Guest JamesD Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 So we arrive in Melbourne for a permanent move in April! Yeah! So far the hardest part of the move has been trying to decide where to live. We thought it best to stay in short term accommodation for a month or two first at a central base before we find something more permanent. The facts to consider are: We are a young professional couple with no children. One of us already has a job to go to in the CBD. Our initial budget for short term accommodation is pretty tight at a max of $800 pw. We are not yet sure what we should expect for long term rental prices but we are thinking $600 pw. We we're thinking Fitzroy or St Kilda would be cool to stay initially as we want to be as central as possible whilst we look at other areas for a more permanent rental. We have found a few options for the short term but need some advice on a more permanent solution. So all facts considered we'd like some advice as to what other areas are worth considering that give us easy travel access to the CBD, are not too far out from the city, on a tram line and have plenty of bars and cafes but not too noisy (We don't want to stay next to a thumping all night club but would like a cafe/bar culture vibrant area)..... Any areas people can recommend? Where should we be looking? We'd also like to know how much we should expect to pay for a permanent rental accommodation, 2 bedroom apartment in such an area. Is $600 in the right ball park? Any particular areas we should avoid for bad neighborhoods? Any advice greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Fitzroy is very popular with young people with no children. Your budget sounds fine and I think you should be able to get an apartment in one of the apartment hotels in the CBD for short term. Have a look at Wotif.com.au and Lastminute.com.au as these sites give an insight to all the short term accommodation in the CBD and areas around. North Melbourne is quite a nice place to live and its close to the Vic Market so easy to pop in and do shopping. My friend's daughter and son both have apartments there and her daughter works at Docklands and walks to work every day. East Melbourne is very close in as well. Once you use the tram or train, Richmond and South Yarra are also popular. Southbank is a good place to live as well. Docklands is very windy and not much going on down there so apart from work I would choose somewhere else. West Melbourne has some nice apartments. Have a look on realestate.com.au or domain.com.au and it will give you an idea of the properties for sale and rent. Its possible as well to rent an apartment in the CBD itself and one of my friends owned one for 12 years and they were happy living there. These apartments usually have a gym and pool available which is nice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'd look at Brunswick or Richmond rather than ST Kilda. Hawthorn and Camberwell are lovely and not too far out I'm not a fan of South Yarra (but there's no logical reason for it, so you should just ignore me on that!) Clifton Hill is pretty cool as well. With the CBD, you'll find that trains are quicker than trams for commuting, Buses are the longest but tend to be quieter. I like trams for getting around at various times of the day and for short journeys, but because they share roads with cars they can take a long time for the longer journeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Survivor Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Based on what you've said about what you're looking for and the fact you don't have kids, skip St Kilda and look at living in Prahran or Windsor. When I was a backpacker I always thought the world of Melbourne began and ended in St Kilda, but now I live here permanently I curse the fact I never left the suburb, as Chapel Street in Prahran has more to offer than St Kilda, and only lacks the beach aspect that St Kilda has, but still very much accessible. So in terms of restaraunts and bars you want to be within walking distance of Chapel Street basically. But of course not on the street itself, otherwise you will get that thumping night club noise. Transport wise, both Prahran and Windsor get you in to the CBD in about 10 minutes via train, and there's plenty of trams in and around Chapel Street if one of you gets a job out in the eastern suburbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea4two Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I love St Kilda .... But would say live within reach of it rather than in it. Elwood along the coast and any of the places further along the coast are nice with cafe culture. I think you could get something for $500 long term though. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Survivor Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I love St Kilda .... But would say live within reach of it rather than in it. Elwood along the coast and any of the places further along the coast are nice with cafe culture. I think you could get something for $500 long term though. X Exactly how I would put it, live within reach rather than in it, spot on. Also second the comment about Elwood, very pleasant and they spent quite a bit on the beach there recently, it's now a lot wider and cleaner and tidier than it used to be. Only very minor negative about Elwood is you're relying solely on the tram, and sometimes the constant stopping when heading in to the city can do your nut a bit, the train (of which Elwood doesn't have one) just seems to get you from A to B a lot quicker. I think I fit a similar profile to the OP as a couple with no dependants, so I'll tell you what's worked for us in the 6 months we've lived permanently in Melbourne. We live by Windsor station, which is a suburb just