this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2025
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I grew up in the south east (think The Basin, Croydon, FTG, and Knoxfield areas), and have never been out west except for a few times. I'm pretty well versed with the suburbs though, having worked in call centres servicing Victorians, but there are still suburb names I hadn't heard of before (Dallas for one, but that's more north than west).
I have one friend that lives west, but other than that I don't know anyone that side of town.
I think it comes down to size and travel time.
Size: Melbourne is really big. It's urban sprawl is huge, there are new housing developments everday, new small suburbs being names and built up.
Travel: because of it's size, it can take a while to get anywhere in Melbourne. Driving can take ages because of the roads and traffic, and PTV takes ages inherently. It takes me an hour and a half to get to Ringwood for Sunday lunch from Brunswick (train/tram into melb central, train out). Travelling across the city can be anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours.
I think both of those factors, and others, are major contributors to many Melbournians not mingling often with areas outside of the immediate area of their homes/work.
The divide has been there in my whole memory. The prejudice is deep.
The idea is the West is a scary working class place that you don't want to even visit.
Now swathes of it aren't even working class, they are underclass with a poverty I have never seen in Melbourne before.
Yarraville/Seddon is nothing special, old factory towns near Coode Island, badly polluted by heavy industry, with worker's cottages that have been renovated. But it's trendy with the young because it's more affordable than the much nicer Williamstown.
Visit Williamstown for nice or Altona for non trendy nice working class.
We went to Williamstown hospital the other day and couldn't believe how quiet it was. It was like a scene from A Country Practice. People walking past in the street saying hello. So peaceful.
Been to Williamstown plenty of times just not that side.
That is certainly a factor, generally speaking. My parents were working class when we lived SE. Dad was an engraver at a trophy supply store, and mum was a night cleaner at a factory in Bayswater. Exceptions exist everywhere, but yes, there is definitely a class divide between East and West, I agree.