Back by popular demand... the next update on our time in Melbourne!
Well, can't remember where I finished off, and don't have time to go through the previous threads to catch up, so I might repeat some bits!
To recap... the story was that we landed in Melbourne, got a taxi from the airport to an apartment (provided by my work) in Abbotsford, and couldn't believe how much of a slum it was. Wondered what the hell we were doing here (as we hadn't been before). A couple of trips into the city just made things worse and we seemed to bump into junkies every time we went out and all we could see was grafitti and run down buildings.
Since then we have managed to rent a house in Beaumaris which is a south east suburb on the bay. We also managed to buy a car (which was a bit of a job as cars are unbelieveably expensive and have done stupid mileage). We have also had to buy some kitchen appliances (fridge freezer, microwave, etc) - probably around 10% more expensive than they would be in the UK (based on todays exchange rate).
Now I should maybe point out that I have been accused of being negative in the past... that's one way to look at it, but I prefer to call it realistic!! We are still not feeling any love for the place. It is a city, like any other city. Unlike other cities though it has good beaches (which is a massive plus in my book), but other than that it is just a city. I still think the bad bits are really bad, but I have to say that it seems you don't have to go too far to find some nice bits. There are well equiped parks everywhere and most of them have free electric bbq's.
The weather is up and down - we had some days in the 40s which was great, but bordering on unbearable. We have also had some dull days, but that's what we expected for the beginning of autumn. At the moment it is probably comparable to the weather you get in the south of England in the summer, so can't complain on that front. The strange thing with our apartment is that there is no heating (quite common apparently). It is a new apartment so would have expected it to have some form of heating. So it does actually get cold some times.
The peak time traffic is horrendous. I live 14 miles from my work in the east of city, and I drive in on the Nepean Highway up to Elsternwick, then turn off to South Yarra. I can do the journey in 35 minutes when the roads are quiet, but one morning it took me 2 hours (I left home at 7:30 and arrived at work at 9:30) - there was no reason for it... that's just how it is. Luckily I can work flexi time so I now leave home at 7 and it only takes me 45 mins - so that is good. I also finish work at 4 and the traffic is fine going home. I dread to think how long it would take me if I had to go all the way in to the CBD. Once I get my bike I will cycle part way and take the train part way (works out fairly quick and cheap, and should help me loose the flab I put on during the leaving parties!). There is a train station around 1.5 miles away - in this part of the city public transport seems fairly accessible.
We were told today that our container will be delivered on Wednesday. We used Crown for our shipping - so far they have been brilliant and seem to be delivering bang on schedule. The melbourne branch have kept us in touch so it is handy to have a local contact. I think once we get our own things we will feel much better. The kids are looking forward to all their toys coming, and I just want my own bed and sofa!!
We have done a fair bit of sight seeing... We visited Geelong which was nice and has a great beach. We took a trip up to Ballarat - nothing special but it does have a lot of the gold rush history which is interesting. While there I nearly got killed by a young lad who lost control of his car - it spun off the road missing me by a metre - quite common from what I understand - it has been the topic of conversation on the radio station I listen to, so I thought it was quite ironic! We also went down to Portsea one day, passing through Mornington, Frankston, Mount Martha, etc. It's a nice drive - took about 2 hours from Abbotsford - most of the drive is along the beach. The Mornington, Frankston, etc area are very nice (probably not easily commutable to the city, just in case anyone is planning on that). Some bits of the journey were nice but easily forgettable, and most of it is built on (i.e. there isn't much open undeveloped space). We liked Sorrento which is where we had lunch and then spent the afternoon on the beach. In another twist of fate, while we were sat on the beach a telegraph pole which was only 10 metres away from us exploded setting the tree underneath it on fire. The fire started spreading quite quickly but everyone seemed to know the drill.
We then went to the Ferntree Gully area, and went on Puffing Billy. I liked this area - it is a cross between Scotland and Switzerland. I think property is fairly affordable here and the CBD is only an hour on the train.
We have also been to some of the zoos, botanical gardens, etc... the usual touristy things.
We have found things expensive on the whole (rising prices seem to be a hot topic here, even more than in the UK). Everything except fuel seems to cost more. Add on top of that the fact that I had to take a pay cut - I got a transfer with my company but they dropped my pay by £7000 to bring it into line with Australian pay and what is the "going rate". Bread seems to be the biggest rip off - it is something like £1.25 for the cheapest loaf you can get. Milk is also really expensive. Another strange thing is that they don't seem so tuned in to direct debit payments. We have got our phone and internet setup on direct debit, but our electric, gas, water and mobile phones couldn't be setup on DD - so we have to remember to pay the bills at the bank when they come it. I still can't get over this and how much hassle it is going to be to remember to pay these things - off course they all fine you if you don't pay on time. Also the internet is much more expensive than in the UK - I am paying $60 a month for a 256k ADSL link with a 2Gb limit. Alcohol is unbelievably pricey - a 24 pack of bottled beer comes in at over £20 and it is hard to find wine under £6 a bottle. Lots of people had told us in the past that things were cheap, but it is possible that they are still converting prices based on a favourable exchange rate - currently it is 2.15 which makes a big difference from the 2.5 of the last few years.
