway i was on) and laughed at my brother complaining about how bad it was. He is over next year I can't wait to take him on the M6 and other motorways (no need to take him to Backpool) just to show him how good you lot lave it:biglaugh:

 

"population has increased " its all you b****y poms LOL

 

Sorry to the OP for taking it off track.

[Guest lolajays]

I was over there last month and in honesty thought the traffic was a breeze (no matter what freeway i was on) and laughed at my brother complaining about how bad it was. He is over next year I can't wait to take him on the M6 and other motorways (no need to take him to Backpool) just to show him how good you lot lave it:biglaugh:

 

"population has increased " its all you b****y poms LOL

 

Sorry to the OP for taking it off track.

 

 

 

No worries it made good interesting reading!

[Guest treesea]

Frankston is bayside to the east of the city, with very good transport links (train) into the CBD, and reasonably priced housing. It's well situated for the Peinisula. The peninsula is a nice place to live, but the train stops at Frankston, so if you do decide to go further on down towards Portsea, be preared for some driving. Portsea, just as a point of reference, is 90km from the CBD and Frankston is 40km away.

 

Personally, I wouldn't live on the west side of Melbourne. Way too hot, and characterless suburbia. I don't like Werribee or Hoppers Crossing. Too far away and not much to do nearby on the weekend. As to value for money, not imho. Footscray, Yarraville and around there are way overpriced for the quality of the housing. Altona is better, but avoid Laverton. The best place to live on the west side, imho, is Williamstown.

 

There's this place on the west side, where all the chemical factories are, which looks like something out of Mad Max, - very eerie to drive through at night, and put it this way - I wouldn't want to be within ten miles of there if there was an industrial accident. As for the Westgate bridge, yes I have travelled on this in rush hour, and going into the city in the morning it's more like Westgate carpark, and getting worse. St Albans, Deer Park and Sunshine - forget it. You probably wouldn't live in the equivalent areas in the UK, so why live there in Melbourne?

 

I wouldn't live at Point Cook for quids. Too close to the sewage treatment works. In summer, when the off shore winds come in, the smell from the Werribee treatment works is shocking. There's a reason housing on the west side seems to be value for money. That treatment plant is for the entire western part of Melbourne, as far east as Glen Iris and Hawthorn, and as far north as Taylors Lakes and Greenville. http://www.melbournewater.com.au/images/sewerage/n_12_lrg.jpg is a link to a map of Melbourne which shows how big it is.

 

Going towards the north east, I would prefer to live somewhere like Lilydale or Croydon North (older houses, big land) or Croydon Hills (newer housing) rather than up in the Dandenongs. We lived through three bushfires in the years we were there, and people died in all three of them.

[Guest gary12]

Frankston is bayside to the east of the city, with very good transport links (train) into the CBD, and reasonably priced housing. It's well situated for the Peinisula. The peninsula is a nice place to live, but the train stops at Frankston, so if you do decide to go further on down towards Portsea, be preared for some driving. Portsea, just as a point of reference, is 90km from the CBD and Frankston is 40km away.

 

Personally, I wouldn't live on the west side of Melbourne. Way too hot, and characterless suburbia. I don't like Werribee or Hoppers Crossing. Too far away and not much to do nearby on the weekend. As to value for money, not imho. Footscray, Yarraville and around there are way overpriced for the quality of the housing. Altona is better, but avoid Laverton. The best place to live on the west side, imho, is Williamstown.

 

There's this place on the west side, where all the chemical factories are, which looks like something out of Mad Max, - very eerie to drive through at night, and put it this way - I wouldn't want to be within ten miles of there if there was an industrial accident. As for the Westgate bridge, yes I have travelled on this in rush hour, and going into the city in the morning it's more like Westgate carpark, and getting worse. St Albans, Deer Park and Sunshine - forget it. You probably wouldn't live in the equivalent areas in the UK, so why live there in Melbourne?

