Neighbourhoods: Get more for less in Kensington

Charging along Racecourse Road on your way to the races at Flemington or perhaps further afield to Ballarat, it’s possible to be completely unaware of the existence of Kensington’s leafy streets and one of the prettiest shopping villages around. 

Tucked into the quiet corner between Tullamarine Freeway and the industrial end of the docklands area, it’s a small suburb of less than 10,000 people. Within that, there’s a diverse demographic – smaller households of professional people living in the now mostly renovated Victorian and Edwardian homes, bigger families living in the newer homes built over the past 20 years on the site of the former Newmarket Saleyards off Epsom and Ballarat Roads, and public housing tenants in the housing commission flats.

Local agent, Edward Thomas of Edward Thomas Real Estate says the suburb offers everything you’d find in pricier suburbs on the other side of town – but you can still find a renovated family home for under $1 million.

“It’s a fantastic inner-city suburb, with some great period homes and a real community spirit, and it’s just three  kilometres from the CBD.” 

Smack-bang in the middle of the suburb is the shopping village, where you’re likely to bump into your neighbours on your way home from the train station or having a weekend coffee at one of the nearby cafes. It’s that kind of place, says Thomas.

With many of its homes built across the ridge separating the Moonee Ponds Creek from the Maribyrnong River, it’s also a relatively hilly suburb which means there are  elevated views from streets such as McConnell and McCracken, which are also prized for their consistent streetscapes. Other sought-after streets include Ormond Street and   Wolseley Parade, where Hawthorn brick Victorian family homes regularly command prices well north of $1 million.

For families, there is the local Kensington Primary School and the Catholic Holy Rosary School. Mount Alexander College is in nearby Flemington, and Thomas says many Kensington teenagers also travel to Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School in Moonee Ponds, or to private schools in the eastern suburbs.

Locals love

The undisputed centre of the suburb is Kensington’s tree-lined shopping village along Macaulay  Road and Bellair Street, with its heritage character and boutique style. For a small suburb, the area clearly has a lot of coffee-drinkers, with a dozen busy cafes in a small area, among them The Premises and newcomer eatery Joseph Swan Deli.
J. J.Holland Park is a big local park with sporting fields, an adventure playground, indoor swimming centre, BMX and skating areas, as well as plenty of room for dog walking and running around. Lynch’s Bridge Reserve has access to the walking tracks along the Maribyrnong​ River.

Where else to look 

Flemington is less self-contained than Kensington and is bisected by busy Mount Alexander Road, but has a similarly tight-knit community and streets of renovated Victorian homes, mostly single-fronted. 
Ascot Vale, a little further north, will take you into more genteel family home territory, and a higher price point.

35 McConnell Street
$1.25 million – $1.3 million
3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms ROW at rear 

Auction, 1.30pm, September 26
Inspect 11am to noon 
Edward Thomas Real Estate, Edward Thomas 0418 353 357

Beyond the door of this Victorian house on one of Kensington’s best streets, all notions of period style fall away and you’re in a fresh, open, contemporary space with gleaming surfaces offset by timber beams and rich polished timber floors. The artful redesign, with its lofty ceilings and clever clerestory windows, takes advantage of the block’s slope to create a great sense of elevation and light.  The living area opens up to an entertaining deck that looks out over the local area. 

Room for improvement: A covered al fresco area at the rear could be turned into a garage with access to the right-of-way at the rear, perhaps incorporating an upstairs studio – subject to council approval, of course. 

37 Hardiman Street
$850,000 – $935,000
3 bedrooms 1 bathroom ROW at rear

Auction, 2pm, Sept 26
Inspect 12pm-12.30pm Saturday
Rendina, Richard Rendina 0433 779 607

With its lovely treed median strip, this end of Hardiman Street is quiet and pleasant, and a hop and a skip from the popular Macaulay Road shopping strip and two train lines. Behind the weatherboard front with its timber fretwork-decorated verandah, the three-bedroom house is freshly painted and polished to show off its Victorian period details. It manages to pack a lot of living area into its compact footprint, and opens up nicely to the north-facing back garden.

Room for improvement: A roller door installed into the back fence could take advantage of the laneway at the rear, to provide an off-street car space.

71 Rankins Road
$780-850,000
3 bedrooms 1 bathroom ROW 
Built circa 1890

Auction, 1.30pm, September 12
Inspect 1pm – 1.30pm Saturday
Nelson Alexander, Jon McKenna, 0418 591 800

This late-Victorian weatherboard double-fronter was last renovated around 25 years ago and, while it’s quite liveable as is, there is scope for another major makeover. One of the three bedrooms has a lovely original timber fireplace and there are vestiges of other period details throughout the front part of the home. It is in a great location, within walking distance of the Racecourse Road tram, and halfway between Kensington and Newmarket stations, it has the makings of a great family home. 

Room for improvement: With just over 300 square metres of land to play with, there’s plenty of room here to extend out and perhaps up as well.