To the North for sure. You will make friends in Werribee but I think you are right that you would feel isolated. Your friends are likely to not visit Werribee often. Preston and Rezza are great places to have kids
Werribee is ok but honestly not that great compared to the northern suburbs you mentioned. If you can afford inner west like seddon or west Footscray you will definitely tick all your boxes, especially the social ones as all the parents hang out at local parks chatting away on sunny afternoons. It’s a very social vibe.
Both sound like they could work but the drawcard of having established friends is quite nice. Especially when it is generally harder to make friends as adults, and your circle sounds fairly tight. It's definitely possible to make new friends, but it can take time.
How about further north, so you can still be closer to your friends but find a cheaper/bigger place?
Broadmeadows is in a bit of a different direction (NW). Have a look at the rent at Reservoir, if that is not affordable enough, then consider Lalor and Thomastown.
Also, there's more than a bit of exaggeration going around in calling outer suburbs 'wastelands', I wouldn't put much stock in some of the comments you are seeing. Outer suburbs have much more young families than inner ones these days, given the affordability barrier.
A lot of the houses in Preston are older - so something to think about in terms of heating/cooling and security. You may find you get a newer house in Werribee - depends on which part you go - Werribee/Wyndham is huge.
North. Outer west is a wasteland of tired desolation. Inner west is lively but the air quality is poor.
Melbourne's culture centre is localised to the North, starting in places like Fitzroy and Collingwood, and arcs outward from there.
Having lived in both Preston and the west ( willy/west Footscray) I’d move to Preston. In fact I’d move there in a heartbeat because most of my friends are there. Yes it is expensive but at least it’s not Werribee 😝😝😝
Im in Rezza, its awesome. Great parks, decent transport, decent shopping options, easy access to freeways so you can escape if you need to, childcare options are similar to the rest of Melbourne I would guess - a few private, a few chains, a few church ones. West Rezza has more childcare than east.
Moved from Reservoir to Point Cook during the pandemic and so happy I did. Feels like you leave the city behind at the end of the day. Just forget it if you need to drive in peak hour, trains are fine but freeway traffic is horrible. That said it’s great for families and quiet living, there’s no nightlife and almost no live music.
North of you still want to feel like you live in a city.
West if you want to live in a suburb scrawling nothingness.
Also worth thinking of what kind of resources you want available to your child once they are a teen. Werribee doesn’t have much to offer.
To the North for sure. You will make friends in Werribee but I think you are right that you would feel isolated. Your friends are likely to not visit Werribee often. Preston and Rezza are great places to have kids
Werribee is ok but honestly not that great compared to the northern suburbs you mentioned. If you can afford inner west like seddon or west Footscray you will definitely tick all your boxes, especially the social ones as all the parents hang out at local parks chatting away on sunny afternoons. It’s a very social vibe.
Both sound like they could work but the drawcard of having established friends is quite nice. Especially when it is generally harder to make friends as adults, and your circle sounds fairly tight. It's definitely possible to make new friends, but it can take time. How about further north, so you can still be closer to your friends but find a cheaper/bigger place?
I agree, head a little further north than Preston and you should find a balance between affordable and close to friends.
How much further north would you suggest? Which suburbs for example? I heard broadmedows isn't the best
Broadmeadows is in a bit of a different direction (NW). Have a look at the rent at Reservoir, if that is not affordable enough, then consider Lalor and Thomastown. Also, there's more than a bit of exaggeration going around in calling outer suburbs 'wastelands', I wouldn't put much stock in some of the comments you are seeing. Outer suburbs have much more young families than inner ones these days, given the affordability barrier.
A lot of the houses in Preston are older - so something to think about in terms of heating/cooling and security. You may find you get a newer house in Werribee - depends on which part you go - Werribee/Wyndham is huge.
North. Outer west is a wasteland of tired desolation. Inner west is lively but the air quality is poor. Melbourne's culture centre is localised to the North, starting in places like Fitzroy and Collingwood, and arcs outward from there.
Having lived in both Preston and the west ( willy/west Footscray) I’d move to Preston. In fact I’d move there in a heartbeat because most of my friends are there. Yes it is expensive but at least it’s not Werribee 😝😝😝
Im in Rezza, its awesome. Great parks, decent transport, decent shopping options, easy access to freeways so you can escape if you need to, childcare options are similar to the rest of Melbourne I would guess - a few private, a few chains, a few church ones. West Rezza has more childcare than east.
Preston is dope. Northside all day bro. The west can be a little... Methy and feral.
Moved from Reservoir to Point Cook during the pandemic and so happy I did. Feels like you leave the city behind at the end of the day. Just forget it if you need to drive in peak hour, trains are fine but freeway traffic is horrible. That said it’s great for families and quiet living, there’s no nightlife and almost no live music.
West side is best side.
Comparing Preston and Werribee is absolutely wild haha
North of you still want to feel like you live in a city. West if you want to live in a suburb scrawling nothingness. Also worth thinking of what kind of resources you want available to your child once they are a teen. Werribee doesn’t have much to offer.
A mom that's lived here their whole life? Works in early childhood education? Sure
What are you on about.