Melbourne 4 months in

[buckbuchanan]

Yes.... an update is well overdue. After the manic couple of years leading up to the move I have been enjoying having time to relax at night, knowing that I don't have a list of things to organise and not having the constant worry on my shoulders.

I think it's fair to say that my impression of Melbourne is softening a little bit, but I still stand by my words - lots of Melbourne is scummy and not nice. I am beginning to think the trick is to be careful about where you go. I still find the graffiti unbearable but the government seem to have finally realised it is a problem and now offer 2 years in jail and up to $24000 fine for people caught doing it - not before time. And the other negatives I listed in previous posts still exist... but let's not go there again!

Since my last posting we have done quite a lot. We have been to see the Phillip Island penguins and Koalas, Arthurs Seat, the Great Ocean Road, etc, etc. There is certainly plenty to do, and although generally you will need a few hours driving to get to these places it is a cheap day out, unlike the UK where it seems to cost money the minute you step out the door. It could partly be because the weather is so nice that you can just take a picnic rather than have to go somewhere to eat, but generally you can
find something to do that doesn't cost much. You can always find a free open air barbeque spot as well.

I have come to the conclusion that the trick to living here is to get away at the weekends. Monday to Friday is the same as it was back home (except that I can now work flexi time, and I can cycle to work every day along the beach road!!). At the weekends we always go somewhere out of the city and this is when you see the beauty of the place that everyone talks about. If you don't do this you might as well live in the middle of London, because Melbourne is just a city like any other. Last weekend we took a trip to Aireys Inlet which is just at the start of the Great Ocean Road. We were all blown away by this place (it is like a mix between Dorset and Cornwall). The beaches are great and there are some nice walks along the coast and some of the scenery is stunning. We are planning to buy a tent as it seems that quite a lot of people just throw a tent in the car and go away most weekends in the summer, which makes sense to me. My OH was worried about creepy crawlies before we came out and said there was no way she would go camping, but now she has changed her mind as we haven't seen any scary spiders since we have been here (which I am kind of disappointed about in a strange way).

The big plus is the weather... it is now winter and although it is cold in the mornings (around 6c today when I got up) it doesn't feel like a UK winter morning. This was our main reason for coming here (along with all the benefits that good weather brings with it) and it certainly hasn't disappointed us on this front. The skies are always blue and at the moment it feels like a spring morning in the UK. We do get rain, but the difference is it remembers to stop raining here! It will generally rain for a few hours and then the skies will be blue again. We are still in the habit of taking coats with us everywhere we go but haven't needed them yet! I still walk around in a tee shirt although the natives wear winter coats.

The one thing that still evades me is this great reputation that Melbourne has for food. We have found a couple of good places to eat, but that accounts for < 1% of the number of eateries we have looked at. Most places look like you would be guaranteed a dose of food poisoning if you went in to them. Having said that, I think lots of the good bars and restaurants are well hidden. When I have been out with the locals I normally end up in places that aren't visible from the street (e.g. you need to go through a mall and down a couple of flights of stairs to get to them). I have also come to the conclusion that you can't get a good curry here, and even most take-aways (Indian, Chinese, etc) will serve you up a dish with the horrible bits of chicken that you would normally not eat (something I haven't seen in the UK for well over 10 years)!
The cost of living is higher than the UK (based on the current exchange rate, and taking into account that wages are less). We certainly don't have anything left at the end of the month (so the same as when we lived in the UK), but now we have the added burden of having to pay several thousands of pounds to fly home every couple of years - don't know how we are going to manage that yet!! Petrol and rent/house prices have shot up even in the short time we have been here. The supermarkets are similar to 1985 supermarkets in the UK - they don't really do anything other than the basics (e.g. you can't get ready meals, etc) and they even have the short checkout conveyor belts that you used to get back in the 80's, which means that you can only fit a quarter of your trolley onto it while at the checkout. But, they are good enough, and it means that we still have the small shops (green grocer, butcher, etc) which the supermarkets in the UK have put out of business years ago.

