The Real Thing

Driving to church this morning, I saw a publicity sign on Sydney Road - one of those signs that the Melbourne tourism crew put together to make each region feel special. And there was a picture of a typical Coburg scene, with the caption: "Coburg - The Real Thing".

I liked it, even though I wasn't exactly sure what it meant. More to the point, what was it implying about the rest of Melbourne - that it was fake? Nevertheless, there is a feeling of down-to-earth reality in my side of town that makes me love it very much. In fact, I've heard a number of people describe it as more "real" than the wealthier parts of town. I have a feeling I've said similar things myself.

One of the catch-phrases amongst English teachers at my school right now is "Who's Reality?", the topic/context that our Year 12 students study throughout the year. The concept of it all is that they examine the way that reality varies from person to person - a thoroughly postmodern concept, of course, but like all things postmodern it started off okay before it became a law unto itself. And Coburg is a good case in point. For the citizens of Coburg, this is the real thing. This is "real life". For people in Hawthorn, reality is very different. They can simply afford a plusher reality.

So do we only settle for the down-to-earth reality of Coburg if we can't afford an alternative? Possibly, but I doubt it. Many urbane, upwardly mobile types are moving to the inner-northern suburbs, partly because it's cheaper than other options, but partly (and perhaps mostly) because they like it. As someone who rents, I was hardly constrained by housing prices when I decided to live on this side of town. I liked it. I liked how it felt. Anyone who has read this blog for much of its 2 year existence will know that very well. It's no more reflective of any universal "real thing" than "The Wire", but there's a feeling, when you live this side of town, that you are engaged in life along with many others like and unlike you. You are not living in a gated community. You are not buying your isolation. You live, if you will, in solidarity with your community.

At least that's how it feels to me. That's why I like the north. That's why I plan on living, working and serving here for a while longer at least.

Affordable Housing

So apparently the time has passed. I understood that buying property in West Preston would be cheap now and an excellent investment for the future, but a colleague told me at work yesterday that she thought it was already getting expensive. So where does that leave me, if I ever do feel like buying something? Oakhill in Reservoir is apparently affordable, and in these things it doesn't pay to be a snob. In fact, snobbery costs quite a bit of money.

I love the Northern suburbs. I feel like there's a truer cross-section of society here, and community that isn't dependent on having a tennis court and swimming pool for entertaining. And yet it hardly seems worth the price that you would pay currently to live here. My rent is very cheap, I know, but that has less to do with the suburb I live in and more to do with my landlords being the parents of my two housemates. Much as I like Preston, I can't help feeling that, if prices are too high already, the market is clearly growing more rapidly than the suburb. There are very few services in West Preston, aside from the Regent Village shops (not half as quaint or charming as the name implies; there's a Post Office/Newsagent that's mostly used to buy Tattslotto tickets, a Pharmacist, and a few takeaway places) and the Foodworks that just opened down the road. If this suburb is too expensive for me, where would I have to live to get something affordable?

It's all academic, really. Nothing is affordable for me right now, and I'm very happy renting. It's just a bit of a shock to realise that even my humble and moderately dirty suburb is becoming "gentrified" in terms of prices. It's mostly a shock because there's little evidence of this gentrification when you walk down the street. What I see is a humble, quiet, multicultural streetscape, with a reasonable amount of rubbish lying around - and I guess people are willing to pay good money for that, if it means living twenty minutes from the city.