Norlane, VIC 3214

But Norlane isn't on the coast. Its neighbours North Shore and North Geelong are.

Bikers are allowed to wash their jocks, give the man a go.

I have lived in Kosciusko Ave for 48 years raised two kids who both have their own successful Businesses, It has been a great street to live in maybe you are the problem Ema4

@boblimb - Im sorry you perceived my honest review as a personal attack. Your rude and personal reply proves the point I was making. I know plenty of people who would rather leave Geelong than live in parts of Corio and Norlane. My street (while never short of hoons in cars & on bikes), is still an ok place to live. Many though would disagree.

Sorry your clothing got bummed Ema. Unfortunately crime can happen anywhere. I hate living in Portarlington because while there are nice people, I've got some pretty arrogant neighbours.

I really worried about buying in Norlane because of it s reputation. Melbourne suburbs were a bit too expensive for me, so I but the bullet and bought a small old place and did a few renovations. I can now move back to some Melbourne suburbs because Norlane property prices have risen faster than Melbourne and Geelong properties, excluding Newcomb. I have now decided to stay. Norlane people dont have class issues. People with class issues move out of Norlane. Petrol is usually around 25 cents a litre cheaper than Melbourne prices (cigarettes are cheaper in local businesses) and there is no traffic jam in Norlane, like there is in Werribee, Tarneit, Point Cook, etc etc. A new hospital has just been built and Ford Factory maufacturing starts up soon (nit cars). I remember when Williamstown, Spotswood and Seddon once had shocking reputations like Norlane.

And they are still crap .. your further mention of Tarniet Werribee & Pt Cook are
Call me a middle class snob I like people around me to work rest & live quietly

Class Issues or RESPECT THEMSELVES?
Educated - nope
Criminal activity public social & boarding houses aplenty -

I agree with pretty much everything this review said. I bought an extremely run down weatherboard property on a large block. Fixed it up within 12 months and now a tenant happily lives there in what is now a newly renovated house. I was 20 at the time I purchased the property and for the price I paid, I would've struggled to even get an apartment in Greater Melbourne. The only reason I don't live their myself is because I wanted to live with my parents, so I could keep my expenses low and continue to buy more property. I do hope to return to Norlane (most likely in another house that will also require renovations) when I'm ready to move out though.

Again you you missed saying old public housing is replaced WITH NEW PUBLIC HOUSING ... that doesnt get any better today or tomorrow its in generation impeded issue ...

John, obviously you must have been under a lot of pressure to find a new home when you decided to move here - otherwise you would have taken note of the 3 foot grass and car wrecks in the front of every second home around you and possibly decided not to sign the lease. Yes, the area has been long known for having a high number of commission homes (or "houso's" as you refer to them or their occupants), but in the last 5 years, the local government has focused a lot of attention on re-developing a lot of these homes into social housing, rather than public housing, which means the people that qualify to "buy" them must be working, can be earning up to $90,000 combined income per year and can buy them off the government for little to no interest. Therefore, by doing this, it starts to bring a working class to the area. However, as most projects do, it takes time and won't change over night.
In my review, I said A LOT of the area's residents are European and migrated here in the 60's & 70's and keep their homes immaculate and well maintained and this is true. I did not say the European immigrants made up the MAJORITY of residents. If you have a good look around, you will see certain areas of which the majority of the homes IN THESE PARTICULAR AREAS are very neat and obviously occupied by house proud people. Obviously you don't live in such an area.
Most trains from Geelong go straight through to Melbourne without a changeover in Werribee and take 45 mins to an hour to arrive. There might be the odd train that requires a changeover, certainly not most or all.
Like all suburbs, there are areas perceived as good and bad - some more than others. Norlane is one such suburb of both good and bad perceptions. Most of the points the reviewers have made in all of these reviews that they took the time to write (and you so kindly took the time to contradict and dispute all of their opinions and experiences), is that Norlane's affordability (both to rent and to buy) in relation to it's location and developments, either planned or well-underway, is the reason why a LOT of developers and investors look at and buy in the area.
Much like Footscray and the Western Suburbs of Melbourne - which were all a lot like Norlane only 10 - 20 years ago (and were also made up of a lot of European immigrants - which, by the way, played a major part in helping the area's thrive), Norlane is already hot for investors and has started to become the hot area for young families, first home buyers and young professionals that work in Melbourne, which brings in a new dynamic to any area.
Next time, write your own review without putting your pessimistic comments on everyone else's.

