Albury, NSW 2640
Ranked 3rd best suburb by locals in Murray Region, NSW
Great for
- Clean & green
- Internet access
- Parks and recreation
- Eating out
- Neighbourly spirit
Not great for
- No ratings yet
Who lives here?
- Families With Kids
- Professionals
- Singles
- Retirees
- Country Lovers
Reviews of Albury, NSW
"Take a Tree Change for a Happy Life!"
Increasingly people are seeing the added value in taking a 'tree change' and making the move to regional Australia. The Riverina City of Albury is one such place attracting large numbers of city dwellers looking for an improved lifestyle. Situated on the Murray River border of NSW and Victoria Albury sets itself apart as one of Australia's greatest inland cities.
Albury boasts affordable and quality housing, employment opportunities, first class education and health facilities, fine dining and an abundance of retail outlets to choose from. Albury is also positioned at the gateway to the ski fields and the high country as well as many first class wineries that are dotted along the Murray River.
We are 5 hours from Sydney, 3 from Canberra and 3.5 from Melbourne. We boast a modern and accessible airport for easy commuting as well as Australia's longest railway station platform. The climate allows us to celebrate each season to it's fullest and the locals are friendly and accommodating.
Why not take a trip to Albury and see what all the fuss is about. You won't be disappointed!
Great for
- First class public and private education facilities
- Two Universities on the Border
- Access to affordable health care
- Facilities in a country environment
- Lovely Townspeople
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Tourists
- LGBT+
- Students
- Country Lovers
- Trendy & Stylish
"Love it"
I havnt been in Albury long but I absolutely love it! It's a great down with everything if not more than you need. There are so many places in and around Albury to explore and it's a great town for someone like me who doesn't drive yet & rides a bike everywhere there are so many safe bike tracks to get you where you need to go. Everyone here is friendly & so far I feel very safe where I live. I would raise a family here for sure, there is a lot of sport & other things for kids to get involved in & only 2hrs from the big city Melbourne. I find this place perfect
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
"Albury. A Great! place TO LIVE."
Albury a Great place to live.
The climate has four lovely seasons.
Albury has the weir Dam, which is great for fishing boating, and swimming.
Winter is also great, for skiers. The Resorts are only couple hrs away.
Albury has plenty of specialty shops.
After you shop to you drop. You can enjoy Coffee and Cake. and plenty of Clubs and restaurants too.
Great place for all the family.
Live here my 65 years.
Maria
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
"Amazing town"
Most liveable region in NSW / Vic
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
"Nice place"
Lived here for a year. Nice place. Near the snow if you like to ski. Shopping was OK for a small town. Nice bicycling there as the lanes are great and go for a long time. Nice and flat. My negativites are the lack of jobs, really cold in winter and I was a bit bored. I am not a party animal I am 43 and don't drink or anything but I was bored. I can't explain it. My son who was 11 at the time enjoyed it there. Its OK.
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
Rentals in Albury
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"Great location with lots of affordable lifestyle options"
I have lived in a number of different types of Australian towns - from tiny rural towns to inner city Melbourne - and they all have their virtues.
Now that I have a young family, Albury has been a sensible choice, as it has a good variety of professional employment opportunities, excellent schools and public facilities (parks, pools, bike trails, museums, libraries, universities/training), childcare options, and we could base ourselves close to the centre of town where we can walk everywhere, just run one car, and buy a house for a quarter of the price of the suburb we left in Melbourne (that was still 30-40mins out of the city!).
Nightlife is not strong, however, that scene isn't for everyone anyway.
Previously, we lived in a much smaller town, which was sweet & lovely, but we missed some of the modern conveniences such as consistent mobile coverage and broadband internet, as well as access to training and education for professional development, and a larger client base for our small businesses.
However, when you come to a bigger town, you are confronted with suburban life - kit homes, SUVs, more fashion conscious - and this can be a bit tiresome. But you can find your tribe! You just have to put yourself in a location where you are most likely to meet like minded people.
My advice to people seeking to move to Albury is to consider the older homes closer to town, unlike the city (where these would be the more expensive option) you can get a great priced home within walking distance to the centre of town and great public schools. Rent in closer to town, before you buy out in an estate and get isolated from the outset. Get to know the place and how you'll live here before you jump into the market.
