Swanbourne Dreaming

From Deb’s Desk

There is an endless list of benefits associated with living in Swanbourne – walk or pedal to the beach; enjoy the great sports facilities at Allen Park and take advantage of quality schools and shopping.

Availability and access to all these as well as great public transport options make Swanbourne a high end desirable suburb.

As I said, the list goes on and on.  But what still amazes me is that cross the border from Cottesloe into Swanbourne and you get an immediate 30% price discount on property prices.

Swanbourne’s median price over the past year was $1.42million compared to Cottesloe’s $2.1m and yet there is the same mix of quality facilities, housing and beach access.

Not surprisingly properties in Swanbourne are selling at a considerably quicker rate than in their ritzy neighbour – taking an average of 36 days compared to Cottesloe at 53 days.

I’m also a real fan of the Swanbourne village with its great mix of quirky specialty shops, cafes and take-away food outlets as well as the best-stocked IGA in the Western Suburbs!

It has a lovely relaxed bohemian feel to it and also plays host to the wonderful Beaumont Retirement Village which so many local families have been grateful for over the years.

Many empty nesters are also looking at Swanbourne as the ideal “downsizer” suburb. Couples who have raised families in big houses on large blocks in Nedlands and other  “quarter and half-acre” suburbs such as Peppermint Grove and  Dalkeith are finding the housing stock and smaller blocks, especially around Swansea, particularly attractive given their proximity to all Swanbourne has to offer.

I’m finding that “downsizers” love the fact that they can walk to the beach or the village or the train station when they’re off to the football or a night out at the State Theatre.

And of course, most people moving in to Swanbourne from those larger block suburbs will find that they have sizeable sums left over from the downsize to add to their retirement funds.

Of course, no suburb these days is without its traffic concerns and there has already been a lot of debate about replacing the Swanbourne Railway Bridge.

Main Roads has declared the 100-year-old wooden structure unsafe and has proposed four design configurations for a new bridge which you can have a look at on the Main Roads website.

There was a well-attended community information session last October with residents expressing numerous concerns and we’re now told Main Roads will come up with new plans by mid-year.

The Swanbourne bridge is one of four railway bridges slated for replacement along the Perth to Fremantle line but is as yet

unfunded so there’s still plenty of water to go under this bridge before a final decision on its structure is made.

Meanwhile, take a tip from me and check out what Swanbourne has to offer, it’s a great place to live, play and prosper!