IN RESPONSE LOCAL OLD LADY (probably a real estate agent looking to falsely represent the areas appeal) everything I have said is true and is from personal day to day experience, I have not glossed my opinion up like you and some others have done but have stated as true as as close to possible as it really is , warts and all. You can try to convince others of your point of view, all I can say to any person moving here to norlane, is come and see for yourselves, spend a day here, go to the local shops, it's like being in an episode of houses, truly. Unfortunately local old lady has taken my opinion as an attack on her and her beloved norlane, I would take a look at her motivation at trying to spruke up the suburb folks, me thinks there is a real estate agent in the midst, you decide for yourselves.

My apologies for not replying sooner John, I was off for a few days having a life. Perhaps you've heard of that? It's no wonder you think you get scary looks. The "houso's" must see you turn your nose up at them while surveying the length of the neighbourhood's grass - and putting it all into a spreadsheet along with the street's Average Days Between Mow's (or ADBM, as you refer to it). Then there's that other sheet for the number of car wreck's in the front yards and whether or not the cars are registered.... isn't there?? One thing people usually learn quite quickly living in a place like Norlane, is not to judge before you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes. You haven't, obviously. Not everyone is lucky enough to have been given a good education and raised by loving parents, obviously as you and I have been. Some are just repeating what they've been taught and some wouldn't know what the hell you're talking about. For god's sake, go and volunteer at a soup kitchen or deliver bread to an AA meeting or the salvation army. Whatever you do today, get out of your house where people are revving their bikes up and down the street and go and do something to make yourself feel good.
PS. If I was a real estate agent, I'd still live in Norlane. I'd just have to get another house with a security system in the garage for my Mercedes. It would probably draw too much attention if I left it on the 3ft-high front lawn. Especially being unregistered and all.
Have a brilliant day John, Thelma !

Dear Local Old (real estate agent "or feral" in disguise) lady, your life must be weird, you know why, you are using this forum to personally attack an individual, namely myself. All I did was write a true description of living in Norlane that is factual, true and you have taken it as an attack of sorts on yourself and your feral mates or fellow real estate lackeys for some inexplicable reason. Either you have no life and are a feral or are a real estate agent trying desperately to inflate an untrue picture of Norlane and it's out of control, unregistered unlicensed car driving, drug taking and selling "houso's". I think maybe you are a combination of the 2, you are a previous feral with work aspirations within the real estate industry, me thinks you shall do well in that industry as you can clearly spin a good yarn "lie". Perhaps next time someone like myself writes a true life description you should read it for what it is, the truth, so my advice to you is, take a good long hard look in the mirror, look at you toothless grin gained from years of smoking cheap cigarettes and drinking even cheaper whisky, and staring back at you what you will see is the truth, that's right, you are a feral, all the best.

John, John, John... You did personally attack many people on this public forum. Firstly, by contradicting & discrediting every single person's review of the place, secondly, by making derogatory comments and judgments about the area's residents and thirdly, by rudely and publicly discrediting Kieran's response to your comment by assuming he must also be a "houso" because otherwise, he would not be defending them. If you want me to go on, you also made a personal attack on both myself and real estate agents, for my/their ability to spin a good yarn "lie". No I am not a real estate agent, I am now a retiree after many years in nursing and child protection. Before that, I also worked in advertising & marketing and also owned a couple of businesses. Of course, you can probably imagine that I am most proud of my work with children and the disadvantaged, regardless of the pay decrease. Would you believe that this toothless, smokin', cheap whisky drinkin', feral old hag, even has herself 2 university degrees?... and passed with honours! Another personal attack on your behalf, may I just point out. Had you merely put your own review of the suburb up without writing individual responses disregarding everyone else's opinions on the place, I would probably feel sorry that you had had such a bad experience here, offered my support and gone about my day. However, seeing as though you so rudely debated, argued and contradicted everyone else's experiences, PERSONAL OPINIONS & POSITIVE outlooks - including my own - I felt compelled to defend my post. There is no point continuing this argument with you any further, it is near impossible to educate the ignorant on just how ignorant they are.