There are many different types of people in Albury - from sports & fitness types, to arty/musician types, to professionals and blue collar workers - and like most Australians, are friendly and welcoming to new people. Like most towns I've lived in, people new to town are easier to connect with as their friendship circles are not fixed. It always takes time to find the people that you will gel with and an area in town where you think you can feel a part of the community.
Also, live in a small town before you move to a regional city. You learn a lot about the diversity of Australian culture that way, and it will detox you from your expectations of giant shopping centres and make you really appreciate the facilities in a regional city when you've gone without for a little while.
In leaving the city, you will lose access to some specialist services, and you will have less variety for entertainment. But how often do you really need to access those things?
For us, its been liberating to have all that commute time back into our day to spend with family, to exercise and look after our health, to have money in our pocket to enjoy little luxuries in life, to live our day to day life on foot, and (after life in a city apartment) to have land to grow veges and fruit trees, have chooks, and room for visitors. Its really the things you do every day that make the biggest difference to your quality of life.
On weekends we chill out! We're not consuming entertainment venues - although the art museum, library & many markets are great - we enjoy getting out camping, swimming in the river, cycling, snowfields in winter, and easy travel to Beechworth, Bright, Yackandandah, Corowa, Rutherglen, and other lovely local towns, Melbourne, Canberra & Sydney when we do feel the urge for an urban adventure.
We've lived in Albury a few years now, and we are very happy with our decision. But we also look forward to other chapters in our life where we pick another place to enjoy. For now, while the kids are at school, we'll enjoy the lifestyle and opportunities in Albury.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Families with kids
Thank you your info here is great! We are a 40-something professional couple seeking a regional change from the tiresome hellbent restless and rammed-full Sydney city -we are so over it. Thing we are struggling with is finding work before we come. We are not qualified nurses, nor HGV drivers or forklift drivers, nor have we ever worked in agriculture -and despite everyone in the regional areas saying they are crying out for employees we cannot find anything. We have wide transferable skills from 20+ years in professional corporate roles but finding anything that we can be considered for is proving impossible. We want to come and be part of the vibrant community there but we need to earn and we just cant get out! We are open to doing anything but have found most jobs advertised on line for regional areas are seeeking fully qualified health workers or agri professionals or tradies. We are none of these. Any tips?
APS jobs might have roles that fits your skillset or you could start a business. Otherwise you might have to change your expectations about the income you're going to earn. People generally aren't job snobs in the regions. Simplicity is the mantra you will need to adopt to enjoy the country lifestyle.
@anneb13 Try registering in the talent pool at both AlburyCity Council and Wodonga Council, as well as with local recruitment firms.
Many jobs dont seem to be advertised in conventional places (seek), or only for very short windows of time.
Starting in a local government job gives you good insight and connections into the community and will lead you to your next role.
Also try the local Chamber of Commerce (Albury Business Connect) - they might be aware of businesses that are looking to expand or develop.
Albury Wodonga Health also has a very large business team (not just nurses and doctors!). They also have a talent pool, and regularly do call out for talent in a variety of roles from communications, project management, IT, and corporate services.
Good luck, keep an open mind, hopefully you find your foot in the door!
albury is cheap and you get what you pay for.
lots of good musicians. nice scenery. shit weather. and endless boredom.
The nicest people i have ever met but also the dumbest, apart from the musicians.
If they were more motivated they could be mediocre
"A lovely country town"
I have lived in Albury my whole life and have loved every minute of it. It has the quietness of a country town but the services of a city in line with Melbourne or Sydney.
Great for
- Lovely Townspeople
- Facilities in a country environment
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Tourists
- LGBT+
- Hipsters
- Students
- Country Lovers
- Trendy & Stylish
Thanks for the comments. I think there is an excellent shopping centre and you don't have the terrible traffic problems like Sydney. The rents seem very fair and better quality for money. I am not looking forward to winter there but you can't have everything perfect. I hope the be settled there soon. It is lovely and clean and I think there is enough to see and do there. The library is very modern. I found the people nice and friendly too.
