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Retrospectives

How many places have you lived?

Susannah and Daniel, circa 1976Here’s a list of all the places I’ve lived. Some of the info from my early years is a bit vague. I suppose I could ask my mum for more details, but I’m not sure it’s that critical.

  • 1970: A flat somewhere in Sydney — for a short time after my birth
  • 1971ish: A flat somewhere in St Kilda, around Fitzroy Street
  • 1971-3ish: A house (I think) somewhere in South Melbourne
  • 1973-4ish: A house in Thornbury, I think in Hutton Street, though I couldn’t swear to it
  • 1974-7: 7/62 Hotham Street, East St Kilda [Pictured]
  • 1977-81ish: 11/62 Hotham Street, East St Kilda — we upgraded to the first floor
  • 1981-82ish: 2/298 Inkerman Road, East St Kilda — apart from the semi-detatched house we rented, we also rented a bungalow at the back, which for a while was home to nothing but my small collection of model trains
  • 1982-5ish: 6/23 Pine Avenue, Elwood — this was great, being so close to the beach. I used to regularly get on my bike and ride up and down the beachside bike path.
  • 1985-6ish: 1b Staniland Grove, Elsternwick — above a shop. The night was regularly punctuated by passing trams, shop alarms and the lady in the neighbouring flat getting rat-arsed.
  • 1987-9ish: 6/27 Beena Avenue, Murrumbeena — right next to the Dandenong line. After about a week we didn’t notice the trains going by, apart from it drowning out the television. In year 11-12 I’d regularly meet up with a bunch of other students on the 7:40am train.
  • 1989-1993: My mum’s place in Hampton, though it’s closer to the Hampton East (should be called Moorabbin) shops
  • 1993-1995: A flat at 166 Power Street, Hawthorn — the first time I moved out of home. From memory the phone number also ended in 1666, which was perhaps just co-incidence, or perhaps by-design, I don’t know. Being right next to the tram stop was handy, and in fact you could hear the city-bound tram coming around the corner, indicating if you wanted to catch it you might need to run up the driveway.
  • 1995-2003: Booran Road, Glen Huntly — which was good, apart from being on a main road and having neighbours who occasionally left the TV blaring at night.
  • Briefly in 2000: a flat in Waratah Avenue, Glen Huntly
  • 2003-2005: Ames Avenue, Carnegie — the old cold house with the huge back yard which took forever to mow
  • 2005-: My current place in Bentleigh

Hmm, 16 places (in 38 1/2 years), which is more than I thought it might be.

I know from going past and looking around on Google Streetview that most of them are still there, but many of them have been renovated and look little like they did when I lived there.

How about you?

See also: Commutes of my youth

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.

19 replies on “How many places have you lived?”

Whoa – you’ve moved house every 2-3 years throughout your entire life!!! Do you even get around to unpacking every box? :)

I’ve lived in each home for about 8 years – plus three stints of two years (two years in Sydney, and renting two different places while building my home).

I just added it up and I’ve lived in 16 places and I’m only 34. This doesn’t include 4 stints (4-6 weeks each) staying with relatives or friends when I was looking for a place to live after I moved countries. And I’m looking to move again – eek!

When I was born (1978) my parents lived in a 2br flat in Barkly St, St Kilda (it’s still there, unrenovated). A year or 2 after they moved to Thomasina St, East Bentleigh, where my mum still lives (dad passed away). And when I was about 23 I moved to Ormond Rd, Ormond (ie. not very far away at all) and I’ve been there ever since. Nothing like the nomadic life you’ve had Daniel!

I think the large number of homes just comes from having been in a family that rented, until I finally bought my current place.

Chris, yeah for a while it was a running joke amongst some of my friends about how many boxes I had left still sealed in the spare room.

Jayne, yeah, probably! The hospital was only a few doors down, but gone now, replaced by townhouses.

I have lived in 14 places myself. One was as short as 3 months and a few others were for a year. I have lived in 7 different states in the US and1 foregin country (Australia). I lived in my childhood home in Reading, Pennsylvania for 11 years and 9 months. I owned and lived in my condo apt. in Miami for 11 years and 7 months. I have lived in Australia for 1 year now.

Daniel, were you born in Sydney or Melbourne?

Jed, yes, I was born in Sydney. Do you intend to stay in Australia? At what point will you not consider it a foreign country anymore?

