LindyC

Go back to boring Balwyn then LindyC! This is not a competition. Have you even lived in AV? We have lived in both the inner south east and in AV for the past two years and own property in both pockets of Melbourne. Each have their pros and cons and each have pockets that I would favour and those that I would avoid (around social housing). This comes with the territory of being an inner city suburb. If you prefer to live in suburbia, good for you, I'm not going to bad mouth your choice of lifestyle or generalise an entire community with poor form. You very well know why foreign investors funnel their money in the east and we're talking a select number of suburbs predominately - I'll list them for you - Balywn, Balwyn North, Box Hill and Glen Waverley. There are others too, but this particular pocket of Melbourne has out stripped the rest, almost exclusively with foreign money. The simple reason is the close knit Chinese community and the over-sold notion that Balwyn and Glen Waverley Secondary colleges are 'so much' better than any other school in Melbourne. The thing is, they are competing against themselves, most times than not. You only need to look at how these properties are being marketed, they are not even remotely interested in the local buyer and many of the agents struggle to speak fluent English. Do I care? No I'm not Chinese and I have no intentions to ever live there.

We are fortunate to live in an affluent pocket in AV, on the river bank and surrounded by million dollar homes, greenery, river views, tranquility and yet only 6 km from the CBD. The Moonee Valley city council clean our street with the sweeping trucks every week, as they do all other streets in AV. Our neighbours are very kind and lovely people. In fact we have found the area in general to be a very family friendly neighbourhood. Do I feel safe walking the streets - absolutely but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be street smart as you would with any inner city pocket. For us AV was the right choice to settle and start our family. There are many positives about the surrounding area for young families. Besides the proximity to the CBD, excellent public transport, access to the airport and Citylink and many backstreet options to avoid peak hour drives in and out of the city, AV has some excellent sub 10 minute access points - Union Rd cafes, Queen Vic market, North Melbourne cafes, Sydney Rd Brunswick, Lygon St Carlton, Puckle St & Mt Alexander Rd Moonee Ponds, Buckley St Essendon, Kenisngton village cafes, Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne Zoo, Royal Children’s Hospital, Riverside golf course, Maribyrnong river trails, abundance of parks and sporting facilities for kids, a selection of prestigious quality private schools in Essendon and Moonee Ponds and let’s not forget Melbourne University. We love it here!

OMG LindyC .... why would you go to such an extent to spread negativity. It is more a reflection on you and not the suburb. There is a reason why homes in AV are selling for millions. It's a beautiful, leafy pocket and so so close to the city. I have mates who live there and they love it. I have spent many weekends in AV...I only wish I could secure one of those properties by the riverside.

LindyC Oh what a boorish snob you are and how wrong
HannahS You make a regular snob look like a saint and a person with prejudice look polite. You are the very example of what is wrong with the world ... thinking you are better then others Ha.
I hope you do stay over there because I have lived for years in this extremely safe, uncluttered area with access to so much parkland and nature that you guys over there may be crying for.
I have the best neighbours and the streets are clean plus I havn't seen one druggie here yet wow !!! Plus the lack of traffic is a dream. But you know what?? I hope you do stay over there LindyC because a person like you would not fit in over here with your bad attitude.
Good Luck and please don't pot your negativity where its not required.

Is LindyC on drugs? How's the prejudicial recommendation that AV is suitable for gays & lesbians! Oh dear, how embarrassing! So it seems she prefers living in an "effluent" eastern suburb... Kath and Kim would be so proud. Good luck you silly twit.

To anyone reading this thread as a basis for a decision to come to AV, ignore LindyC.

I recently moved from the eastern suburbs to AV. It really is just like living in Hawthorn, Camberwell or Richmond with such beautiful period homes. The land size of many houses in AV are smaller relative to the eastern suburbs. Do your calculations and you will find that houses in AV are more expensive per square meter, than the ones in the eastern suburbs !! So LindyC please explain why? When did you buy your property in the eastern suburbs 50 years ago? Property wasn't as expensive as it is now!! It is quiet obvious that you are a very shallow person. There are many well educated professionals with extremely high incomes living in AV I am one of them. Inner city living absolutely fantastic. You need to get your head out of your backside and wake up, to me you are scum. Who are you some uneducated low class snob!!!

Lets be honest, there is Ascot Vale West (homeowners land) and there's Ascot vale (housing precinct) I live near the latter and in the last few months alone there has been too many violent and drug induced crimes to mention including assaults, stabbings, multiple shootings and all that goes with it. Things are not improving, the police themselves say the same. LindyC's comments are very accurate for my area but I do admit the outskirts of Ascot Vale are very nice (for those who can afford to live there)

JoshC2 Unless you are actually living in the housing commission flats I do not know of any stabbings or drug crimes that have happened here in the past three years. There has been no shootings either, I am actually amazed that you are writing this type of slander on here as you could not possibly have ever lived here to make a comment such as this. Please come and live here and find out how safe it is you really look to be trying to cause trouble here and I don't get where your get your information as it is rubbish. Ps enjoy the safety of the Apex Gang. Laura H

Thank you for the comment. I have lived in the area for 12 years, there have in fact been multiple stabbing a and shootings in the past 12 months, feel free to do a quick Google search if your only facts are coming from just your own opinion. Truth isn't slander. I am not a member of any gang, do not participate in any criminal activity and am a decent law abiding citizen. Regards.
Josh

To say that Ascot Vale streets are littered is just not true Ascot Vale is one of the cleanest places I have ever lived in. Most of the people here are lovely. However there is a small pocket of drug dealers, ice addicts and gangs who do cause a lot of trouble. Which does make it unsafe for the rest of us. I wonder if they can be deported back to the country they came from

Lindy C, jealousy is a curse. Your gripe about this area seems to come from a place of hurt. Maybe you were dumped by someone that lives in Ascot Vale. Maybe he didn't want to put up with such a negative influence. Maybe you went to one of our glorious cafes and someone knocked over your half empty cup? Maybe you missed the chance to buy in here? Love to walk you around the suburb at some stage but can you please leave your bad attitude behind?