 

I wouldn't live at Point Cook for quids. Too close to the sewage treatment works. In summer, when the off shore winds come in, the smell from the Werribee treatment works is shocking. There's a reason housing on the west side seems to be value for money. That treatment plant is for the entire western part of Melbourne, as far east as Glen Iris and Hawthorn, and as far north as Taylors Lakes and Greenville. http://www.melbournewater.com.au/images/sewerage/n_12_lrg.jpg is a link to a map of Melbourne which shows how big it is.

 

Going towards the north east, I would prefer to live somewhere like Lilydale or Croydon North (older houses, big land) or Croydon Hills (newer housing) rather than up in the Dandenongs. We lived through three bushfires in the years we were there, and people died in all three of them.

 

Hi 'Treesea',

Would appreciate your opinions on Warrandyte, Templestowe, Eltham, Ringwood North, Donvale.

We are heading their next month and your story about bushfires is a worry!

Thanks

Gary

[olly]

From the CBD of Melbourne, you can follow the Eastern Freeway out to Springvale Road, Donvale/Nunawading before it becomes a toll section, and then go up Canterbury Road or Maroondah Highway to the outer east where, although some houses have become expensive, there are still houses on the train line (Belgave, Lilydale lines) which are still quite good buys. Suburbs like Wantirna, Heathmont, Ringwood, North Ringwood, Kilsyth, Croydon, Montrose, Chirnside Park which is good value (some poms there too! ) Chirnside Park is a bus to the train though, but is has a large shopping complex and is very near Eastland and Knox City Shopping complexes.

 

Check out the journey up the Burwood Highway which is the next parallel highway, which takes in the outer east suburbs such as Vermont , Vermont South, Glen Waverley, Knox, Wantirna South, (where neighbours is filmed!!!) On a map of Melb, you will notice that the city is set out on a grid, & this is also to an extent in the eastern region with the throroughfares running fairly parallel right up to the Dandenong Ranges on any of these main highways without a toll road. Most of the Dandenong ranges suburbs (in the hills) are lovely, and some are on the train line, but depends if you want to commute to the city.

That can be a drag, and as people returned to the trains because of petrol prices, some of the trains are packed, but the Victorian State government says they have put more trains on the system now (I will reserve my judgement on that one!). As I saw someone mention before, Melbourne, is very 'spread out' in each direction, very sprawling place both from Geelong to Melbourne and out the other side to the east. The eastern region of Melbourne does have some good schools, especially private/independent schools if you want them. Good luck:yesxmas:

[olly]

Gary12,

Hi, Warrandyte is the bigget bush fire worry. Doncaster and Templestowe are more built up so they aren't. Eltham can be bushy also, some fire hazard. But anywhere in the areas you spoke about is really a beautiful part of Melbourne. It has gained in price over the years, quite expensive in many parts, but it is a super place to live, near good schools, bus and train transport and near the massive Westfield Shoppingtown.

They all fall within the council district of Manningham. I have lived in Doncaster and visit Warrandyte a lot, due to the river running through there and it being a lovely walk. Try the bakery for the pies, sit on the river, sun yourself and enjoy!!!

[olly]

Gary12,

Sorry, forgot to mention Eltham and Greensborough are on the train lines, whereas some of the others are bus routes mainly.

cheers

olly

[Guest treesea]

Hi 'Treesea',

Would appreciate your opinions on Warrandyte, Templestowe, Eltham, Ringwood North, Donvale.

We are heading their next month and your story about bushfires is a worry!

Thanks

Gary

 

These are all seriously nice areas to live. Templestowe and Warrandyte are expensive. Warrandyte has lovely big houses, on big areas of land. Lots of houses with swimming pools. It is quite bushy, so they can be high fire risk days in the summer. The main Melbourne bush fire I remember from living there is the one out in the Dandenongs in 1997. I don't remember one in these suburbs though. Ringwood North is nice, a bit cheaper than the rest. Eltham is where a lot of writers and artists live. Amazingly, it has good rail links into the city. Donvale is like Warrandyte - lovely but can be pricey. A lot of people who ride and/or own horses live in these areas.

 

There's a very good, moderately priced private school out that way - Yarra Valley Grammar School.

