Bentleigh, VIC 3204

I lived in Bentleigh for 11 years, a big chunk of that being my childhood, went to both Mckinnon Primary and High. Everything was always in walking distance so, accessibility here is wonderful. Lots of other kids in my neighbour hood so we'd always ride our bikes up and down the road, and once I even went stargazing up on that hill in bentleigh reserve. Of course Bentleigh will still have it's faults, like the increasingly amount of tagging and grumpy old people but other then that it's great. I only left Bentleigh six months ago, but I can't help but feel sentimental everytime I pass by it on the Frankstone line. Also, I highly rrecommend Zack's Pizza if your big on Italian food!

I have recently moved from St Kilda to Bentleigh. I was in St Kilda for over 17 years so I was nervous moving here but couldn’t be more happy. You are only 30minutes to get to work it the city door to door. The beach is only a few minutes drive away. You have some amazing new cafes such as “good times” and “little z”.

There are amazing schools including McKinnon secondary college which is a top school in the country.

Couldn’t be more happier to be here in Bentleigh.

Moved to Bentleigh two years ago from St Kilda East and can honestly say we wouldnt live anywhere else. Living in this affluent suburb, you have everything on your doorstep. Shops, cafes, restaurants, and a short cycle for a morning beach walk in Brighton, not to mention easy access to both Southland & Chadstone. We simply love this fantastic suburb. A great place for families, with lush green parks, friendly neighbours & community spirit. Great schools - both public and private in the suburb, or access to others in neighbouring suburbs. An abundance of parks and sports, variety and choice on centre road - from trendy cafes (Fifth Chapter is always a fave!), various Asian 'cheap eats', to artisan butchers & European delicatessens. Bentleigh is safe & friendly, providing everything the modern Australian family could want.

Completely over-rated in all regards. The house prices are completely no value for dismal looking houses and let’s face it, Bentleigh is NOT St. Kilda, or Brighton, it is far more dingy and next to nothing. The worst thing for me is the people. An odd mix of stubborn, long term residents that are baby boomers through to OAPs who honestly are the most selfish, entitled people around. Predominatly old school W.A.S.Ps, they think they own the town and rudely cross the roads (slowly) on red men, cross over your lane of traffic to get a wider angle on their park at Aldi, tread on you with their wheely trollies and walk around with huge chip on their shoulder and frown on their faces. Can’t stand them. Unfriendly place where there is not much neighbourly love and interaction, everybody keeps to themselves and there is ZERO nightlife, so a young person will struggle to have fun here unless they travel elsewhere. Too insular and frowny sort of people live in Bentleigh, totally sticks up their own you-know-what. For the price you pay, you may as well live somewhere fun like st.kilda or brighton, or else try a more value for money suburb like mentone up the road.

There are just too many development here that have lost its charm. Some of the shops and stores are very old school still and not as safe as others have said, some drug sellers around. If your a homebody and only stay at home to watch TV then this is the area to live in for you because it is an extremeley QUITE NEIGHBOURHOOD, where you DONT even get the community safety feel. People just stay in their homes and avoid their neighbours. Not really friendly. My husband and I work in the city and my daughter travels into Mac Robs by train and unless you get up very early, the trains are over crowded and delayed which means I end up having to drive into the CBD for work, and this itself is really overcrowded.
I live on a street where there was a police drug raid, its awful. I thought our street was nice with the luxury cars in front, We found out on the news guns and cars were taken away. Then another time there was a heroin arrest. This is probably why people just stay indoors and not bother anyone because you dont really know who your neighbours are since everyone keeps to themselves.

I feel sorry for the elderly here, dont feel like the council has much safety and protection for the elderly Most people here are newly young families with young kids under 5 now.

Would like to move to Elsternwick or Cheltenham instead for that neighbourhood community feel.

Bentleigh is a great family neighbourhood and the location is perfect. Not too far from the city. Close to Chadstone and Southland. The beach is also just 10mins away. Center rd has everything you need, including the ALDI, Woolworths and coles.
Bars, trendy cafes and parks and if you’re lucky enough to be in the McKinnon Secondary school zone then you also have access to one of the best public schools in Victoria. What more could you want. We’re very happy here.

So much inappropriate development , don't buy here unless you're happy to be blocked in by 3 storey plus blocks of dog box apartments. We've been here for 10 years and have recently put up with building noise , traffic jams and more and more houses side by side being sold together which means more blocks.

Bentleigh has a fantastic vibe with abundance of restaurants, cafes, pubs, retail stores etc on Centre Road. This beautiful suburb has a blend of old charm houses and new developments. Bentleigh also has excellent public transportation - the railway station was revamped in 2016.

