We're off to Mellie on a Reccie in August 2016 :)

The only time I ever heard it called Mellie was from someone on here who wasn't enamoured of the place and was describing it as Smelly Mellie!

What we are trying to do is tell you that to sound credible, steer clear of "Mellie".....that's all.

And I've spent most of the last 60+ years in Australia and never heard a single person say Mellie. (Not often we agree, pc. :wink:)

 

The only capital city abbreviation I've ever heard is Brissie.

Just asked Mr Quoll who has spent most of his 67 years in Aus and he looked at me very blankly when I asked if he had ever heard Melbourne being shortened. Nope. I guess things may have changed in the past 3 weeks though.

Smellbum is an appropriate name...:tongue:

Cheers, Bobj.

It occurs to me that the OP may have spent his whole time in Melbourne in Irish pubs and meeting up with expats...

It occurs to me that the OP may have spent his whole time in Melbourne in Irish pubs and meeting up with expats...

That only 'just occurs' Marisa? Some feeling isn't it.

B

That only 'just occurs' Marisa? Some feeling isn't it.

Actually it occurred to me a while ago but I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. I didn't think you could possibly fly 15,000km and then spend your three weeks in a little British/Irish bubble.

Actually it occurred to me a while ago but I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. I didn't think you could possibly fly 15,000km and then spend your three weeks in a little British/Irish bubble.

No, we didn't do the pub thing, we got out, saw the country and met real people, unlike you Marisa, sitting in your chair 24/7 spouting negativity.

B

No, we didn't do the pub thing, we got out, saw the country and met real people, unlike you Marisa, sitting in your chair 24/7 spouting negativity.

 

What a nasty remark. No need to be rude. Just because I (and every other Aussie who's posted on this thread) has questioned your nickname for Melbourne. We are just trying to point out that you mark yourself out as a foreigner for using it. I was trying to guess where on earth you'd got the name from and surmising that perhaps you had been socialising with expats rather than Aussies.

What a nasty remark. No need to be rude. Just because I (and every other Aussie who's posted on this thread) has questioned your nickname for Melbourne. We are just trying to point out that you mark yourself out as a foreigner for using it.

Marissa, relax, we're only pulling each others legs.

B

Marissa, relax, we're only pulling each others legs.

 

B

Sure doesn't sound like it. You know that you can benefit a lot from this forum, so I'd be accepting the advice and moving on, even when we have plainly touched a nerve.

How about we move back to the original idea of this thread? I know that I am looking forward to your full report on what you found and your future plans after the trip.i

Can we not get personal or make assumptions about others please, this isn't CTF.

Thanks

Cal x

 

Whereas I often feel some of the 40-something men with young families need their heads examined, dragging their families halfway across the world more because they're having a mid-life crisis than because it will benefit their families, and a dose of realism doesn't go astray.

who are you to make these rude judgments about people & what makes you think you know what is best for families.

Wow, this escalated quickly

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who are you to make these rude judgments about people & what makes you think you know what is best for families.

I agree booma, how dare someone judge another person for wanting a better life, moving to another country is a family choice not just the husband, no one knows the op or anyone else so no one has any idea if the husband or wife is forcing the family to move, this should be a judge free forum where we can come for advise without the fear of retribution or abuse.

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Nope, just like Aussies never call it Oz

I said that on a different thread and some other members said they did. I have only ever heard Australia referred to as Oz by people from the UK or the US.

I said that on a different thread and some other members said they did. I have only ever heard Australia referred to as Oz by people from the UK or the US.

I use it when writing on these forums but it's only laziness when typing, I'd never use it when speaking.

I said that on a different thread and some other members said they did. I have only ever heard Australia referred to as Oz by people from the UK or the US.

I've never heard it from a long term Aussie - first time I ever saw it written by a Pom friend about 20 years ago I did a real double take and wondered if she had had her destinations mixed up. Poms seem to do it all the time - it marks them out LOL

Report from our Trip to Melbourne & Sydney (August 2016)

Reason: Research proposed migration in Oct 2017

Time: 16 days

Pax: 2 adults + 3 children (6,4,3)

Cost: 10,000 euro / 14,700 AUD (inc. flights)

Airline: Malaysia Airlines (LHR/KL)

Locations: Geelong (Bellarine Peninsula); Mornington (Mornington Peninsula); Sydney (South Harbour)

Yes, back in town a while now so this is well overdue, first and fore' it was a sensational trip. To anyone reading this and contemplating a move to Australia, we would highly suggest going on a recci. If you can afford it, pick up the phone, book the flights. The rest will fall into place after that, the action of 'going' will copper-fasten your proposed migration in your head (and others) and hopefully (like us) you will come back more confident in your move. People will view you and your move and plans differently and the the next phase of your planning will be so much easier.

