A local offering help

[Pete da Wombat]

Hey peeps just a short msg from a local offering my help if anyone needs tourism or general advice. I work at the Observation Deck at the Rialto in Melbourne as a tourism officer and have lived here for 44 years so far so i think i know my way around (im single and i rent so pls no questions about buying houses or what school to go to-or relationship advice lol). If you are ever visiting melbourne the Ob Deck is the first place you should visit just to get your bearings and fantastic service from our information centre (me sometimes ) and if you let me know you are coming i might be able to do a better deal for you too.
So if there are any questions you need answered that a local might help you with, fire away.
p.s Wombats are waaaaaaay cuter than stupid koalas

[Tom the Pom]

Thanks for the offer!

Melbourne is one of the places I am seriously considering moving to.
I'm looking for somewhere semi-rural but within an hour of the city (on a motorbike).

Are there any places you could suggest? or more to the point to avoid!!!

Thanks in advance

[Gollywobbler]

Hi Pete

Welcome to Poms in Oz and God am I delighted to see you!

My own particular interest is Parent visas and I spend a lot of time contradicting RMAs because they are talking pessimistic rubbish about subclass 676 tourist visas in the meanwhile. Been there for my mother, did it for her and got her the tee-shirt. It wasn't difficult albeit that it was very labroious fguring it all out.

Please STAY with PIO, my new friend. You can be an invaluable source of realistic advice.

Cheers

Gill

[The Cutches]

Hi Pete,

We went to the Rialto Tower in April and thought it was fab! Welcome to PIO

CC

[Pete da Wombat]

Gee that was quick ok here i go
Golly cant help with visas im sorry i know nothing about them
Tom you have a wide choice my friend but my pics would be
1. Mornington Peninsula brilliant anywhere except Frankston (South is ok) but if you want beaches close it will cost you
2. Healesville great scenery and very near the Yarra Valley Wineries
3.Mt Evelyn and other places in the Dandenongs -Temperate rain forest incredibly scenic and closer to Melbourne than 1 or 2 maybe 45 min by bike
4.Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula just near the start of The Great Ocean Road (the best road trip in Australia but allow at least 2 days to do properly)
5.Cranbourne semi-rural but close to lots of amenities
6.Macedon and Bacchus Marsh are ok too but not many amenities
places to avoid are probably Pakenham, Endeavour Hills (Kath and Kim country!), Melton and Craigeburn (bore you to death)
Hope that helps

[Tom the Pom]

places to avoid are probably Pakenham, Endeavour Hills (Kath and Kim country!)

Please explain!!!

[Bonnie and Clyde]

Hi Pete,

Firstly, what a lovely offer of help to all of us.

Clyde and I were down in Melbourne beginning of 2006 competing in the Commenwealth Games. We absolutely loved it and after spending a month there we knew we had to come back and live there. The people were so friendly and we loved the obs tower but our favourite place in Melbourne was sitting on a bench looking across the River Yarra watching the flames go up every hour outside the casino - cheap dates!

Bonnie and Clyde

[Pete da Wombat]

Oops sorry Tom i was using a local saying from a tv show (Kath and Kim) -i mean it is a huge housing estate with few amenities except for a large shopping centre where the bottle shop (off-licence i think you call it) does the most business. Full of bogans (chavs?) and large groups of bored teenagers wandering the streets up to mischief or hanging out at said shopping centre and will be quite a few years before a Nobel prize winner comes from there. Im trying to be polite here so anyone from these areas please dont be offended its just my personal opinion

[Tom the Pom]

Originally Posted by Pete da Wombat

Oops sorry Tom i was using a local saying from a tv show (Kath and Kim) -i mean it is a huge housing estate with few amenities except for a large shopping centre where the bottle shop (off-licence i think you call it) does the most business. Full of bogans (chavs?) and large groups of bored teenagers wandering the streets up to mischief or hanging out at said shopping centre and will be quite a few years before a Nobel prize winner comes from there. Im trying to be polite here so anyone from these areas please dont be offended its just my personal opinion

So bogan = chav So people like Kath and Kim really exist? I thought it was just a p!ss take (stereotyping)

It's a shame that there are elements of the youth sub-species in Oz too. I suppose if they have nothing to do they will find something (the devil makes work for idle hands....)

I've been looking a bit further inland for a semi-rural dwelling and there seems to be loads of farmlets and large areas of land (10 acres+) with houses on them. There are always small towns nearby with some amenities - I would be looking to be fairly self reliant as far as most things were concerned anyway. Prices fall quite alot as you get further in.
I'm not afraid to do all the work that alot of these places require as I'm in the 'building trade' and would quite enjoy a bit of a 'project'.
I get the impression that houses aren't looked after as well as they could be and all the repairs/maintainance is a bit half hearted or just plain bad!!!

[Pete da Wombat]

I forgot to post the website where i work

Melbourne 360° Rialto – Melbourne Observation Deck

check out what i see everyday