Family Friendly Living
Anyone planning a move Down Under with a family may find it interesting to check out the Top 100 Suburbs for Family Living Report (RP Data for Aussie Home Loans). There are some interesting findings which could help when researching your new destination. The report looks at many issues relevant to families when deciding where to settle and bring up their family including house prices, affordability, nearby facilities such as healthcare, schooling, child care and amenities. In total, the research encompassed analysis of 3800 Australian suburbs.
The study found that attitudes towards where to live have changed over the years and families are now prioritising housing affordability over other factors. Although suburbs close to amenities were also rated highly.
Melbourne – most family friendly suburbs
It looks as though Melbourne dominates the list as having the most family friendly suburbs. 30% of its suburbs are included in it, the highest out of all Australian cities. The suburbs of Taylors Kales, Diamond Creek, Cockatoo, Wallan, Bacchus Marsh, Warragul and Leongotha are featured in the list. Darwin received the lowest family friendly rating with only one suburb making it into the table.
Top 5 Family Friendly Suburbs
Here is the lowdown on the top five family friendly suburbs in Oz:
Kingston, TAS
The suburb of Kingston in Tasmania came top in the list, mainly due to its affordable house prices. Located south of Hobart, it is also in a good location in terms of schools and healthcare.
If you are planning a move here as a migrant, you may be interested to know that the area has a history of immigration, with Dutch being the main ethnic group to settle here. It even has a sister city in the Netherlands, the village of Grootegast.
Morayfield, QLD
Morayfield in Queensland came in at second place. Located approximately 50km north of Brisbane, it is a quiet, residential area so good for families preferring a more relaxed lifestyle. It is well connected via train and road networks for commuters to Brisbane.
Lauderdale, TAS
Another Tasmanian suburb which has been highly rated, Lauderdale lies on the outskirts of Hobart. It has been placed as the third most family friendly suburb in Australia. The beachside location is popular with families as it has many recreational areas such as the cricket and football ground, the Lauderdale Oval and Lauderdale beach.
Byford, WA
South East of Perth is Byford, originally named Beenup. It has many residential estates providing reasonably sized and affordable homes for families in the area. It is served by the Australind train service providing transport to Perth, Bunbury and several more locations in between.
Taylors Lakes, VIC
Taylors Lakes is a leafy suburb in Victoria, North West of Melbourne. It is generally regarded as a quiet area so ideal for families. There are also many sports clubs for adults and children to get involved in such as tennis, football and cricket. Residents report that this adds to the community feel of this neighbourhood.
A detailed copy of the Top 100 Australian Suburbs for Family Living report is available for download here: http://pages.e.rpdata.com/rpdata-aussie-top-100-suburbs-for-family-living-march-2014
