dfra

I've really enjoyed living in Carnegie, very easy to go in and out of the city, lots of shopping/eating options, great neighbourhoods, quiet and safe. Great public transport options (bus, train AND tram).
The two things that threaten the balance of things here though are the rising house prices and the new developments. It's just impossible for a normal middle class family to afford anything around here (even to rent). A lot of balky developments are happening too, which will change the vibe and push up the price, traffic and noise levels.

I admit it was a bit counter intuitive of me to buy here seeing as though my career only has work in/around Melbourne CBD. I eventually had to move out because it took me up to 1.5 hours to get to work every day.
The good:
I lived around Berwick Springs, which is actually a beautiful, safe and leafy suburb with a really nice central lake. It was great for jogging, riding and family days. From here the beach suburbs are surprisingly accessible. The schools and facilities here are also really good. Langmore Lane clinic is full of very competent doctors.
The bad:
The north-south arterial roads get very banked up at peak times. Narre South is flood prone. Our area only had ADSL 1 the whole time, which was confusing and frustrating. Greaves Rd is another racetrack, our days were punctuated with revving engines and skidding tyres (especially in the early hours of the morning). It's also far away from other Melbourne suburbs. It's hard to really go anywhere because of the long drive that separates you from the city. There's also a bad case of bored teenagers that cause trouble at night.