davdav

Toorak is largely about money - those who've made it and want to show it. Mansions and fancy apartments. I like Toorak but would probably prefer to live in East Melbourne or even South Yarra mainly for the shopping, dining and other close by amenities that they offer. Personally I was a little disappointed with the shopping options found at Toorak Village .. to me it's more style over substance .. but I'm a single man .. maybe women would find the shopping more to their liking .. fashion houses etc.. But if you want a grand home and a grand statement then this is the place .. and if you're very wealthy .. then 20 - 30 million buys you a fabulous mansion and grounds. Of course not everyone in Toorak is a multi millionaire .. there are rental apartments that the not so well healed reside in and of course more modest homes for the 3-6 millionaire. A trend in the suburb is the building of fancy apartment complexes and they're attracting some wealthy occupants who have decided to downsize from their mansions into something much more manageable and more secure. If you have money and aren't afraid to show it .. then Toorak could be the place for you. This is Melbourne's answer to Beverly Hills...

I really love East Melbourne as it still has an old world charm, wide leafy green streets and large old houses full of character. My friends purchased a 3 storey townhouse here some years ago for $450K and now it's worth a million .. I only wish I followed in their footsteps because this area is just so lovely. It's full of parks and greenery and is a short walk to the city. I timed myself walking from my friends house in Albert St to Flinders St railway station and it takes 20 minutes. So there's no need to use any other transport other than walking if you so choose. If I had a spare million I too would move into East Melbourne, also you're close to some nice cafe's including Laurent, walking distance to Richmond, Collingwood and Fitzroy. It's expensive now to rent or own .. but if you can manage the costs then I would say East Melbourne is really it.

Murrumbeena used to have a more serviced shopping strip with the ANZ bank, Commonwealth bank as well as retail outlets and other shops and an IGA supermarket. The main banks have gone but in their place is a Bendigo Bank outlet. The local IGA has new owners and is ok but is a bit OP compared to Coles/Woolworths/Aldi. Murrumbeena is walking distance to Carnegie which has two Woolworths and one Aldi supermarket and a good cafe and restaurant strip. Also walking distance to Chadstone ( ~ 25 minutes walk),
Murrumbeena has some good cafe's along the main strip and is developing a bit of a village culture.. Coffee isn't cheap .. prices are approx $3.80 for a small coffee and I'm not sure what the price of cake is .. someone else can comment.
There's a lot of development along Railway Parade and Murrumbeena Road where old style bungalow houses sell for around $1 Million and are pulled down and replaced with 3 storey apartment buildings with underground parking. In fact this is fast becoming the norm .. even above the shops they have built apartments. Lot's of flats to rent or buy .. average price is probably around $270K for a 1 bed 60s/70s older style flat, $420K for a two bed 60s/70s older style flat and $800K for a bungalow house. To buy a modern recently built apartment you're probably looking at $450-480K for one bed and $560-600K for 2 bed. I would say Murrumbeena is a reasonably safe area.. in fact it seems more safe now than how it felt some years ago as their used to be a more visible druggie presence back ten years ago.. You're close to the Murrumbeena railway station (zone 1) and if you walk up to Hughesdale it's both zones 1 and 2, so you can engineer to travel all the way in zone 2 by maximising your awareness of how the MET/Myki zones work. This suburb does have a very high population from the south asian sub continent, particularly in the rental flats .. and although neighbours can be loud and prone to having large gatherings in their flats ,, they're rarely any trouble. In fact the south asian sub continent neighbours are generally no trouble and seem to prefer to keep to themselves. This is one of the downsides to the area .. in that there doesn't seem to be much integration between the cultures..Rental rates for flats $250 - $280 PW for a 1 bedroom 60s/70s older style flat. There are parklands around the area and is pretty well serviced with amenities. Personally I think Murrumbeena is very well suited to singles because of it's rental rates, close proximity to other locations and availability of public transport. Overall I would give Murrumbeena a thumbs up. It's not cheap and not populated like some of the new housing estates with bogans and shifty types .. Overall you will enjoy living in Murrumbeena and being only a 25 minute train trip into the city plus close proximity to Chadstone SC, Oakleigh for Greek culture cafe's, Carnegie for it's cafe/restaurant strip, plus good access to public transport .. Trains and busses. Busses can take to you Box Hill, Kew, Sandringham etc and the MET is easy enough to work out and plan ahead.