Hampton, VIC 3188

A wonderful & vibrant Bayside suburb with a stunning beach & 16 beautiful Parks!

Hampton Street Shopping centre is the hub of the suburb and is always buzzing with activity from the cosmopolitan Cafes, restaurants and shops.

Nestled in the middle of the shopping strip is Hampton Primary School!

A wonderful suburb to raise a family!

Hampton is one of the best locations in Melbourne.

For the residents, they get to enjoy sought after primary schools, high quality restaurants and cafes, access to Hampton trains and buses, complimented by Hampton Beach - all of these within a short walk of each other.

Hampton has people of all ages and when visiting, you can see why the locals never want to leave.

Lamonts Butcher is a favourite of mine and also a favourite of many. I definitely recommend going there for your quality meats.

Truly is a destination suburb.

Leigh Fletcher | Director
Hayeswinckle
Real Estate Agent Armstrong Creek

I love, love Hampton and I get so excited when I shop at Fegari Seafood which is the most excellent fishmonger in town!

Moving here with my partner recently, we've loved everything Hampton has had to offer and the suburb's hard fault. The beaches are fantastic and dog friendly most of the year, there are plenty of great coffee shops and quality restaurants - with the general population very friendly. The area has a really strong family vibe and we feel safe at all times!

Hampton is often described as Happy Hampton - and there is no wonder. With a great shopping strip offering everything from loads of coffee shops, restaurants, supermarket, grocer, clothing boutiques, gyms, pilates, barre, bars, you really don't need to leave the suburb for anything! Hampton has a great beach and Life Saving Club and is great for long walks with the dog. There is a great park in Thomas Street which has a huge playground for kids and has netball courts. There are a number of very popular pockets to live in Hampton - in and around Margarita Street Hampton is very popular as it is close to St.Leonards, Haileybury and Xavier. Also behind Haileybury in the Castlefield Estate which is filled with gorgeous Californian Bungalow homes. Other areas which people love in Hampton, are in and around Mills Street Hampton, Orlando Street, Crisp Street and Linacre Rd. The train station is also for commuters working in the CBD - it takes just 23 mins to get in!

Beautiful pristine beaches with popular shopping strip and nearby leafy parks. The schools are also highly regarded and residents are very friendly.

When I moved interstate after living in Hampton it was upsetting to be leaving such a wonderful place. The beach is beautiful, the shopping and restaurants in Hampton Street fabulous, public transport terrific and the community second to none. I come back to Melbourne on a regular basis and always stay in Hampton.

This suburb is a unique and bespoke little pocket of the world. Growing up no one knew where it was - but now its a hive of activity and its like a lightbulb moment for those who have only just discovered how gorgeous it is. I might be biased as I grew up here, but having lived elsewhere - nothing compares to what is has to offer, beach, train, infrastructure, a proud Council, wide streets, rural feel. On an on I go because I know. If your not sure of the dynamics of the community it can be challenging to navigate and understand, but once entrenched, its hard to leave it. I still love it. Whats not to love?!

We moved into our home a year ago, after apartment living in South Melbourne for many years, and have never looked back. We're surrounded by lovely warm neighbours who from day one have always been welcoming to us. It's also very pet-friendly along Hampton Street, with lots of passersby stopping to have a chat with us about our furbaby friend and giving her a cuddle. There's also a good range of cafes (SIPP and Sebastians FTW!), tapas bars, Italian, Japanese, Indian, Thai and Chinese dine-in/takeaway joints which serve up really good food at reasonable prices. The local Hampton Market has good quality meats, and again, friendly and warm customer service. With Woolies along Hampton St, and Coles just over at Bluff Road, we honestly are spoilt for choice most of the time!

The bayside lifestyle of Hampton is what really captured our hearts when we were searching for a suburb, and for those who like relaxing at the beach with a walk, cycle or a swim with the dog, this place is perfect. Very down to earth vibe and never overly crowded along the shore, even during summer. Most of our neighbours are established couples in their early 40s with kids, or those in semi-retirement in their 50s and beyond. We also feel very safe in our neighbourhood, and walking the dog after dinner around 9pm has never been an issue, with us even bumping into others doing after dinner walks. The Council has put in quite a lot of good street lights, and most of the neighbours do up their lawns and driveways with beautiful lights to showcase their front gardens.

Hampton does seem to be quite a fenced/gated community, with many home owners preferring to have higher fences or gates that run around the border of their property. We don't mind this at all, and also installed a gate on our property when we moved in. We also do see many security cameras installed so there is sense of unity amongst neighbours to deter break-ins and burglaries. So far the neighbours around our streets who have been living there for years have said there aren't major issues, with just a couple of naughty kids doing some graffiti or stealing loose change if you forget to lock your car when it's parked outside.

