Melbourne’s 10 most walkable suburbs

With Melbourne’s traffic congestion worse than ever, living within close proximity to public transport and other amenities has never been as high a priority for Melbournians when house hunting as it is today.

Living in a walkable neighbourhood is highly advantageous in terms of your environmental footprint, for your health and for the economy.

To make your search for a new place easier we’ve ranked Melbourne’s top 10 most walkable neighbourhoods based on their Walk Scores. We’ve also included Your Investment Property data for median unit prices (MUP) and weekly median unit rent (WMR), to give you an idea of housing affordability in each suburb.

What is a Walk Score?

A Walk Score is a rating out of 100 (where 100 is a walker’s paradise and daily errands don’t require a car) based on the walkability of an address using a patended system.

A Walk Score is calculated by analysing hundreds of walking routes to close by amenities (like shops, schools, cafes, public transport or bike tracks) where amenities within a five-minute walk get maximum points and those within 30-minutes walk receive no points. It also takes into account pedestrian friendliness by looking at traffic and population density of the suburb.

Melbourne’s most walkable suburbs:

 1. Carlton

Stats: Walk Score 97, $375,300 MUP and $390 WMR.

Drawcards: Royal Exhibition Building, IMAX Melbourne, Melbourne Museum, The University of Melbourne, Brunetti, Carlton Gardens, Lygon Street eateries, Cinema Nova, tram services and Princess Park.

Typical house type: Terrace houses and new apartments.

For rent: 349 Cardigan Street, Carlton, VIC.

2. Fitzroy

Stats: 96 Walk Score, $620,000 MUP and $490 WMR.

Drawcards: Live music, Brunswick Street and Smith Street shops, art galleries, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars, Naked for Satan, Fitzroy Swimming Pool, Hammer and Tong, ACU, St Vincent’s Hospital and tram services.

Typical house type: Workers cottages.

3. Fitzroy North

Stats: Walk Score 93, $620,000 MUP and $410 WMR.

Drawcards: Edinburgh Gardens, Dench Bakers, Moroccan Soup Bar, WT Peterson Oval, Rushall Station, Darling Gardens, tram services, Terminus Hotel, Fitzroy High School, Merri Creek Primary School and Merri Creek.

Typical house type: Workers cottages and apartments.

For rent: 7 Rowe Street, Fitzroy North, VIC .

4. Melbourne

Stats: Walk Score 93, $455,000 MUP and $460 WMR.

Drawcards: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, MCG, Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Crown Casino, National Gallery of Victoria, RMIT, The Arts Centre, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Yarra River, Hosier Lane, Hardware Lane, The Block Arcade, Burke Street Mall, Emporium, Melbourne Central, Hoyts Cinema, Regent Theatre, The Forum, live music, restaurants, cafes, shops and tram services.

Typical house type: Apartments.

5. St Kilda

Stats: Walk Score 93, $480,500 MUP and $385 WMR.

Drawcards: Luna Park, The Espy, Palais Theatre, live music, St Kilda Fest, St Kilda Beach, Peanut Farm Reserve, Lentil as Anything, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, St Kilda Park Primary School, tram services, St Kilda Primary School, St Kilda Sea Baths, St Kilda Pier, Acland Street cake shops, Adventure Playground and St Kilda Beach Night Market.

Typical house type: Apartments.

For sale: 83/8 10 The Esplanade, St Kilda, VIC.

6. South Yarra

Stats: Walk Score 92, $573,185 MUP and $420 WMR.

Drawcards: Chapel Street shops, nightlife and restaurants, Jam Factory, Village Cinemas, South Yarra Station, Fawkner Park, Melbourne High School, Capital City Bike Trail, tram services, South Yarra Cricket Club, Como Park, Kanteen, Power House Rowing Club, Como Centre and Topshop.

Typical house type: Apartments and terraces.

7. East Melbourne

Stats: Walk Score 92, $692,500 MUP and $455 WMR.

Drawcards: Fitzroy Gardens, Cook’s Cottage, Jolimont Station, St Patrick’s Cathedral, MCG, Darling Square, St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Treasury Gardens, tram services and Parliament House.

Typical house type: Apartments.

For rent: 304K/211 Powlett Street, East Melbourne, VIC .

8. South Melbourne

Stats: Walk Score 92, $655,000 MUP and $495 WMR.

Drawcards: South Melbourne Market, Honey Bar, Chez Dre Cafe, Dead Man Espresso, train services, Albert Park Lake, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Anzac Gardens, Collarts, JMC Academy and Clarendon Street restaurants and shops.

Typical house type: Modern apartments.

9. Collingwood

Stats: Walk Score 92, $580,000 MUP and $450 WMR.

Drawcards: Smith Street eateries, Jimmy Grants, Gelato Messina, Proud Mary Coffee, Rockwell and Sons, Easey’s, Huxtaburger, tram services, live music, Tote Hotel, Melbourne Polytechnic, Academy of Design Australia, St Joseph’s Primary School, Collingwood College and Circus Oz.

Typical house type: Cottages, warehouse conversions and apartments.

For sale: 701/55 Islington Street, Collingwood, VIC .

10. Windsor

Stats: Walk Score 91, $482,875 MUP and $395 WMR.

Drawcards: Lucky Coq, Astor Theatre, Fonda, Prahran Hotel, Yellow Bird Cafe, Saigon Sally, Windsor Station, tram services, Presentation College, Melbourne Bowling Club, Gladstone Gardens, Chapel Street eateries and shops, Chris Gahan Reserve, Harry Greg Park, Bikram Yoga Prahran, Estia Health Prahran and The Avenue Hospital.

Typical house type: Apartments.

Happy house hunting!

From the Homely Team