A clean, law abiding suburb with city views and a large chi chi-ish shopping mall.
Doncaster, Melbourne
Doncaster is the type of neighbourhood that appeals to law abiding citizens who keep clean houses, like open spaces and have green gardens. It's popular with people from southern Europe and with mainstream middle class families, both of whom place a premium on manners and respect. Doncaster is brick house heaven and a suburb you would not dare move to unless you had a car. (More information below and to your left <<< )
Good in residential streets. Can get crazy at Westfield Shoppingtown
Vibe:
Brady Bunch
If this suburb were a shoe, it would be a Colorado
Doncaster is not a cafe-culture place, or a cool spot. It's family central where every house has off-street car parking and a garage! Weekends are spent raking the leaves, having family lunches, doing the washing or going for a drive or bike ride. Executives take note, if you have a family and want to live in a suburb that's quiet and gives you some space from your neighbours, check out Doncaster or the neighbouring more upmarket suburbs of Donvale and Templestowe.
Almost all the houses in Doncaster are brick, built from the 1960s onwards, in streets that wind or have views of the city skyline. Donvale and Templestowe have more flambouyant two storey brick homes and more homes with a bit of extra space. They also have more private schools.
Doncaster is just off the Eastern Freeway. In non-peak hour traffic a drive into the city will take about 20 minutes. It's a completely different story in peak hour traffic. Add an extra few minutes for Donvale and Templestowe.
Public transport is limited to buses. There is a park and ride centre in Doncaster for 400 cars on the corner of Doncaster Rd and Hender St. From there you can take the lift down to the freeway to catch a bus into the city centre. You will need to have a pre-paid ticket before you board the bus. Ticket vending machines are available near the lift. Buses run every 5 minutes during the morning and afternoon peaks.
Doncaster has a large Westfield shopping centre that was updated and extended in 2008. Unlike some other shopping malls, you won't find so many cheap clothing stores that sell crap clothes that fall apart after a few washes. The quality of stores here is quite good and the service is predominantly friendly.
The food hall is also very good. For something different, try the steamed vegetarian dumplings from the Dumpling King. Pour some soy sauce and chilli sauce in and bang, your mouth is in for a treat.
There are plenty of parks in the area, bike trails, and sports clubs to join.
Parking: is not a problem in the residential streets, but it does get busy at Westfield shopping centre. Vibe: The Brady Bunch. Shoe equivalent: Would suit: families, people who like living further away from the city but having good access to it too. Colorado. Location: parks. Distance from city centre: 15km. Direction: East. Postcode: 3108