I am relocating from Tassie, single retired lady. Overall the comments seem positive for Albury, but does that also apply to Wodonga? My biggest concern is whether the weather will be too hot in summer, I can handle the cold ( except when blowing a gale ). Does it cool down after a hot day? I tried to get this info from the BOM Stats, but didn't explain what I needed to hear!
Really helpful comments found here, thanks. Wondering if Prune St Lavington is Ok to live with young family?
If you want affordability and no traffic Albury/Wodonga is the place to live .. its one of the only rural cities that jad the closeness of three large cities .. 3 hours to canberra 3 hours to melbourne and 5-6 hours to sydney . I live in sydney and ive lived north and there are housing commission and drugs in every Crack and Crevice in the large cities .. the Gold Coast is drig central and Sydney is shocking and lets not talk about the price of housing .. I have friends that have lived in Wodonga and Albury central for over 20 years that have lived on the gold coast Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. If you want cut throat cold rude narcissist types .. move to Sydney or Gold Coast ... personally If I could live anywhere it would be a large rural area .. the only downfall to Albury is there are no beaches .. not everyone wants to live on the beach. Snow is very beautiful and you will not get that anywhere else in Australia
@paulinel2 - Regarding the weather in Summer, there are some nights where it doesn't cool down overnight, but mostly it does. This Summer (2020/21) has been very mild. If you go to the BOM and look at the 'recent months' tables you will see the overnight temperatures and minimums. Definitely warmer than Tassie though. You might prefer a coastal area that has milder Summers and more of a coastal breeze. If you do live in the Albury region, you will definitely want a house with some kind of air conditioning, unless it is super-well insulated & designed for ventilation - we use ours on & off for most of December, January, & February. (Its an older home)
"Albury/Wodonga: Where dreams go to die!"
I am 25 and I have lived here since I was 7. I am an undergrad uni student with a 7 yo daughter. I am relocating when I finish my degree and I feel like I am counting down the days, all day, every day!!! I think Albury/Wodonga is a hell hole where dreams go to die. Others have referred to it as an ‘above ground cemetery’. This is my personal opinion...
CAREER
If you have big goals, dreams and aspirations for your future, DO NOT MOVE HERE; unless you are a doctor or a lawyer looking for a place to earn big money (and can therefore afford a house in an estate with like people or out in the secluded bushland) without the hustle and bustle of city life. If you are content with labour work (Albury/Wodonga has many factories including Visy Pak and Uncle Bens) or waitressing/cashier then it will suit you.
KIDS
There is nothing for children or teenagers to do, hence why we have so many drunk, wandering teens causing trouble. We have just one cinema, two bowling alleys and intencity. I think laser tag and indoor rock climbing have just opened up. We had paintball and go karts but they didn’t last long. Every time you leave the house, on any day at any time, you can be sure that you will either see, teenage girls walking the streets and shops in pyjamas or will hear and see teens abusing and or fighting each other. In the last 2 years more than 7 teens have been killed in car accidents; drink driving, police chases, etc; one of them my own 16yo cousin. I would estimate that 80% of people I went to school that I seen (in the street or at an event) since school are now on drugs and or have been to jail. There are more teen mothers than you can poke a stick at. If you love your child, RAISE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!
HOUSING
The rent here is really cheap, especially when compared to other places. Quite a few nice new estates have sprung up over the last 3 years. However, some suburbs (mostly housing commission) you drive through, there are filthy rubbish filled lawns and kids running around with nothing but a nappy, young kids getting around by themselves, wandering the streets barefoot and or on a bike with no helmet.
SHOPPING
The shopping is not that great if you want to shop at Myer, Target, K-mart and Big W you have to visit 4 different malls in 2 different suburbs.
TRAFFIC
Awesome. Well for the most part. The only bad time and place is peak hour at either ‘the five ways’ in Lavington or the water tower roundabout in Wodonga.
ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE
NONE!!! BORED, BORED AND MORE BORED... occasionally we have bands or circus’s comes to town, but very few and far between. In winter you can catch the bus up to the Snow Mountains. The rodeo is on annually. The Albury show is on every Oct/Nov but it seems to get smaller and yet more expensive every year and if you taking little ones take them early before those drunk teens arrive and cause havoc!!! The oldies have it great they often have live entertainment at the Commercial Club.
