Best Suburbs for La Trobe University Students

La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus is in Melbourne’s northeast, about 15km from the CBD. It’s surrounded by residential suburbia and native bushland, which means two things: the campus itself is beautiful, and the surrounding suburbs are quiet. Very quiet.

The good news is that rent in the northeast is significantly cheaper than the inner city. The less good news is that your nightlife and social options are limited unless you commute south. Here’s where to live and what to expect.

Bundoora

The campus suburb.

Bundoora wraps around the La Trobe campus from the south and west. It’s a suburban residential area — wide streets, brick veneer houses, front lawns, and not much happening commercially. The main strip is along Plenty Road, where you’ll find a shopping centre with a Coles, a few takeaway shops, and not a lot else.

Rent:

• Share house room: $160-200/pw
• 1BR apartment: $260-300/pw
• On-campus accommodation: $200-300/pw (La Trobe Residential Services)

Getting to campus: Walk. Most share houses in Bundoora are within 10-20 minutes on foot. On-campus accommodation is, obviously, on campus. Bus Route 250 runs along Plenty Road and connects to the campus entrance.

What it’s like: Bundoora is functional. The houses are mostly 1970s-90s brick builds with three to four bedrooms — decent-sized rooms by Melbourne standards. The suburb is safe, quiet, and family-oriented. Students are a noticeable presence but not the majority — unlike Clayton around Monash, Bundoora doesn’t feel like a student suburb.

The campus itself provides most of the amenities students need: a library open late, a gym, food outlets, a bar (The Agora), and social events. La Trobe’s campus community is stronger than many Melbourne universities because there’s less to pull students away — you socialise on campus because there’s nowhere else to go.

Social life: Minimal off-campus. The campus bar and student events are your main social outlets. For anything beyond that, you’re heading south to Preston or the CBD.

Best for: Students who want the cheapest rent and shortest commute. First-year students who benefit from on-campus accommodation and the built-in social structure.

Reservoir

Cheaper, connected, and close enough.

Reservoir — everyone calls it Rezza — is two suburbs south of La Trobe campus. It’s on the South Morang/Mernda train line, which gives you direct access to the CBD. The suburb is working-class, multicultural, and affordable.

Rent:

• Share house room: $130-160/pw
• 1BR apartment: $240-280/pw

Getting to campus: Bus Route 561 connects Reservoir Station to the La Trobe campus in about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can cycle — it’s about 5km along Plenty Road, mostly flat.

What it’s like: Reservoir’s main commercial strip is Broadway, which runs parallel to the train line. There’s a Coles, a few cafes, kebab shops, and a scattering of restaurants reflecting the suburb’s Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, and Indian communities. It’s not a destination — nobody visits Reservoir for fun — but it covers the basics.

The residential streets are grid-pattern suburbia. Brick veneer houses from the 1960s-80s, often with larger-than-average rooms. Share houses here are spacious and cheap. The catch is that they’re often older and in need of maintenance — check heating (you need it) and hot water (some still have old storage tanks that run out quickly).

Why students like it: The price. At $130-160/pw, Reservoir is $30-40/pw cheaper than Bundoora for a comparable room. Over a year, that’s $1,500-2,000 in savings. The trade-off is a 15-minute bus ride to campus instead of a walk.

Getting to the CBD: Reservoir Station to Flinders Street takes about 30 minutes on the South Morang/Mernda line. Trains run every 10-15 minutes during peak, every 20 minutes off-peak.

Social life: Very limited. Reservoir has a few pubs — the Reservoir Hotel, the Edwardes Lake Hotel — but nothing approaching a nightlife scene. Your social options are on campus (15 minutes north by bus) or in the CBD (30 minutes south by train).

Best for: Students who want the cheapest possible rent with reasonable access to both campus and the CBD. Budget-conscious students who are disciplined about commuting.

Preston

The best balance of price, amenity, and transit.

Preston sits between Reservoir and the trendier inner-north suburbs (Northcote, Thornbury). It’s been gentrifying for years — High Street has a growing cafe and restaurant scene — but rents haven’t fully caught up to its southern neighbours.

Rent:

• Share house room: $160-190/pw
• 1BR apartment: $280-320/pw

Getting to campus: Bus Route 561 from Preston Station to La Trobe campus takes about 20-25 minutes. Tram Route 86 runs along Plenty Road (slower — about 30 minutes to campus). Cycling is about 8km.

What it’s like: Preston has two identities. The area around Preston Market and High Street is increasingly trendy — good cafes (Alimentari, Wide Open Road’s Preston outpost), wine bars, and restaurants. Preston Market itself is excellent for cheap groceries — fruit, veg, meat, and deli goods at below-supermarket prices.

Away from High Street, Preston is still suburban — brick houses, quiet streets, parks. But it has more going on than Reservoir, and it feels like a suburb that’s going somewhere rather than standing still.

