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Living In Point Cook, Melbourne...


PerilousBehaviour

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So, we're starting our 176 visa soon and we're SOOOO excited about our new adventurous life in Oz... Seeing as we're almost certain we're going to go the Victoria route for our sponsorship, we've been spending the whole weekend researching the different suburbs and facilities of Melbourne. We've found the accommodation in Point Cook quite cheap, considering what you're getting (compared to the East and CBD of Melbourne). Is there any reason for this? I've read some mixed views on Point Cook and Sanctuary Lake surroundings on the web, so I was hoping for some ex-Saffer views on the area.

An advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

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To me, when I see price differences like this, it usually means distance. Check commuting distances to CBD.

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We are also considering the Point Cook area for the same reason you are...affordability.

I know a few of the forum members live there so I'm hoping one of them will give some input. If I'm not mistaken Garrick also lives there from what I've read in his mini-migration blog...

Look forward to the replies :)

A

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PB - I think you mentioned your wife was hoping to go to Uni - the other thing to check is transport.

From Point Cook it would be harder to get to some of them (& take time) - but I think Melbourne Uni would still be OK as it is just north of the CBD.

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Thanks for the replies so far... I checked the travel distance to the CBD - roughly 27km, which is less than I travel currently. So if the traffic isn't much worse than what I'm currently dealing with, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. We're only considering Point Cook for our initial move (possibly 6-10 months) and after we're settled in and know Melbourne better, we'll decide where we want to plant our roots. The Point Cook area is very appealing, due to it's affordable accommodation, close proximity to amenities and the nearby City Life Church and their Life Groups (the South African "branch" of this church is in very close relation to the church we currently attend).

@Short&Tall: Whereabouts in Melbourne do you reside and what's the costs of living in the area like?

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We live in Point Cook. Rentals are a lot cheaper because half the suburb (if not more) is for rent.

There are only 2 bus routes (413 and 416) that go through the suburb, and the 413 has a 40 minute cycle, which is very poor service compared to the Eastern Suburbs (spent a year on that side first).

Land is Point Cook is fast becoming expensive.

My trip to work takes around 1H 20m from Lincoln Heath, using the Bus, Train and Tram to St Kilda Road.

-G

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Hi Garrick, I'm still not too sure whether you're being positive or negative about the suburb. :P I understand the public transport isn't what it's supposed to be, but as far as I understand it's quite a new area. Surely the services will improve over the next couple of years or so? How long will the drive take if you opt to take your own car to work?

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I'd be careful about assuming two things: that the drive to work will be similar to yours because it's a similar distance, and that travel times will get better with better infrastructure...

I'm not sure about the Point Cook travel at all, but bear in mind that you may be comparing a 27km highway trip with a 27km trip that is partly on 50km/h roads, partly blocked by level crossings and on a main traffic route. My guess is that the 27k would take you an hour in rush hour, if Melbourne traffic is anything to go by...

With train or bus times: No government I know ever seems to plan anything proactively in any country, they only tend to improve services when they really need to improve, so usually, any time advantage that you would have gained by improvement of services is offset by the sheer amount of people that rely on them.

I know it's a negative way of looking at things, but if I expect to be disappointed, then it's usually less disappointing when it happens, but refreshing when it doesn't... :)

We've lived in one of Melbourne's biggest growth area for 5 years now, and although infrastructure has improved dramatically, my commute to work has gotten longer and longer...

Just a thought...

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Hi,

I am happy to help and answer questions you may have.

We also live in Point Cook area (renting in Sanctuary lakes) for past 2+ years. Part of the reason we decided to rent there was affordability, proximity to city, relatively new housing, size of the properties, pretty much bang for your buck. We have really settled in nicely in the area and extended our lease for another 12 months.

Point Cook is a new suburb and expanding at a rapid rate. You can most definitely find all your shopping needs in the area with Hoppers Crossing and Werribee in close proximity.

There are only really two negative things about the area. (1) Transportation and (2) Broadband. The first one is the biggest issue for me personally. I have heard of people complaining that they are on waiting list for DSL as certain exchanges are full but then again you also have the new alamanda estate which have fiber optic connectivity. However we did not have a problem getting broadband connection even though it's only normal ADSL and not ADSL2+ which is perfectly fine for me and I do use it for work daily. So this may or may not be important to you depending on your needs and profession.