SCHOOLS
I hated the fact that I was still stuck here by the time my daughter started school. I really didn’t want to send her to a school around here!!! I went to Murray High School and let’s just say that the other 20% of people I went to school with who didn’t end up on drugs or in jail are now working at McDonalds or Hungry Jacks, etc.
WEATHER
From one extreme to the next!!! In winter it is FREEZING, to the point where you have to scrape ice of your windshield every morning, because we are right next to Snow Mountains. In fact I remember one winter my pond froze over...poor fish. In summer it is like living in a giant oven because we are also surrounded by bush and we have no breeze coming from anywhere. It is a very very dry heat. The amount of bush fire scares is alarming. I remember the year when Black Saturday occurred, I was ready to evacuate, I couldn’t see the houses across the road (of course none of that was caused by the most damaging fires down Melbourne way but by ones closer to us).
CONCLUSION
Like I said this is my personal opinion. Some people I know think it is a great place to live; each to their own I say. I am moving to the Gold Coast and those same people say they hate it and would never live there, so it very much depends on your lifestyle, personality and want you want out of life...
Great for
- NONE
Not great for
- Large amount of teenage hooligans
- Limited and very spread out shopping
- No entertainment or leisure activities
Thanks for your comments. I understand it is probably not ideal for teenagers & I have seen there are a lot of young single mums there. I think it is a shame because I'm sure if there were more good jobs they wouldn't end up like that. Good luck with your move to the Gold Coast but it will be expensive and there are drug problems and crime there too. But I think you need a change and I hope your daughter finds a good school in QLD.
That is true, it is all personal opinion, which is why it is great that you have given specific examples when explaining why you hate Albury. However, on a recent visit to the Gold Coast I was shocked at the police presence in the main area. The girls were parading around as though they were prostitutes - skimpy clothes, all hair & caked on make-up & fake-tan, with an snooty attitude to boot; the males were fake tanned & gym-buffed & strutting around with their shirts tucked into their jeans, spoiling for a fight. A friend from the area said the drug problem was terrible & you just didn't go out in the city - it was too dangerous.The atmosphere was so tense we had to leaveI would never raise my teens there in a blue fit. I could only imagine the pressure & bullying in high schools. . Nice place to visit (if you like spending money) but...., well, you know. But, as you say, it's what you want out of life :)
@ MaKat - Hope my comments helped :-) I will be realistic; there are teen mums everywhere!! but I think there are so many in places like these because of lack of opportunities, however some of them are that way because, sadly, they are just plain lazy, clueless and have no goals in life. Thankyou I can’t wait to get there and as far as drugs and crime, and I know this will sound silly after what I said in the review but, GOOD!!! Without those things I wouldn’t have a job; I am a criminology student.
@Truthfultracy – Let’s be realistic there are drugs, guys looking for fights and skanky girls pretty much ANYWHERE you go!!! What exactly shocked you about the ‘police presence in the main area’? Was it that there were so many of them, were they using excessive force or harassing people? As for the dolled up girls, I imagine there were many, but they too are everywhere as are all types of ‘snooty’ people are. And males with fake tans, well not my thing, but that’s not really hurting anyone is it, nor is having their shirts tucked into their jeans? Gym-buffed; good on them for being fit and healthy, better that than being unhealthy and overweight? What makes you presume they were ‘spoiling’ for a fight? Something again, many men do anywhere. Drugs a national and more so, worldwide problem; I can’t imagine there is a place in Australia without a drug problem. As for not going into the city well, honestly, your chances of getting robbed, shot or assaulted are slim, despite media portrayal; it is like saying ‘don’t fly, it is too dangerous, you are sure to crash, in fact don’t do anything, it might hurt or kill you’. The atmosphere of where exactly was so tense? What made it so tense? Bullying is also everywhere. I find it odd that most of your comment was directed at the Gold Coast; not only because this is supposed to be about Albury/Wodonga but especially because GC is a place you have only visited, not lived in, how could you possibly think your opinions are credible? I travelled the USA for six weeks; every truck stop we stopped at had dozens of pictures of missing kids – DONT EVER GO THERE, YOU CHILD WILL GET KIDNAPPED!!?? I once drove through (that’s right have never actually visited) Sydney; does this mean I can claim it is a pretty place but has many homeless people in the street (because of what I saw) or that it has a terrible drug problem (because this is what a friend told me) or that all Aboriginals cause or are involved in riots (because this is what I seen in the media)? My point about Albury/Wodonga is that if you are considering moving here to get away from a drug-infested-dead-end-town that provides nothing to do, then there is no point moving here because you will encounter the same thing, so save yourself the trip; I am not saying Albury/Wodonga is the only town with the issues I raised. However, I will say that there is NOTHING (except for FFFC) here in Albury/Wodonga that is not anywhere else, BUT there are many things in GC that are not here
My husband and I are thinking of moving to Albury next year and honestly can not WAIT to get away from the Gold Coast
Albury as lot going for you 4 hour way from beautiful murry rive and 1 hour from snow at creek falls and 3 hour from Melbourne and act close to airport. Great sport center in Lauren Jackson centre it beat most city sport centre. It got everything you need. If match it to any small town. Albury is so far in front. Yes like any small town or city you going isuss.
