matth39

Only lived in St Kilda east for a few years, but found it ... satisfactory. St Kilda's more chilled, safer but far less interesting sister.
Was and easy, safe, friendly place to live. Does nothing great, but also nothing bad, its very liveable. Enough cafes/shops/restaurants to keep you happy, but you will still want to explore elsewhere to find great food/drink.
I found it very walkable, which was great because parking and traffic is terrible.
PT is OK (for Melbourne standards), but don't expect a short tram ride to the city. Get your walking boots on on walk to the station.
Over all, it's livable, not exciting, but far from boring.

I lived both north and south of the freeway. North was OK, chilled, relatively safe with lots of families... The southern side, wow! Rough and nasty. Sadly, most people (not all) don't have pride in their homes, cars on nature strips, hoon's all night, and poor quality builds.
In general the area is car dominated! Traffic is life! The train is unreliable and dirty, but it beats 3 hours a day in the car. The area can feel hostile and aggressive, its not because everyone is horrible, its just the traffic!
Walking is discouraged by the layout, and massive roads that are difficult to cross. There are some nice neighbourhood walks, just be careful at night.
Personally I didn't find much good food or cafes, but nearby Berwick has good food and drink.
So, if you're happy to drive EVERYWHERE then Narre is OK, but AVOID south of the freeway!

Ive lived in Stanmore a few times over 20 years, I seem to gravitate back to the suburb.
It's full of old charming buildings, tree lined streets and some great cafes. If you want a little more action, you can walk to Newtown or short train ride to the city.
As anywhere in inner Sydney, there is a bit of traffic, but PT is great, and the planes can be noisy. Still, the community and charm more than makes up for it. Would be the best place I've ever lived!