amandaf14

I researched thoroughly around Melbourne for a family-oriented suburb and bought into Mt Waverley in 2006. The demographics were predominantly Greek/Italian/Aussie families who'd lived and raised their families for 30 years and were ready to downsize, so there's been a steady flow of couples buying in to build new homes on large 700sqm plus blocks they couldn't get in prize suburbs like Malvern, Burwood, or Oakleigh. The 1960s yellow brick homes are being steadily replaced by larger 2 storey quality homes with (thankfully) not too much subdivision into townhouses.
Mount Waverley has a good Public School which has driven up house prices and some excellent independent and private schools in or nearby.

The train station is small with slightly haphazard parking. Unfortunately Mount Waverley is often overlooked for development by Monash Council, so the shopping centre is a little 'tired'. However, a few decent cafés have moved in there are 2 major supermarkets which are quite adequate. Council has early-stage plans for an Activity Centre http://tiny.cc/ipajcz

For retail and services most residents travel east 10 min to the mega-mall of Chadstone or west 5 min to either small Pinewood Village or 5 min more to the newly refurbished The Glen Shoppig Mall which also has a thriving dining strip with a pretty good Village Cinema.

The cultural flavour of Mount Waverley has shifted considerably towards Asian backgrounds of predominantly Chinese and Indian in the last 20 years, particularly nearby Glen Waverley which has boomed and definitely benefited from serious Chinese foreign investment. If you have the funds and like apartment living with all the benefit of a quiet family suburban life (parks, gardens, etc.) I'd buy one of those new Glen Towers apartments. I watch the real estate closely, and I think that would make an excellent investment.

People are happy in Mount Waverley and seem to settle in for the long-term. It doesn't have the charm or excitement of so many other Melbourne suburbs, but it's convenient, quiet, open, spacious, safe (I've never been broken in last 14 years; unlike Albert Park where we had regular break-ins!), and generally a 'quiet achiever'.