Which Suburb Should I Live in (VIC) - Work in Mulgrave

blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 12:49
Last edited 11/12/2020 - 15:35 by 1 other user

Hey all, I'm a student about to go on a placement for 12 months. My new hirer is located in Mulgrave. I'll be earning around 46k without super. I'm very fortunate to have parents to support me, so I don't need to save every penny on rent. A lot of the available properties in that area are student housing and studios. The issue with these is that they seem a little bit too dingy and I have a little PTSD from studio living; I would like the bedroom to be separate and have a door. I have been looking at Docklands where I can get a fully furnished apartment for $300 with all the amenities; like a gym, pool, shops, a beautiful view, and etc. However, the drive to and from work will be soul crushing, but city living is at its cheapest and it's only for a year.

Which suburbs should I look at? I don't want to share nor do I want student housing.
Should I live in the city and be 'happy' with a sad drive? or should I just cop it and live nearer to work?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • waterbottled on 11/12/2020 - 12:50

    what else do you do besides work? what does your lifestyle look like and let that be of some consideration when choosing where to live.

    • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 13:08

      My social life has been diminished because all of my mates live on the east side of the city and I live in the west. I spend a lot of my time at home, I work out, I don't drink or party. I do enjoy a good bite and walks.

      • kanmen on 11/12/2020 - 17:59
        +1

        I think you should look to the East/Inner East/Inner SE of the city then. Personally I don't see the difference between the West and the city if you're travelling out to Mulgrave. As someone else suggested the Doncaster side isn't bad, only about 30 mins from Mulgrave down Springvale Road.

  • aggregate on 11/12/2020 - 12:56
    +2

    There should be quite a few empty student apartments near Monash Uni which are close to Mulgrave.

  • SF3 on 11/12/2020 - 12:59
    +2

    I'm very fortunate to have parents to support me

    Erm, why not stay with your parents? Are they further than travelling from the City to Mulgrave?

    Unless your intention is move out of home (assumption you are current home with parents) vs already on your own and relocating.

    • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 13:04
      +1

      I live in my parents home in the west. I need to move because it too far from the workplace.

      • Quantumcat on 11/12/2020 - 19:44

        They won't be supporting you once you move out though?

  • jm7 on 11/12/2020 - 13:01
    +2

    I wouldn't choose Docklands (or Southbank). Both have a horrible sterile vibe (Docklands probably worse). If you want to be close to the city I would choose North/West/South Melbourne (there are bargains to be had in these areas at the moment too). South Melbourne would be my choice as it's on the same side of the city as Mulgrave. There's also plenty of amenity around the market & lots of public transport. Alternatively if you wanted to be closer to work, Murrumbeena/Carnegie/Caulfield are nice areas and have plenty of larger units/apartments. Glen/Mount Waverley could also be good depending on what you're after.

    • Seraphin7 on 11/12/2020 - 13:11
      +1

      Agree that Docklands feels like an awful place to live. I travelled to Melbourne every week for about two years and used to stay in Docklands (close to the office) which was fine for my purposes, but it just felt like it had very little life to it. A strange mix of corporate offices, hotels/service apartments, and high rise apartments which ultimately left it feeling like there was just no permanency to it, and frankly a bit of a seamy feel after dark.

      • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 13:47
        +1

        Docklands sucked in a lot of investors. Between Docklands up to Queen St is dead outside of business hours. City of Melbourne has zero strategy to close that gap.

    • Baysew on 11/12/2020 - 14:33

      Murrumbeena/Carnegie/Caulfield

      Good choices!

      Avoid the long commute.

  • spackbace on 11/12/2020 - 13:08

    I don't want to share nor do I want student housing.

    On that income, I don't know if any home owners will actually take you on, vs someone else. That's approx $763/week after tax

    • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 14:56

      I'm very fortunate to have parents to support me, so I don't need to save every penny on rent

      OP backed up by rich boomer parents. OP can live anywhere.

      • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 15:01

        Haha I wish. City rentals are pretty desperate for tenants and I have other ways to prove I'm good for paying rent.

        • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 15:04

          Don't forget you need to find an apartment with a parking space or rent a space nearby. A tip: make sure car park exit is onto a street that isn't going to be full of peak hour traffic otherwise you spend 30 mins stuck trying to get out of the city.

      • spackbace on 11/12/2020 - 15:13

        That doesn't show up on a rental application though

        • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 15:15

          Attach parent's bank statement + DNA test to prove relationship?

          • Quantumcat on 11/12/2020 - 19:45

            @netjock: Unless they go guarantor for rent, which i think is quite rare, rich parents won't help get rental accommodation

  • tre180 on 11/12/2020 - 13:08

    I would look at St Kilda or Windsor/Prahran; lots of young people, shops and bars, 20mins to the city on the tram and a 35min drive to Mulgrave.

  • p1 ama on 11/12/2020 - 13:13
    +3

    Student accomodation near Monash Clayton - not too far away from Mulgrave. You seem to be bucketing all student accomodation into studio shoeboxes, but there are plenty of options which are pretty nice - e.g. 2BR townhouses which aren't that much more expensive.

