I haven’t been to Sunbury since the late 90s but I’d excpect a little gentrifiy and a little stabby. I think Epping is hilly with a lot of bush this fire risk. I’d go to Epping if I didn’t have to attend a place of work.

Have lived in the outer west and north, but not those suburbs specifically. They are both working class suburbs, generally people with middle to lower income. Due to the socioeconomics you might encounter some people with issues. But you can have meth junkies in south Yarra too, and I would say I’ve have way more of those encounters in the inner city than I have ever seen in the suburbs. The suburbs are quiet places where people mostly keep to themselves. As for amenities, I guess it depends what you need. There’s not lots of restaurants or hipster cafes or micro breweries. Because it’s lower density living there’s a a good chance you’ll need to drive to get to supermarket etc. But if those things are ok for you there’s no reason to not live there. The stabiness is greatly exaggerated.