# Melbourne - Best areas to live



## Shell09 (Nov 5, 2008)

Happy Friday all 

What would you suggest as being the best area for us to move to in Feb next year when we make our move to Melbourne???

Having never lived there before (I have not even seen Australia before) .... we want a nice place, with a garden and 2 bedrooms at least for a price that won't break the bank and the area is nice ..... a lot to ask for??

Thanks in advance.

Shell09


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

Shell09 said:


> Happy Friday all
> 
> What would you suggest as being the best area for us to move to in Feb next year when we make our move to Melbourne???
> 
> ...


Are you looking to rent or buy? What price range do you have in mind. Do you have kids? Do you want inner city living, or like the burbs? Plan on getting a car when your there?


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## Shell09 (Nov 5, 2008)

thanks ... probably should have included that info!
Rent
Price range - less is always good but believe that $400-$500 a week is good
No kids
Probably burbs preferred ..... with easy public transport links !!!
Will eventually get a car once we can afford it

ta


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

Shell09 said:


> thanks ... probably should have included that info!
> Rent
> Price range - less is always good but believe that $400-$500 a week is good
> No kids
> ...


You should have no problem finding a house in that price range. Not sure how much of a garden you would have, but there would be something. 

I'm sure by now you've been looking online at rentals, but just incase, here are some current options that meet your criteria.

Search Results for (REGION) MELBOURNE CITY, Victoria - Rental Properties - realestate.com.au

As you'll notice there's nothing in the CBD, since it is mostly apartment buildings there.

*DISCLAIMER: I haven't yet moved to Melbourne but doing so next year! Everything I say may be wrong, but here's my impression from friends and research:*

West side of Melbourne is worst.... so say the East Siders...
East side is worst... so say the West siders....

Its like the Sydney/Melbourne thing 

Carlton is good if you like italian food. tons of restaurants on Lygon street.. However, it is right by the university, so potential for lots of drunk youngsters roaming the neighborhood 

West & North Melbourne are a little grittier. West Melbourne is very industrial, but some new places cropping up. Good thing about these areas are that they are close to Victoria Market. Parkville apparently is where the hospital is, and has have been told that is where there's a lot of public housing. 

Collingwood is one of Melbourne's gay friendly neighborhoods. No doubt great shopping, nightlife and restaurants there.

Port Melbourne is up and coming, close to the CBD, nice waterfront promenade. Close by cruise ship terminal, and ferry to Tasmania. 


My suggestion is look at the Melbourne maps, see what areas look good to you in terms of location to CBD, and then google the neighborhood and see what comes up. Then maybe you will have more specific questions. Its so difficult to give advice as Melbourne has a good mix of everything. 

I'm still under the impression that east side is better, but that's only because I trust my friends. They could be wrong though.

Would also love to hear more from people who live in the inner city.

Mat


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## Shell09 (Nov 5, 2008)

Thanks heaps for your advise Mat ...... really does help!


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*same*

hi we are having the same worries as well, we are moving in about a months time to melbourne and we haveno idea of where we should go!! good luck with your search!!


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## mikef (Sep 16, 2009)

richie colton said:


> hi we are having the same worries as well, we are moving in about a months time to melbourne and we haveno idea of where we should go!! good luck with your search!!


with melb you have a very large choice of types of living . you can live in the city enjoying the hustle and bustle of a major city.
you can live on the bay and enjoy the stroll down the beech.
you can live in the suburbs loads of large shopping centres and very nice areas.
It really is a personal choice and can depend on your budget, and what type of lifestyle you lead.

I think the best advise would be to choose a area within your price range and one that meets your lifestyle expectations and take out a short term rental, explore the areas and then settle when you have chosen your area after looking around. getting a job sorting out schools etc


Inner city and beech living and houses within 7-8 kms of the city are the most expensive. ie toorak kew williamstown brighton to name a few.

try to get a house fairly near a bus route or a tram or a train station if you dont intend getting a car very soon as Melb is a large city and things are spread all over.

you really do need to get on to realestate com au and google earth etc and have a look at rental prices then read up on the areas with google earth you now have a function where you can almost drive down the street its great for exploring.

hope this helps


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## British Kiwi (Jul 5, 2008)

I live at the end of the eastern suburbs and I love it here. It's a lovely area. If you have kids apparently there has been a lot of investment in the eastern suburb schools so that is something to consider. You need to consider what you are goign to do for work too. I work in CBD and I'm closish to the train line so commute everyday. Takes about 50 mins on the train which can be a bit annoying, but no different to London commuting. Though London trains I found more comfortable (if more crowded) than the Melbourne trains. We are in a good location as we are very close to the Yarra Valley which is beautiful. Also not too far to the coast maybe about 1 hour (I think). The only issue I have really is that we were very close to the Bush fires and they reckon it will be worse this feb, but it's difficult to predict what will happen. The property prices here in a way are more expensive in the east, but mainly the inner suburbs. I'm far enough away from the city for prices to be reasonable.


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## Shell09 (Nov 5, 2008)

Thank you so much to everyone for your replies, they have really helped! Guess we are fortunate enough to have friends to stay with when we arrive and can take our time to look. Will definately try the google map idea too.

Cheers
Shell


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## Hock Siew (Mar 6, 2010)

*Rental Period*



mikef said:


> I think the best advise would be to choose a area within your price range and one that meets your lifestyle expectations and take out a short term rental, explore the areas and then settle when you have chosen your area after looking around. getting a job sorting out schools etc


Dear Mike,

Thanks for your helpful and informative post.

I`ve had my Visa approved and am planning on going over sometime this year. I was wondering, what length of rental period is considered typical or acceptable in Australia? Thanks again 

Rgds,
Hock Siew


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## All good (Feb 27, 2010)

*....*



Hock Siew said:


> Dear Mike,
> 
> Thanks for your helpful and informative post.
> 
> ...


Typical is 1 year. Sometimes if your not sure you want to live somewhere, you can try and get a 6 month term. Most Landlords would want 1 year though.


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## Hock Siew (Mar 6, 2010)

Thanks for the reply.

I would also like to ask - do the places for rent usually come furnished or unfurnished in Australia? Would I be able to find either types easily? Thanks again 

Rgds,
Hock Siew


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## All good (Feb 27, 2010)

*...*



Hock Siew said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> I would also like to ask - do the places for rent usually come furnished or unfurnished in Australia? Would I be able to find either types easily? Thanks again
> 
> ...


In Australia unfurnished is definately more popular, but you can find furnished if you look hard enough.

Probably more popular than fully furnished is semi furninshed. So you might get fridge, washing machine, dining table but possibly no couch, chairs etc.

check out 

Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au

It will give you a good indication (make sure you choose rentals).


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## yosithezet (Dec 19, 2010)

I've been using the suggested website for looking at places to rent. What is the difference between Unit and Apartment?


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## British Kiwi (Jul 5, 2008)

Unit is usually a one story house, usually some land has been subdivided with lots of houses on it. Can be 1 bed plus. Often a little cramped and not much garden, but sometimes you can be surprised. Usually there is a shared driveway. I lived in a 3 bed unit and it wasn't too bad. Very common.


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## FIFA_World_Cup_fan (Apr 25, 2014)

*hey*



matjones said:


> You should have no problem finding a house in that price range. Not sure how much of a garden you would have, but there would be something.
> 
> I'm sure by now you've been looking online at rentals, but just incase, here are some current options that meet your criteria.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the detailed advice - Mat Jones.
Appreciate it.


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