A LITTLE UNDISCOVERED
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The inner west, in a general sense, I think can be overlooked by some inner-city buyers who struggle with the “west” stigma/brand.
Kingsville further suffers from being the poor cousin to the higher profile Yarraville and Seddon.
It is a small suburb (which adds to it low profile brand) sitting between Yarraville and West Footscray – circa 9 km from the CBD.
The suburb itself, being as small as it, doesn’t have a lot of amenities such as cafes, restaurants, retail, parks etc. However, these are all easily accessible, often walkable, in nearby Yarraville, Seddon, Footscray and West Footscray.
Unfortunately, it is bordered by three busy roads – Sommerville, Williamstown and Geelong roads.
Clients I have bought for here have commented on it being a friendly suburb with a real sense of community.
Like any suburb, some localities are significantly more attractive than others. Having said that, there are some beautiful historically consistent architecturally streets (primarily Edwardian) such as the Empress, Wales and Coronation streets.
What is interesting is how consistent the block sizes are in these streets tend to be – generally a bit under 300 sqm – which provides for a family home with an outdoor space if a second level is added.
Good work by the local authorities in putting heritage overlays in place which protect both the charm of the streetscapes and the future value of the houses.
I’m not such a fan of streets like Edgar and Kingsville streets where some of the townhouse developments aren’t going to win any design awards!
Assuming you are in one of the right streets, I think it provides particularly good value for buyers wanting a heritage house only 9 km from the CBD & even more so in the eastern section where Yarraville or Seddon train stations are a comfortable walking distance.
As a Melbourne buyers agent, I think there are multiple factors which will collectively further increase the appeal of Kingsville and properties in the inner west generally, including:
- The new circa 500 bed hospital in Footscray – set to open in 2025.
- West Gate Tunnel Project – an alternate to the West Gate bridge and a reduction of trucks on residential streets.
- Metro Tunnel Project – as Melbourne’s population continues to increase, access to train stations is highly likely to be a continued driver of pricing growth.
- The CBD’s drift westward to Docklands where major corporates are preferring to locate their head offices.
- Development of Footscray High School.
Last update: 28 Feb 2023