As far as the transportation goes there is one main road (Point Cook Rd) which are very congested in the mornings and afternoons during work week depending on what time you travel on them. We basically use this road for both getting to the station(s) or driving into the city. I work in the CBD and have never driven into work I rely on public transport (trains and trams). There are two or lets say four stations that can be used. Zone 1 is in closer to CBD thus ticket are slightly cheaper than zone 2. I normally make use of either 1,2 and 4.

1. Laverton (zone 1)

2. Aircraft (zone 2)

3. Hoppers (zone 2)

4. Werribee (zone 2)

Laverton station is VERY crowded again depending on what time of day, morning and afternoon you make use of it also parking in this area is hard to come by. There are plenty of car parks but due to the demand you struggle to find an empty one unless you real early bird. I used Laverton station for the first year and then decided I will rather pay a little extra and make use of Aircraft which is basically 800m up the road from Laverton and I generally always find a car park over there and because you get on the train before Laverton you will almost always find a seat.

Travel times vary depending on which service you catch, I always aim for the express service which normally takes me 25-30min from Aircraft to North Melbourne station. On average takes me about 1hr door to door which includes a 10min walk from station to work.

Having said that there is a project underway to build a new station sitting between Laverton and Hoppers to accommodate the demand, sure they will close down aircraft station when the new one opens not sure about Laverton but doubt it.

As for driving to CBD...even though it's only 22-28 km it can take anywhere from 45m to 1h30m+ depending on conditions and time you leave home.

As for schools and uni's, I can't really provide constructive feedback as we do not have kids (yet).

Can't comment on comparison between East vs West vs North ect as we have only lived in West but know one things and that is rentals and purchase prices are cheaper in West compared to East.

If you have any specific question feel free to send me an email or pm.

Ps. There are many Saffers living in Point Cook and surrounding areas.

Cheers!

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Thanks for the great replies! I can get an idea now of the public and private transport system in the area. I guess it will all boil down to where I get work. This is probably a long shot, but are there any peeps on here in the Software Engineering / Development / Programming industry that live in Melbourne? If so, where are the majority of the reputable companies located? My guess would be in the CBD, if any major city in the world is to go by... :P

@Search: We won't be looking at schools and such initially, as we don't have kids either. My wife wants to further her studies and do a Psychology or Sociology degree, but she's willing to opt for distance learning as well. Google Maps has been a great help in scouting the area - we already marked all the amenities on a map, including some possible rentals we'd be interested in. :)

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On the Broadband that Search mentioned, yes, all the older parts of Point Cook pretty much run off RIM infrastructure (old 'rural' connections where everyone shares the pipe to the exchange) and many people simply cannot get ground-based internet.

However, ALL new estates are required to be built with Fiber Optic. That means that most of the estates south of Sneydes will have the best internet available (except Lincoln Heath of course - but we're right near the exchange, so I get 11MB download speeds - I recently downloaded 20GB at just under 2MB a second.

The reason RIMs have not yet been replaced with normal ADSL infrastructure is that Telstra was waiting to replace them all with Fiber.

We're moving to Eynesbury, and it's a Telstra Smart Community where phone, internet and Foxtel are all delivered over Fiber.

So it's not all doom and gloom. Oneday Sanctuary Lakes will get upgraded to the likes of Alamanda and Saltwater.

-G

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We had a look at Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes when we arrived, but as we have three kids schools are an important consideration and there aren't that many good ones in the area.

We are renting in Wonga Park which is Outer Eastern Melbourne, and although it is physically quite a distance from Melbourne, my husband's journey to work is about 40 mins on the train, and it's a 5 min drive to Croydon station. The drive on the Eastlink highway takes between 30 - 40 mins (without traffic - we've never done it in peak times).

Also there are great schools in the area - both public and private. There are also lovely properties in the surrounding areas - I'm talking Wonga Park, Croydon Hills, North Croydon, North Ringwood, Warranwood, Park Orchards. We live 10 mins from Eastland, 15 mins from Knox city and 20 mins from Westfield Doncaster which is a fantastic shopping centre. Also it's beautiful here - lots of hills and trees (and cows and llamas and horses!)

