StreetAdvisor Blog

The best of what's new in Australia

At StreetAdvisor we don't mind if your reviews of streets and cities are positive or negative, beautiful or ugly, as long as they share something genuine and original about the place. Fortunately, many of the recent reviews in Australia have been very positive, and people seem to be enjoying their homes and their local areas. Here's a sample of the latest great reviews from around Australia.

At Closter Avenue, Nunawading, Victoria (Street Rank in Nunawading #2, Overall Score 87.72), closteriscool says:

Closter Avenue is a gorgeous little street just of Springfield Road. Springfield Road is a really useful thoroughfare but not a horrible, noisy street by any means. Closter Avenue is in a quiet location with lovely tree lined pavements especially down the end towards Springfield Rd where there is a little bend.

There is lots to do nearby with great access to walking, running and bike trails and within easy walking distance of Blackburn Lake. Nunawading Aqualink is also nearby which has a great gym and huge pool. Awesome for aspiring Olympians and little kiddies doing their swimming lessons.

Blackburn North shopping centre is fantastic with 2 supermarkets and everything someone needs at short notice. There are heaps of great little restaurants, the Blackburn Hotel nearby and fabulous little Asian takeaway and pizza places.

At Wolfe Street, Jamestown, South Australia (Street Rank in Jamestown #1, Overall Score 84.38), Giraffian says:

Lovely little street, nice people, nice and wide. There's no through traffic down it despite a recycling centre at the end of the street - people take a different route to get to it. So the only cars that come down the street are from people who live on the street.

The most interesting feature of the street is one perfectly symmetrical house built on Mannenarie road has been built at an angle just to LOOM down Wolfe St. You can't miss it!

At Lockrose Street, Mitchelton, Queensland (Street Rank in Mitchelton #1, Overall Score 80.18), Pauly says:

Just off Samford Rd and 8kms to the city this great street is built with quality standalone townhouses and executive homes. It has parks, kids playground and good walking and cycle paths. You can hear the whipbirds and see the bush turkeys running around during the day. It's a very peaceful and quiet area, around the corner is Brookside shopping centre and the Blackwood Street Cafe Precinct even closer!

At View Street, Peppermint Grove, Western Australia (Street Rank in Peppermint Grove #1, Overall Score 90.00), jamesp101 says:

Peppermint Grove sure is an exclusive suburb - in fact the smallest one in WA. - and View Street, which is the only street that runs from one end of the suburb to the other, is lined with manicured gardens and a bright and happy street presence, shaded by the blooming Peppermint trees which give the suburb its name. But it's not only the look of the road and verge that set this street off. Also, like the rest of Peppermint Grove, the classic federation homes - which were built by wealthy West Australians many years ago, and often passed down through generations - line View Street as well as new mansions which are like no others in the state.

At Acacia Street, Cabramatta, New South Wales (Street Rank in Cabramatta #1, Overall Score 71.29), az1 says:

Acacia St is just across Cabramatta Rd from the main shopping street. The housing in this street is mainly units and townhouses. The units are 2 and three storey walk ups.

Due to the proximity to the shopping center parking tends to be an issue particularly on the weekends. The council is now assisting and paroling the area to ensure that footpath parking is eliminated. Just at the end of the street is Cabramatta Police station which is the area headquarters.

These are the stories of contented neighbors enjoying life in their streets and cities. What story do you have to tell about where you live? Log in to StreetAdvisor.com.au today and write a review, post a forum topic or comment on the reviews and topics relating to places near you.

Small towns in Australia

Most of the time we write about streets in big cities because that's where most people live. It's fascinating when we receive reviews from more remote places, such as these reviews from small towns around Australia.

One of the most remote places to be reviewed in StreetAdvisor is Eromanga, Queensland (Overall Score 63.68). swampyro says that:

Power is costly, and we have many 'outages' Ergon always says there is nothing wrong, but they don't live here, they only account for outages over a minute long, so we may have 30 in an hour that are less than a minute long. Most people have a back up Generators left over from before we were connected to the 'grid'. Eromanga only got power in 1987.

