Western Suburbs Stigma
I'm transferring to Melbourne from Cronulla in Sydney in December for work.
I'm moving with my wife and two children (5, 7).
We have been looking at Point Cook, it looks great for the price. We will be renting.
Whenever I mention to somebody that we may be moving to Point Cook, they always reply with "Ahhh" and change the subject.
Tell me, is there a Stigma associated to people who live in the Western Suburbs that people are being to P.C. to say?
Our Vic office will be based in Altona but most of my work will be in the City (on the road)
On another note, our Daughter is starting Primary School next year and she will need to be in a special needs class. Anyone know how good the services are West?
I look forward to any feedback.
4 Comments
Hi azzbot,
Unfortunately there is a 'stigma' associated with people living in the Western suburbs, but it's not that bad. Yeah there are some suburbs that a rougher than others, but at the end of the day, who cares.
I've never been to Point Cook myself, but I'm sure there are some others on here who will be able to give you some advice. There are some amazingly helpful reviews here on 'local voices' Best to read them, and perhaps even comment on the reviews and ask the reviewers some direct questions:
http://localvoices.realestate.com.au/victoria/point_cook/review
AJ
AJ is a bit right .. that there is a bit of a 'stigma' with Westies .. or people from the Western Subrubs in Melbourne. Traditionally they have had some lower income and lower educated residents which unfortunately generally means there's a bit more law breaking going on. Traditionally it was where a lot of factories and industry existed .. which then attracted low skilled workers. To put it bluntly, one of the sources for Melbourne's Bogans. Of course, this is all my personal opinion and I'm not having a dig at the Western Suburbs per say.
But there's also some very nice places that have broken this mold. Point Cook is one of them, IMO. These newer estates are attracting a younger crowd (as housing prices are cheaper out here).They are a bit more multi-cultural (which is a very good thing IMO).
One thing you need to do some SERIOUS research-investment in before moving to Point Cook (and this directed at Point Cook only.. not the West in general) is the access to ammenites. Last time i was there was around 3 years ago? There was -no- public transport options. It felt isolated with regards to ammenities (shops/food/etc). It _is_ right near one of the major major major freeways into the city, which was one of it's hugest selling points -- cheaper land and very quick and easy access to the city! Win! But at the cost of being a very new estate with lots of construction still to come and no public infrastructure anywhere to be seen.
You also said you have a special needs daughter. My first (uneducated) guess would be that there would be little if any supply in the Point Cook area. But things can change really quickly and it should have since i was last there. That said, you are closish to the city, so it should be possible that the CBD would have special needs schooling and she might be able to get services there ... which could sync in with your work timetable/travel.
Summary: The Western Suburbs are a large area of urban living. VERY LARGE. There are some rough suburbs here, but Point Cook (along with a few others like Williamstown) are nice and shouldn't be considered stigma'd.
I have lived in Sanctuary Lakes for 3 years now and I reckon those that knock the west can stay over on the over-priced eastern side. Infrastructure has come a long way in even the 3 years I have been over there and it is constantly improving. The people are friendly and aren't at all snobbish. The great attraction in living in a new area is that all the problems with on-street parking/trams creating gridlock on weekends is avoided.
Move to the west - you won't regret it.
Azzbot,
As a resident who has lived in Point Cook for over 10 years now i can honestly say Point Cook plus a few surrounding suburb defy the bad stigma of the West. There are now buses that come around and take people to the train station every 20 minutes and we have access to the princess Freeway which makes commuting a lot more easier.
There are now over 5 shopping centres (off the top of my head) around Point Cook with one of the Major attractions being the Point Cook Town Centre which is breaming with life. In regards to the special needs school i have unfortunately have not seen any since i've been living here however you should be able to find one in the surrounding suburbs.
The community around Point Cook is definately that of a younger generation and you'll see a lot of young couples and families around. From a price point of view i find it funny that many eastsiders pay $360+ for a 1 bedroom apartment for the inner east yet you could get a 4bedroom house for the same price in Point Cook. The standard of houses is by far crappy as most houses around the area are new.
Hope this helps!
