Yarraville's homes
Nineteenth-century beginnings
Yarraville was subdivided in 1859, when residential development began, and by 1880 it was becoming a hub for factories. Its village streets are lined with refurbished 19th century buildings.
Close in
It's in the City of Maribyrnong, 6 km west of the CBD and immediately north of the West Gate Bridge.
Houses, with some flats
Of 6,060 occupied homes in 2021, 71.7% were separate houses, 16.2% semi-detached or terrace houses and 10.9% flats.
Owners and renters
38.3% of homes were owned with a mortgage, 33.2% rented and 26.5% owned outright.
Heating a period house properly
Rinnai says higher ceilings demand more from a system and good insulation helps hold the temperature. In an old house, that cuts both ways: size for the real ceiling height, and fix the draughts and ceiling insulation first. CHOICE says in a well-insulated, well-sealed house a split can hold a comfortable temperature while running at very low power.
If you still have a gas heater, have a gasfitter check it before sealing the house up, because tighter homes need the right ventilation for gas appliances.
Three ways to heat a Yarraville period home
| Split or multi-head | Hydronic | Ducted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Wall units in the rooms you use, with one or more outdoor units | Hot water through radiator panels or under the floor | One central unit feeding vents through the roof or floor |
| Cooling | Yes, if reverse cycle | Treat it as heating, and ask before assuming any cooling | Yes, if reverse cycle |
| Zoning | Switch on only the rooms you're in | The ACT Government says it can zone down to one room | Through dampers in the ducts |
| What to check first | Where each outdoor unit can go | The heat source: gas, or a heat pump | Roof or underfloor space for ducts |
What we'd do
Our take for a Yarraville home
Fix the draughts and ceiling insulation before buying anything. Then, for most period homes we'd look first at reverse cycle splits or a multi-head in the rooms you use, because they also cool. If you love radiant warmth and have cooling sorted another way, hydronic is worth quoting. In a heritage street, ask Maribyrnong City Council about outdoor unit positions first.
Send us the job and your 3013 postcode. Licence-checked local installers who do that kind of work see your job, and only the one who takes it gets your phone number. If no one near Yarraville takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it as well.
