Working in CBD: transport, suburbs?

[GKatherine]

Hi, I have looked at previous posts regarding recommended suburbs, but I am looking for more specific details, if possible.

 

1) What are good suburbs in Melbourne for a family with kids?  We need to consider day care for now, but also schools very soon.  I will be working in the CBD, Docklands region.

@Mara, You say very nice things about Sunbury, but from Google Maps it looks like about 40mins both by car and train.  Is this true for peak times as well?  You had a very informative post where you listed Braybrook for example as an area to be avoided.  Is this still applicable?  

 

2) How bad is peak traffic in the CBD? And what are the peak times?

 

3) As somebody who RARELY uses public transport, I am completely clueless in terms of this.  If Google maps say 30min by train, does it actually take 30mins?

 

4) Is it viable (safety but also weatherwise) to walk from the Southern Cross train station to work? 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mara]

@GKatherine,

 

If you think you have seen bad peak hour traffic, mmmm, you may be surprised at how bad Melbourne peak traffic can be. It would be 40 minutes to the city on a lazy afternoon. It could be 1,5 hours in peak hour traffic from Sunbury.

 

The other thing to consider, if you wish to use a car to the city, where will you park? Unless your company will supply you with a parking spot, you will find that parking fees are outrageous, more often than not.

 

Train time to the city would be more like 50 minutes, station to station, but then you need to add your getting to the station from home and your getting to work from the station. You are pretty safe to walk from Southern Cross to wherever you work, but there are also trams that go around the city. Also, now that Sunbury has metropolitan trains, they sometimes go into the loop, so there may well be a station closer to your work than Southern Cross. The weather is what it is, you will have to learn to live with it, and dress accordingly.

 

Braybrook, is not a place I would choose to live, but that is only my humble opinion and it still stands.

 

If you want quick and easy to the city, then you are hopefully able to pay megabucks in weekly rents.

 

Getting day care in the more popular suburbs, especially on the east side, you could be on a waiting list, for a while. To my knowledge Sunbury does not have that problem. There is actually a brand new day care centre being built right now, that are inviting parents to apply. Day care costs are not regulated, so you will have to check and see what the cost will be in the suburbs where you wish to live.

 

I lived in Bundoora, before moving to Sunbury, it also has some great areas, but I have no idea how long it would take by train to the city, as I never worked in the city.

[RedPanda]

So far I've had no problems walking to and from Engineers Australia's building at 600 Bourke st, using either Southern Cross or even Flinders Station. The city is 'walk-friendly' and loads of people do it (working people, dressed in suits, if that makes sense?) Just off the top of my head, I would say, stay away from: Springvale, Dandenong, and Frankston...they have a bad reputation.

Other people will have to chip in on daycare etc.

Oh and regarding public transport and travel times, it depends, Melbourne has massive works on around the city as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, so often train are temporarily(few weeks, to some months) replaced by bus services, and those take forever. But it depends where you live and which crossings they are working on.

[BobSA]

@GKatherine

 

I have not been here long enough to know all the suburbs as Melbourne is rather big. Its more like your starting point would be your budget and how long you willing to spend on your daily commute. Melbourne is very different to SA in that just 10km can take you 40mins to travel during off-peak due to robots and slow-speed zones everywhere. I think anything from 20-40 mins door to door is pretty reasonable and with that you will have numerous options to consider. Google maps is much more reliable for trains and trams then cars/buses when it comes to predicting time in my experience. Just ensure you select the correct departure time so you get a fair comparison for peak hour.

 

This website has reviews from actual residents of suburbs in Melbourne wrt to Schooling, safety, traffic, groceries etc.

http://www.homely.com.au/find-suburb-by-region/melbourne-greater-victoria

 

As already stated Car parking costs are quite steep as well as any Toll fees you could incur so I would caution you against driving into the city unless your employer has provided parking. Peak is probably 730am to 930am and afternoon 16h00 to 18h00.