Getting to the CBD: Preston Station to Flinders Street takes about 20 minutes on the South Morang/Mernda line. Tram Route 86 along High Street and Plenty Road reaches the CBD in about 35-40 minutes (slower but scenic, running through Collingwood and Fitzroy).

Social life: Better than Reservoir or Bundoora. High Street has a handful of pubs and bars. The Penny Black is a solid gastropub. Preston Market’s food stalls and the surrounding cafes create a weekend brunch culture. For proper nightlife, you’re still heading to the inner north (Northcote or Fitzroy, both accessible by tram or train in 10-15 minutes).

Best for: Students who want more suburb amenity than Reservoir or Bundoora without inner-city prices. Students who value the tram connection to the inner north for social life.

Heidelberg

The leafy alternative.

Heidelberg is east of La Trobe campus, along the Hurstbridge train line. It’s a different feel from the suburbs along the South Morang line — more established, more leafy, and centred around the Warringal Shopping Centre and the Heidelberg stretch of Burgundy Street.

Rent:

• Share house room: $170-210/pw
• 1BR apartment: $290-330/pw

Getting to campus: Bus Route 250 connects Heidelberg Station to La Trobe campus in about 15 minutes. The connection isn’t as frequent as the Route 561 from Reservoir or Preston — check the timetable carefully. Cycling is about 5km, mostly along residential streets.

What it’s like: Heidelberg is quieter and more established than Preston. Burgundy Street has a cafe strip, a Woolworths, a few restaurants, and the Heidelberg Theatre Company (if community theatre is your thing). The Austin Hospital and Warringal Private Hospital are major employers in the area.

The housing stock is a mix of older homes (some beautiful 1920s-40s houses) and newer apartment developments near the station. Share houses here tend to be in the older homes — more character, more maintenance issues.

Heidelberg’s connection to the art world is worth mentioning — the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionist painting was based here in the 1880s. The Heide Museum of Modern Art is nearby in Bulleen, a 10-minute drive east.

Getting to the CBD: Heidelberg Station to Flinders Street takes about 25-30 minutes on the Hurstbridge line. Trains run every 15-20 minutes during peak.

Social life: Quiet. Heidelberg has a few pubs and cafes but no nightlife to speak of. It’s a suburb where people live and commute elsewhere for entertainment. The upside is that the Yarra River trail is nearby for running and cycling, and Banyule Flats is a decent nature walk.

Best for: Students who prefer a quieter, leafier suburb and don’t mind a slightly less convenient bus connection. Also good for students with cars — Heidelberg has easier parking than the suburbs along Plenty Road.

The South Morang/Mernda Line — Your Lifeline

If you’re a La Trobe student, the South Morang/Mernda train line is the most important piece of transport infrastructure in your life. It runs from the CBD (Flinders Street) through Clifton Hill, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Reservoir, and up to South Morang and Mernda.

Key stations:

• Reservoir — closest station with bus connection to campus (Route 561)
• Preston — one stop south, bus connection via Route 561
• Thornbury — two stops south, start of the trendier inner north
• Northcote — three stops south, genuine nightlife and restaurant scene
• Clifton Hill — interchange with the Hurstbridge line

The train determines your social geography. Suburbs on this line are easily accessible for both campus commute and city access. Suburbs off this line (like Heidelberg, which is on the Hurstbridge line) add a transfer at Clifton Hill, which increases travel time.

Living Costs Compared

The difference between the cheapest option (Reservoir) and the most expensive (Heidelberg) is about $45/pw or $2,340 per year.

FAQ

Is La Trobe campus isolated?

Compared to RMIT or Melbourne Uni, yes. The campus is surrounded by suburbia and bushland, not cafes and bars. But “isolated” is relative — you’re 30 minutes from the CBD by train, and the campus community is active enough to sustain a social life without leaving. Many La Trobe students report that the campus itself becomes their social hub more than the surrounding suburb.

Should I live on campus or off campus?

On-campus accommodation at La Trobe is genuinely good. The campus is large (over 230 hectares), has native wildlife (kangaroos on campus is a real thing), and the residential community is tight-knit. For first-year students, especially those from regional areas or overseas, on-campus is worth the extra cost for the social benefits. From second year onwards, moving off-campus to Reservoir or Preston saves significant money.

Can I live in the inner north and commute to La Trobe?

Yes, if you’re on the South Morang/Mernda line. Northcote to Reservoir is about 10 minutes by train, then a 15-minute bus to campus. Total commute: 30-35 minutes. This gives you inner-north social life with La Trobe campus access. It costs more (Northcote share houses are $210-250/pw) but some students find the lifestyle trade-off worth it.

What’s the deal with the South Morang train line frequency?

During semester peak hours (7-9am, 4-6pm), trains run every 10-12 minutes. Off-peak and weekends, every 20 minutes. Late night (after 9pm), every 30 minutes. The last train from the CBD to Reservoir is around midnight. Plan accordingly if you’re going out in the city — missing the last train means a $40-60 Uber home.