Braybrook is an inner western suburb of Melbourne, located 10km west of Melbourne's CBD within the City of Maribyrnong Local Government Area.
In the past Braybrook was referred to as 'the ghetto' or 'bronx' of Melbourne, with a very large proportion of Melbourne's public housing being within the suburb. Prior to the mid 2000s, this number was over 60%.
Over the course of the 2000s to the mid 2010s and today, most of the public housing in Braybrook has now been sold off, and Braybrook has begun its gentrification phase.
Braybrook is a key suburb in the Victorian Government's Urban Renewal Scheme, as it is phenomenally located and the cheapest suburb within 10km of Melbourne's CBD.
Lifestyle
Braybrook is family a family suburb whether that be with children or without children. The suburb is mostly residential in the centre, and industrial in the north and south eastern corner.
Many residents enjoy the wide open space of Braybrook, which alike to neighbouring Maidstone has many larger existing lots that are above 600m2.
Braybrook is home to many large parks, which are used for sporting purposes such as Kinder Smith Reserve, Braybrook Park & Pennell Reserve.
Cranwell Park is an off leash dog park in the northern end of the suburb. Duke Street Reserve, Braybrook Reserve Playground, Airforce Avenue Playground and Pritchard Reserve Playground are all common locations where locals can be seen relaxing and picnicking.
Sunshine Line Reserve, Mathews Hill Reserve and Braybrook Grasslands are all common places where many locals exercise daily.
Cafes are beginning to make a come back in Braybrook and so is commercial centres, such as the Central West Shopping Centre on South Road.
School Zones
Dinjerra Primary School and Rosamond School are the two most common schools for public primary aged students to attend. Christ the King Primary School is also located within the suburb and serves students seeking a catholic education.
Braybrook College is the most common school for adolescent students to attend, though some also attend Footscray High School. Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is for students of the same age seeking a catholic education.
The Western English Language School on south road is also within the suburb, and serves many of the new migrants and english as a second language students in the local area and surrounding suburbs.
Private schools are uncommon for students to attend in Braybrook, however some of the students who attend often board Melbourne Grammar School, Melbourne Girls Grammar School and Geelong Grammar School.
Yarraville Special Development School is a school for special needs students that is 15 minutes away from Braybrook.
Demographics
Braybrook was once a very low socioeconomic suburb, with extremely large crime, social and violence problems. This begun to change in the 2000s, when the government begun selling of large numbers of public housing to private developers and individuals.
In 2006 the weekly median household income was $1,051, which has now increased close to 40% to $1,451 per week. This number is still largely affected by the existing unemployment in the public housing still existing in the suburb.
Braybrook is still very much a working class neighbourhood, however this is changing rapidly as the Victorian government continues to develop, sell off and maintain the suburb as it is a key part of Melbourne's inner west.
Large Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian populations are within Braybrook, and have been a large factor in the development of the community.
Employment
The number of professionals and managers in Braybrook has increased by over 50% in the past 15 years, moving from a number close to 20%, to over 30% today.
The largest industries of employment are cafes, supermarkets, healthcare and finance. Many of the new professionals work in both the Footscray and Sunshine hospital precincts.
There are a large number of machinery operators and tradesman still in the suburb, who work at many of the nearby estates and industrials sites throughout the inner west.
Transport
Tottenham and Sunshine Railway Stations are the closest to Braybrook, and run regular services to and from Melbourne's west and CBD.
Buses are another common method of transport and run mainly along Braybrook's main roads: Churchill Avenue, South Road, Ashley Street and Ballarat Road.
Cars are the most common method of transport in Braybrook, largely due to the open space and large lot sizes than average. More than 50% of residents use private transport as a means of transport.
Shopping Centre's, Restaurants & Facilities
Braybrook is best known as being the home of Central West Plaza and for its community centre. Central West Plaza has been developing over the years and now is one of the best plaza's west of Footscray in Melbourne.
The community centre offers many residents clubs to join and other assistance services such as ESL classes and counselling.
The many parks which exist in the suburb, leave sport as a very popular topic, particularly aussie rules. 1982 Brownlow Medalist Brian Wilson, played for the Braybrook Sporting Club as did Doug Hawkins and Ted Whitten.
Cricket and soccer are the other two sports that are popular in Braybrook. The Melbourne Knights Football Club play locally at nearby Dobson Reserve in West Footscray.
Local shopping is done generally at the Central West Plaza, however most department shopping is done in the CBD or Docklands.
Residents often also travel to Williamstown, Footscray and Yarraville for other lifestyle events such as festivals and days out.
Development
Alike to Maidstone, Braybrook is a developers dream suburb for smaller scale developments. Being a suburb of urban renewal, developers have great incentive to improve the suburb, with many advantageous regulations benefitting Braybrook.
Much of the bottom part of the suburb is now developed into townhouses, that was previously industrial space. This has created a very nice sense of community and changed much of the negative stigma in the suburb.
Commercial developments mainly happen along the main roads of the suburb, with shop top housing making a small appearance in some locations.
Most of the best development sites in Braybrook are 3 & 4 lot townhouse developments, though a lot of existing stock is held by developers land banking to ensure exceeding profits for future years to come.
Capital Growth
Despite the past stigma of Braybrook it has performed exceptionally well over the last 30 years, placing inside the top 50 in Aussie Home Loans 25 Year Report in 2018.
Braybrook houses have on average grown at 10% year on year and some homes are known to do as well as 13%. Developers who have bought and developed on these lots over the past 30 years have done extremely well.
Townhouses perform at 5% capital growth in Braybrook and units have insufficient numbers as they make up less than 4% of the suburb.
Cash Flow
Braybrook has some of the best yielding houses in Melbourne, with yields averaging 3.5% year on year. This is down from previous yields in the 2010s being closer to 4.5% due to exceptional capital growth.
Townhouses yield closer to 4.5% year on year. Homes and townhouses close to the station can yield as much as 4% and 5% respectively.
Rental Demand
Braybrook has the lowest vacancy rates in Melbourne for houses consistently and averages 1.4% vacancy rates.
Townhouses average closer to 1.8% vacancy rates and are also the lowest in Melbourne for that type of dwelling.
Due to incredibly low vacancy rates, Braybrook has had consistently strong rental increases year on year, averaging close to 4%, meaning original land holders are very comfortable.
Rents have doubled in between the years of 2010 and 2024, moving from $300 per week to $600 per week.
Why You Require a Buyers Agent in Braybrook
Braybrook is Footscray and Yarraville 15 years ago. Still somewhat ignored, but the population is slowly catching on to the incredible performance of the suburb year after year.
A key contributor to this, who is not missing out is the developers who hold and purchase most of the suburbs best stock.
The central issue with purchasing in Braybrook is acquiring the right stock at the right price. Holding costs are good for Melbourne in Braybrook, hence those in the know will bid very strongly when the right product comes to market.
When this occurs, often homes are auctioned off, sold pre or off market for up to 20% over reserve price, wiping out the average buyer.
Having a buyers agent in your corner in Braybrook is crucial to your success. Having the right strategy, negotiation and access in Braybrook will ensure you save thousands on the way in and make hundreds of thousands for years to come.
Why not seek Professional Advice from one of our consultants
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