 

I use Southern Cross daily too. I have worked until midnight and never felt unsafe. Until like 20h00 its always rather busy. Weather wise- keep an umbrella in your bag in Melbourne and you will be fine. Majority of people have a walk from a station to work and manage it just fine. I am definitely in the pro public transport camp as I work in the city.

 

[GKatherine]

Thanks for all the responses so far.  As always, it is good to hear from the people there now.

 

5 hours ago, Mara said:

The other thing to consider, if you wish to use a car to the city, where will you park? Unless your company will supply you with a parking spot, you will find that parking fees are outrageous, more often than not.

I saw quite a number of parking lots closeby, but didn't think about the cost.  I will ask them about parking, thanks.

 

@RedPanda, thanks for the insight.  Do you mind saying which suburb you stay in and how long it takes you to get to the station?

 

18 minutes ago, BobSA said:

I use Southern Cross daily too. I have worked until midnight and never felt unsafe.

Thanks, appreciate the feedback.  I am kinda nervous about venturing into CBD.

 

I will research a bit more, and will be back with more questions.  Thanks!

[Kevin]

I was wondering, is parking at train stations generally available, and is it free or otherwise affordable?

[TeeTMI]

20 hours ago, GKatherine said:

Hi, I have looked at previous posts regarding recommended suburbs, but I am looking for more specific details, if possible.

 

1) What are good suburbs in Melbourne for a family with kids?  We need to consider day care for now, but also schools very soon.  I will be working in the CBD, Docklands region.

@Mara, You say very nice things about Sunbury, but from Google Maps it looks like about 40mins both by car and train.  Is this true for peak times as well?  You had a very informative post where you listed Braybrook for example as an area to be avoided.  Is this still applicable?  

 

2) How bad is peak traffic in the CBD? And what are the peak times?

 

3) As somebody who RARELY uses public transport, I am completely clueless in terms of this.  If Google maps say 30min by train, does it actually take 30mins?

 

4) Is it viable (safety but also weatherwise) to walk from the Southern Cross train station to work? 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Peak times Sunbury to Melbourne train times 40-50 minutes.  If going to Southern Cross and your times coincided (run less often) there is also the VLine which is faster.  I have travelled these train lines and the city during the day and night without issues and enjoy walking around the city (maybe take a walk through the city using google maps - street view). 

 

The web site http://ptv.vic.gov.au/journey  is pretty good for train / walk times form place to place (bus / trams at peak times can be way out due to traffic).

Google maps is reasonable if you include the correct time of day.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Kevin said:

I was wondering, is parking at train stations generally available, and is it free or otherwise affordable?

 

There is free parking at many train stations - however at busy stations there may also be limited spaces (so depends upon where you go and a variety of factors at that location).  For example currently in Sunbury train spaces get taken up quickly by the early travellers and you may need to park in a nearby side street (safe) and talk is often ongoing about the need for more spaces.  Whereas my understanding is that at nearby Diggers Rest they have just increased the size of their car park and there should be plenty of spaces.

 

[RedPanda]

My travels are not during peak times, but they have replaced half of our line with bus services, so it takes me about an hour and a half instead of 50min like it does when things are running smoothly. We live in Tecoma (Belgrave), it's essentially the end-of-line stop, as far out as Sunbury, but Due East.

[GKatherine]

Thank you @RedPanda

[LeaS]

Hi GKatherine, 

 

i haven't been in Melbourne for too long to be able to give u a well balanced view... but thought I would give you our experience. 

 

We have 2 girls aged 5&6 so have been looking for a well balanced suburb that offers good schools. 

We originally were looking at Sandhurst but upon arriving, we decided against it and have got with Cheltenham. My girls have been accepted into the local school and I really like the area... close to the beach too. I also really like Mentone, so check that out too. 

 

I caught the train into the city last week, and although I was very nervous to do this, it was super easy and I walked to my destination. Lots of people doing this, and then I caught the train home again. I agree - you def don't want to park in the city! 

 

Good Luck!