south of Prahran, and just east of St Kilda. Chapel Street with it's plethora of bars, restaraunts, supermarkets, gyms and cinema are right on your doorstep (in our case maybe a bit too close, but you can easily rectify that by being 5 mins further walk from Chapel St than we are). We can walk to St Kilda beach in 30mins, although the bars and restaraunts of Fitzroy are only 15 mins. Beach wise though, sometimes it's just as quick to jump on the train at Prahran and Windor stations and just take the 15-25min train ride to Brighton Beach, Hampton or Sandringham. Alternatively sometimes we just jump in the car and head down the Nepean Highway to the nicer beaches of Mordialloc and Aspendale. As for the rental amount of $600pw you're thinking, I don't think that will be necessary. Guess it depends what kind of standard you're looking at living in, but you can get perfectly decent rentals around the areas I mentioned for $500pw or possibly a touch under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 There is no such thing as permanent rental. It will invariably be on an annual contract and landlords are liable to sell from under you at the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Survivor Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 There is no such thing as permanent rental. It will invariably be on an annual contract and landlords are liable to sell from under you at the end of the year. I think the OP is using the term "permanent rental" to differentiate between a short term fix when they get here initially, versus a more long term solution. I can only assume you got your fingers burnt when you were fairly happy in your rental flat/house. There are ways of minimising the likelihood of a Landlord selling from under you. One way is to enquire with the agent if the Landlord has ever been an owner occupier, or as can often be the case only acquired the property as a buy to let. This will decrease the chance of them selling from under you massively. Also if you are happy living in a modern unit, again you're more likely to find the owner is a buy to let Landlord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Fair enough. As it goes, I didn't get burnt as I was able to buy a house when my 6 month lease expired. But this was a buy to let unit which the landlord would have sold from under me. My stepsons' father rents and was sold from under him after the year's let finished. It happens relatively often. Also worth noting - when we were house hunting, many proerties for sale had sitting tenants who were disenchanted with being sold out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I love St Kilda .... But would say live within reach of it rather than in it. Elwood along the coast and any of the places further along the coast are nice with cafe culture. I think you could get something for $500 long term though. X I lived in Elwood walking distance to Ackland St and we loved it. I used to take about 30 mins to get to work in the city, take the bus to the station and then the light rail into the city, tram to the office or walk. Ackland St has changed a lot over the years and I feel the European feel as disappeared which is a shame. Prahran is ok but its nightmare to drive or park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JamesD Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Thanks for all the feedback, it will definitely help get us started. :smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graemsay Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Fitzroy is a gentrifying (or gentrified) area where the artistic community is, or was, centred on. I believe that they're being priced out now. It's got the same sort of vibe as Brighton, Camden or Shoreditch, with a quirky / trendy style to it. A friend reckoned that it can get a bit rough at night, when the pubs close, but it didn't seem at all threatening during the day. I quite liked it when I walked around last time I was over. If you want to be central then there are apartments in the CBD. My friend lived in East Melbourne, which is between the Fitzroy Gardens and Richmond. It's an easy walk into town from there. If it was down to me, I'd be tempted by Fitzroy, though were I to win the lottery then Toorak or Albert Park could appeal, as would some of the streets near the parks in South Yarra and South Melbourne. I wasn't too struck by Richmond, but it's pretty close to town. In general, the more expensive neighbourhoods are to the south and east of the centre. Toorak is the priciest, but can be a bit Footballers' Wives, and I've got a feeling that Albert Park is just behind it. South Melbourne is cheaper than South Yarra, and there's a bit of snobbery there as I recall a sign in a house window pointing out it was in the latter rather than the former. I'm not sure where I'd choose to live in Melbourne. I like Fitzroy, parts of Toorak (if money was no object) and around Albert and Middle Park (ditto). Further out, The George Powlett Apartments in East Melbourne are relatively cheap ($69 / night), but basic and were getting on for being run down when I was there 18 months ago. They might be worth a look for temporary accommodation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jin77 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 This has been really useful information. We got our visas and are going to check out jobs and postcodes at Easter. With a move intended for September or December. Soooo excited and nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzydi Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Avoid St.Kilda it is an absolute dive hole.Very dirty and the beaCH IS A DISGRACE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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