Areas in Melbourne

BGozIE

Hi All,

Apologies about the re-iteration of this question, I have searched the forum and seen a couple of threads, but looking for some possibly more up to date opinions on this.

I've been in Oz since August with my gf, we have done a fair bit of traveling and spent some time with family in Brisbane. Heading to Melbourne during the week now to "settle down", for the remainder of the visa at least.

Looking into areas to live, want to be close-ish to the city/CBD...I have been looking at South Yarra...any opinions on that?

Richmond and Collingwood are a tad bit more pricey then South Yarra. GF is keen on St Kilda as we have a few friends there, and for the obvious Irish community.

Any opinions/input is greatly appreciated...cheers guys.

bestleftfull3

BGozIE wrote: »

Hi All,

Apologies about the re-iteration of this question, I have searched the forum and seen a couple of threads, but looking for some possible more update opinions on this.

I've been in Oz since August with my gf, we have done a fair bit of traveling and spent some time with family in Brisbane. Heading to Melbourne during the week now to "settle down", for the remainder of the visa at least.

Looking into areas to live, want to be close-ish to the city/CBD...I have been looking at South Yarra...any opinions on that?

Richmond and Collingwood are a tad bit more pricey then South Yarra. GF is keen on St Kilda as we have a few friends there, and for the obvious Irish community.

Any opinions/input is greatly appreciated...cheers guys.

Myself and my GF are arriving the 26th of October and looking to settle in St Kilda/Caulfield/Balaclava down around that area until march/April!

BGozIE

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

Myself and my GF are arriving the 26th of October and looking to settle in St Kilda/Caulfield/Balaclava down around that area until march/April!

Ah ye I have heard of a few Irish in Balaclava pretty much east St Kilda?

Any reason your looking at there?

Best of luck with the move.

bestleftfull3

BGozIE wrote: »

Ah ye I have heard of a few Irish in Balaclava pretty much east St Kilda?

Any reason your looking at there?

Best of luck with the move.

St Kilda for the beach and the lifestyle, also it's quite accessible to the city from there 20/25 mins on a tram.

I've a mate living in Balalclava and he loves it. Also with the Irish community in the St Kilda region hopefully it may lead to meeting people in a similar situation as us and we'll be looking for jobs and house/apartment share (rent looks expensive)

BGozIE

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

St Kilda for the beach and the lifestyle, also it's quite accessible to the city from there 20/25 mins on a tram.

I've a mate living in Balalclava and he loves it. Also with the Irish community in the St Kilda region hopefully it may lead to meeting people in a similar situation as us and we'll be looking for jobs and house/apartment share (rent looks expensive)

Ye the Irish community is a big plus, well for most people anyway. I have been in St Kilda and the beach isn't the best, as far as Oz beaches go anyway, thats just my own opinion though, its still great to live by the sea.

Ye I agree, rent is a bit steep in St Kilda, for the quality of the accom, when compared to other places. It is a nice area overall though, a lot of aussies from Melbourne think its a bit of a mad place, probably because it has a bit of a backpacker scene/vibe. Apparently theres a bit of a prostitute scene there too...never seen much of that in the short time I was there though

Cooperspale

BGozIE wrote: »

Ye the Irish community is a big plus, well for most people anyway. I have been in St Kilda and the beach isn't the best, as far as Oz beaches go anyway, thats just my own opinion though, its still great to live by the sea.

Ye I agree, rent is a bit steep in St Kilda, for the quality of the accom, when compared to other places. It is a nice area overall though, a lot of aussies from Melbourne think its a bit of a mad place, probably because it has a bit of a backpacker scene/vibe. Apparently theres a bit of a prostitute scene there too...never seen much of that in the short time I was there though

Bit....
Grey is known as the street for prostitution in St Kilda followed by Greeves, Blessington, Barkly & Vale. Grey can be the most confronting because there are charities here including Sacred Heart & Salvation Army that cater for people in crisis providing everything from financial aid, food, counseling to needle exchange and sheltered accomodation. The charities do fantastic work but attract every desperado from the four corners of melbourne & if there is a bad batch of ice around, it is not an idyllic place. This is what local Melbournians think of when presented with the bad image of St Kilda year round & add in drunken backpackers acting up from October until Grand Prix weekend; you get the picture. Dalgety & Robe street have some of the most expensive real estate in the area inspite of prostitutes using their corners to attract punters. Down the street closer to Fitzroy is the popular Coffee Palace hostel and the dingy Oslo.
A new Irish spot 'the fifth province' opened on grand final weekend & seems to be doing a great trade, good food menu too.
Accomodation near the beach (bay not ocean like Bondi) demands a premium rent & there's always high demand no matter the quality. Step back to Balaclava & standards should improve while rents drop a little.

damianmc

bestleftfull3 wrote: »

Myself and my GF are arriving the 26th of October and looking to settle in St Kilda/Caulfield/Balaclava down around that area until march/April!

