Melbourne 7 weeks in

[buckbuchanan]

Hi KazzE! You must live near where we did (Petersfield)! Wherever you land it will be different :) . I know a few people who live in the city and they love it, so I think the night life must be pretty good. Having kids means we don't get involved in that (unfortunately!!). The good thing with Melbourne is that you can live in the city but have a beach on hand as well!!

[buckbuchanan]

MACDONALDO67... I'm begining to think I am jinxed!! There have been a few other incidents, but didn't want to include them because people will think i'm making it all up!!

[Les & Woz]

Hi
Look forward to seeing the pics !

Les & Woz

[al&nic]

Thanks for the update Buck...we were starting to think you had jumped the good ship Oz!

I'm glad to see that things sound better for you now and you're a bit more positive. All you can do is give it time.

Sorry to hear about your recent brushes with death.

Cheers

The Buck Buchanan fan club

[billynhenry]

Hi Buck, love the posts, we too are joining the BuckBuchanan fan club. We have decided we are going to give it a shot down under as we don't want to die wondering. If it doesn't work out at least we will have tried which is what you have done. We have considered Melbourne for the climate and will be keeping a close eye on your updates, we do hope it works out for you. These posts really help as, for us to make the decision to try we have to believe it will be better than what we are leaving behind. At the moment we feel we live in a nice area and are happy with our jobs, kids are settled. There are areas within a 10 mile radius where I would not want to live and appreciate the fact that we do not have to live there. Posts such as yours remind us that Oz will be the same as this and it is no Utopia, as no country can be. However as long as I am no worse off in Oz than I am at the minute I think I will be able to cope, (I do appreciate we haven't done it yet). We know there will be some things worse in Oz e.g. cost of bread, although I Pay £1.10 per loaf at Asda here. But we do think it is worth a try as we have never lived anywhere other than England, so even if we are back after a year and in a smaller house or 1 bed flat with prices here, then at least we can say we tried it. We also feel although social problems etc may be the same in Oz, obviously it would be nicer if they weren't, the Oz economy and the fact they still have industry etc may bode well for our children in 20years time. We look forward to your future posts. I suppose you can take time while you are there to visit other parts of Oz and if it is just Melbourne that isn't for you then the 2 years wil fly by and you can go elsewhere, hope it works out whichever way.

[buckbuchanan]

Well i'm touched that I have a fan club!! The one thing that I should throw in to this thread is that although I have been a tiny wee bit negative, I still think that anyone thinking of doing it should (as you say at least you will have tried it). From what I can make out only around 50% of the people who emigrate return to the UK... possibly as prices rise here that number may grow... who knows.

There is certainly a feeling that Australia is on the up. As you say it has got industry (and lots of it), and I would say this is where the clever money is at the moment.

[JohnandTracy]

Originally Posted by buckbuchanan

Well i'm touched that I have a fan club!! The one thing that I should throw in to this thread is that although I have been a tiny wee bit negative, I still think that anyone thinking of doing it should (as you say at least you will have tried it). From what I can make out only around 50% of the people who emigrate return to the UK... possibly as prices rise here that number may grow... who knows.

There is certainly a feeling that Australia is on the up. As you say it has got industry (and lots of it), and I would say this is where the clever money is at the moment.

Very interesting post Buck. I've read all your postings now and had a bit of a giggle at soem of the responses

I can only imagine coming from Petersfield to Melbourne would be a shock to anyone Having lived in Petersfield in the past... a lovely part of the Uk and moving to any city would be a shock to anyone. Just be thankful it wasn't Pompey or Southampton

My hubby's family live in the not so sleepy town of Alresford so down that way very often.. in fact got the train to London on Saturday from Petersfield and after 17 years not much changes there LOL

It's good to read someones honest opinion on a city whether it be good or bad. My main interest in your postings were they were you opinions and how you viewed things.


As for the price of bread thats cheap... i bought a loaf last week from a certain shop and it cost me £1.32 for a poxy loaf of a well known brand that isn't even the best brand you can get! Why not consider a bread machine then you can make your fresh bread at a fraction of the cost and wow does it taste better - it's dead easy use as you chuck everything in and set the timer so it's just made when you get up

All the very best on your adventure and I'm sure once your own belongings arrive you will feel so much better.

Tracy

[KazzE]

Hi Buck, yep not far,

I used to cover Petersfield when I first started my job, I used to drive cross country from Morsted ish dodging pheasants and tractors it is a really nice town and I can understand how parts of Melbourne would be a shock to the system. The town I live in has grown out of all recognition since we moved here 20 yrs ago and getting worse I hope we can move before the 400 2 bed housing association flats are finished just up the road from us, I dread to think what the traffic will be like.

We are lucky, we will be livin with my Sis to start with and can take our time looking at areas and neither of us have jobs yet so that will have some affect on where we live.

keep up the honest up dates I am sure they are a big help to people considering Melbourne

[mbriody]

Hi Buck, any chance of a further update? We are due to come to Melbourne next Jan. I only just joined this board and have just been reading all of your posts. I'm keen to get a realistic view of life there as possible as we cannot afford to come out beforehand.

We are not tied to Melbourne at all its just that I am more likely to get work there than say Perth. I'd be very interested to see if your view has changed at all (or not).

[buckbuchanan]

Good point.. I think I will start a new thread instead of ressurecting this one!