534 Park Street, Carlton North VIC 3054

With our family leaving home we decided to downsize 17 years ago and were so fortunate to find our current house in Park Street, Princes Hill.  It has been a great experience to enjoy the best of inner city living, parklands, restaurants; three tram lines to the CBD yet still live in a family home.

We really appreciate the width of the living area with full windows onto our outdoor courtyard rather than the more usual narrow alternatives in this area.  Similarly the skylight over the stairs combined with windows front and rear gives a spacious feel from the natural light.  Having a north-facing house overlooking a park has been so enjoyable.

We have found the three large bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms great for when our families with children visit from overseas.  The separate lounge area also provides an extra option when the house is full of people or one of us needs a quiet place to read.  All on just two levels rather than three has also been a plus.

It was important for us to have a home with no Body Corporate, one we could lock up and leave for our frequent travels and neighbors who look out for each other.   We will miss our neighbors as visits to local pubs and each other’s homes have created many new friendships.

We moved in with two cars; to have one in the garage and one on the street with unrestricted parking was a real bonus in Princes Hill.  Within a few years we found only one car was needed.  Everything is within either walking distance or a tram ride.  The Number 1 tram to South Melbourne Beach takes us almost everywhere we need to go.

The upgraded Barkly Square Shopping Centre is less than a 10 minute walk with excellent fruit and fish.  Sydney Road is rapidly gaining new organic shops and vibrant Lygon Street Brunswick cafes and restaurants are 5 minutes around the corner.  Of course Lygon and Rathdowne Street Carlton precincts are not much further to walk.  The Nova Cinema has been a regular for us and the Yarra Library in North Carlton is excellent.

We will miss our regular walks around the Zoo, Princes Park and Royal Park.  Similarly we will miss getting on the bike for a 10 minute ride via a bike path to the recently upgraded YMCA Gym at Brunswick Baths.  The heated, all year, 50 metre pool is a gem. Being located right on the Capital City Trail bike path has also given us great access to explore so many other parts of Melbourne by bike or foot.

After 17 years its time to move on to our next phase in life.  We are off to Albury, the only other location we could live in apart from Princes Hill.  It has been a huge decision to sell as we have loved our time here.  However whilst we have created a low maintenance and green courtyard, its time to slow down, grow a few vegetables and read a few more books.