0-5yrs old – Fergusons St, Miling (Parents)
5yrs old – Wallana, Broomehill (Farm)
6-10yrs old – Cardo, Watheroo (Farm)
11-13yrs old – Kia Ore, Moora (Farm)
13-17 yrs old – Atbara St, Moora (Family)
17-18yrs – Kintore St, Moora (sister)
19yrs – Alice St, Doublview (Aunt)
20yrs – Ferguson St, Miling (Aunt+Uncle)
21- 22yrs – The Avenue, Crawley (Just me)

most of them were farms my dad worked on so i cant exactly hunt them on google earth …

never thought i would like living on my own at all but its a small flat in a massive block no its not really like im all alone :-)

Shaz – some familiar streets and place names there!

Me (with a similar record to Daniel):

0-3yrs: Chook farm, Armadale, Perth
3: Flat in Labourchere Rd, South Perth, Perth
4. Flat in Como, Perth
5. Share house in Beveridge St, Bentley, Perth
6. Derelict house on ‘Melba Downs farm’ 30km SW Moora
7. House at ‘Exmoor’ near Berkshire Valley on Miling Rd, Moora
8. Nice brick house about 5-10km west of Moora on Dandaragan Rd
9. Disused Infant Health Clinic, Moora (near Tennis courts)
10. Commission house, 12 Lenane St, Moora (parallel to Kintore St)
11. Rosa Brook Rd, Margaret River
12-17. Shervington Avenue, Witchcliffe
18. Guild House, Bentley, WA (student accom)
18-22. Marquis St, Bentley, WA (share house)
22 – 26. Garran Pl, Garran, ACT (unit)
26 – 31. Walnut St, Carnegie, Vic (unit)
31-36. Kokaribb Rd Carnegie, Vic (unit)
36 – present

Daniel, I do intend to stay here in Australia. It might have been better to say “another country” as Australia is no longer a foreign place to me.

To the average person in the US Australia would be considered a very far away and exotic place to visit let alone live in.

WOW! … what a random place to find people from Moora!

dont think i could ever leave WA tho … in fact its hard enuff trying to stay in Perth and not head bush again :(

Hmmz…
0 – 12 y/o: Amess St, North Carlton
12 – 15 y/o: Clarke St, Mt Macedon
15 – 17 y/o: Bowyer Ave, Kew
18 – 20 y/o: Flinders St, Thornbury
20 – 21 y/o: Ross St, Northcote
21 y/o – current: Nunan St, East Brunswick

six places.

Born in Geelong – 1954
Before I was 5 yrs old had lived in Carlton, Fairfield and Kensington
5-11 years old live in both 48 and 50 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne
11-17 lived at 27 Rosstown Road, Carnegie
17-18 lived at Kurringai Crescent, Noble Park
18 lived in a flat in Rosstown Road, Carnegie for about half a year
18-19 lived back at Kurringai Crescent then moved into a semi-detached house in Noble Park
19-26 lived in James Street, Dandenong and Agnes Street, Noble Park
26-30 lived in Van Nuys, Californa USA
30-31 shared accommodation in Doveton Vic
31-41 lived in Bishop Street, Brunswick
41-44 lived in Bryant Street, Flemington
44-51 lived in Kent Street, Ascot Vale
51-54 lived in O’Farrell Street,Yarraville
Currently residing in Narre Warren and hating it :-(

lets see here…
5 year Gladesville, Sydney
6 months Whitebridge, Newcastle
18 years Charlestown, Newcastle
1 month North Strathfield, Sydney
9 months Ryde, Sydney
3 years Concord West, Sydney
3 years Homebush, Sydney
1 year Notting Hill, London
3 months Ashfield, Sydney
3 months Cooks Hill, Newcastle (with mother inlaw for birth of daughter)
6 months Cooks Hill, Newcastle (around the corner from mother inlaw)
6 months Concord West, Sydney (across the road from old Concord West place – evicted as the owners wanted to move in!)
2 months and counting Concord, Sydney…

so 13 places in 33 years… but 6 moves in the last 3 years has been a killer… we are looking for somewhere to buy so we dont have to move ever again! (well, one more move I guess)

1 (and first) Ringwood East
2 Carnegie
1 Ormond
1 South Melbourne
2 St Kilda
2 Windsor
and soon to move to BRUNSWICK YEAH !
Not many for 47 years.

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