A RELATIVELY AFFORDABLE INNER-CITY OPTION
...
When buyer reference Kensington as prospective suburb in which to buy, subconsciously they are often seeing Kensington/Flemington – which share the 3031 postcode as a collective.
The two suburbs I think, should be viewed separately with Flemington to the north of Racecourse Road the poorer cousin to Kensington to the south of Racecourse Road.
This is evidenced by Kensington’s higher median house price.
Only circa 4 km northwest from the CBD and nearby to North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Parkville.
The village retail and hospitality hub on Bellair Street and Macaulay Road is charming.
Very good public transport with three train stations accessible depending on what area of the suburb you live in.
Easy access to Citylink and good for cyclists with access to the river and Capital City Trail
The elephant in the room, and it is a pretty big elephant, is the large volume of Housing Commission in the locality.
I know multiple people who have lived in the area and all have noted that crime, vagrancy and drug users in the locality as being a downside of the suburb. Yes, this can and does occur in any inner-city Melbourne suburb to some extent. However, it has become part of the “brand” of the suburb.
Some beautiful tree lined streets with single and double fronted Victorian and Edwardian homes. New multi-unit housing stock both townhouses and apartment blocks, a lot of which is of dubious architectural merit and poor build quality is impacting the “charm” of the suburb. However, this is consistent with what is happening across Melbourne, not just in Kensington.
The age demographic is fairly diverse. I see it as best suited to younger professionals, couples and families.
As a Melbourne Buyers Agent, I see it as relatively affordable for the inner city. Prospective buyers at the budget required for Kensington I often suggest considering the inner north, for example Brunswick and inner west such as Yarraville, as other potential options before committing to Kensington.
Last update: 29 Mar 2023