Bobths Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 What are people's opinions the above? Are there any particular upsides/downsides? We would basically like a house with a garden, 2/3 bedrooms within an hour of the CBD with good transport links for c$350pw (there is just the two of us (both 30), no kids (yet!)). I have read that Ferntree Gully is a fire risk area, but would like to know if anyone has had experience of there actually being any fires/how much of a daily risk it is. Seen a beautiful house in Upper FTG with amazing views for $320 pw but no doubt it will be long gone before we arrive in January. Cheers in advance - any other suggestions of good suburbs most welcome! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKtoOZ Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Have sent you a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Two are reasonably close to beach, Berwick and Cranbourne Eltham and Ferntree Gully are near to hills and countryside. Eltham is very nice and arty and popular suburb and there are members who live in that suburb. Ferntree Gully is urban and bushy depending where you live. I personally do not find it that attractive, would prefer to be further into the hills if that was my thing. The Basin etc. Berwick has a lovely older part but then it has acres and acres of new housing. My brother lives in Upper Beaconsfield and he commutes to the city for work and moans constantly about the traffic. Cranbourne is very sprawling large suburb lots of flat land but undulating in South Cranbourne. Years ago people called Cranbourne moccieville. Has changed somewhat from those days though. You could look at the western side of Melbourne, Point Cook etc as its a shorter commute to the CBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furkew Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Ferntree does have some fire risk. (there was a fire last year near the station) but because it is so close to the city, the CFA & SES were there with multiple vehicles & 3 helicopters in no time. Its more the towns further out that you should regard as possible bush fire risks. I wasnt a great lover of Ferntree originally, but if you get off the burwood highway and get to know the town better, it is actually quite nice. Upway is a little closer to the hills, but again a lovely little town still within an hour of the CBD. I have been to berwick a number of times, and love the surrounding area as well. It is an up and coming area, so plenty of new rentals available (as is Cranbourne) where Ferntree is an older more established town, so rentals will probably be a bit bigger, but more dated in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Older more established areas are often better because you can get all the services there, the newer estates do not all have broadband and you have to put up with wireless which is not always ideal or good cover depending how far you are from a tower. Also the older area schools are not under so much pressure as the newer areas where there are lots of children of the same age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gary12 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 We live in Eltham and it really suits us, some think it's too rural but for us it's suburbia. It's got a small shopping town with lots of restaurants and cafes, a good train and bus service. There are lots of parks and bike tracks yet you are about 45 minutes by train into Flinders St. We are about 45 minutes to the beach down the eastlink which is great, if you have to drive to the beach anyway may as well live somewhere different. As I said Eltham has lots of nice places to eat and a few bars but if you are looking for a town with lots of nightlife it's not for you. I can't comment on the other areas but we have lived in a high fire risk area during the Black Saturday fires and it's not much fun I have to say. The constant worry, having to leave your home on high risk days which is fine once you have a network of friends but leaving with no where to go is stressful. regards Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Weedy Sea Dragon Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Hi We rented for a year before putting down proper roots. We thought we wanted to live fairly rurally and loved areas such as Emerald and other hilly leafy areas. However we have finally settled just outside Berwick and we are pleased to be within 30 of beach, 20 of ranges, 5 mins from station (which gets us into Flinders Street within the hour), 5 mins from hospital etc. The stories we have heard from friends who were involved in the fires are pretty horrific and when you feel that hot Melbourne wind you can appreciate the speed in which the fire can spread. We were told not to rent/buy a house in the hills with only 1 road in and out. At the very least you should have exits in two directions just in case. Some areas around here are very new housing estates but there are also some very nice established ones so it is a question of shopping around. You will get more garden for your money the further from the CBD you are. In my opinion Berwick is nicer than Cranbourne - I don't know if it is but it feels smaller with a friendlier high street and nice coffee shops and pavement cafes etc. I can't comment on the other areas. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GillianM Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Hi, i live in Berwick and am moving back home in January. Have to break our lease if your interested in our rental, 3 bedrooms $320 a week. Gillian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted November 13, 2010 Author Share Posted November 13, 2010 Thank you so much for all the replies :wubclub: I think we will definitely have to look round all 4 before making up our minds but its good to hear from people who actually live there - you can only get so much information from just looking at a place. We live in a reasonably rural area at the moment (get snowed in without fail every year!), about half an hour drive north of Manchester, but we both have lived in Manchester itself before and enjoyed it so I think either type of area (suburbia/rural) will suit us - as long as it has a garden! Couldn't live in an apartment again. I don't know how well I'd sleep at night during fire season - I know me and I'd just either be awake or having nightmares! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carmel Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi , We just arrived a week ago to Oz and we moved to Eltham, great place , we love it, we were also considering ferntree gully , but after seeing this place , I didn't need to look any more, nice little town with all you need , the yarra valley right on the doorstep. amazing really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi , We just arrived a week ago to Oz and we moved to Eltham, great place , we love it, we were also considering ferntree gully , but after seeing this place , I didn't need to look any more, nice little town with all you need , the yarra valley right on the doorstep. amazing really. Cool :smile: Did you literally land a rental inside a week?! Really considering Eltham, it looks very nice, leafy and established and is closer to the city than some of the other places we are looking at x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carmel Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 We did , a great place , of course the choice was smaller for us looking in just one place , plus kids plus cat, but we did it, also the rental's seem to be more in the next couple of months, end of year time. We were watching the market for a couple of months, and made appointment's for viewing the day after we arrived. My husband started work yesterday he work's in Hawthorn, which is a two train ride so he dose one train and bike. I'm sure you will like it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markandmichelle Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Hello We are in Cranbourne North and all i can say is we love it here, bus stop on door stop and train only 10 mins away, which gets u in2 city in 45 mins, beach only about half hour away, small mall in Cranbourne and also Thompson parkway which is only 5 mins down the road from us, and Fountain gate is only 10 mins down the other road, we have a good size 3 bedroom place and good rent, it like most things it just depends where u want 2 be, and shore every1 thinks they live in the best place!!!!!! we did look at Berwick 2 start off with but we are very happy we are in Cranbourne now. Michelle.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 I don't know whether Cranbourne will be too far out but I think it would be more within our rental budget. It's good to hear so many people are finding places they are really happy with - makes me feel a bit more positive about us finding somewhere :smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markandmichelle Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I don't know whether Cranbourne will be too far out but I think it would be more within our rental budget. It's good to hear so many people are finding places they are really happy with - makes me feel a bit more positive about us finding somewhere :smile: We are very lucky were we are bus and trains not far at all so easy 2 jump on 1 2 head in2 the city, i guess it just depends on where u are going 2 be working, my o/h works in Kew and it can take him anything from 40 min 2 a hour but was use 2 the being a hour from work sometimes. U do seem 2 get more 4 u money out this way, we enjoy it here. good luck with u seach and where ever u go. Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeza Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 hi there we are in berwick/beaconsfield area and absolutely love the area. We have all the facilities you could ever want - huge fountain gate mall, huge library, lovely cafes etc, bike paths galore, botanical gardens a 15min bike ride away, lysterfield lake is great for swimming and kyaking and is 10 km away, emerald park lake is 20km away and offers asuperb free family day out, train is a 5 min bike ride, plenty more shopping in beaconsfield too. Pools not too far away, markets every sunday a short walk away, big stunning houses and extremely well cared for properties. Amazing schools - no probs with enrolling them. Yes, we are very, very happy with our lot! A very pretty area to walk around at night and feel totally safe. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeza Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 cranbourne and berwick are both very well located and have fantastic facilities. You might want to consider public schools if you have high school aged children - but so many seem to go private anyway. Cranbourne is alittle cheaper - possibly because the houses seem to be on smaller blocks?? and there are the power poles which lots of people don't like. BUT, the sporting facilities there. . .out of this world!