cdressler

I rented a house on Katharine St with my sister after moving out of our parents tranquil 6 acre block in Stoneville. Although Helena Valley itself is a lovely collection of winding roads on the gentle slopes of the Darling Scarp, Katharine St was noisy and grubby.
Across the road is Katharine Park, a large field occupied by a small herd of cattle, as far as the eye can see. And whilst this may look nice I for one don't like to hear cows loudly lowing late at night. There is also the issue of aeroplanes flying very low over the suburb and this would mess with the TV reception and put a pause in most conversations. The street itself is also busy, it surprised me to often hear trucks chugging down a residential street, or we'd the the tune of someone's maximum volume radio as they came screaming around a corner. These complaints might have been to do with the bedrooms being positioned near the front of the house with poor sound proofing but neither my sister or I were able to get a proper nights sleep for several weeks.
Noise aside Helena Valley is conveniently located near Midland and all of the shopping opportunities there, as well as the Midland train station. Although connecting buses are not particularly regular.
The only other issue worth mentioning is that we tried to get an internet connection via 5 different providers, each ripping us off in their own way, but the end of the story was that we were too far from the Midland Exchange and the phone lines in the area were too old to support a broadband connection. I'm not sure if this has been remedied in the last 3 years but if you're looking at buying or renting it's definitely something to ask about.

I bought a near-new rear unit in a complex of 4 on Mathoura street almost 2 years ago. We have lived there since and have found the experience mostly pleasant.
The street is much like the rest of Midland in that it is going through a slow but constant up-grading process. There are still a number of un-sightly worn down homes occupied by un-sightly, rude, ignorant, lay-about families but on the whole these are becomer fewer. One of our neighbours are such a family and I warn you that their loud vulgar family disputes have kept me awake in the small hours of a week night a number of times. They have also been rude to friends of ours that park on the street.
These minor altercations aside most other neighbours are polite and keep to themselves. In the last year a couple of families with small children have moved into units like ours and the children are often playing in the front yard, almost on the street. They are very apologetic and traffic wise and it is nice to ride my bike past them in the afternoon and get a group of smiles.
In terms of convenience Mathoura St, and any of the other N-S trending streets close to the shops, are fantastic! Every shop you could possibly desire, from large furniture and electrical stores like Harvey Norman and JBHiFi across the railway line, the Ace Cinema and Midland Gate shopping centre just a short stroll away, Bunnings and Better Pets and Gardens only on the other side of Great Eastern Hwy and a string of handyman, auto workshops and fast food restuarants lining the highway. You rarely need to get into the car. One of the cons of this is that although the street itself is not busy getting out of it can be a hassle at peak hour. But once all the shop owners and operators have left Midland for the evening it is actually a quiet, peaceful neigbourhood.
Public Transport in the area is great, the Midland train station is only a 15 min walk away, or quicker on the bicycle which is my preferred way to get there, there is plenty of free and secure parking there and trains leaving every 15 min can get you into the city in 30 min.
Also worth mentioning is the night life of Midland. Of course it is nothing compared to the city and it's more swankier suburbs but in recent years has seen a huge growth. There are now 3 good pubs to choose from, The Eastern, The Principle and The 7th Avenue. The former 2 are almost brand new with stylish comfortable decor and well equipped restuarants. There is also a growing number of dining options in Midland including Chatters, thai style cuisine, and a new Fine Japanese restuarant. There are also larger chain favourites such as Hans, Jimmy Deans and Dome Cafe. Additionally Midland sits on the gateway to the Swan Valley with all it's wineries, breweries and fine dining. We've spend many a Sunday doing a tour of our favourites breweries.
In summary I would highly recommend Midland, and specifically Mathoura St, for any couple, family or investor with an eye for value for money. Prices in Midland are still quit cheap, this is because of its historical perception as a unsafe, dirty suburb and whilst it is far from being as leafy and swanky as your Subiaco's or Claremont's, a lot of money is being put into this small suburb (like a new education precinct at the old railway workshops and the new hospital beginning construction in 2011) so I think it's boat will be sailing soon.