The Local Quilpie Council is great, they have done a lot for this town, at present they are sealing our old dirt Air Strip.

It's hot and dusty in Summer, and freezing in winter. But in between times its lovely, plenty of places to go and camp and fish, nature walk, all that sort of stuff.

We love it out here. All the best to our visitors, we get lots of tourists, so many that we got a computer at the museum hooked up to the internet for them.....

At Wilmington, South Australia (Overall Score 86.94) Firey56 says:

Having been raised in Wilmington South Australia and also I lived there for about 33 years - it is a good place to live. My grandparents lived there all their married life-raised 5 children including my father who was well known as the mail contractor. He used to do the mail run from Wilmigton to Orroroo for many years. My mum also was involved in many local organisations. Myself, I belonged to the local EFS/CFS until I shifted to WA many years ago. Wilmington is a good place to visit-live and enjoy.

At Lobethal, South Australia (Overall Score 79.97) Roland explains that:

Lobethal is a pleasant 38km drive from the Adelaide City Business District and is known as the 'Valley of Praise' so named by German Settlers in 1842. It offers a relaxing rural lifestyle with all the conveniences of the city only 35 minutes away. Located in the Adelaide Hills Council district and in particular near to the townships Charleston, Mt Torrens, Woodside, Lenswood, Balhannah, Oakbank, Cudlee Creek and Kenton Valley.

At Womboota, New South Wales (Overall Score 49.02) jawjar says:

If you like peace and quiet then this is the place for you!!!! With only a handful of houses you are guaranteed isolation. I would not recommend this "town" for families or couples and definitely not for singles!! However if you are newly retired and looking for a change (challenge) then this would suit you to a tee! Expect to find cheap houses/land. Rentals are hard to come by and are by word of mouth only!

About 15km south/east you will find Deep Creek Marina. Continue a further 15km and you will find Echuca/Moama.

At Myrrhee, Victoria (Overall Score 72.00) MikeW tells us that it is:

A quiet place, access to bush walking, vineyards, forests. I found it a great place for inspiration for my painting, a good variety of buildings, creeks and geographical features.

There's a lot going on in small towns around Australia, and StreetAdvisor.com.au is a great place to share your stories.

StreetAdvisor starts tweeting in Australia

With new technologies and tools being created and added to the internet all the time, it's difficult to know which ones are essential. Twitter is growing in popularity, and StreetAdvisor has added it to our set of communications tools. We're tweeting in Australia now, with the US to follow soon.

StreetAdvisor.com.au is now tweeting from twitter.com/StreetAdvisorAU. Come and join us! Tell us what you'd like to hear about the best places to live, hyperlocal news, real estate or anything else. Suggest Twitterers for us to follow and start following twitter.com/StreetAdvisorAU as we send out samples of the latest contributions on StreetAdvisor and other social media recommendations.

Top streets in Australia

StreetAdvisor.com.au has seen the addition of many new street review in Australia recently. Here's a sample of the best streets around the country.

At Bessell Avenue, Como, Western Australia (Street Rank in Como #2, Overall Score 83.45), Gocats describes:

A really quiet street located to great shops on Angelo Street. Just a hop, skip and jump from the river. Very little street traffic.

At Parkleigh Court, Vermont South, Victoria (Street Rank in Vermont South #1, Overall Score 84.31), Suburbanite says that:

Parkleigh Court is a quiet cul de sac of homes built in 1970. The homes in this street, the south side of Fortescue Grove and Shalimar Court were designed by young Architects for a competition run by the then Gas and Fuel corporation.

The area is unique in this sense and has some great examples of 70's contemporary Architecture. Most of the homes have been renovated over the years and the homes present interesting and unusual elevations to the street. All in Parkleigh court are well landscaped.

Our home was designed along passive solar principles and is fabulous to live in. We have the best neighbors, people are friendly and look out for each other. Public transport (tram) is minutes away, local shops are great and the Glen is a few minutes drive away. We think this area is one of the East's best kept secrets!

