Hi Guys, Given the choice....where would you settle? Eltham vs Berwick? Which neighborhood is nicer and safer? Multicultural? Has better schools? Better transport? Better return? Many Thanks!!
Berwick is quite far out. I remember travelling there once a few years back and it felt like it took forever
I am still researching. I assumed those surbubs might be similar given the low response on my thread. For some reasons, my threads never attract many responses...
Berwick will be more multicultural, Eltham is predominantly Australian born. Eltham has a nice main strip with nice restaurants but lacks a big shopping centre.. Families in Eltham would be much wealthier than Berwick. Houses within walking distance to the train station in Eltham are over 1 mill
Spent the past 18 months looking for a ppor for my family looking at suburbs west/ north/ and northeast regions of Melbourne We wanted a suburb with a -great demographic -surrounded by quality suburburbs -good schools near by both state and private -not more than 30km from cbd -transport -parks open space greenery -good land size and a quality home we all felt comfortable in within in our budget. After a stressful long process we finally found the one that ticked all our boxes and purchased a beautiful home in eltham! couldn’t be happier.
Eltham for sure. Greensy shopping centre and Westfield Shoppingtown aren't far. Eltham is closer to the city and still surrounded by better nature and parks. If you want multiculturalism and food then just cross the bridge into Templestowe and Doncaster.
Lifestyle is great and not far from amenities and transport. Great selection of property types from townhouses to acreage within mins of the main street.
Eltham - only because I live near it now (and used to live next to it for a while in Montmorency), and have no idea what Berwick is like to live in. As others have said however, Eltham is 20km from CBD compared to Berwick which is outside the 40km zone (double the distance from city). The only thing to watch out for is that it is quite hilly, so if you want flat ground, it can be hard to find.... The Y-man
I guess depends on where you and people staying at your house needs to travel to @Kushanda. Berwick has been great for us, both me and my partner work in Dandneong and Rowville so travelling to work is easy. We found Berwick to be a much better Surburb than Lynbrook, Sandhurst, Cranbourne and Narre which were in our budget at the time. Plus Berwick has all the basic amenities station/hospital/shopping/cafes/freeway. But if it is distance to CBD you are looking for I guess Eltham would be the choice.
Definitely agree with you! So many homes we pulled up and left, we found it extremely difficult to find a sport car friendly drive way
I live in Watsonia which is near Eltham a couple of train stations closer to the city. Further I drive a lot for work all across Melbourne so visit Berwick on occasions but normally Dandenong will be the furthest I usually go in a month (along with Werribie on the west). I would pick Eltham as the better suburb like everyone else has said previously. However what is your budget and what are you looking for as the suburbs are very different from each other.
Thank you all for your responses... I am a rentvestor, with 2 IPs. Thinking now is a right time to buy PPOR. One IP in Berwick is suitable to be OC. However, I cannot afford the high end private schools there and I am looking for an option to use mediocre private schools around Eltham vs mediocre schools around Berwick. Wealth wise, I could afford a 3rd IP if I move in the Berwick property vs more debt (better location) which will require selling one/both IPs for a good home in Eltham in order to maintain a decent affordable mortgage.
Eltham really is a great place to live! Local schools are all good or better and it's a solid middle class suburb. Very few issues such as crime and anti social behavior which most would value for a ppor purchase. Price wise, you wont get a nice house for under $900k, $600k for a unit. Because of the natural surroundings and lifestyle I firmly believe that suburbs like Eltham will become even more sought after. Especially if the levels of development continue across Melbourne. I'm local and there has always been good demand even when the market is quiet.
It may also help to clarify where in Berwick. North of the highway is old Berwick, cafe, shops, restaurants, train station & well & truly gentrified around High St. Houses generally over &1m on larger blocks & some acreage. Berwick ‘north’ towards Harkaway has large acreage+ properties and many extreme luxury properties. Think helipads, multi-millions etc. From comments though I’m sensing that you are looking at cheaper price point which is likely to be south of highway towards Berwick Springs (Narre South) which was FHB approx 15 years ago. Newer houses, smaller blocks & new shops & takeaway food places. The price covers both areas so is of course an average of the two quite different locations. Eltham has been covered above but is also from those OO who are upgrading to their 2nd & 3rd PPOR and can enjoy the tree change. Good luck