And no problems with broadband either.

Just thought I'd give another option for newcomers!

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On the drive to work issue - traffic can be very slow at rush hour depending on your route.

OH works in the city and driving in for him is just not practical, the firm do not have parking and all the parking around where he is is for 2 hours maximum duration.

Perhaps he could find a multi-storey all day car park but I dread to think of the cost? I nearly parked in one of the Uni car parks at $3/hour luckily and that was outside the city and there was free parking on the streets nearby.

Instead he has a 15 min journey on the train to the CBD - then a changes in the city which means that the full journey door to door probably takes about 40 mins.

If you know where you are going to work then look at the public transport and select somewhere with a direct route if you can.

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Thanks for all the insight people... Seems like Point Cook isn't such an ideal option then. Will have a look at some of the alternatives mentioned here.

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  • 2 months later...

Hello all wanneabepointcookiens!

We have lived in point cook for almost 3 years now and have very few complaints about the suburb.

We first stayed in lincoln heath for a year and had good adsl...we then moved to sanctuary lakes and have adsl 2 + or whatnot (fast internet for us not so clued up internet users).

My daughter is in Lumen Christi which is a Catholic school (she started prep this year) and we are very happy with the school !! Transport....mm busses not as frequent as the east, but my husband drives and parks at the station and then takes a train into work...if you time it right with the new express trains at peak times the commute to the cbd is 40 minutes..so not as bad as people may think...I know people in the east that travel way waaaaay longer to get into the cbd..

Shopping is getting better and better...they are almost finished extending Sanctuary Lakes mall with 38 new shops..Aldi...large Coles, BigW etc etc

What I do recommend is coming and looking...then make a decision..there are some suburbs we wrote off and now we reckon it would have been fine to settle there as well...

What I do enjoy here is all the friends I have made!!! we a group of ladies and there is always something going on ..a braai..a tupperware party...a kids party..etc etc..

Good luck and let us know how you go!

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@EllenEo...

Thanks for the updated post.

We are landing in Melbourne in August and have been looking at the Point Cook area as well as a few others, but Point Cook seems to be standing out above the rest. :-)

Do you know of any good schools (besides Lumen Christi) in the Point Cook area? :)

How is the internet access speed in Point Cook? I have read various (older) posts which suggest that the speed or even coverage is little or nothing. Is this still the case?

Thanks again for the info...i am sure I will think of more questions soon...hehehe

Take care

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The best advice I can give you is to rent in the Seabrook Primary zone...its a tiny suburb right next to point cook, but seabrook is a fantastic fantastic state school but they are very strict on zones...otherwise try for Point Cook Primary school zone, I have heard good things about it. Otherwise 2 catholic schools to choose from or private schools nearby b eing heathdale and westbourne.

Internet speed again depends on where you are....if I had a map I can show you, but try stay in lincoln heath, saltwater (first prize!), alamanda, seabrook and the more established parts of sanctuary lakes and you will have super fast adsl 2+ or cable like Garrick said (very very fast)...Ithink garrick will be able to better explain..he is in IT so ja....

If you have high school kids you could try emmanuel college (catholic school) in point cook they apparantly not so strict about being catholic ( high demand catholic schools are pretty strict about giving catholics priority)

Again I say come drive around and take a look...go to some house inspections and get a feel for the area!

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I would absolutely recommend driving around the different suburbs when you get here to get a feel for them - the internet is very deceiving. We also lived in Point Cook when we landed and really didn't settle in the area. Also, don't let the km distance fool you - the Westgate bridge is a nightmare when you travel into the city by car. Most people take the train because parking is so expensive in the city.

Don't commit to anything until you've experienced it for yourself.

Good luck!

Mel

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Melbourne and surrounds are really big and there are lots of options, you need a few days to drive around and visit areas, schools and shopping centers.

You might like the bayside area near the beach, or here where we live in the Outer Eastern suburbs with lots of hills and trees and plenty of good public schools to choose from. Or Doncaster / Templestowe which is more expensive but also nice and closer to the city.