At Roskell Road, Callala Beach, New South Wales (Street Rank in Callala Beach #1, Overall Score 70.43), Rev tells us that

The street borders scenic protection areas and is only 300m to the beach. Some older houses in the street making way for some new architectural style homes. Good coffee shop in area, quiet and peaceful, not far from good public school and shopping center at Callala Bay.

At Nathan Street, Deakin, Australian Capital Territory (Street Rank in Deakin #1 Overall Score 85.87), Mal says:

Excellent Street. Lined up with trees and nice in appeal. Close to CBD, gym, parks, Hospital and Manuka night life. Several new homes have been built after demolition of the old ones and most of the remaining houses have been recently renovated giving the street a modern look. Walkways have been paved, some of the old trees have been removed and new trees have been planted on both sides. All services are under the ground and it is very well lit by modern street lights.

At Veivers Road, Cedar Creek, Queensland (Street Rank in Cedar Creek #1 Overall Score 73.49), emjem10 tells us that:

Lots of small/medium acreage lots make up the blocks which line this street. I grew up here and it was just beautiful and quiet. The neighbors, many still there, are absolutely lovely and there's a great spirit about the area. Being down the road from the state forest is amazing and its stunning to walk through and enjoy the Aussie bush. Cedar Creek is about 10-15mins from Beenleigh and the M1 highway, making it about 35mins from both the Gold Coast and Brisbane, so it's a convenient location.

These neighbors are happily enjoying their homes and the nearby amenities. What do you enjoy about where you live? Tell us today on StreetAdvisor.com.au.

StreetAdvisor ranks the best and worst cities and suburbs in Australia

The number of reviews of Australian streets and cities posted at StreetAdvisor.com.au continues to grow. We now have scores for over 1,000 suburbs and cities based on thousands of individual street and city reviews. It's been a while since we published a best and worst comparison so it's time to reveal the hottest and not so hot locations around Australia.

This time, however, we're going to use StreetAdvisor's new ranking feature. A city gets a rank when its score is calculated from three or more reviews. This provides a more accurate and reliable score for a city than the result of a single review. Of the places that have multiple reviews to allow us to calculate a ranking, these are the best and worst places to live in Australia.

Each blue dot is a city that has been reviewed in StreetAdvisor

Western Australia

Hot

Broome, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #1, Overall Score 90.00)

Perth, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #2, Overall Score 88.58)

Dalkeith, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #3, Overall Score 82.81)

Not so hot

Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #27, Overall Score 36.90)

Ardross, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #25, Overall Score 54.00)

Leeming, Western Australia, Australia (City Rank in Western Australia #24, Overall Score 56.58)

South Australia

Hot

Hallett Cove, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #1, Overall Score 90.07)

Morphett Vale, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #2, Overall Score 75.12)

Fairview Park, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #3, Overall Score 67.94)

Not so hot

Prospect, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #4, Overall Score 59.12)

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #5, Overall Score 54.51)

Salisbury, South Australia, Australia (City Rank in South Australia #6, Overall Score 52.09)

Victoria

Hot

Somerville, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #1, Overall Score 87.97)

Bundoora, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #2, Overall Score 87.35)

Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #3, Overall Score 86.79)

Not so hot

Epping, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #138, Overall Score 52.86)

Brunswick West, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #139, Overall Score 48.76)

Broadmeadows, Victoria, Australia (City Rank in Victoria #140, Overall Score 30.99)

Queensland

Hot

Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #1, Overall Score 95.00)

Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #2, Overall Score 94.51)

Milton, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #3,Overall Score 88.20)

Not so hot

Ascot, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #26, Overall Score 58.83)

Kearneys Spring, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #27, Overall Score 58.55)

Harristown, Queensland, Australia (City Rank in Queensland #28, Overall Score 54.00)

New South Wales

Hot

Balmain, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #1, Overall Score 89.38)

Manly, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #2, Overall Score 88.27)

