Don't worry I'm coming to the end of my tour now. (Thank God for that I hear you say)
Just like any major city it's impossible to see all over the city in just a week. We were able to spend a few days looking around the suburbs. Last year we liked St Kilda quite a lot and there are some very nice suburbs there like Toorak with some big mansion real estate and a very popular suburb, South Yarra. This place has a lot of shops, some nice cafe's and bistros. You get a nice feel for the place here just sitting over a cold beer and watching the World go bye. Liked it there. As I mentioned before, the good thing about Melbourne is the brilliant transport system they have there, busses and trams that take you all over if you want to explore. You can buy a day ticket for the tram and use it all day long for something like $8 it's really good.
Like everywhere there are some run down looking places, and it's strange to sit on the tram and watch it move from a run down suburb like say North Richmond, which was scruffy and run down slowly along to South Yarra, with Ferrari and Maserati car showrooms. Big contrast. Everyone seems to describe South Yarra as plush and exclusive, but I thought it was a nice place but nothing outstanding. Again, I stick by my opinion that so many of these suburbs making up decent communities just need a really good lick of paint and a bit of maintenance to make them look so much better and so much more appealing. This is true of Melbourne just like everywhere else I have visited in Australia.
As for us, I think if we do make the move it would be Melbourne, and an area about 12 miles South West of the city called Point Cook. Its just a few minutes off the Princes Highway that will take you straight up to Melbourne. Here we found quite a nice area which looks to be a developing place, with lots taking shape. There's a lot of new housing being built there, modern smart looking homes of various budget. There's a new shopping precinct there, fantastic golf course, and for any golfers interested, it was an absolutely fantastic 18 hole course designed by Greg Norman. I'm not a golfer, but hey why not learn something new. In addition there's a beach or two just a few minutes away at Altona and Werribee South. Go beyond the area a little and your in beautiful countryside, so you could be swimming in the morning and horse riding in the afternoon. There's even a bird sanctuary there for those interested in that kind of thing. It really looks a nice community with something for everyone and yet sill in striking distance of the big city just 20minutes, with the train running to Altona close bye.
So if we do get the visa and decide to take it up, much to my surprise we have plumped for Melbourne. I was sure before this trip we would opt for Brisbane, but in the end we both agree Melbourne looks the best option for us, its just a question of Do we or Don't we, at the moment the jury is still out.
Thanks for all who listened, and all who read these posts, sorry to have gone on so much, and thanks for all the feedback, its always good to talk.
Cheers
Melbourne Suburbs (Point Cook)
