Best Streets: Fairfield

1 Gillies Street

Fairfield’s focal point is the shopping strip along Station Street and by running parallel to it, Gillies Street has become one of the suburb’s most desirable addresses.

It’s also close to Fairfield station, so Gillies Street offers the best of both worlds — local shopping and cafe culture on the one hand and an easy commute to town on the other.

Unlike many other suburban streets near shopping strips, it also has some of the best looking properties in the neighbourhood.

The prettiest homes in the street are usually renovated double-fronted weatherboards with driveways and landscaped front gardens. But further away from the station you’ll find more homes in various states of renovation, some new properties and a few apartment blocks.

There’s no dominant architectural style but there are a lot of single-storey homes on medium-sized blocks from a range of eras. Robert Sordello, sales manager at Ray White Northcote, says single-fronted renovated houses in the street generally start from $700,000, but renovated double-fronted properties are now climbing to $1 million plus territory.

2 Rushall Street

This is solid suburban territory that appeals to inner-city families needing more room and a bit of yard. Whether it’s because of the suburb’s proximity to the river and Darebin parklands or that it is just that little bit closer to the private school belt, Fairfield is the missing link between the inner city and the eastern suburbs.

The evolution starts in streets like Rushall Street: quiet, leafy, and with plenty of older houses on large blocks.

It looks like prime development territory but most of the houses are undergoing renovation instead of demolition and, apart from a few older apartment blocks, the street is dominated by older double-fronted, single-storey houses, ideal for families.

Hidden away, with a laneway at one end of the street, Rushall Street has the trifecta — privacy, potential for improvement, and walking distance to transport and shopping. That’s why buying in this area now requires significant funds — in March an original California bungalow at number 38 sold for $1.17 million and in June a solid brick Edwardian at number 36 sold for $1.2 million.

3 Arthur Street

Even local estate agents admit that Fairfield has few architectural landmarks. Generally flat, with medium-sized blocks featuring mostly single-storey pre-war weatherboards, Fairfield’s streets have a sameness that is either reassuringly consistent or depressingly bland, depending on your point of view.

Arthur Street may be typical in this respect but it also has some undeniable assets. Like Gillies Street, it’s close to Station Street and Fairfield station; it’s long, leafy and wide, with little through traffic, and has access to parks, schools and sports clubs.

Prices in the street have been steadily climbing this year with renovated two-bedroom weatherboard houses selling in the $800,000s. Unrenovated three-bedroom places are closer to $1 million.

A double-fronted brick home needing a bit of cosmetic work at 39 Arthur Street sold for $985,000 in June. And at the top end of the market, expect to pay closer to $1.5 million. A four-bedroom renovated California bungalow at number 36 sold for more than $1.4 million in May.