Como, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #3, Overall Score 84.34)

Not so hot

Smithtown, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #42, Overall Score 36.60)

Ryde, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #43, Overall Score 20.26)

Kinchela, New South Wales, Australia (City Rank in New South Wales #44, Overall Score 18.90)

Tasmania

Best and worst

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (City Rank in Tasmania #1, Overall Score 88.20)

Launceston, Tasmania, Australia (City Rank in Tasmania #2, Overall Score 61.75)

Ravenswood, Tasmania, Australia (City Rank in Tasmania #4, Overall Score 43.80)

Northern Territory

Best and worst

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (City Rank in Northern Territory #1, Overall Score 78.00)

Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia (City Rank in Northern Territory #2, Overall Score 71.10)

Jabiru, Northern Territory, Australia (City Rank in Northern Territory #4, Overall Score 53.40)

Have your say

These scores and ranking will change over time as new reviews are submitted to StreetAdvisor.com.au. How does your suburb rank? Do you agree or disagree with these scores and ranks? Visit StreetAdvisor.com.au today and have your say!

StreetAdvisor ranks your street, neighborhood and city

When StreetAdvisor recently added over 12,000 neighborhoods in the US, we also added a new feature world-wide: rankings. Rankings are now included at every level in StreetAdvisor's extensive local content. 

Users will discover that their street is ranked against other streets in their neighborhood (US only) and / or their city. Neighborhoods are ranked against each other in cities, and cities are ranked against each other in states.

Street rank

A good example of street rank is Jessie Street, Austin, Texas (Street Rank in Austin #4, Overall Score, 90.00). The rank number is above the score in the scorecard at the top of every page.

Neighborhood rank

Jessie St is in the neighborhood of Zilker (Neighborhood Rank in Austin #1, Overall Score 92.50), which is the top ranked neighborhood in Austin, Texas (City Rank in Texas #4, Overall Score 71.06).

Neighborhood and city pages display a box on the right hand side containing (up to) the top 5 neighborhoods in the city (subject to availability).

City rank

Two examples from Australia show how rankings work on city (suburb) pages. City scores are calculated from the scores of all the streets and neighborhoods (US only) within them.

Albert Park, Victoria (City Rank in Victoria #92, Overall Score 70.46). The top 5 cities in the state of Victoria are ranked in the state page.

Chippendale, New South Wales (City Rank in New South Wales #30, Overall Score 50.32). The top 5 cities in the state of New South Wales are ranked in the state page.

Rankings provide a quick and easy way to show exactly how good your street is, and how it ranks against the competition. How does your street rank? Visit StreetAdvisor.com today to find out! Once you're there, log in and write a review of your street, your neighborhood or your city. 

StreetAdvisor adds photos from Flickr and Panoramio to your street

One of the principles of the online world is to focus on what you do best and link to the rest. At StreetAdvisor, we focus on reviews of streets and cities written by the people who live, work and relax in those areas.

New Farm, Queensland, Australia

We have an existing photo upload function where community members can add photos to streets, and StreetAdvisor.com already features thousands of photos, but we're not the expert in online photos - sites like Flickr and Panoramio are. So we've mashed their extensive photo archives into StreetAdvisor maps on every street and city page.

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

On every street and city page you'll now find separate Photos and Videos tabs. In the Photos tab you'll find an interactive map you can scroll, zoom and click on. When you click on an image thumbnail in the map the page loads the image in the main window, complete with a link to the original source.

Covent Garden, London, UK

StreetAdvisor is all about helping you to discover news and information about places near you or important to you. We have many more exciting developments to release in 2009, but the inclusion of thousands of photos is a great place to start.

So now you have more choices about how to share your photos in StreetAdvisor. You can continue to upload them to your favorite streets, or you can upload them to your favorite photo site knowing they will appear on StreetAdvisor maps for you to browse.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

New and returning visitors and community members will find a lot of new photos and reviews at StreetAdvisor.com, so take a look at what the site offers today, write a review or ask a question of your neighbors via a forum topic post, and learn more about the streets around you.