    I don't want to share nor do I want student housing.

    FWIW, you won't be able to get anything which isn't "student accomodation" if you're renting for a year. Regardless of what anyone says, $300 furnished apartment in Docklands is student accomodation.

  • Tiredman on 11/12/2020 - 13:34
    +2

    I love Docklands. Lived there for 5 years. Still have an apartment there being rented out. Definitely a good time to grab a bargain. Apartments there used to be rented out at $500-$600pw. People love to bash Docklands for some reason. Lovely place.

    Pros include free tram to the city, good amenities, very quiet at night (choose the NewQuay side, where The District Docklands is) and overall just a very relaxing place to live. We felt very peaceful staying there and looking at the water.

    Cons, maybe boring for younger people, lack of restaurants and nightlife but the city is just a 5-10 mins tram ride away. I used to drive to the east for work everyday. Traffic is alright since you are travelling the other direction.

    I will move back there when i'm retired in 30 years time.

    • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 13:50

      Pros include free tram to the city

      Latest recommendation is to axe the free tram. That would do docklands a lot of help

      I will move back there when i'm retired in 30 years time.

      You checked where the nearest hospital is yet?

      • Tiredman on 11/12/2020 - 14:28
        +1

        You know the OP is only staying for one year right? What has it got to do with the Free Tram Zone.

        Hospital? Not too far, i won't be that old in 30 years time. Hope that answers your pointless questions.

        • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 14:52

          Commenting after your comment. No longer about OP.

          Can't forecast for 30 years time. I'd check availability of GP and hospitals.

      • p1 ama on 12/12/2020 - 01:30
        +1

        You checked where the nearest hospital is yet?

        What are you on about? The RMH and St Vincent's are both < 10 mins from Docklands…

        • netjock on 12/12/2020 - 21:08

          Every second counts when you are in a life threatening situation. Especially during peak hour where it takes 30 mins+ to cross the city.

          I live 2 blocks from RMH

    • Jolakot on 11/12/2020 - 14:34
      +1

      That's my experience with Docklands too, it isn't a happening suburb at all, very sterile and safe. But you get the culture and the interesting stuff in the CBD, then a free tram home after.

      Absolutely unbeatable views too, nothing else has compared to it anywhere. Water views combined with city views.

      • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 14:57
        +1

        That's the thing, I'm not looking to go out and about with friends often. So the views have me set

        • Jolakot on 11/12/2020 - 15:30
          +1

          A lot of the people who talk badly of Docklands haven't been there in the last 5 years, a lot has changed.

          Docklands is a great place to live if you enjoy walking along promenades and cycling, only suburb I've been in where I can walk home at 2am and not feel remotely unsafe, basically students and professionals.

          The apartments for $300 with a car spot won't have the best views, but will be better than anything in the suburbs. The middle part that straddles Collins street and Bourke street is amazing value, since both sides are water views.

          • netjock on 12/12/2020 - 21:12

            @Jolakot:

            A lot of the people who talk badly of Docklands haven't been there in the last 5 years, a lot has changed.

            What hasn't changed is the part where nobody wants to visit you because you need to pay for parking and it is out of the way. Even traffic is bad trying to get into Docklands unless all your friends are from the Western suburbs.

            Docklands is a great place to live if you enjoy walking along promenades and cycling

            On your own.

            • Jolakot on 13/12/2020 - 17:48
              +1

              @netjock: It's changed a bit, there's plenty of paid on street parking now, far gone are the days of $30 parking in rip off garages.

              Perfectly fine for friends who live on the tram or train networks, especially in the inner north or north west.

              But yeah it's definitely a place you live in, and leave for social events. It's culturally and socially dead, but that's part of the charm.

  • hentabara on 11/12/2020 - 13:38
    -1

    Stay with your parents, and use your commute time to upskill. Take public transport.

    • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 13:54
      +1

      The commute time is 2 hours+, and its in an industrial area so the last leg of the journey is not accessible by PT.

  • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 13:51
    +1

    I have been looking at Docklands where I can get a fully furnished apartment for $300 with all the amenities; like a gym, pool, shops, a beautiful view, and etc. However, the drive to and from work will be soul crushing, but city living is at its cheapest and it's only for a year.

    Driving in reverse direction peak hour traffic. Take CityLink and you'll be there in under 30 mins. You can afford it.

    • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 14:52

      Doesn't seem so bad now

      • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 14:54
        +1

        From Docklands you jump onto Citylink where DFO is and take elevated express way right into the tunnel and out the other end and it is an easy run straight to Blackburn Road or Springvale Road exit.

        • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 14:55

          For 5 days a week to and from, what does the pricing look like?

          • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 14:58

            @blueduck4: How much would you need to pay in the suburb to get the same amenities?

            Gym and pool is worth $1k - $2k a year for gym membership. You won't get much shopping or views in the suburbs.

