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Malvern to me, isn't a first choice suburb. People just sort of happen to end up there if they couldn't find what they were looking for elsewhere. Yes, it may be a prestigious suburb and a nice enough place to live in its own right. However, the surrounding suburbs are much better, depending on what you're looking for.

If you're looking for a large family home in a wealthy area with social cachet, buy in Toorak rather than the streets off Glenferrie above Malvern Rd (which cost just as much per sq m). If you want a lovely family home on a bigger block in a quiet tree-lined street near major transport links and large facilities (especially Chadstone) Malvern East is actually better as Malvern proper is denser and doesn't host many of its own attractions. If you're a young professional and want a suburb with plentiful shops and cafes, buy in Armadale. If you want accessibility to Glenferrie Rd, the Hawthorn side is also much nicer. Also, the northern end by Tooronga Rd is quite industrial and always very congested.

There is no "focal point", vibe or community in Malvern proper. Malvern has this feel that it's just all houses where each household live their separate lives. Toorak has Toorak Village, Hawthorn has Glenferrie Rd and Malvern East has Central Park, Ardrie Park & Chadstone. And the landmarks of "Malvern" (Malvern Central & the town hall) are actually within (or just opposite) Armadale - thus much more accessible if you live in Armadale.