Melbourne’s West and North Are Paying the Price for Broken Promises – Property Sales Plunge
/A new CoreLogic report has laid bare something many locals have long suspected: property sales are plunging in Melbourne’s west and north. Of the ten Victorian suburbs where home sales have crashed the hardest over the past year, eight are in the west and north-west. Only two — Frankston North and Narre Warren South — sit in the southeast.
This matters for more than just market stats. It’s a flashing red warning about how years of government neglect and hollow infrastructure promises have bankrupted not just the budgets of hopeful first home buyers, but their dreams as well.
Once first home buyer hotspots — now caution zones
Wind the clock back 8 to 10 years, and suburbs like Melton South, Craigieburn, Caroline Springs, Epping, Point Cook, and Wyndham Vale were booming. They were the poster suburbs for first home buyers. Big developers promised affordable land, shiny new estates, and a future of bustling communities.
But fast forward to today, and these areas are starting to look more like outer fringe established zones, with growth slowing or even going backwards.
In fact, roughly 80% of the downturn in the ten worst-performing suburbs is concentrated in the west and north. Buyers and investors alike are waking up to the reality that local liveability simply hasn’t kept pace with the explosive population growth.
What went wrong?
It’s not complicated.
Residents in the west and north have been paying the same stamp duty, land tax, and GST as anyone else. They’ve pumped tens of billions into Victoria’s treasury over the past decade. So what have they seen in return?
No major new hospitals.
No serious expansion of local roads.
No substantial upgrades to public transport.
Buses that are overcrowded, run infrequently, and still leave passengers waiting in long lines just to get to work.
Crumbling local roads and potholed arterials that barely handle current traffic, let alone growth.
Meanwhile, the state government has spent like a drunken sailor — chasing headlines and pouring billions into showpiece projects like the Suburban Rail Loop, which promises a single line running from nowhere to nowhere, benefiting few of the residents footing the bill.
Traditional Labor heartlands left behind
Perhaps the cruelest irony is that these western and northern suburbs have been traditional Labor voting heartlands for generations. Families here expected a fair go, stable services, local jobs, and the kinds of infrastructure upgrades that were once the mark of smart, long-term planning.
Instead, they’ve received little more than ribbon cuttings, glossy flyers, and rehashed election slogans. Now, we’re seeing the inevitable result: buyers are turning away in droves.
The dream deferred — and the consequences
This isn’t just a short-term dip. It could take years, possibly decades, for these communities to recover the confidence lost through broken promises.
If you’re considering buying in these areas, it pays to be cautious. Make sure you understand the local risks, check the real infrastructure pipeline (not just developer hype), and read contracts with care. You might like to start with our earlier piece on key risks for Victorian property buyers and why proper professional advice matters more than ever.
A final thought: Who really pays?
At the end of the day, it’s families in the west and north who shoulder the burden of overhyped promises that never materialise. They’re left with long commutes, strained hospitals, patchy bus services, and suburbs whose growth stories are stalling.
Meanwhile, billions of taxpayer dollars keep disappearing into projects designed more for glossy political wins than local needs.
The numbers in the latest property sales data don’t lie. If you live, work, or plan to buy in Melbourne’s west or north, it’s time to watch closely — because the real cost of neglect is written all over these suburbs’ declining fortunes.
✅ If you’d like personal guidance on buying or selling in these markets, or a tailored contract review to protect your position, get in touch with us at Victorian Property Settlements. Trusted for over 25 years by Victorian buyers and sellers.