As a Melbourne buyers agent, I can probably say this without it being seen as a rude – a lot of residents of Thornbury would probably prefer to live in Northcote if they could afford it.
Having said that, I do think Thornbury is a very attractive alternative for property buyers.
Only circa 7 km north east of the CBD and easily accessible from the CBD by tram or train ( with two stations servicing the suburb – Thornbury and Croxton).
With Northcote to its south (closer to the CBD) and Preston to its north, Thornbury residents are well positioned to enjoy the amenities of both neighbouring suburbs for example Preston Market, and the cafés, restaurants, live music venues of High Street in Northcote.
There is very much a “village vibe” in the commercial precinct around the intersection of High Street and Normanby Avenue/Clarendon Street. Heading further north on High Street towards Preston provides numerous other café, restaurant and bar options (including in my opinion Melbourne’s best Portuguese tarts @ Casa Nata) and the Thornbury Picture House for a film.
Housing stock is a mixture of Californian Bungalows, small low rise apartment blocks (predominantly 60s & 70s vintage) and increasingly infill town houses of various standards – many not particularly well designed and of questionable build quality.
The suburb is very well-catered for in terms of green spaces with multiple parks including Penders, Henderson and Hayes Parks.
The suburb is very cyclist-friendly (as is the inner north generally) with Merri Creek and Darebin Creek trails on the western and eastern borders of the suburb.
One of my favourite things to do in Thornbury is a film at the Thornbury Picture House on High Street. To some extent, this is representative of the “village vibe” of the suburb in a general sense – a local independent cinema playing a wide variety of films and doing their bit to support local filmmakers.
While the attractions of High Street tend to appeal to young couples and singles, the larger blocks, more leafy streetscapes, quieter feel and more consistent heritage architecture as you head west over St Georges Road tend to have greater appeal to family property buyers.
Last update: 21 Feb 2023