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theonetruechris Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 We spent a year renting in watsonia so on the doorstep of eltham diamond creek and hurstbridge all really lovely areas and quick to get into town from. We've just moved to cranbourne east. It's nearer to good beaches feels more open but takes an age on the train into town, same on roads as the monash goes straight in if you don't mind tolls. Still missing not being near the trees but at least I can afford to buy a house here (if the rate goes in my favour that is) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 We spent a year renting in watsonia so on the doorstep of eltham diamond creek and hurstbridge all really lovely areas and quick to get into town from. We've just moved to cranbourne east. It's nearer to good beaches feels more open but takes an age on the train into town, same on roads as the monash goes straight in if you don't mind tolls. Still missing not being near the trees but at least I can afford to buy a house here (if the rate goes in my favour that is) We checked out both Eltham and Berwick yesterday and liked them both - sadly we came to the conclusion that Berwick (and therefore Cranbourne) is too far out, we are both going to be working in the CBD most likely and an hour on the train plus walking time at either end every morning and evening is just too much. So we're looking at rentals in Eltham, Montmorency, Diamond Creek and Greensborough at the moment. We also went out to Box Hill but didn't like it - too busy for us. If someone could just pick up Berwick and deposit it half an hour closer to the CBD it would be perfect. If anyone has any suggestions for other good suburbs on a trainline within 30/40 minutes of the CBD they would be welcome..... we're planning on doing some more exploring of Melbourne in general next weekend x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We checked out both Eltham and Berwick yesterday and liked them both - sadly we came to the conclusion that Berwick (and therefore Cranbourne) is too far out, we are both going to be working in the CBD most likely and an hour on the train plus walking time at either end every morning and evening is just too much. So we're looking at rentals in Eltham, Montmorency, Diamond Creek and Greensborough at the moment. We also went out to Box Hill but didn't like it - too busy for us. If someone could just pick up Berwick and deposit it half an hour closer to the CBD it would be perfect. If anyone has any suggestions for other good suburbs on a trainline within 30/40 minutes of the CBD they would be welcome..... we're planning on doing some more exploring of Melbourne in general next weekend x Have you looked at the coastal suburbs, Aspendale, Mordialloc, Mentone or even Cheltenham, Bentleigh etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Wheelers Hill. Ivanhoe, Rosanna, Templestowe, Bulleen My favourite close to the city is Kew but I do not have Kew mon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Have you looked at the coastal suburbs, Aspendale, Mordialloc, Mentone or even Cheltenham, Bentleigh etc. We hadn't really thought about the coastal suburbs, not really sure why. We were going to take a ride down to St Kilda so I guess we could check them out sometime this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Wheelers Hill. Ivanhoe, Rosanna, Templestowe, Bulleen My favourite close to the city is Kew but I do not have Kew mon Ivanhoe and Rosanna both looked nice when we went past on the train, unfortunately there isn't anything available in those two suburbs which we'd like within our price range. We didn't make it out as far as Glen and Mount Waverly when we went out to Box Hill, just too tired at that point after trekking up the length of William Street in the city trying to find all my interview venues and then wandering round Box Hill. But we might give them a look, got to go to the CBD tomorrow so might have a trip out there. Kew also looked nice but like you say, too pricey! We stayed with friends in Ashburton our first night, now that was nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My daughter just moved to Travencor which is near Mt Alexander Road and North Melbourne, easy commute to the city. Flemington is the next suburb over and they are to the north of the city. My brother rented in Ascotvale for a good while and it was very nice where he lived. Do not right off north of the CBD as there are some nice pockets around there, Pascoevale my cousin lived there and liked it as well. Its easier to get into the CBD from the north end than the south end not such a funnel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Emblem Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 We arrived from Scotland 2 weeks ago. Currently staying in Highett, but considering viewing some rental properties in Eltham tomorrow. Do you recommend the area for a 6 year old who will attend the local school? We also have acollie cross, who is currently in quarantine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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