adent
Reviews
"In the Ghetto"
According to the current Banyule Council web site’s statistics (http://profile.id.com.au/templates/profile/Clients/132Bany/PDF/160.pdf), on page 5 Heidelberg West has 6786 residents, and on page 6 there are 2946 private dwellings. This differs to the latest Australia Bureau of Statistics, which put the number of people as 12923, and 5619 private dwellings (go to the ABS web site http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/d3310114.nsf/home/census, then on the right hand side under the small QuickStats Quick Search, you enter the Heidelberg West post code of 3081).
A key figure not mentioned in Banyule Council’s web site is that in Heidelberg West there of the total of 2133 private dwellings that are rented, and of these those that are owned and run by a State or Territory housing authority, that is public housing, is the number of 1133. So that is 2133 out of 5619 private dwellings are rental, or 37.96%, and of these rental properties, 1133 are housing commission, or 53.1%.
In a 2001 report tabled to the Parliament of Australia on the poverty rates by electorates, Jagajaga (which Heidelberg West is part of but not exclusive to), rated 23 out of the top 150 electoral regions deemed as those with the highest poverty rays (http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/2004-05/05rn49.htm).
According to the ABS statistics, as outlined in the above mentioned Banyule link, it states on page 29 there was, ‘smaller proportion of households in the highest income quartile, but a larger proportion in the lowest income quartile’. Also according to the same statistics on page 31, for those people living in Heidelberg West aged 15 and over, at least 53% had no qualifications, and 11.2% of people were not stated.
For many public housing dwellings, and there are numerous reports of slum like conditions, one example can be found at http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/slum-conditions-in-public-housing-exposed-20100227-pa91.html). West Heidelberg residents that live in these conditions are not that happy with their housing or their treatment, according to this article http://heidelberg-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/finally-a-vow-to-help-in-heidelberg-west/.
According to the Victorian Police web that allows you to check crime by postcodes, if you type in 3081 for Heidelberg Wes, you get a total of 5632.2 offences recorded in 2009, and 5400.7 in 2010 ( http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/myplace.htmlhttp://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/index.php?option=com_statistics&task=search). Property damage, assaults, and a variety of theft types make up the top reported crimes according to these statistics.
I have lived in Heidelberg West now for 4 years. Like many, it is not by choice, but by necessity. I have heard a person brutally stabbed, see http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/tjay-tuncak-charged-over-heidelberg-west-stabbing-death-of-rowan-briam/story-e6frf7jo-1225805569949, and heard of a mother killing her 3 children before setting the house on fire, see http://www.f4joz.com/news/newspage.php?yr=11&id=4.
By my own accounts, and by the police statistics, pretty much at least every weekend I can hear and see quite easily people yelling, being abused, screaming, being drunk and disorderly, being assaulted, perpetrating violence, and driving and operating vehicles dangerously. I challenge any person who disbelieves the facts, to take a walk up Alamein Rd, from the start at the southern end to the end in the northern end, on a Friday or Saturday night after 11PM.
I have seen families robbed, and terrified. And I can whole heartedly say that if you have a family or children, please visit these areas outside of business or weekend hours. Go there late at night, drive around the suburb and the streets, or walk around these areas if you are game, and open your windows and eyes, and then consider whether this is the best choice for you and your loved ones. Even the kids around Heidelberg West are pretty scary, and they can easily be seen during the day (and not just on the weekends), yelling abuse at cars, while riding bikes, scooters, or just walking down the middle of the road.
Heidelberg West is cheap, it is close to major shops, hospitals, schools, public transport, and other amenities. However, as someone that has lived here, and someone that has called the police more times that I care to imagine, take it from me, keep looking!
Great for
- Proximity to city
- Close to University, Hospitals and Shopping centres
- So close to city
Not great for
- Poverty
- Education and living standards
- Crime
- Old buildings
- Old commission places
- Some areas look in need of an update
This is a great honest review, People who own a property in this suburb will not tell the truth, they have vested interest and then there is "Human Nature" we all want to defend decissions we have made, esspecially about where we live.
Honest answer about heidelberg west is, It is not nice at all.
I have lived in Heidelberg West for the past 14 years, now whilst the area is not always perfect, generally my family are very happy there.
It is normally very quiet with many of the residents elderly, many of the residents have lived in West Heidelberg since the homes were built in the early 50's.
The area is very convenient to Northland shops, hospital, schools, employment and the University and it is an easy place to get to and from with the two main roads, Bell street and Southern road reducing traffic congestion. The parks are good and getting better all the time, the old houses are being knocked down and re-built, and many young families are moving in all the time.
I know there are pockets of West Heidelberg that I would not like to live in, but you could say the same about many areas
It has taken some time, but the area is definitely on the improve, people are taking a lot more pride in the appearance of their homes.
I have personally never been robbed or threatened and feel safe there, and would be happy to recommend the area to anyone wanting a great location with everything at your fingertips and very affordable homes.
It has been a great start for my family and I think the suburb will boom in the not too distant future, after all its all about location, location.
Could you elaborate about what the bad pockets are? And are there any improvements since writing this?
The part near Olympic Village is the worst by a wide margin (north of southern road, west of oriel road). The rest is actually pretty nice now. They just demolished a huge swathe of old housing commission flats near Bell Street, so the feel of that area has changed considerably since late 2020.
We have lived in this area since 2006, and to be honest have seen both good & bad. However, the area does seem to be steadily improving. With regard to those that live in community housing and compalin about the conditions-I have to say that it is my experience that the occupiers themselves are to blame for the conditions in which they live.
My husband & I own our house, and have not been robbed, broken into or harrassed in any way since living here. Yes, sometimes there are unsavoury people in the area of a night time...but having lived in Watsonia, Greensborough, Reservoir & Elwood, I can also say that I have experienced that everywhere.
With regards to the postcode 3081, you will find that that covers Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights & Bellfield, so to attribute such high crime figures to one suburb is a bit out of proportion.
In response to the "brutal stabbing", I also heard that. The accused was not from Heidelberg West, or anywhere nearby, and was visiting someone in the area that night. Further more, the victim left the safety of his house to very angrily tell people to "F%^& off". While I think it is a tragedy that he died, and that it never should have happened, this is a one-off event, and had he stayed inside & called the police instead, he would be alive, there was no other threat to his safety on that night, and definitely no need for him to venture outside.
As to the mother who killed her own children & set the house on fire, that actually occurred in Heidelberg Heights, which is generally considered a good area. Someone with mental health issues can live anywhere, so it is unfair to suggest that this is in anyway indicative of the type of people that live in a suburb.
Generally, we find that if you keep to yourself, you get left alone. We park our cars in the driveway everynight, again, they have not been broken into or damaged at anytime in our 5-plus years in the area. The area is a great place to start out. It is close to public transport, hospitals, universities, schools, the freeway, and is only 11-12kms outside of the city.
One day this area is going to boom, but for the time being is a very affordable way to get into the property market. It allowed us the freedom of having our own home, while still being able to travel the world & enjoy our lives. I have read some of the other reviews below and see that there are other like-minded people in the area who enjoy what this improving suburb has to offer.
As mentioned below, the community renewal program that Banyule are currently conducting in the area to improve safety, asthetics and the parks in the area, and to make it more family friendly, are paying off. I can also vouch for how quiet the streets are during the day & on weekends- it is great!
If you're not happy living in the area, then move. It is that simple.