So that's the latest update. At the moment we are just getting on with being here, but it is not really blowing us away. It's amazing how I am back into the same old routine of going out to work every day and just looking forward to the weekends. We are happy with the area we are living in but it looks like there is no way we could afford to buy a house here beacuse they are all in the million dollar range - so I think we have been lucky with the house we have rented.
To summarise... I guess we are a bit more positive, but not really seeing many advantages to living here - there are positives but there are also more negatives. Time will only tell if the few positives out weigh the negatives!!
Was very interested to read your post and thanks very much for the honesty. There is no point in making it all seem glossy and rosy if that not the case so great to hear about your experiences in your first few months in Oz.
We are going through the visa process for a permanent residency, hope to have CO any time. We were totally set on Perth but recently have been thinking more of Victoria due to climate being more like the med. Think Perth may be too hot for us. I've been researching Mornington peninsula and think it sounds beautiful but do you think that's the case.
Anyway, I hope things look up for you and again thanks for the honesty.
Back by popular demand... the next update on our time in Melbourne!
Well, can't remember where I finished off, and don't have time to go through the previous threads to catch up, so I might repeat some bits!
To recap... the story was that we landed in Melbourne, got a taxi from the airport to an apartment (provided by my work) in Abbotsford, and couldn't believe how much of a slum it was. Wondered what the hell we were doing here (as we hadn't been before). A couple of trips into the city just made things worse and we seemed to bump into junkies every time we went out and all we could see was grafitti and run down buildings.
Since then we have managed to rent a house in Beaumaris which is a south east suburb on the bay. We also managed to buy a car (which was a bit of a job as cars are unbelieveably expensive and have done stupid mileage). We have also had to buy some kitchen appliances (fridge freezer, microwave, etc) - probably around 10% more expensive than they would be in the UK (based on todays exchange rate).
Now I should maybe point out that I have been accused of being negative in the past... that's one way to look at it, but I prefer to call it realistic!! We are still not feeling any love for the place. It is a city, like any other city. Unlike other cities though it has good beaches (which is a massive plus in my book), but other than that it is just a city. I still think the bad bits are really bad, but I have to say that it seems you don't have to go too far to find some nice bits. There are well equiped parks everywhere and most of them have free electric bbq's.
The weather is up and down - we had some days in the 40s which was great, but bordering on unbearable. We have also had some dull days, but that's what we expected for the beginning of autumn. At the moment it is probably comparable to the weather you get in the south of England in the summer, so can't complain on that front. The strange thing with our apartment is that there is no heating (quite common apparently). It is a new apartment so would have expected it to have some form of heating. So it does actually get cold some times.
The peak time traffic is horrendous. I live 14 miles from my work in the east of city, and I drive in on the Nepean Highway up to Elsternwick, then turn off to South Yarra. I can do the journey in 35 minutes when the roads are quiet, but one morning it took me 2 hours (I left home at 7:30 and arrived at work at 9:30) - there was no reason for it... that's just how it is. Luckily I can work flexi time so I now leave home at 7 and it only takes me 45 mins - so that is good. I also finish work at 4 and the traffic is fine going home. I dread to think how long it would take me if I had to go all the way in to the CBD. Once I get my bike I will cycle part way and take the train part way (works out fairly quick and cheap, and should help me loose the flab I put on during the leaving parties!). There is a train station around 1.5 miles away - in this part of the city public transport seems fairly accessible.
We were told today that our container will be delivered on Wednesday. We used Crown for our shipping - so far they have been brilliant and seem to be delivering bang on schedule. The melbourne branch have kept us in touch so it is handy to have a local contact. I think once we get our own things we will feel much better. The kids are looking forward to all their toys coming, and I just want my own bed and sofa!!
We have done a fair bit of sight seeing... We visited Geelong which was nice and has a great beach. We took a trip up to Ballarat - nothing special but it does have a lot of the gold rush history which is interesting. While there I nearly got killed by a young lad who lost control of his car - it spun off the road missing me by a metre - quite common from what I understand - it has been the topic of conversation on the radio station I listen to, so I thought it was quite ironic! We also went down to Portsea one day, passing through Mornington, Frankston, Mount Martha, etc. It's a nice drive - took about 2 hours from Abbotsford - most of the drive is along the beach. The Mornington, Frankston, etc area are very nice (probably not easily commutable to the city, just in case anyone is planning on that). Some bits of the journey were nice but easily forgettable, and most of it is built on (i.e. there isn't much open undeveloped space). We liked Sorrento which is where we had lunch and then spent the afternoon on the beach. In another twist of fate, while we were sat on the beach a telegraph pole which was only 10 metres away from us exploded setting the tree underneath it on fire. The fire started spreading quite quickly but everyone seemed to know the drill.