Point Cook is ok but the lack of schools made us decide against it. And even though it is much closer to the city in kilometres than where we are it takes us about half an hour driving on the Eastlink (on a weekend) or 40 mins on the train which is the same or quicker.

Check out www.myschool.edu.au for ratings of schools - you can check the schools in the area. What I like about where I live is that there are 20 schools less than 4 km's from my house! So lots to choose from!! And for most you don't need to live in the catchment area.

But good luck, you need to see for yourself what works for you.

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Definitely recommend driving around and taking some time to look.

We jumped at the first place we saw mainly because we were desperate - it is fine but we could have done so much bigger/better for our money if we had looked a bit further.

One thing is that we found it quite easy to negotiate with the letters of several properties a 6 month rather than 1 year lease.

That then gives you more options after you have been here a while.

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Thanks so much for all the responses. I am loving this forum!!

100% agreed...will most certainly drive around a little and try and find the area which suits us most.

Our daughter will be 5 in June, so we basically need to look for a school in which she can start her schooling career. No pressure. LOL!!

We are basically looking for an area which is affordable, not too far to travel...and family orientated :-)

LOL....i think that that is most likely what everyone is looking for... :D

Thanks again for all the help. We are super excited and are counting the days....it's goin to be an exciting but challenging adventure. We are up for it. :-)

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For what you pay, for the distance to town for work, for the size rental you can get, Point Cook wins. I wouldn't be surprised if more than 50% of Point Cook is investment property. And this is also a bad thing. The owner's often don't care, and unless you're in somewhere like Sanctuary Lakes, nobody really looks after their gardens. The housing density of new estates is becoming insane here. It's all about money and getting as many investment properties in as possible. People live in 28+ square houses and have no gardens - relying on the parks instead.

Now... about Internet... go read this: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1153602

Whirlpool is a great source of knowledge about a lot of things in Australia. In there I've posted several times about the internet here, and you'll also see how people struggle to get internet in Point Cook.

In most of Sanctuary Lakes, and almost the entire Point Cook north of Sneydes, you take a big chance expecting to get internet. And most times, you can't find out if you can get it until you actually move in and get a phone line... So head to the newer estates south of Sneydes, particularly Alamanda (and Saltwater if you want the extra long drive) that has Fiber Optic. Lincoln Heath is the "forgotten estate" of Point Cook. Yet, because the actual Telstra exchange (building) is in that estate, there are no RIMs and the internet speed is fast and reliable. For those north of Sneydes, you have to hope for a bad RIM signal and if not, fight with several thousand other users trying to use 3G...

-G

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For what you pay, for the distance to town for work, for the size rental you can get, Point Cook wins. I wouldn't be surprised if more than 50% of Point Cook is investment property. And this is also a bad thing. The owner's often don't care, and unless you're in somewhere like Sanctuary Lakes, nobody really looks after their gardens. The housing density of new estates is becoming insane here. It's all about money and getting as many investment properties in as possible. People live in 28+ square houses and have no gardens - relying on the parks instead.

Now... about Internet... go read this: http://forums.whirlp...s.cfm?t=1153602

Whirlpool is a great source of knowledge about a lot of things in Australia. In there I've posted several times about the internet here, and you'll also see how people struggle to get internet in Point Cook.

In most of Sanctuary Lakes, and almost the entire Point Cook north of Sneydes, you take a big chance expecting to get internet. And most times, you can't find out if you can get it until you actually move in and get a phone line... So head to the newer estates south of Sneydes, particularly Alamanda (and Saltwater if you want the extra long drive) that has Fiber Optic. Lincoln Heath is the "forgotten estate" of Point Cook. Yet, because the actual Telstra exchange (building) is in that estate, there are no RIMs and the internet speed is fast and reliable. For those north of Sneydes, you have to hope for a bad RIM signal and if not, fight with several thousand other users trying to use 3G...

-G

Thanks Garrick!! WIll definately look into it. At least I'm not flying blind anymore...LOL....the more info the better. :-) I appreciate your help. Will let you know if i have any more questions...Which I am sure i will have. :-)

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