I'm sorry but I have to agree that one must be very very careful living in Norlane. I lived in Tennyson Ave in 2012. One day I was lying in bed at 5.00pm having a rest after a long day. I was about to go out the back and had just driven the car in the driveway. My door suddenly opened and a youth confronted me. He ran out the back and jumped over the fence.
I lived near the small shopping district, Labuan square. Needles were a common sight. In 2012 also the small housing unit ( ? ) diagonally opposite the house I lived in was fire-bombed.
It's not all bad. The Diversitat Northern Community Hub is wonderful. Live on the Bunnings Side if you want to live in Norlane. Or Corio. But I know a very nasty stabbing that happened in Labuan Square. One must not be alarmed, but just be a bit alert and pick your street carefully.

...or carry a gun whilst walking your rotties? ;)
But everybody is both right and wrong. I moved into Moe when it had a reputation (deservedly) worse than anything I've read here. I bought a house (for $15000 ~ about average in 2002) and moved in temporarily...for six months was the plan, though I'm more than able to take care of myself.
.
Within a couple of months I was touting the area to my friends in Melbourne struggling with mortgages...AND street-crime, junkies, etc. Four of them have moved down here and love it. Every imaginable service a couple of minutes away (including the best and cheapest medical services anywhere) and I consistently get to the opera house more quickly and comfortably from here than I can from the eastern suburbs. In the meantime more and more 'normal' people are buying the commission houses (sturdier than anything built since the 1960s) and EVERYthing is improving as a result
From what I'm reading here Norlane is on the same track ~ assume 10 years ~ and in the meantime a REALLY good move would be for people like those commenting here to get together into informal, neighbourhood social groups; get to know each other, perhaps pub-nights open all, etc.. The more that happens the more the arse-hole element will be marginalised and the less of an impact they'll have.
geez....I've nearly talked myself into moving down there myself!
......except for the absurd prices! Here in Moe I can still buy any number of (sound if poorly laid-out) houses for around $130k....and some of the ex-rental roughies for down to LESS than $100k. But they have been going up lately as more Melbourne commuters buy in.
All the best....and if anyone wants to sell me a couple of houses at Moe-type prices let me know (seriously!dabbbles-AT-gmailDOTcom).... and I'll bring the dogs down for a look around with my money in my pocket.

I agree with John here (sorry LocalOldLady)....

If you look at the way LocalOldLady writes her article, this comes from someone who's obviously good at writing, like someone educated writing a novel or book.... but as I was reading her review that's exactly that it sounded like --- a textbook

Unfortunately, life is not a textbook nor does it go according to some 'nice' historical facts that LocalOldLady seems to be so knowledgeable about --- which as John suggest, sounds like a real estate agent, trying not to scare potential buyers or investors in the area.

I myself like John suggested, went to Norlane to see for myself, as I happened to go there to see a house in Norlane close to Robin Avenue. I went to the local shops at Robin Avenue to buy some lunch, and I saw a couple where a man was yelling at his partner and swearing, and then another badly dressed man riding a bike with a beer can in his hand and the local people gave the impression of being housos or unemployed.

John wins, sorry, very true what he said, and I completely forgot about the 'textbook' review from LocalOldLady who forgot to put the reality of the negatives in her happy narrative

Does my little girl with down syndrome look like she just got out of jail? Sometimes I take her for a walk to buy an icypole. Sorry if we scared you. Maybe my pink beach hat frightened you?

Hey JohnS1, i dont think the apple has fallen far from the tree. You are RENTING in Norlane, so clearly you weren't and still cant afford to rent in Melbourne or in a better suburb? Earn more money and live somewhere better, and please dont play the victim card say thats all i could afford because then you will be contradicting your argument with the resident in Norlane. Everyone here who is complaining about Norlane have to understand that low SES areas attract low SES people. Food for thought

YAY honestly is APPRECIATED & the story continues unemployment addiction drugs alcoholism single mothers breeding boxes courtesy of taxpayers & thats why its cheaper as this is the underwriting they dare not add.

some of these positive reviews on norlane to me appear biased and possibly written by real estate developers or real estate agents trying to get people to move into this very trashy area called norlane. Public transport is woeful, buses not very often, a train to melbourne requires changing at werribee after a wait making it a long trip. The reason the properties are valued low is because norlane is a high crime, trashy area full of ferals and housos, hence the low valuations, simple maths. The streets are not tidy, most nature strips and front yards are overgrown, and have 1 if not more unregistered car wrecks sitting in them, almost every corner has a dumped old tv or someone elses trash tossed out on it.