We then went to the Ferntree Gully area, and went on Puffing Billy. I liked this area - it is a cross between Scotland and Switzerland. I think property is fairly affordable here and the CBD is only an hour on the train.
We have also been to some of the zoos, botanical gardens, etc... the usual touristy things.
We have found things expensive on the whole (rising prices seem to be a hot topic here, even more than in the UK). Everything except fuel seems to cost more. Add on top of that the fact that I had to take a pay cut - I got a transfer with my company but they dropped my pay by £7000 to bring it into line with Australian pay and what is the "going rate". Bread seems to be the biggest rip off - it is something like £1.25 for the cheapest loaf you can get. Milk is also really expensive. Another strange thing is that they don't seem so tuned in to direct debit payments. We have got our phone and internet setup on direct debit, but our electric, gas, water and mobile phones couldn't be setup on DD - so we have to remember to pay the bills at the bank when they come it. I still can't get over this and how much hassle it is going to be to remember to pay these things - off course they all fine you if you don't pay on time. Also the internet is much more expensive than in the UK - I am paying $60 a month for a 256k ADSL link with a 2Gb limit. Alcohol is unbelievably pricey - a 24 pack of bottled beer comes in at over £20 and it is hard to find wine under £6 a bottle. Lots of people had told us in the past that things were cheap, but it is possible that they are still converting prices based on a favourable exchange rate - currently it is 2.15 which makes a big difference from the 2.5 of the last few years.
So that's the latest update. At the moment we are just getting on with being here, but it is not really blowing us away. It's amazing how I am back into the same old routine of going out to work every day and just looking forward to the weekends. We are happy with the area we are living in but it looks like there is no way we could afford to buy a house here beacuse they are all in the million dollar range - so I think we have been lucky with the house we have rented.
To summarise... I guess we are a bit more positive, but not really seeing many advantages to living here - there are positives but there are also more negatives. Time will only tell if the few positives out weigh the negatives!!
Hi
Great to hear from you and you sound much more positive! Once your container comes and you have your own familiar things it will make you all feel even better. We are coming to Melbourne and did visit there last October. Like you it didn't blow us away compared to other places. We particularly like Brisbane but have to come to Melbourne initially. We do have lots of relatives in Melbourne (Pakeham, North Balwyn and Philip Island) so may find it easier as we have people to show us "where to go".
We are just going to make the most of it and see what happens.
Keep us posted ! (Any photos)?
Les
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Glad to hear you are all more settled Buck.
It is good to hear the views of someone who has an immediate comparison - when those of us who have been here a while say such things we are automatically deemed "out of touch" with the homeland.
Sorry to hear your story about Ballarat - it does present as a tad "bogan" and even my Ballarat born DH agrees as we sit and watch the weekend activity on Sturt St when we go down for a vist. Mind you it does have some nice restaurants!
7 weeks eh ! where has the time gone it only seems 5 minutes ago you said you'd arrived. Best of luck mate to you and your family. Keep on having a look around you might find your perfect bit of paradise.
Helenx
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Great realistic post,
glad to hear you are feeling a little better about it all, it must be the same as here in the UK there are certain places I would never live, won't mention any in case I offend anyone and other places that I would love to live but can't afford.
I was just thinking today, I wonder which suburbs are similar to where I live now, very low crime rate just outside a city, between two very nice citys in fact and within driving distance of some very nice places in Southern England, we are on the edge of a rural area and close to the New Forest.
On the other hand I am looking forward to a complete change, we are seriously considering living in the city in an appartment, a complete change for us and we probably will not like it long term but part of make this move is to try new things, we will not have young children to worry about or schools so we intend to make the most of it!
It is not going to suit everyone to stay long term in Oz but at least you will never have to say I wish we had .............................................
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1st TRA application, Nov 06, as a Childcare Coordinator came back positive as Hairdresser so...........
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Hi Susie. Thanks for the reply! The Mornington peninsula is definately a nice area. You would certainly have a nice pace of life, access to great beaches, etc. In my opinion it is not commutable to the city from there, but as long as you can get employment in the area that obviously wouldn't be a problem.
I've never been to Perth but I understand it is very nice. I also think that although they get more warm weather, they don't get the peaks and troughs that we get here (not sure if that is fact, but someone mentioned it to me). The only thing that put us of Perth was that it means you are isolated, whereas we are only a day or 2 drive from Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, etc.
It's a big desicion to make.... I think if someone asked me to be perfectly honest I would say don't move to the Melbourne area because it's not fantastic (but then again that is my personal opinion - it just doesn't do it for me) - some people love it, although having said that I have heard lots of people saying it is their least favorite part of Australia (wish I had heard that before we moved here!). I'm sure I will get crucified for that statement!! I am restricted to Victoria for my visa, and now that we are here we are going to just let things settle before we decide what to do. Good luck whatever you decide.
Hi Les and Woz... photos to follow, providing camera cable can be located in the container. Will make sure they aren't all of nice beaches and scenery!!
