Moving to Melbourne - where should we live?

[Missy24]

Missy,

I did try the Sensory Lab and was greatly dissapointed. Perhaps I caught them on a bad day, admittedly late after 4:45pm, but it took over 45 mins for coffee and more than an hour hour to try the two beans available to be served and then is was pretty ordinary, very tart and acidic completely masking the flavour and sweetness of the bean. Both espressos were weak and had no tell tale cremma.

I will give them a second chance some time, but have to admit my first visit gave me very little incentive to return.

Do know who would be better operators an the machinersy and what days they are there?

How do you like your coffee?

[elmo]

Strong long black for me please. Thanks.

Did I mention, stay out of Sunshine?

Hurry and move down here, I need a massage.

[gcouyant]

What places are nice what places are best avoided that sort of thing. Of course we would consider living a little bit out of Melbourne and then commuting in for work...what is public transport like down there as we don't fancy a commute on two wheels just yet.

Bella I notice that you have a balanced stable of bikes. In other words you indulge in road and mountain biking - congratulations!

Rather than listing suburbs, I'd suggest finding somewhere on the chain of parks along the Yarra River centred from Westerfolds Park which I've linked to Google Maps.

There is a very healthy road and mountain biking community in the area, clean and healthy lifestyle and as you get out towards Eltham, relaxed and a good transition point for someone moving in from your current location. Quite a varied price range from $450k town houses through to some quite high end POA acres. A few properties on the market now where you can feel that you're still in the country.

Plenty of bike tracks to commute right into the city central without having to share the roads with traffic and some 70km of sensational single track to get dirty. Feel free to PM if you guys are ever in the area and want to have a look around to get a good feel for the area. Bring a healthy pair of lungs too because there are some killer hills to remind you that you're mortal.

[bella26]

Wow so many responses and so many opinions Thanks guys all this information is great. I can confirm we will be renting in Melbourne. We don't want to sell our place here in the Snowies just yet as the plan is to hold on to it and then set it up for holiday rentals a little later down the track. I guess rental prices are going to be deduced by prospective salaries but we are thinking around the $400 per week mark. So much to consider already...it was only a few days ago we decided it was time to make a move down that way!

[Missy24]

Wow so many responses and so many opinions Thanks guys all this information is great. I can confirm we will be renting in Melbourne. We don't want to sell our place here in the Snowies just yet as the plan is to hold on to it and then set it up for holiday rentals a little later down the track. I guess rental prices are going to be deduced by prospective salaries but we are thinking around the $400 per week mark. So much to consider already...it was only a few days ago we decided it was time to make a move down that way!

Renting at $400 per week you can pretty much choose the suburb that you live.

Cause of the MTbing that you do, Eltham way is incredibly nice, rent should be reasonable.

We can't wait for you to join us!

[j-ho]

Missy, whats wrong with Preston? (I don't live there, just curious)

[Missy24]

Missy, whats wrong with Preston? (I don't live there, just curious)

Its got a very low socio economic value which basically means higher crime rates, its a cool place to visit (especially the market) but best to probably not be there after dark... although I'm sure its fine, I just like to be able to walk down the street without thinking I'll get stabbed! Although that being said there's a lot of stabbings in Prahran and that's got a high socio economic value and brunswick had maybe 4 stabbings in the past 12 months...

[gcouyant]

Missy, whats wrong with Preston? (I don't live there, just curious)

Its got a very low socio economic value which basically means higher crime rates, its a cool place to visit (especially the market) but best to probably not be there after dark....

Interesting observation Missy though the data I see doesn't support this for Preston. As a whole, the suburb is not particularly significant. That said, did you know that percentage wise areas of Preston have a significant gay population density?

Since the late 60s Preston has had a growing migrant population with pockets of high density ethnic groupings - but overall ethnically diverse. I find Preston quite an interesting social expermient.

[Missy24]

Missy, whats wrong with Preston? (I don't live there, just curious)

Its got a very low socio economic value which basically means higher crime rates, its a cool place to visit (especially the market) but best to probably not be there after dark....

Interesting observation Missy though the data I see doesn't support this for Preston. As a whole, the suburb is not particularly significant. That said, did you know that percentage wise areas of Preston have a significant gay population density?

Since the late 60s Preston has had a growing migrant population with pockets of high density ethnic groupings - but overall ethnically diverse. I find Preston quite an interesting social expermient.

I couldn't really care less about how many migrants a suburb has or how many gay people there are.

Preston is... to put it simply... low rent

[j-ho]

I find Preston fine, and I used to live there for over 5 years early last decade. It's the thru traffic there which is the problem.