Some other reviewers have mentioned the cost of the homes as a con, however we feel it's important to stay in an area where there are others from a similar background who might pay a little bit more to get into this neighbourhood. To us, the main con would be the number of apartments that seem to be popping up closer to Hampton Street and the train station that may introduce an influx of cars, public transport users etc which would then impact that relaxed vibe that it currently has. Hopefully we don't have a big 'mall' type development spring up in the near future, given we can always drive to close by Southland or even to Chadstone for our shopping fix!

All in all, we really love living here and are so pleased that we chose it as our home. Friends have also commented that they really like the vibes they get when in the area, and we've never been prouder. Keep it up neighbours!

I have lived in Hampton for 16 years and have found it to be a fantastic place to raise a family. There are a mix of people who live in the area ranging from commission house residents to 'yuppies' mentioned in previous reviews. I have always found people to be friendly and have never had the impression of being looked down upon when I walked down Hampton Street. There are plenty of Saturday sporting options for the kids and these are community focused. Hampton Street has a wonderful selection of cafes and restaurants which cater for all budgets. House prices have increased dramatically over the years but that's because it is such a sought after suburb due to the location, amenities and community.

Pros:

1) Quality restaurants and cafes. There's many quality restaurants and cafes on Hampton Street and not all of them have inflated prices.

2) Safe, although I'm aware of one instance of a break-in near a laneway. Hampton Station is on the Sandringham Train Line, which is one of the safest train lines in Melbourne.

3) Traffic isn't very busy and it takes less than 25 minutes (stopping all stations) to reach the city by train.

4) Close to the beach. Hampton Beach is a great beach. Nearby Black Rock Beach is great as well.

5) Nice parks and reserves and the air that comes in from the beach is really fresh.

6) Not many riff raff.



Cons:

There aren't too many cons but the cons that do exist are major in itself.

1) Even though Hampton is located close to the beach the area is quite overpriced. I'm not just talking about the many original two bedroom dwellings in Hampton either but many of the shops on the main street (Hampton Street). A lot of the restaurants and cafes on Hampton Street are overpriced even taking into account that they're quality establishments. Even the Video Ezy on Hampton Street charges more for DVD rentals than many other Video Ezy stores!

2) There's a lot of yuppie snobs in Hampton. A lot of them have an insecure and arrogant attitude and when you walk past them a lot of them will look at you (whether they're on foot or on a bicycle) in a way that portrays that they think they're better than you. This includes teenagers and 20-somethings as well. I wish Hampton residents were more friendly, less insecure, less arrogant and less focused on money and materialism. Many houses having high wall front fences is intimidating as well. Many businesses who overprice in Hampton remain open because Hampton's yuppies are willing to fork out more money (oftentimes for inferior products) when they don't have to.

3) Spending excessive ratepayers' money on functions is just one aspect that makes Bayside Council one of the worst performing councils in Victoria.

Pros & Cons with suggestions for Bayside to improve itself:

The quaint Victorian homes, sunshine by the bay, good customer service & small neighborhood feeling of the downtown for groceries, bakeries, and affordable, yet impressive little places to meet up for breakfast, lunch or live music is here. Teenagers could pick up a smoothie, get ice cream, or have burgers at the Urban Burger or Red Rooster.

Pretty houses, and hasn't lost the character that Brighton East has with McMansions.

So many parks. That's the nicest bit, that it has leafy streets and parks.
The shops were becoming a bit dull until recently with Mozzi, and other cool unique brands relocating, Hampton street vibe is much better in last 6 months.

Ooo, what's there not to love! Close the beach, transport, major roads, eateries and shops to name a few. Its a great suburb with a great mix of people. Hampton street has everything you need. Lots of top schools and child care options. With the Sandringham train line it is only a 25 minute train ride into the city. Southland Shopping centre is about 4km away. Lots of medical centres and doctors around. If you are looking for a Brighton alternative, well I think you may have just found it.

Living in Hampton is like being on a beach holiday without leaving home - Fabulous restaurants cafes, shops and of course the beach! Well serviced by the Sandringham train line (25min to city) and buses, it really does have it all - if you can afford it!

A great beachside location out of the city.
There are some great tree lined streets and some beautiful character homes around the area, as well as some newer homes. For the golfers the local golf course will keep you happy and it just adds to the green feel.
There are plenty of schools and kindergartens close by which makes it an ideal place for families. There are also child care facilities. With the beach and a few nice parks, there is little more a family could want.
With the greenery comes the birdlife which adds to the vibe.
There are plenty of shops within walking distance including milk bars and supermarkets.
If you want to get out for a meal there are a few nice places not too far away.
There is easy access to the city up the Nepean Way.

This is a great place to live. I grew up in the area but is nicer now. It was very dominated by Ministry of Housing homes back then. The area has changed for the better!