Bentleigh is in close proximity (5 -15 minutes drive) to the popular beaches, shopping & eating strips/shopping centres, hospitals and schools - Brighton beach, Elwood/St Kilda beach, Chapel street shopping/eating strip (Windsor/Prahran/South Yarra), Glen Huntly Road, Glenferrie Road (Malvern/Armadale), Koornang Road (Carnegie), Chadstone shopping centre/Southland shopping Centre and DFO.

Bentleigh beats any inner SE suburbs hands down if you are looking at staying long term.

I've lived in Bentleigh for about 12 months and absolutely loving it!

We moved her two years ago into one of the new subdivided townhouses popping up everywhere. We like it. we're near Allnutt Park which is just fabulous and makes up for a lack of back yard townhouses generally have. Council services are great: GESAC, Allnutt Park, Fun in the Park days and the new Booran Reserve Park.. simply fantastic!

Been here for 12 years now and while the property prices have gone through the roof, the neighbourhood has maintained its charm!

Bentleigh is a great suburb with as many shops as you need, plenty of great cafes with beautiful coffee and is close to both many shopping complexes in neighbouring suburbs (including DFO Moorabbin) and Brighton Beach. The only issue at the moment is somewhat average internet coverage but NBN planned for 2018 will fix that hopefully.

Bentleigh has a bustling local culture along Centre Road, where you'll find amazing cuisine from every demographic. You also get almost every shop you could want, there's a Chemist Warehouse Bakers Delight, Coles, Aldi, Woolies, BWS, First Choice Liquor, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Wespack, a Telstra store and GESAC is only a few minutes away to. The Bentleigh markets are also great fun. You're also close to Brighton beach which is lovely in the summer months.

After the level crossing was removed traffic has become much better, but is still congested during the day and at peak hour, and the recent cuts to parking have also contributed to the slow moment of cars. The eating out options are fantastic, with Mexico City being one of our favourites. That said, this also doesn't help the parking issue for residents as the streets are often filled until late at night. Public transport is a little odd, with trains often skipping Bentleigh and Mackinmon stations during peak times, leaving you with Caulfield as the only "easy" way home. Bus services operate regularly as well, but we don't have any experience with using them to offer an opinion.

As with the whole inner bayside area though, the prices are exorbitant for what you are getting. Yes you are in a great location, but tiny apartments only lend themselves to couples who are willing to live in cramped spaces, unless they can afford at least $450 per week in rent alone.

In our ever increasingly connected world, I can't help but also mention internet connectivity and the NBN. This area is not scheduled for an upgrade until 2019. If you're close (within 800m) of the exchange (Cnr Loranne St and Centre Rd) you should get reasonable speeds. We are with Internode and have our line profile set to the fastest available, so your experience may vary. But as always with ADSL, as soon as you hit 1km worth of copper wiring your speed falls off the cliff. If you're not within 1km, you may want to consider a cable connection with Telstra assuming it's available at your building.

My wife and I have lived on Centre Road for a year. Honestly, the only thing that makes Bentleigh a struggle is the high cost of living and the small living space/lack of parking that often comes with it.

Been living here since 2011 and simply love it! It's got everything you need and is close to the beach to boot!

We've lived here for close to 10 years now and really love the leafy, relaxed vibe of Bentleigh. Property prices have sky rocketed recently with recent redevelopment of the main strip, however it's pretty much in line with most of the inner east/south east of Melbourne.

We moved here with our kids two years ago and simply love Bentleigh! It's got a great mix of parks, schools, restaurants and shopping. True it is quite expensive now but overall for what you get it is brilliant. The new railway station had improved the whole shopping strip immensely, in addition to the traffic flow on centre road.

It's a very pleasant change from the chockers main road of South Yarra where we moved from. Probably the only downside is that there is a lack of bars and pubs but neighbouring Brighton has its fair share of you feel inclined.