I lived in st kilda east/ balacalava for a while and found it great.
It is a mainly jewish area, but theera re a few decent pubs,(and youa re only a tram ride away from chapel street) trams run down carlise street and balaclave station is handy.
i was working out in the southern suburbs at teh time and my girlfriend was working in teh city and we both found it ideal.

minzabud

Myself and my girlfriend are moving interstate in the next week or so have 2 bed house in gardenvale available for 550 per week including all bills and wifi if anybody is interested.

Right beside gardenvale train station so 15mins to flinders st/cbd and 3 stops to balaclava/st.kilda in 7 mins of anyone's interested pm me and il pass on the details, leaseholder is in Sweden and won't be back for 3 months so could be a nice way to settle in to melbourne and find your feet, fully furnished pots,pans, ironing boards etc......

frankled

I ended up in South Yarra for 6 months- pricey but can't complain. Train only takes 6-11 mins to the city. I would imagine St Kilda would be grand also given that it is the Irish spot.

If you're renting, avoid the ParkTrent agency, based in Prahran. Awful crowd- had terrible time with them.

dave3004

Depends what your looking for really. If you're only here short term St kilda is a good starting point. If you like cafe culture more than beach then richmond is ideally located near City too and reasonable rent. South Yarra would be similar. If you're a little artsy and alternative fitzroy suburb would be a haven. I've lived in a few places and Port Melbourne was my favourite. Lovely cafes on Bay Street, beach nearby and 10 min tram to heart of the city. Not as much going on though as Kilda / South Yarra

damianmc

dave3004 wrote: »

Depends what your looking for really. If you're only here short term St kilda is a good starting point. If you like cafe culture more than beach then richmond is ideally located near City too and reasonable rent. South Yarra would be similar. If you're a little artsy and alternative fitzroy suburb would be a haven. I've lived in a few places and Port Melbourne was my favourite. Lovely cafes on Bay Street, beach nearby and 10 min tram to heart of the city. Not as much going on though as Kilda / South Yarra

I would agree Re: Port Melbourne, I think if i was to go back that would be were i would start my search for a place to live, although alot of the different areas in melbourne have their own advantages/ disadvantages, depending on the lifestyle you prefer and where you work

massdebater

There's a very good thread here on Melbourne suburbs and it's all still fairly relevant http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72978449

In Exile

All depends on what you are looking for really. I'm in Moonee Ponds/Ascot Vale. Been here for 4 years and love the area.

It is tough when driving through St Kilda/Port Melbourne and seeing how it looks when the weather is good, being so close to the sea.

Moonee Ponds on the other hand is close to the city, about 20-30 minutes on the tram, there is a train station at both Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale and that is only 4-5 stops from the city. There are trams that run to Highpoint, there is a bus interchange that runs all over the northern suburbs too.

It's in close proximity to both Flemington and Moonee Valley racecourse's. There are tonnes of soccer, footy, cricket, bowls clubs and a lot of others in the area. Within a couple of kms there are a number of Irish pubs. The Quiet Man, probably one of the main ones in the city, O'Sullivan's in Essendon and then 2 others that are a 5 minute bus ride away in Brunswick. Bridie O'Reilly's and my personal favourite The Snug (IMO the best Irish food in the city)

Again, it all depends on what you want. I am happy to live in an area that is not inundated with Irish. We live in a house, with a front and back garden, 3 bed and live on a street that has a very good neighborhood feeling. And we are paying less than $400 a week, with a big oval nearby.

The eating/drinking options on Mount Alexander Road are good, if not in abundance. There are 2-3 decent pubs, as well as 2-3 pubs with pokies. Food though is excellent. Italian, Greek, Seafood, Thai, Chinese, burgers, Teppanyaki, Vietnamese, Korean (Psy from Gangam style fame eats here every time he is Melbourne) and pizza. Also the 82 tram goes from Moonee Ponds to Footscray, takes about 20-30 minutes again depending on traffic, but there is cheap Asian food nearby too, that matches Vic Street for its quality.

One good thing around here is places realise there isn't a passing trade, and they need to provide really good food to get the customers in and they learn to treat their regulars like family.