 

If you go into google maps, type in Templestowe and then click on the little person to the left of the screen, you can actually see a street view of all these suburbs, i.e. as if you were standing on the street. It's a great way of checking out specific houses too, if you find something that you like the look of on www.realestate.com.au. Just type in the specific address, then click on the little person. Once at the street level, if you click on the arrows, it should take you along to the next door neighbour's house. It takes a bit of practice, but is a way you can "tour" around the suburbs.

[Guest heieup]

I would plan a circular trip to get an idea of the area, starting from Melb head down east through the burbs there and see what you think, definely get down to Frankston and I am told that Mornington is lovely as well. Then you could call it a day and head back or you could stop overnight down there and then take the ferry across the bay entrance (to Sorrento) and check out the bellarine area, surf coast, up into Geelong and then up either direct through Lara and Werribee, or head a little inland to Baccus Marsh before getting back into the City.

 

Treesea has had a 'bit' of a rant about places west of Melb, not entirely sure how there is 'not much to do' on a weekend but then I am biased as I live in Geelong. Definitely don't write it off, the train from geelong into the CBD takes an hour and is pretty reliable (or has been in the month I've been here) its around $17 return on peak and is dead simple, and quicker than driving. It would depend on how far from the CBD your office was as to whether this is workable.

 

Some benefits of the West, its not the suburban sprawl, there are huge gaps between places, its quieter, and you have the surf coast, the vinyards, the national parks and hill walking at the You Yangs all within 40 mins drive, Furhter inland you have the old gold fields which are fun to visit especially for the kids.

 

Definitely check out the east and the towns to the west, some of the outside towns are also pretty cheap for houses etc and there are some lovely areas.

[Guest dwa33]

Good luck with choosing an area. We are now in Torquay (near Geelong) by the beaches and Great Ocean Road and love it for the lifestyle.

 

Fi

[Guest treesea]

Treesea has had a 'bit' of a rant about places west of Melb, not entirely sure how there is 'not much to do' on a weekend but then I am biased as I live in Geelong.

 

I don't think I have mentioned Geelong and the surrounding suburbs for that area at all. I don't consider Geelong part of Melbourne and certainly not part of the "western suburbs of Melbourne" I was referring to in previous posts.

 

If you don't want to live in a huge city, then Geelong, population around 200,000, - which has everything a big city like Melbourne has, but is heaps better situated) is definitely a great place to stay. And I would prefer the character/ great schools and beaches/ brilliant ocean vistas of Geelong and the surrounding suburbs to some of the dormitory suburbs to the east (Narren Warren, Bayswater, Chirnside Park, Pakenham, Cranbourne, Hallam to name but a few) or west (Deer Park, St Albans, Pt Cook, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Laverton) of Melbourne any day of the week.

 

If you fancy a seaside/beach/outdoors/sun kind of lifestyle, then Geelong would be a better bet than Melbourne. I like the other side of the bay, i.e. the Mornington Peninsula, but if I were choosing between the two as a place to live, I would choose Geelong, because it has a much better infrastructure than the Mornington Peninsula. For instance, very good train links into Melbourne, (Mornington Peninsula doesn't have any trains and not very good public transport in comparison). And housing is heaps better value for money in Geelong than it is in Melbourne.

[Guest treesea]

Good luck with choosing an area. We are now in Torquay (near Geelong) by the beaches and Great Ocean Road and love it for the lifestyle.

 

Fi

 

I would definitely second Torquay as a great place to live. That's the thing about Melbourne - yes, it's on the harbour, but a lot of Melbourne is quite a drive away from even the harbour beaches, let alone the "real", ocean facing, beach. Ocean Grove, also on the sea, but a bit to the east of Torquay, is definitely worth a look. Closer to the city centre, Belmont and Newtown are nice areas to live. They are both on either side of the Barwon river, close to the city centre. I can recommend Barwon Valley Park as a good place to have a barbeque/picnic.

[Guest lolajays]

Thanks everyone looks like I have a fair bit of driving to do! Cant wait. Have been looking at houses in Geelong and we are very interested in that area!