It is really a good suburb. I live here. All is good about this suburb, wondering what is not so good about this suburb, may be for the sake of finding fault, let me tell you that there is not much night life and trams in this suburb ;-) But you can get the tram stop if you spend 15-20 mins by walk and obviously there are so many bus stops and a renovated train station. There are parks and it is green most of the places. Not so silent or not so crowded, some streets are so silent though. If you look out for anything, literally anything, I bet it will not be more than 4-5 km from Bentleigh. I would say, it is in the middle of most of the suburbs, which gives you access to many other shopping malls, special eateries, recreation, etc. Not really far from the city, takes about 25-30 mins from the city, during peak hour it takes about 40 mins, door to door so not bad. All it comes down to what are our priorities in life as an individual and family. It is an individual who has to like a suburb based on what that one needs and then am sure the suburb will like you back ;-)

We moved to Bentleigh a year ago and simply love it! Not sure why the users below seem so disgruntled by it. We love the atmosphere and the family feel of the suburb. The main strip has come up in leaps and bounds with the re-developed train station and now has a few awesome little cafes and shops. While the house prices are a little pricey, for what you get it really is a great suburb!

Wow, I did not know so many people review this suburb. I have lived here for many years and all I can say is that it's not the best suburb. Yes I have friends who live in Murrumbeena, Malvern East, Brighton, Highett, Chadstone, Huntingdale and Bentleigh. Comparing the suburbs, this is definitely not one that if I had money, I would buy here, if you know what I mean. I inherited a house from my parents and that's why I live here. Given a choice, I want to live elsewhere. It's a nice suburb, don't get me wrong. Just don't buy a house here thinking it's going to be a great place to live and grow old. It's quite an inconvenient suburb and a little out of the way, parts of it. So are houses here really worth that much? Can't answer that. It's up to the individual. I am thinking of developing my house, tearing it down and build a duplex, then live somewhere else.

My girlfriend and I moved here 6 months ago. We want to move away. We paid $1.38m for a property but now have regrets. It's not really nice suburb and quite boring to be completely honest. Yes, lots of family here but it feels over crowded. There is little good food cafes restaurants and on the expensive side. Hate catching train to work at Bentleigh Station. Worst train line ever. God. My GF drives to work and it's horrible drive. I asked a few agent how much I can rent out my house and was told only $750 per week. My eyes popped out and heart sank. How the 'f' am I going to service my mortgage and rent another place at the same time. I have to negative gear about $850 bucks a month including agent fees and landlord insurance and other outgoings. I don't advice young families to move here. It is very inconvenient if you do. Also, if you must move here, don't pay more than 1.2m for a property. Is really not worth it. I can't even sell my property now and make money on it. If I sell now, I can only get $1.3m because new property already cost about $1.35+m. If you are buyer, of course you buy new one for $1.35m. Man I am so unlucky to buy in Bentleigh. Also, we inspected all schools here. They are only ok. Not very good schools. Now I have to buy another car because I hate catching train because station is being fixed and only buses available.

Rented a home here for 2 years. Just moved away, thank God for that. It's not what we expected. We read all the good reviews but once we moved here it's a really different story. Am a little disappointed with people not telling the truth about Bentleigh. Crime rate is increasing and my house was broken into. There's also cases of car jacking and there appears to be some not quite right areas in Bentleigh. Schools are pretty average compared to the scaling house prices. Not sure why people pay more than $1.25m for a house in a suburb that is in the middle of nowhere. I think you get better value elsewhere.

This is one of the suburbs that I will never ever buy a house in. Reason being it is unsafe, it has no night life, public transport is quite bad, traffic is getting worse, streets are not very clean, cost of things have gone up considerably and house prices have shot up through the roof, like gone up by almost 40%. Further to that, Bentleigh has already reached it's peak at $1.45m to even $1.5m for a house. You are not going to see any capital gains. The day Bentleigh houses cost $2m will be the day I decide to buy in Toorak or South Yarra. Also, what is with the horrible schools in Bentleigh. Be honest everyone, there are no good schools in Bentleigh. The closest is Brighton Secondary and it's not even up there or near where Mckinnon or Melbourne High or University High. And why do people say it's close to Melbourne. I used to drive to work and it took me more than an hour! And then I used to catch a train and Christ, that was a night mare. Patterson and Bentleigh stations, well, train delays and train skipping platforms and when it rains, you get wet waiting on the platforms. So please do think carefully if you want to waste your hard earned cash on a property here. Prices are unsustainable and has gone beyond the means of local residents who live here. Bentleigh is the poorer cousin of Brighton East.

