michaelb31

You're kidding yourself if you think Glen Waverley hasn't gone backwards in the last 10 years, it will be the next Box Hill and Springvale in the sense that every shop that makes it culturally diverse will be gone in the next few years. That's what made Glen Waverley attractive, the diversity. You used to have the option of nearly any cuisine you wanted, but the time will come when the only option will be Chinese, and that will make for a very boring precinct. The only draw card will be The Glen and the cinema/bowling. Busking and street entertainment will never happen and the only live music venue will be karaoke. Don't expect it to turn into a trendy area with street festivals and community spirit, because it will never happen.
But hey, let's pull out the race card again to shut everyone's opinions down.

I wholeheartedly agree that diversity is very important so you have my utmost agreement on that point. Glen Waverley is very Asian centric though (just like many suburbs are or were Greek or Italian or Anglosaxon Aussie before that) - so what would you like to happen? What's your PERFECT mix of diversity? How would you suggest it improve? Let's flesh it out right here right now. For me, it seems how you define or measure `progress' or (conversely) a `backwards' direction is a bit different. What suburbs are doing it right for you? I must say, if Springvale and Box Hill are particular failures to you, then I'm sorry but that only confirms to me that it's not me playing the race card - I'm just holding a light up to it. Furthermore, if a bowling alley and cinema are your only saving graces for the area then I wish you all the joy that Gold Class and rolling a ball down an alley can provide. City Council has a very important role to play in how a municipality is steered, they are the only ones that can say no, that is not what we will allow and you're actually kidding yourself if you think that things just happen or don't happen without council planning and foresight.

Wow, you really need to think about what you write. The 'race card' is a cheap way to shut a discussion down and you really like to let it fly.
" I must say, if Springvale and Box Hill are particular failures to you, then I'm sorry but that only confirms to me that it's not me playing the race card" - Just because ngocp thinks Springvale, Box Hill and Glen Waverley are not good suburbs does not mean they are a racist. He/she is clearly making a direct comparison between the two and what he/she thinks Glen Waverley will be like. Again, just because they don't like these suburbs and the way they look, what shops they have, the way they're changing, etc., doesn't mean he is discriminatory against Asians.

"City Council has a very important role to play in how a municipality is steered, they are the only ones that can say no, that is not what we will allow and you're actually kidding yourself if you think that things just happen or don't happen without council planning and foresight." - Ultimately, the council can only steer the municipality in a certain direction, but they cannot make a community great - that all depends on the people that live there.

Wow, way to go referring to yourself in the third person. You even seem to have forgotten your own gender for a second. LOL / COOL. ANYWAY, I'm not here to argue with you or debate over rubbish, we can agree to disagree but you just can see how your comment would be abrasive and seem pretty defensive when it's presented back to you - man up and stand by your words. The fact is that Box Hill and Springvale are at the opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum and you just can't compare them in any OTHER THAN the glaring commonality of having extremely high asian populations (that have done well). IF you consider THAT a failure then every mathematical logic would say you don't think highly populated asian areas are a success. Am I wrong here? Your argument of DIVERSITY might be true if you're looking at one street or a clump of streets. ZOOM OUT. It's clear other non asian operators in Kingsway that know what they're doing are still doing very well. If you want "diversity" why don't you just visit oh ANY OTHER SUBURB in Melbourne. Your point about what makes a community great is a good one, listen to your own words. Why do you think people from abroad have flocked from afar to come and settle down in Glen Waverley? The answer is for a good education for their children. If you think that's backwards then maybe you are right, we should just end the conversation there!

What council planning and foresight? How dare you! You are obviously a real estate agent with a vested interest in propping up this deteriorating suburb and its speculative foreign investor bubble. Go take a drive down Larch Crescent, Mount Waverley for an example of how property speculators have ruined Glen Waverley and Mount Waverley and probably Wheelers Hill as well. It is disgusting to see the 'for sale' signs that continuously go up on the same properties - properties that are half dilapidated or half pulled down or simply abandoned, covered in long grass. It is a symbol of the utter greed and rampant lack of control by real estate agnets, local councils and regulators, who have all contrived to completely decimate these suburbs in the name of greed and money. I can't wait for the property bubble - which is now bursting - to hit you right in your smug face. I can't wait to see all these foreign investors watch their money drain down in these wretched propetiues. Divine justice.

By the way, you talk about the socio-economic spectrums of Box Hill and Spirngvale, you need to be aware of the huge proportion of Asian money laundering going into Australian real estate. Try taking a look at Transparency International. How can a foreign buyer (usually Chinese) buy a property for 4 million dollars outright in Regent Street, Mount Waverley and install a part-time student to live in there? Ask yourself these questions and wake up, pal.

And, by the way, I agree with ngocp above. Entirety spot on.

Janetp2: You're clearly pretty upset with your situation, the real estate bubble and world politics in general so I'm sorry if my review, tone or feedback has caused any needless spike in blood pressure. I'm taking some of your words with a grain of salt as obviously there's nothing I can say and do to appease you. You do have valid stresses and observations. I did open the Transparency International website to have a look - interesting but unfortunately nothing too surprising, many if not all developing countries are corrupt to the core, including the US. It's the only way they've ever known how to transact and it's a part of an humanity. I don't know how donating to them could ever help fight corruption in China but i'm personally very glad I don't live in that ecosystem and that Australia is still a proud culture of whistle blowers and has one of the strongest minimum wages. To answer / correct your assumption here and in other reviews, rhetorical or otherwise, 1. I am a 100% Aussie and proud of it. 2. I'm 100% not a real estate agent (agree that the decent agents out there are few and far between) 3. I could only guess that any cashed up investor (referring to the place in Mt Waverley could foreseably buy a place and have their child, niece, nephew or family friend live in it / look after it until such time as they were ready to. Happens all the time but respectfully, even if they did get their money from nefarious means, what can we do aside from report actual suspicious activity. If you see for instance, a place that is vacant / dilapidated (therfore subject to fire risk or squatters) / becoming a drug house I certainly would recommend you report it to council or the coppers. They can and will certainly do something about it. I've reported a place myself where squatters were breaking in to and lighting fires - the council served the landlord a notice immediately after which it was hoarded up and demolished not long after.

Have lived in Wheelers Hill for 38 years and have observed how the entire area has changed with houses torn down and ugly macmansions going up. How many demolitions have involved silent partners, I wonder? The traffic congestion is awful at peak hours, especially FTG Road, which is s quagmire during school drop offs. Weve watched the decreased amenity of the area over nearly four decades with limited parking at both of the WH/BP shopping centres and poor driving skills of the locals. For the first time ever we are seriously discussing escaping WH where we thought we would have a forever home. The number of times we have had developers knock on our front door, intent on demolishing it. Please go away.

Box hill and Springvale lots of festivals during the Chinese New Year year yummy food good Restraunts and multicultural and friendly suburb. My kids love playing at strike bowling and watching a movie at the cinema and sometimes treat at the pancake parlour. Great night life and atmosphere for single couples and familys.