I grew up in a house on a street called Railway Parade. One side of the street was lined with federation-style homes and mid-century brick clinkers, the other – as the name suggests – was home to the railway line.
"What's that?! Why is the house shaking?!" friends of mine visiting for the first time would exclaim as a train went by.
"Oh, a train," I'd say barely registering it, even though the old timber floors and stained-glass windows in our house were vibrating as a familiar "toot!" rang out from across the road.
View from the verandah of the house I grew up in. Picture: realestate.com.au
I'd lived in the home since I was born, so I didn't know anything different. Trains going by – and loudly – was just a part of every-day life.
This week our property journalist Daniel Butkovich wrote a story about a recent landmark study by PropTrack and Ambient Maps, which found homes close to transport noise tended to be cheaper than those in quieter areas.
It also noted that there were health impacts associated with living near noise pollution:
“Research by the World Health Organisation shows that noise is the second largest environmental problem affecting health after air pollution,” the PropTrack-Ambient report stated.
“Chronic exposure is linked to cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbance.”
Noise from freight trains decreases property values more than noise from passenger trains. Picture: Getty
Interestingly though, experts interviewed for the article also noted that homes near transport could be highly sought due to ease of access to cities and other ammenities.
Upgrades to noisy homes such a double-glazed windows can help (I heard my parents consider this many times through my childhood) and clever landscaping can also provide some sound protection.
My childhood home was fortunately on a large block, so the further you were from the front of the house, the less you could hear the choo-choo noise.
It was also a real novelty for many friends when I was little – especially the kids who were into trains.
The Indian Pacific would pass by my house. Picture: Getty
We'd sit on the front verandah and watch not only the regular passenger trains go by, but also the Indian Pacific, which would pass every week – its plethora of carriages taking a good 15 minutes chug along.
There were also freight trains and even old-school steam trains sometimes – those were the favourites of the locomotive enthusiasts who came to visit.
Friends would love to see the steam trains go by. Picture: Getty
By the time I was a teenager, I was walking to the station up the road and catching the train to my school in the city. As I got older, I could train-it to my friends' houses – it really gave me a sense of freedom.
Now that I have my own home, I have prioritised being close to a train station – I have two within a 15 minute walk.
Though I'm not directly across from the tracks, I still hear the odd "toot" from a passing train, and I can't say that I mind it.
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