            Alternatively see if there is anything going at M city (Blackburn Rd and Princess Highway) high rises. Might be closest thing to Docklands out that way. Think there is a 24 hour K mart is you get bored at 2am and can't sleep.

            You can also do a rat run on City Road until you get to the tennis centre then onto citylink from there. Save on price of tunnel but might take longer.

            • blueduck4 on 11/12/2020 - 15:00

              @netjock: Hahaha I was asking about the citylink price. I'm mainly now looking in Melbourne, Docklands, and South Melbourne

              • netjock on 11/12/2020 - 15:02

                @blueduck4: Save on rent and cost of amenities and pay citylink. Can't have your cake and eat it.

                South bank is a good option as it backs onto Citylink or you can take Princess Hwy (bit longer to Mulgrave due to traffic lights)

            • ms_caz on 11/12/2020 - 19:12

              @netjock: I lived in Docklands for a year in a building with a gym and pool. I figured the "savings" from these amenities being available in the building into my overall costs. Unfortunately, the quality, reliability and accessibility of the in house equipment was poor. Sure it was great to have them there for occasional use but I don't think that you should rely on the savings you will make - if you are a gym/pool person then you are probably still going to want to pay for a commercial (and functional) gym or pool.

    • p1 ama on 12/12/2020 - 01:25
      +3

      Driving in reverse direction peak hour traffic. Take CityLink and you'll be there in under 30 mins. You can afford it.

      $9 toll each way * 10 trips per week = $90. Then maybe $50 minimum in petrol = $140. All of a sudden $300 doesn't seem so cheap anymore when OP could just get a place in Clayton or Mulgrave, and spend $15 petrol per week right?

  • Maxxiz on 11/12/2020 - 15:35

    Go Nunawading/Forest Hill/Vermont/Blackburn

    I loved living in the area, and should be able to find something reasonable, its half way between the city and Mulgrave and really nice areas.

    • Maxxiz on 11/12/2020 - 15:36
      +2

      Could even go Doncaster. There are plenty of decent apartments around there.

    • netjock on 12/12/2020 - 21:15

      I wouldn't do it. To get to Mulgrave down Springvale Rd is both a crawl and a death trap at certain sections.

      If you are going to live in the three suburbs you said might as well look near Monash Clayton campus which is stone's throw to Mulgrave or look further out like Rowville.

      • Maxxiz on 12/12/2020 - 23:37
        +1

        I agree Springvale Road in peak is garbage, death trap is probably exaggerating, especially when Max speed in peak is 50kmh.

        Out Rowville way probably isn't bad, but around Clayton you're back to the student living style..

        • netjock on 13/12/2020 - 09:25

          For the uninitiated the 70/80km zone between Whitehorse to High St Road has too many hills and traffic light which is a dead spot if traffic suddenly goes from 70 to zero.

          Then there is the intersection at Brandon Park left lane heading south. Going from high speed to suddenly low speed as people try to turn left at Ferntree Gully Rd, Brandon Park and onto the Monash.

          Most people living near Nunawading, Blackburn, Glen Waverley come from countries where it is very congested but drive like they never seen traffic before.

  • dstar012 on 11/12/2020 - 16:33

    Hawthorn is close to the Monash Freeway and would only take 20 mins to get to Mulgrave via car. Really nice place, good food and some bar, close to city, lots of student accomm would be hurting around Swinburne you might get a nice place on the cheap.

  • Dean29 on 11/12/2020 - 17:01
    +2

    Mulgrave

  • [Deactivated] on 11/12/2020 - 17:34

    Easy to find a place inner city, but a place with a GOOD carpark is really hard.

    Probably say go with port melbourne

  • MontyMacaw on 12/12/2020 - 09:04
    +1

    Wantirna. Safe suburb and handy to your work. Knox City has most things you need and it’s a short hop on the Eastlink to the City.

  • OzHunterNSW on 12/12/2020 - 09:51
    -3

    Wow… how entitles are you.
    I went through Uni with holes in my jeans left with $2.50 a week at times.
    Why don't you ask mommy and daddy where you should live

    • thestig on 12/12/2020 - 10:03
      +2

      How is he entitled? He's asking for advice in what suburb to live in? All he has said is he wants to live alone, he's not claiming to be entitled to anything. According to you anyone who's family has made better life choices than yours did is entitled? Work harder and stop being jealous of others.

    • MontyMacaw on 12/12/2020 - 17:53
      +1

      Brat comment. Mummy and or Daddy did a number on you by the look of it

    • netjock on 13/12/2020 - 09:27
      +1

      $2.50 when you went to uni is probably same as $20 now. Crazy the cost of inflation.

  • Myone888 on 12/12/2020 - 10:06
    +1

    Docklands is not investment materia, Wud be worst now. But renting is good. Free tram to city. Nice bike trails to city. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

  • nascar77 on 12/12/2020 - 10:09
    +3

    There are new apartments in The Glen, Glen Waverley. Right next to station, close to Mulgrave. Check prices if they are in ur budget would be great. U can go to city whenever u want while being close to mulgrave.

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