StreetAdvisor is jumping into 2009!

The team at StreetAdvisor have been hard at work over the holiday season planning some fantastic new functions and services to add to the site in 2009. We're not quite ready to unveil anything just yet, but we promise you'll be interested in what we have scheduled.

In the meantime, StreetAdvisor co-founder and co-CEO Adam Spencer went skydiving and he posted some great photos and a video of his experience on StreetAdvisor.

Here he is high over Kettels Road, Kirwans Bridge, Victoria, and this is what he has to say:

"I went for a skydive on the weekend at Skydive Nagambie about 2 hours drive from Melbourne, and I had to share the video with everyone. It was one of the very best experiences I have ever had in my life, and I HIGHLY recommend it... I'm smiling just thinking about it :-) ENJOY!"

As you can see, StreetAdvisor is a great place to share your holiday season stories and photos. Where have you been that excited you? Tell us all about it by writing a review or starting a forum topic at StreetAdvisor.com today.

Vacation suggestions, opinions and advice on StreetAdvisor

Reviews have been flooding in to StreetAdvisor in recent weeks, and included in these reviews are some helpful tips and suggestions for travelers in the holiday season. So whether you're braving the northern hemisphere cold and snow or escaping to the southern hemisphere for some summer sunshine, StreetAdvisor has some recommendations and advice for you.

At Pasadena, California (CityScore 88.20), catofgrey says:

"Pasadena is one of the largest cultural centers of the Los Angeles area. Originally a resort community for East-Coast wealthy on holiday, it is now a major commercial, residential, educational and cultural center, with facilities exceeding all but a few cities west of the Rockies.

Pasadena's heritage shows today in dozens of historical homes, many built by world-famous architects Greene and Greene. The most notable of these is the Gamble House, which is now a museum with tours of the home. The Norton Simon is an international quality art museum.

Most visitors to Pasadena focus on the Downtown area. The Downtown area also has major shopping, and the Pasadena Playhouse and Civic Auditorium are both regional performing art centers.

The New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade (and associated Rose Bowl football game) are an international event, with the 5+ mile parade route lined with an estimate million viewers."

At El Camino Drive, Beverly Hills, California (StreetScore 88.20), irms says:

"A block away from Rodeo Drive and around the corner from everything you need. In the more accessible part of Beverly Hills, the flat part, is where you’ll find El Camino Drive. Lined with quaint single-family homes, it is just a short walk away from 2 Rodeo, the Mecca of high street shopping, and an even shorter walk to the less famous, but just as vibrant South Beverly Blvd. This street is unique as there is affordable boutique shopping just east and glamorous shopping just west. Rodeo Drive on the west and South Beverly drive just east. South Beverly Drive is for the younger crowd with popular hot spots like the Urth Cafe, Pinkberry and Burger 90210."

At W 34th Street, New York, New York (StreetScore 68.00), andiefrancese says:

"34th street is famous for it's role in the film "Miracle on 34th street" but it's far from a miracle in my mind. 34th street is loud, obnoxious and incredibly crowded. Macy's, Penn Station and the Empire State Building, which are all within walking distance of one another, create a triple threat that just seems to breed chaos. The amount of people in the area at any given time pretty much sucks the enjoyability out of the area. As a city dweller myself I don't mind crowds, but this is even too much for me."

At Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois (StreetScore 68.61), belleskids says:

"Wacker drive used for many movies through out history, including the blues brothers, known for being a multi level street and offering great views of the Chicago River. Provides great access to shopping, night life and the many great things Chicago has to offer. It is easy to get turned around and keep in mind the homeless often use lower Wacker as a resting place."

At Wilson Park Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (StreetScore 75.09), Lindian says:

"Wilson Park Road is in eclectic Parkdale, within walking distance of the lake, Roncesvalles Village and Liberty Village. The street is also within a 20 minute streetcar ride of downtown. And a 24 hour streetcar at that. A view of the lake at the bottom of the street is framed by the tree canopy and Victorian houses. Neighbours watch and share the streetscape. Parkdale has always had great community feeling in this most diverse neighbourhood in the city. Long time residents and newcomers feel at home."