I agree, rowanb1. I wonder if LindyC has even been to Ascot Vale. We are one of the cleanest and neatest suburbs around. Especially around the public housing estates. Also, we have a wonderful community, who are mostly really good to each other. We have the best community centre ever, which offers many interesting activities, and is actually housed in three building, all not far from each other. Regular community events are also organised from here. We are close to the showgrounds, close to the cbd and all forms of public transport. We also boast the best coffee shops and restaurants along Union road. The druggies and gang members are only a small part of our population, and are regularly being dealt with by the police. And anyway, you can find druggies and gangs everywhere, even in the so called affluent suburbs.

ascot vale is the best

I moved to the Ascot Vale Public Housing Estate in 1974 when I was 5 and lived there until 1988. I returned in 2001 and I am still there.
There is crime. It became more regular around 2005.
In the last 12 months there has been violent assaults and murders reported on TV (approx. 4).
There are many more that are making it to the news media.
I now of two suicides in my street in the last 3 years.
People who work in social housing have a term for what is happening: residualisation. This is what happens to an estate when eligibility is narrowed to the poorest people, so only the 'residue' of society is left.
Their term not mine.
If the estate is made of only the poorest people, normal standards begin to slip away, until bad behaviour is common and accepted.
My neighbour was a drug user and seller for approx. 3 years, and the amount of people from the estate and some from other suburbs coming to buy drugs was stunning.
Once the 'word is out', the networks connect and there is a steady stream of drug users in the area.
We received a notice in the mail today about the Vic. Govt. plan to renew public housing buildings. It has been known by this sector for some time, that a mix of public and private is necessary to prevent 'residualisation' and all its negative effects.
The ratio varies from 70 private and 30 public to 50:50.
The idea is that 'normal' people can modulate the behaviour of public housing residents by leading by example.
It is worth a try, but from my experience 'normal' people in my suburb aren't leading by example, which seems to be a reflection of the decay of human civilisation. The lack of a moral code is evident in many 'normal' people.

Ha ha ha, ha ha ha. The east-west thing, the north-south thing is just hilarious in Melbourne. So small minded, like a country town! The differences are greatly exaggerated. Most of the money may always be in the SE. So what? There is plenty of money in Melbourne, on all sides of the city particularly the inner city. I remember when I first came to Melbourne I went to a party and I told a little girl I lived in South Yarra. "Where's that Mummy?" She says. "Oh, it's across the river honey. It's far, far away [from Fitzroy]." I nearly fell over in laughter. Really? I heard all about how we were so looks obsessed in the SE. Whatever. I had a great time on Chapel St. Spending $400 before breakfast. Drinking hot vodka at breakfast with some guy who hadn't been home since the night before. Not driving my car at all on weekends. etc. But then I moved to Armadale and got a bit sick of the aggressive 4WD driver mothers. The women with their plastic surgery plasters on at the local recreation gym. Being glared at on High St by the cafe goers because I was walking to my yoga class instead of dressed up. The stressed women nit picking over their 'catering' at the cafes. Then I moved to Essendon to live with my boyfriend. It was like a weight was off my shoulders. I was free! I loved the middle aged guy walking his dog to the shop to get the paper. Yes! Now we're in AV and it still (thankfully) has that relaxed, unpretentious feel. Sometimes we go for a walk in our trackies and on the way home we decide we'll stop in for a few wines or dinner. We are under dressed but no one cares.

I agree with Lara... and also love having a wine in my #activewear #theofficialuniformofascotvale

I just move from Sydney to Melbourne.
I bought a property in Ascotvale because i don't see the different between east or west that much for inner city. Everywhere is surrounding by public housing.
So i don't know why you bother crime, violence, drug dealer etc. it's everywhere in innercity guy. Even good expensive area get rob. Wake up guy...do you really thing bad guy are not expensive area??? I think they loves those area more. Good luck

Unfortunately i must agree with your (slightly harsh but accurate) comments. And i understand why. I'm over housos moving into the area on taxpayer dollars and causing trouble for law-abiding people in the community here. Moving back to Bayside. Also the Craigieburn line is the worst in Melbourne

Who are these people? AV like any suburb has some crime but is no worse than anywhere else. Lindy C is a bore and a snob and clearly has never lived here. It is a safe, convenient, friendly suburb and a wonderful place to raise a family. Ive lived here 20 years and love the place, dont let people who have no idea of what they are talking about bad mouth the place, its a ripper! Its also been a fantastic investment, check out the numbers

Never been to Moonee Ponds, Essendon or Aberfeldie then? I'd dare say many of them could buy you and your entire families generational wealth 10 times over hahaha