Bentleigh is a nice suburb that suddenly within 3 years, has moved from an average price of $800,000 to $1,400,000 dollars. You can decide for yourself whether this is a nice suburb especially when house prices have grown way beyond the means of the very people that live here.
From an amenities perspective, it is serviced by 2 train stations but only if you live within the 10 to 15 minute walk radius. The rest of Bentleigh are pretty sad looking and still going through overhyped gentrification.
There are plenty of schools in Bentleigh but they are very average public and Catholic schools.
At one point in time, I had thought of moving here but it's kinda hard to access as you can only take Nepean Highway, which is always densely trafficked.
Would I still move here? Well, only if prices come down by $400,000. That is actually the true value of houses around this area. Anything more, you have just overcapitalised because guess what, you cannot even rent out your $1,400,000 for $900 bucks a week. Again, it's beyond the means of people who live here. If they can afford $900 per week, they'd be renting at Brighton or Toorak.
So there you go, stay away from Bentleigh unless you can get a townhouse for $1,000,000. You won't see more capital gains if you purchased a house above $1,250,000 and most definitely no rental yield. It's good to buy here if you wish to negative gear to Timbuktu.....

WE LOVE BENTLEIGH!! We are an engaged couple (wedding in 3 weeks #CelebrateGoodTimes :) and just moved into an apartment block in Bentleigh, we love the mix of busy and peaceful, Brighton bay is within mins away. 30mins into the city. Close to public transport and lots of good and reasonably priced eating out options. A mix of old and new style shops, there is a coles, aldi and woolies all within walking distance of each other, also a great variety of Asian, Indian and independent continental grocerie stores. Close to various gym facilities and parks too. Overall a great balance of buzzing lively dining, peacefulness and convenience.

Ideal for starting a family, multiple childcare options, great schools and parks. Close to public transport and health care facilities. Large shopping strip with some great cafes.
Friendly environment i highly recommend

Have been here for three years, & in this period have seen the area go steadily downhill. The main shopping strip on Center Rd is now very "downmarket" with a large amount of $2 shops, very few quality retailers. Traffic is impossible most of the time & especially at peak hour due to being only a narrow 2 lane road anyway. The suburb also suffers from over development, many cheaply built dual occupancy units & consequent congestion which contributes to the lowering standards of general amenities. Did we mention everything is super expensive? Its like the tradies & shops all think because the place is close to Brighton they can charge whatever they want. Be prepared for bad value all round, and shop elsewhere.

Have been very impressed with Bentleigh since moving early in the year; easy access to health care (dentists, doctors + pathology), public libraries (just newly re-built) and shops. Young families are bound to love Bentleigh as the parks and recreation areas are all leafy, clean and tidy. Schools are rated amongst the most exclusive in Melbourne. Brighton beaches are only a 5 min drive away. There’s a puppy school on Hodgson’s Reserve meaning well behaved quiet suburban dogs. The reserve also offers great sporting facilities with cricket nets, tennis courts, football oval and a super friendly bowls club (Thursday night barefoot bowls and BBQ is hilarious!).

Although the main street, Centre Rd, is a little quirky with tons of bargain shops there is a decent mixture to keep you entertained (hardware, furniture, health + tons of clothes). Both Coles and Woolworths supermarkets are in the area with Greek, Russian, Polish and Chinese delis making for some welcomed variety.

Named for the infamous Victorian Premier, Sir Thomas Bent (who earned the epithet “Bent by name, bent by nature” for his questionable land deals), Bentleigh has come into its own with regular million dollar price-tags. Buyers now know the benefits of this leafy location just one suburb back from the bay…and just over the Highway from blue-chip Brighton

With a vibrant shopping strip centred on a Zone 1-2 station, and relative affordability (especially compared with over-heated Brighton), Bentleigh is a true real-estate hot-spot. Growth has been strong in recent years with the Californian Bungalow street-scapes around the Centre Rd strip claiming the highest record prices. North of Centre Rd., where Bentleigh spills into the McKinnon College Zone, educational values add real value to already prized real estate. Here, prestige new family homes and townhouse developments are growing up in response to demand for a highly-prized Zone address.

But while substantial Californian Bungalows and architectural new homes are hitting the heights, Bentleigh still retains a good old-fashioned reputation for value. First home buyers are still welcome here, especially towards the east, where the solid homes of the post-war era (and later) represent an affordable Bentleigh buy.

Affordability increases in the unit and apartment market of this desirable suburb, with apartment blocks close to the Centre Rd strip and station offering excellent value and units and apartments closer to South Rd near Holmesglen Institute providing equally excellent rental returns.

Only 12 km out of the city and not far from St Kilda there is that perfect blend of action close by as well as the wonderful quiet relaxed feel of the suburbs. With tree lined streets and parks close by what more could you ask for?
Southland Shops are close by and there are plenty of other shops to provide everything you could need.
For families there are plenty of good schools around from kindergarten through to high schools. It is an ideal and safe area for families.
There is easy access to the city via public transport or on the main roads if you’re a driver.