We booked a more or less direct Malaysia Airlines flight out of Heathrow (connecting from Ireland). Heathrow / Kuala Lumpur / Melbourne about 26 hours travel inc. layover. The flight itself was good, service very good. We had flown down under before a few times before so were familiar with effort but the wildcard this time was ‘the kids'. In the end it wasn’t so bad. There we’re ‘hours’ or madness with younger one (3 year old boy) but the two older girls generally were good. It’s a big ask to be on a plane for over a day so I’m happy to say they performed well!

On arrival into Tullarmarine we rented an SUV with ‘Red Spot Rentals’ (we’d recommend) and drove about one hour to Geelong. There we stayed in Barwon Lodge - see: www.barwonlodge.com.au (Bill was our host and it was excellent). Again would recommend. We spent about 4 days in Geelong, a compact City about 1 hour’s drive west from Melbourne. Gateway to the Great Ocean Road it is an ideal location for professionals / families living outside Melbourne. Rents a tad cheaper that Metro area too. We met up with some fabulous people who threw open the doors of their home to a warm welcome – you know who you are See: https://www.visitgeelongbellarine.com.au

In general, eating and drinking out aint cheap folks! Depending where you go of course but you do want to eat and drink well (don’t you?) so be prepared for a bit of a shock there but I’m sure, with more time, when living there you can eek out the specials, the and the off-piste areas to eat / drink. We visited two schools in the area, one public and one catholic. The facilites were astounding. There is no doubt major money was poured into education not just recently but over generations. The senior staff we met kindly gave us up to an hour of their time and a full school tour in each case. The school day for the child, generally, has a more outdoor focus with close to double the amount of time spent daily at play / PE. In this area the public school won our vote, but wherever we end up, I'm sure we have no worries about the standard of schooling our three will get.

We visited ‘Werribee Park’ one day (large open plain zoo see: http://www.werribeepark.com.au). Also visited a large new home development at Mount Duneed / Armstrong Creek of large (sorry HUGE!) modern Australian housing (see: http://armstrong.villawoodproperties.com.au). Lots of choice in styles, builders, finishes and reasonable prices, copious rental properties there too. We drove to Appollo Bay along the Great Ocean Road stopping off in Torquay and Bells Beach amongst others. Wild koalas in the trees, macuas everywhere, kids and OH loved it. Weather turned in Apollo Bay and we took the mountainous road home – which was a challenging but fun drive in the rain. We ate out most days and were surprised at the variation in prices between places when we looked around.

The Bellarine Peninsula (the west side of Melbourne) really is fabulous area and it's City, Geeloing is a bite-sized and accessible area to live. It’s just an hour to Mellie and from there you can be at a world-renowned beaches in 10-20 minutes. Fabulous wineries are on your doostep and the Mornington Peninsula (the east side) is only a 40 minute ferry ride from Queenscliff (to Sorento). As a place that is high on our wish we were suitably impressed. All in all calculated that Australia prices were about 10-15% more than what we were used to in Ireland with some ticket items slightly more (eg: eating out / food) or significantly less (eg: fuel) that than.

The Australian cities / countryside we travelled was extremely well kept, clean, organised and clear to navigate. People drove at the speed limits and there was no apparent stress or 'drama' on the road. I heard a horn honk just once in the three weeks! People we met were approachable, mannerly and helpful. Public facilities were supberb. Every square kilometre of urban / housing areas seemed to have some facility or playground and get used to your kids shouting in the back of the car to stop are each one! Anything near a beach had fabulous seating and BBQ areas....

Now, the weather - we went in the Aussie 'winter' but let me put it this way to you, I was in a t-shirt and shorts with sunglasses on every day. Every morning we had blue skies and a couple of evenings we had light rain. It was fabulous.

In the next report I’ll take you through our trip on the other peninsula – Mornington!

B

Great update Beaty and I'm looking forward to the next instalment. :smile:

Thanks for the update Beaty. I am off to Melbourne in 3 weeks to validate visa's, good to hear about your trip.

Nope, just like Aussies never call it Oz

I didn't think so either, but the BBC recently reported on the death of Richard Neville, an Australian writer and social commentator who co-founded a satirical magazine called Oz in the 1960s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37275173

ETA - but guess the satirical bit might include the name of the magazine...:wideeyed: T x