[Missy24]

I find Preston fine, and I used to live there for over 5 years early last decade. It's the thru traffic there which is the problem.

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

[j-ho]

I find Preston fine, and I used to live there for over 5 years early last decade. It's the thru traffic there which is the problem.

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

It sounds like you are pushing your own views and fears onto someone asking about Melbourne.

[Dahondude]

It sounds like you are pushing your own views and fears onto someone asking about Melbourne.

+1

I personally didn't like Missy24's summation of Melbourne. Granted its her opinion, but it carries far more negatives than positives. Some of my best friends (and cyclists) live in those scary/boring northern/western suburbs with "low socio-economics" (which I think is just a PC way of saying something else). They choose to live there, enjoy living there, have a lot of nice neighbours and drink real coffee (if that makes any difference). Many sit on trains or buses for an hour to get to work, but use this time to read, or work, or watch the world go buy, knowing that its better than sitting in traffic in your own metal box. Plenty of others don't live near tram lines nor train lines and further out than 10-15km from the CBD. They choose to live in the suburbs and have great access to bike paths, green space, decent schools and can escape the city easily by car or bike, but pay the price of having to drive to work.

I used to live in Prahran which is great if you are young, but wouldnt live there now with kids. Why? Priorities change, things and places that once seemed fun/doable/interesting are now too expensive, too much hassle, or just plain innapropriate for kids (try wandering down Chapel St at 7am on a Sunday morning, or finding used needles in the toilets at the kids playground).

So my recommendation on where to live? Try and find a 6-12 month rental close to where you are going to work and then spend your weekends on your bike exploring suburbs. Don't rule anything in or anything out until you've had a chance to look yourself. Look on realestate.com.au to get an idea of the crazy prices you might be up for to buy or rent long term and then start narrowing down locations.

[gcouyant]

They choose to live in the suburbs and have great access to bike paths, green space, decent schools and can escape the city easily by car or bike.

Or even go to Brunswick for a coffee......

[Missy24]

I find Preston fine, and I used to live there for over 5 years early last decade. It's the thru traffic there which is the problem.

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

It sounds like you are pushing your own views and fears onto someone asking about Melbourne.

I don't mean to push any of my views onto anyone, this is a discussion as far as I'm aware, I just really don't think its a nice place to live and yes I have spent time there.

[gcouyant]

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

Don't sweat it Missy. I think we get the idea. Your info has been helpful to Bella I'm sure.

[Missy24]

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

Don't sweat it Missy. I think we get the idea. Your info has been helpful to Bella I'm sure.

Thanks... and hey I said Eltham was cool... I went to school there... Eltham's in the suburbs!

[Missy24]

Oh and I actually lived in Hurstbridge for a while and its at the end of a train line... and I even lived in Tasmania and there aint a trainline there!!!!

[rkelsen]

Thanks... and hey I said Eltham was cool... I went to school there... Eltham's in the suburbs!

... so far north, it's almost a suburb of Sydney...

[Missy24]

Thanks... and hey I said Eltham was cool... I went to school there... Eltham's in the suburbs!

... so far north, it's almost a suburb of Sydney...

+1

[j-ho]

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

I'm sure it wasn't your intention, it just read that way. But you live in Brunswick, a place I spend most of my waking hours..

[Missy24]

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

I'm sure it wasn't your intention, it just read that way. But you live in Brunswick, a place I spend most of my waking hours..

yeah... I can't stand Brunswick, I don't spend much time here, I only sleep here

[j-ho]

Its just not my sort of place... I don't mean to make it osund THAT BAD

I'm sure it wasn't your intention, it just read that way. But you live in Brunswick, a place I spend most of my waking hours..

yeah... I can't stand Brunswick, I don't spend much time here, I only sleep here

Really?

[Missy24]

I'm sure it wasn't your intention, it just read that way. But you live in Brunswick, a place I spend most of my waking hours..

yeah... I can't stand Brunswick, I don't spend much time here, I only sleep here

Really?

Brunswick is a bit ulternative for me... I really like South Yarra, if I could justify the rent there I would move but since I pay $150 per week here... I can't justify the move, I like the pool and Royal Park, I'm kind of used to Brunswick now so its not that bad, but most of my friends are in South Yarra, they also earn more than me

[j-ho]

Brunswick is a bit ulternative for me... I really like South Yarra, if I could justify the rent there I would move but since I pay $150 per week here... I can't justify the move, I like the pool and Royal Park, I'm kind of used to Brunswick now so its not that bad, but most of my friends are in South Yarra, they also earn more than me

Oh, see I'm not that fond of any place south of the river. Living around Sth yarra and Prahran would do my head in. I see how you might not like Preston if you really like Sth Yarra and the like.