mother-of-2f

Perfect street in perfect suburb.

I agree with others who say this is the most underrated suburb in Melbourne - Everything you could possibly need is 'just down the road'. We moved from interstate 3 years ago and chose our townhouse in the market precinct because of its proximity to the CBD (for work) and University of Melbourne (for young adult kids). We have gained so much time and quality of life due to this. My husband and I have a quick 8 min walk to work, the kids have an 8 min walk to uni and we have a 5 min walk to Vic markets for most of the groceries. For a bigger shop we usually go to Woolworths in North Melbourne (a short drive with fantastic free undercover parking) or Costco in Docklands. Alternatively, you can walk to the IGA in Errol St, Coles in Spencer St.or Aldi at the top of the CBD . ( Another Woolworths is about to open near Festival Hall) Who needs a garden when you have the large Flagstaff Gardens, Triangle Park or Pocket Park to spend time in and a plethora of historic churches, cobblestone lanes and heritage buildings all artfully restored? There are a multitude of cafes, eateries, restaurants and nightclubs in easy walking distance and we love our 'local' for a drink and a feed. Our neighbours are super friendly and we feel surprisingly safe (given the inner city location) walking around our deceptively quiet suburb - there are many young professionals, young families (it's in the University High School catchment) and dog walkers in the park, as well as the Police watch house nearby. Culturally, the free tram zone borders the suburb on William and Latrobe so it's easy to get to all CBD events and galleries - we enjoy strolling to the free public lectures and events at the uni and in Carlton. If you have to drive anywhere, it's relatively quick to get on to the citylink or other major roads and the hospitals are very close. For train travel, there are 3 stations in easy walking distance - Flagstaff, North Melbourne and Southern Cross (Skybus for the airport) with the soon to be completed underground metro line having 2 stops in walking distance. As somebody said, there isn't a beach (I wouldn't swim in Docklands) but Port Melbourne and South Melbourne are really close, especially if you cycle. I think this suburb has been Melbourne's best kept secret for many years while it has been gentrifying - but now people are awakening to the amazing things it has to offer.