got it right. The good and the bad. Nicest and dullest people I have ever met.
been here for more than a decade.
I am a monash graduate and brains die here.
for brains and shopping I have to go to Melbourne.
TruthfulTracey. You shouldn't make comments on living in a place when you obviously went there for a few days holiday. We live on the gold coast and what you describe is just one night in surfers full of tourists dressed like Muppets acting like that!!! The Gold Coast is soooo much more than tourist Villegas 'surfers paradise'. Good luck in dole bludgerville!!
mmmmm Had a kid very young and lived in housing commision? surrounded by troubled people (drugs etc.). OK - I can understand the dislike and anger. But the reality is that Albury/Wodonga is a slow country town - and there is good and bad people in some areas, but the vast majority are good. I find the people friendly and the city is safe and easy. I have lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra - Albury/Wodonga is a great place to retire and it leaves those 'rat races' for dead. Prices are great here - costs are way higher in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for everything (housing, food, medicals, clothes, etc etc). Want serious entertainment everwhere, then go Sydney/Melb. Want 'intelligent' educated people everywhere, then go Canberra. Albury/Wodonga is cheap easy living with friendly 'rustic' people, and has all the shops/centres you could want (Aldi/Coles/Woolies/Myer/Harvey Norman/Bing Lee, etc etc etc). Short drive on easy freeways/highways to Melb, Syd and Canb (or a train trip), Large airport with many flights to Syd/Melb/Bris and from there to OSeas, Level 1 Regional Hospital (services lower half NSW and upper VIC), Excellent friendly and available local medical resources/services/specialists, Close to heaps of quality wineries, Close to Ski fields, Close to the great Murray River golf courses (and several good ones here), ON the Murray River and next to Lake Hume which is 6 times the size of Sydney Harbour (boating fishing etc etc). But wait, there is more to like about Albury/Wodonga for a retiree, but you should visit and see for yourself.
"Rustic" people. You mean uneducated and ignorant? The OP was spot on. Lived here all my life and it's a dive.
Great place to retire - no doubt.
Lol. Sounds just like the Gold Coast with out all the shooting, breakins and car theft we have had in the last 5 years. Gold Coast was nice once. Just look at the GC news.
Mum just had cameras installed as we court 2 men breaking in. Massive drug problems on the GC. It's every where now.
thankyou for the honest and personal opinions, its great you are not afraid to spell it out in your views, thank you
Can someone tell me what areas are housing commission in Albury. Any in west Albury ? If so street names please
I cannot believe how small minded and judgemental some of you are, who are you to judge someone because they are a young parent, or call a place drug infested.. you want to know why you see these things.. it isn't because there is nothing better to do.. it is because there are less people to get lost in the system to hide it all.
I believe in only judging someone by there actions, judging someone because they had a kid or a whole town on some trouble makers... guess what, leave the town, but don't sit there and throw judgement around while claiming to be a Bette person.. it not only makes you look ignorant but hateful.
The World needs less hate and more understanding, why don't some of you try that.
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Affordable housing you say? Lol the whole of Austrlaia is in a bubble.