Avondale

By CHARLOTTE COSSAR.

Famous for its Hollywood Cinema, which showed The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday night for years, and large hairy spiders, Avondale is an established area on the city fringe.

With the demand for inner-city homes increasing, the area has become very popular in recent years for its affordability, motorway access and commutability to the airport and West Auckland.

Avondale is one Auckland's oldest areas, with the first European settlement as early as 1843. Originally part of the Whau District (an area reaching from near Mt Roskill to Henderson), the area became known as Avondale in 1882 and was characterised by its brick yards and market gardens.

Surrounded by more expensive areas, including Point Chevalier, Blockhouse Bay and Waterview, Avondale is popular with first-home buyers and immigrants, who choose the area for its good schools, job opportunities and lively community spirit.

WHAT IS THERE TO DO?

Avondale is known for its race course and jockey club in Ash St, but there are also other sporting clubs, including bowls, reserves and a nearby beach in the area.

For those who enjoy shopping, there are established shops and cafes in the main street and a new development of shops and apartments being completed in late 2003. Also, the New Lynn shopping centre and St Lukes are just along the road.

And every Sunday, a local market at the race course sells local produce, arts, crafts, foods and second-hand goods.

SCHOOLS

Avondale College, in Victor St, attracts many residents to the area. The college is a community school with a variety of facilities (the performing arts centre, all-weather hockey turf and the pavilion and stadium) and services, including evening adult education classes.

The other schools in the area are Avondale Primary School in Grayford St, Rosebank Primary in Rosebank Rd and Avondale Intermediate in Holly St. For the smaller folk, there is Avondale Kindergarten and Avondale Community Pre-school both in Rosebank Rd.

HOUSE PRICES

There are a range of homes in the area, including apartments, bungalows, villas, units, ex-State houses and townhouses. For townhouses and the older homes on half sites you can expect to pay in the low $200,000s, and bungalows, villas and brick and tile houses vary in price according to condition, presentation and location.

However, in general you can expect to pay from $160,000 for a two-bedroom unit or townhouse, about $180,000 for a two-bedroom home and from $280,000 for a three-bedroom house. Modern four-bedroom homes and larger, character abodes tend to fetch upwards of $280,000. And properties around Rosebank Rd tend to be slightly cheaper than the elevated properties above Great North Rd towards New Windsor.

Being so close to the city and reasonably priced, the area attracts investment buyers keen to cash in on the popularity of the area for renting because it is close to Unitec, business couples, first-time buyers and young families.