At James Street, London, United Kingdom (StreetScore 70.56), lauryn says:

"Perfectly located off the ever popular Oxford Street, and just across the road from Bond Street tube station, James Street is a gorgeous little street that is perfect for lunch or a night out.

Filled with various types of restaurants, James Street is perfect for the local business people to lunch in, or for anyone looking for a great night out and dinner at fabulous restaurants in a convenient and lovely part of London.

It is also a great little retreat for shoppers who have spent the day on Oxford Street. There are loads of attractions close by such as Selfridges and many hotels for travelers.

James Street is delightful and it’s almost as if it should be closed off to traffic and used simply as a grassed area and street filled with food outlets. A visit to James Street is like stepping out of the hustle and bustle of London and into something a little more relaxing and enjoyable on a personal and social level.

Highly recommended for anyone in the area, James Street doesn’t get as busy and overcrowded as Oxford Street so it’s a great getaway if you don’t like crowds but still enjoy good food."

At Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand (StreetScore 88.20), Globetrotter says:

"Cuba Street is officially a registered Historic Area and has many buildings along its length are of historical significance. It is the trendy area of the city, with a real bohemian flavor – art galleries, music stores, craft shops. The centre section of the street has been closed to traffic since 1969 and is now a busy pedestrian mall. The Victoria University’s Te Aro campus is nearby, and the area is a hive of activity at night. Sadly it is also where many of the city’s homeless crash for the evening as well."

At Burralong Court, Burpengary, Queensland, Australia (StreetScore 74.67), deb123gold says:

"This has been a fabulous street to raise a family - a very quiet cul-de-sac with only local traffic. Have always felt 'safe' here. Never heard of any 'break-ins' in this street or vandalism. Kids will love being able to ride their bikes in the street without worrying about traffic passing through (apart from the odd neighbor arriving home!). So close to all shopping, medical and service facilities, also close to lakes, dams, duck ponds and parks.

A great alternative to 'country living' - has a country feel about it. All the houses in this street are on 3/4 acre, so neighbors have a bit of 'personal space' around them. In all the time here there have been only one or two noisy parties. Great street if you have a dog as most people in this street seem to have one! Walking the dog is a good way to get to know your neighbours as the dogs sure want to meet and greet each other!!"

Whatever streets you choose to travel on this holiday season, we hope you have enjoyed the genuine local advice provided by StreetAdvisor community members. And when you return from your own travels, be sure to share your opinions of the exciting paces you visited on StreetAdvisor.com.

An idyllic life on StreetAdvisor

Every review added to StreetAdvisor is helpful and contributes to the pool of knowledge about a street or city. Sometimes a review is so good or unique in some way that it deserves greater recognition.

This review of Cox Drive, Wagait Beach, Northern Territory (StreetScore 80.67) by lureinn is fantastic, particularly when you see how beautiful the ocean appears there (Wagait Beach is a suburb to the west of Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory in the north of Australia):

"Situated only 11km as the crow flies from Darwin Cox Drive runs parallel to Wagait Beach which is on the western side of the Darwin Harbour. All blocks are approx. 1 acre and the beach front blocks have a reserve parklands in front which tapers down to golden sands.

Our small community hosts about 450 people. Most of the working population and the school children enjoy a 15 minute ferry ride from the Mandorah Jetty to Cullen Bay (a suburb of Darwin) each morning and a very social ferry ride home in the afternoon.

The community runs aerobic classes and bike rides for the adults, social mornings for the seniors or those who work from home and a sports instructor runs training sessions for the youth. Fishing, photography, bushwalks, bike riding, beach walks, bird watching, exploring old WW2 sites are all part of the adventure of living at Wagait Beach."

That's a wonderful review that gives real insight into this community. What would you like to share about where you live? You can write your own review or start a forum topic today at StreetAdvisor.com.au.