John, I urge you to take responsibility for your own happiness and not blame the suburb in which you live. Also, please refrain from being derogatory towards those who live in housing commission. They deserve a fair go just like anyone else. It sounds as though you have had an unusual experience in Norlane but please understand that yours is not the norm. I have never had to change trains at Werribee in over a year of regular travel and nor have I had anything stolen from my house. Like many properties in Norlane mine is sub-divisible and I may take advantage of that opportunity in the future but that does not mean that I would be miss leading about the place. In fact, the development going on in Norlane is good for the place and I am confident that it will continue to improve as time goes by.

Well said Kieran.

are you a houso, otherwise why would be defending them, Yes I have something against those dole bludgers living off the govt and making the rest of us pay, and when those same houso types drive up and down my street on a dirt bike revving the heck out of it on a daily and nightly basis affecting me, and when you have a feral with a couple of dogs in the backyard barking incessantly non stop then, yes I begin to take exception to it. And when you see the local housos going down to the local bottlo at 9am to fuel up, and revving their v8's up and down the street, it definately has an impact of sorts, yes folks from norlane northshore railway station you do change trains). This area is rampant and full of druggies, dole bludgers, and just trashy people unfrotunately, look at some of the reviews on streets in the area from others and you can read their experiences going back to 2008, it's not just my opinion.

Perhaps you should google Kieran and see if he comes up on the National List of Feral Houso's. While you're at it, check up how to spell "definitely" and the definition of "judgmental", "conceited" and "derogatory" and if there is still time, check out this page. http://zenhabits.net/a-simple-method-to-avoid-being-judgmental-yes-that-means-you/

As regards the barking dogs:- Barking dogs don't worry me except inasmuch it always indicates that they're not being treated/looked-after as they should be: neglected, etc. RING the Council AND the RSPCA inspectorate. (and the police, though they're reluctant to deal with 'animal-related issues'. Sometimes you can get a good result from individual coppers or the station Snr.Sgt.

Five decades in the Corio and Norlane area - so I know what Im talking about. Avoid Norlane! And particularly avoid Corio in the areas near Plantation Rd, Sharland Rd, Kosciusko and Hendy St. Also Caithness Cres/Carmarthen Drive, Goldsworthy Rd areas.

Barking Dogs = Normally Bored & mostly uncaring owners - DVO - unkept property & tv sets shoeless little feet wandering the streets whilst mum is pumping out more poorly created little victims to poverty crime & disadvantaged backdrops

emo4, judgemental much, I live in Purnell end of Hendy street surrounded by beautiful older neighbours. Im a registered nurse who because I brought an affordable house was able to send my kids to private schools. By the way they are not druggies or dole bludgers, they are both professionals and proud of where they lived. Ultimately theres good and bad anywhere .

the area is not clean and tidy, the majority of residents are housos on centrelink not europen immigrants, 3 foot high front yard grass and a car wreck sitting in it are not what I call impeccably well manicured lawn or garden which is what every 2nd home ion this area has. A neighbourly attitude of stealing your shoes and sizing you property up for a breakin are not what I would call safe and at ease, which is the reality in norlane.

SHe's a real estate agent --- her education is higher than the housos living in Norlane.... I don't honestly believe her motivation is because she's from the area,,,, it's really all about the dollars, as the real estate's need their commission from sales of houses to live.... in guess what? Better, more expensive houses in other areas other than Norlane, which they promote for the sake of the dollar and not the truth

JohG
Well said ... once a dump always a dump

some of these positive reviews on norlane to me appear biased and possibly written by real estate developers or real estate agents trying to get people to move into this very trashy area called norlane. Public transport is woeful, buses not very often, a train to melbourne requires changing at werribee after a wait making it a long trip. The reason the properties are valued low is because norlane is a high crime, trashy area full of ferals and housos, hence the low valuations, simple maths. The streets are not tidy, most nature strips and front yards are overgrown, and have 1 if not more unregistered car wrecks sitting in them, almost every corner has a dumped old tv or someone elses trash tossed out on it.

Norlanes Roswell bus comes every 20min till 10pm on week days which is best service in geelong and I've been a train catcher geelong to melb for 14 years and never had to get off in Werribee to change trains.

WOW ....
you forgot to say its albeit a CRIME SCENE
in the making ... public housing pulled down and rebuilding occurs putting the scum into new houses to portray shitsville !!!

nothin' wrong with Norlane except I got a cold sausage roll at Robin Ave shops once and no dead horse.

to get to Melbourne by train means changing trains at werribee and waiting another 30 minutes, try 1.5-2 hours getting to Melbourne, parks are run down and vandalised, local council do not maintain well, bus to geelong once an hour.

