matjones Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 We are possibly moving to Melbourne at the end of January, and want to get peoples opinion on Williamstown and Williamstown North as a place to live. We want to be close to the city, but find there are few dog friendly rentals there. On realestate.com.au I notice there is a higher proportion of dog friendly rentals in Williamstown area. I understand that parts of it are historic, and there is a beach there, but not much else. If anyone could provide me with more information that would be great! Mat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Williamstown is a nice little place, very close to the city and has a bit of a 'villagy' feel - and a great view across the water to the city. It is easily commutable to the centre of town, and plenty of access to the western suburbs down to Geelong etc. It has some pricey realestate, but if you are after closeness to the city for work etc, it's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Thanks olly! I love how close it is to the city, so think I will focus my efforts around there. Have you heard anything about the suburbs above such as Newport, spotswood & altona North? I have a feeling they are considered 'rougher' neighborhoods, but would like more opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpommy Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It is a perfect place to live. .. The schools are fantastic, easy access to the city and the beaches/ Great little shops/cafes/restaurants. Downside, very expensive.!! (to buy and rent) Newport - has improved over the years and depending on where in newport then not rough at all and really nice. Spotswood - mmm, I wouldnt but its up to you. North Altona, def not.!! Although I have a friend that lives there and they have fab house with pool etc, it is not somewhere I would choose to live. Happy house hunting... (very jealous) my kids go to school in Williamstown and if we could afford it we would move there. Elaine.,x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Thanks Elaine. Do you happen to know which parts of newport are good? I noticed there was some newer houses there, which looked ok. Not too concerned about rental price as we are paying ridiculous prices here in Canberra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Williamstown is a nice place with great cafes and friendly people and yes a lot of dogs! The beach is pretty shabby with a massive concret pipe popping something in the water, not sure what! Given the option of Kabul or Spotwood I would have to have a long think. I reckon Newport looks like the most depressing town in the world but maybe Im wrong. It would have to be Williamstown or nothing out of the list you have there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpommy Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 The only part of Newport I would consider is around John Liston Drive and along Melbourne Road, once at Newport Train station towards the freeway I would steer clear. Have a look on Rifle range (williamstown) which is a little bit cheaper (just off Koroit creek road) and easy access to schools /shops etc The beaches around Melbourne are all not great tbh. For the better beaches then head to Torquay/Bellarine peninsula or down towards Mornington... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 How bad is the noise from trains around that area? Do they run 24/7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipper2 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have friends in Newport in the following streets and they're all good.Great community spirit there.Have a look on Google maps to give you an idea, Agg St,Ford St,Anderson St,Mirls St,Other side of the tracks.River St,Collingwood Rd Bunbury St.Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 We live in Williamstown and it is great and like being in a little town/village. Been here 3 years now and it is not called "the jewel of the west" for nothing! It is expensive to rent or buy (2 bed flat upstairs just sold for $410k) but we got a bargain on our flat and no rent increase this year! However, if you moved further out of town you would have higher petrol/transport costs so it is six of one and half a dozen of the other but it is worth every penny! The parks are good for kids, the cafes and restaurants are pretty good. There are 2 indian takeaways that are fantastic and fairly cheap. The local shops are good, with all of the banks, Coles, plenty of bottle shops (although no Dan Murphys). Crime is very low and the schools are very good and there is the Willy Hospital nearby in case of emergencies. For some reason there are lots of doctors, dentists and specialists (probably because they live here??) so if you have any medical issues you get high quality treatment on your doorstep. Even my boss told me that the best specialists in Melbourne always go to Williiamstown. It is a wealthy area (4 bed houses can be as much as $1-1.5 million) but it is very down to earth. Trains are every 20 mins and take about half our into town and run until about midnight. They are not noisy at all. We live opposite Willy train station and dont get any noise. Buses are ok. I think Williamstown festival might be running this year whcih was great last time it was on - funfairs, free outdoor cinema screenings, theres a farmers market and car boot sale type thing once a month. Willy beach is Ok. Probably one of the better ones around Melbourne and good for a dip on a hot day and it is handy having it just a 10 min walk away although we do make the trek to the surf coast for a bit of surfing. Usually there are not many people there but it was packed yesterday because of the heat. Its also quite safe for kids. There is also a dog beach, the botanic gardens are beautiful and have just been restored, the coastal path to Altona is lovely. There are quite a few tourists/day trippers who come for the cafes and beach too. A new library is being built and there are lots of community groups and things going on. Most of the big out of town shops are not too far away in Hoppers Crossing/Werribee and it is handy being near the motorway to get out of Melbourne. Geelong takes about 45 mins and about an hour for the surf coast which is lovely. I love living here. the streets are beautiful and it is a joy to walk to Ferguson St (shops) or the sea front. Most people have beautiful gardens and look after their grass verges and people say hello/G'Day as you walk past and its lovely to see old houses. When we go for a walk, to the beach or just out for a meal we feel like we are on holiday (honest). We can't afford to buy here but if we could we definitley would. Parts of Newport are just as good although the shops are crap but you can drive to Williamstown/go on the bus for the weekly shop, Altona (not Altona North) is good. We go to the beach there quite a bit and there are some good cafes too. One of my work colleagues lives there right on the beach and loves it there. When we first moved to Melbourne we lived in Brighton - supposedly a sought after, prosperous area with nice beach and cafes etc and hated it as we found the transport crap and it was stuck up its own backside and only stayed there a few weeks. Williamstown beats Brighton any day. I'm sure you would fall in love with the place as much as we have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Williamstown is certainly very pretty and we enjoy visiting it. I hadn't heard the Jewel of the West but it is appropriate as it is way nicer than other Western suburbs. I agree that it feels like a small town in its own right with a similar feel to some of the places much further along the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpommy Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 totally agree with everything you have said about Williamstown. It is my favourite place in Melbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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