Lived here since buying a new unit in 2010 in Norlane West, and to be frank, it's an ideal place to live. Very quiet this side of the suburb, and when you look at it, there are so many advantages to living here.

We have the cheapest fuel in the state thanks to having the Apco head office just down Thompson Rd, we have local shops in Donnybrook Rd that have great pizza in particular, we're just a couple of minutes from Corio Village or Bellpost shopping centre, and genuinely about 10 minutes to Geelong city.

Where else can infrastructure like this be available for the sort of prices houses are here? It's much faster getting around in the Northern suburbs than say Belmont or Highton due to all the main arterial roads being four lanes...namely Anakie Rd, Thompson Rd, Cox Rd, Station St and Bacchus Marsh Rd. Travel is a breeze here. There is no need to change trains at Werribee unless you need a met train to a western suburb of Melbourne, generally the trains that stop at North Shore or Corio will also stop at Werribee anyway en route to Melbourne.

And yes, to Melbourne, it's maybe 45-50 minutes by car to the Charles Grimes interchange (mind you, barring the regular Melbourne traffic jams). But it's also just a quiet friendly neighborhood here. Not an issue in the world, and indeed this is the only place in the last 15 years or so that i have yet to have something be damaged on my car!

I highly recommend Norlane as a place for first home buyers, with the New Norlane housing project coming on stream, you can get a house for under $240K...and unlike the far-flung new suburbs of outer melbourne areas, you've got everything here. That's the thing....it's one thing to move into an new estate, but many of them have woefully inefficient roads and public transport. I drove taxis in Geelong for over 10 years, and the Northern suburbs are just so easy to get around. It's really a great place to live, and despite the reports and indeed there are a few examples of ferals here and there, but to be frank you can get them anywhere. If you are polite to people, they will respect you in any case. But why try and pay $400K or more for somewhere in a daraway Melbourne suburb when right here, you can live in a regional city, be close to everything that matters, for 60% of the price.

"Where else can infrastructure like this be available for the sort of prices houses are here?"
You obviously haven't had a look at the LaTrobe Valley. Ex-commission houses (VERY sound but poorly laid-out) can still be bought from below $100k up to about $130k ~ though recent ASKING-prices have been a bit cheeky. A 12%-15% discount is pretty-well automatic, and rental returns run at about 8%-12%
I'm currently sitting behind a 4.5 x meter-wide window with the sun streaming through it, looking at 60km views across the town and Lake Narracan and up to Mt BawBaw.
It's a solid 4-bedroom house, extended front and back near the top of the hill, with 60-yo gardens which I prefer to leave overgrown (rhodies, assorted fruit-trees, stone terraces, etc. (can't see the house from the footpath 10 metres away!)
I won't go on (andonandonandon!)
Point was it cost me $84k in 2009 ~ and, tarted up, would carry a price-tag of about $135k today.
In fact I'd sell it for that price UNtarted- up if you're in the market.

This is a fantastic read. Thanks people.

Mmm morons or opportunistic creeps waiting to pounce!!!

loved the comment cant see from the street first alarm bell telling us to KEEP AWAY FROM THE AREA!!!! Thanks for your masked up diversion!!!!!

The impact of COVID 19 has seen many people rethink whether living in Metropolitan Melbourne is necessarily a wise choice. Many people are looking to regional areas and I believe that this will give places like Norlane an incredible boost as many young families make the shift. I feel that it is only a matter of time before Norlane booms. Stay safe everyone.

Well, i made my comment in 2014, and i remain here in 2021. Happy with my place, my street and it's still nice and handy to all the shops i need and my workplace too. I just get annoyed by the council's penchant for putting speed humps everywhere (namely The Boulevard, especially on Donnybrook Rd, and also on Sparks Rd and Bellnore Drive). I mean I've noticed how congested traffic is now in suburbs like Newcomb, St.Albans Park and also South of the river....Norlane and Corio stisll have many dual-laned carriageways that handle the traffic much better than other parts of Geelong. House values have risen too which is nice for me, and funnily enough since Covid, many other areas of Geelong have risen by a fair bit more. So Norlane now is starting to have that value aspect like it did in the early-mid 2010's. I'll only pretty much move out from here if i'm horizontal that's for sure.