I don't think we will be staying here long term. We will do at least 2 years here but at the end of that time we are going to decide whether or not to return to the UK or to move elsewhere in Australia or Victoria. If we stay in Victoria it will be somewhere outside of Melbourne, although that could prove difficult on the employment front! We just don't really have a good feeling about Melbourne - there is nothing there that makes us want to stay and we do our best to avoid the city. I dare say if you don't have kids you could probably have a good time there but it's just not for us. We know a few people here who have emigrated from the UK... 1 family love it and get offended when we point out the negatives, but the rest of them don't think it's great but like the weather and the laid back Aussies, and that is what keeps them here. We know another family who are on their 3rd stint here having returned to the UK twice - I think they are still undecided.

[JoanneHattersley]

Thanks for the update Buck! Glad that things are a little better, not perfect tho!!! Come to QLD, its the fastest growing state!!!

[the hutchies]

Glad to hear you are making the most of your time there, are you actually living in Melbourne?
I think you are right going off for weekends tho something we are looking forward to when we eventually get there. Hopefully the Aussies will allow my oh some family time cos back here they don't think family time counts for nothing, some customers are soo demanding.
lisax

[buckbuchanan]

We're living in Beaumaris which is a SE suburb. We spent the first few months in the city and couldn't get out quick enough!! I think I would say employers are generally more laid back, but they still want you to do your hours... and then stay behind late every night as well!!

We are definately considering QLD, but at least we can holiday there before we move!

[Ripha]

Know where you're coming from BuckB and the familiarity of the UK can be tempting when you're unsettled. I can say wholeheartedly that I will not be growing old in Melbourne, but I've not written off the rest of Oz - yet. LOL!!

Quite fancy a look at Adelaide meself....

Mind you, we have no kids, they are all grown up. A smaller, quieter place than a large city like Melbourne would be OK for us. As cities go, Melbourne is fine, but I'm glad I don't have the daily work commute.

I haven't come here to settle for the same/similar day to day lifestyle that I had in the UK and I won't settle for second best either.

Ripha.

[Hello Kitty]

Do you like Beaumaris though? I think it is a lovely suburb with a nice community feel and we have friends who live there and enjoy it. If you have kids tough you get more opportunity to be part of the community as you meet people through school etc. but it does take time. I think Beaumaris is really a good family area as are many Bayside suburbs but maybe not so suited for singles or couples. We live in Malvern.

Have you been to Zaika the Indian restaurant yet in Beaumaris? Our friends took us there and a good indian in my opinion as is The Indian Palace in Brighton. There are probably not as many really good restaurants in this part of Melbourne as say in the inner city areas or areas with a larger multicultural population. I actually really like the CBD of Melbourne but you do have to get to know it properly. Get yourself a copy of The Age Cheaps Eats guide or The Age Good Food Guide for suggestions and you might need to drive a bit further.

With regard to ready made meals in supermarkets, they trialled that here a few years back based on the British model but it just wasn't popular. Apparently Australians were a bit suspicious of them re. value for money and quality prefer to cook from scratch.

Yes there are 'scummy' parts of Melbourne as there are in any large cities but there are also many lovely parts of Melbourne. The ones I have visited and liked are in my opinion the inner/middle east suburbs such as Canterbury, Hawthorn, Malvern, Kew, Armadale, Ivanhoe, South Yarra etc. Also some northern suburbs such as Eltham, Warrandyte plus Bayside areas from Elwood down to Mordialloc. Also Mt. Eliza, Mt. Martha, Mornington Peninsula and the dandenong ranges areas. I am sure there are many more. I don't know the western suburbs well but Williamstown is lovely.

Maybe you should explore some other areas and perhaps country areas like you mentioned.

Oh and I agree about the graffitti - it is a blight on the landscape and really stupid. Hope they do crack down on it.

[buckbuchanan]

That was a nice post!! Yes... Beaumaris is nice and has everything (well.. at least for a family like ours). The thing I like the most is that everything is on our doorstep - there are 3 small shopping precincts in Beaumaris, and Southlands Mall within a couple of miles (I think you could probably say that about most Bayside suburbs). The only drawback is that property is expensive and although we can afford to rent here I don't think we could afford to buy (but like everyone else who is renting at the moment we are hoping for a massive price crash!).

Thanks for the tip on the food guide - can't believe I hadn't thought of that! Strangely there is a great restaurant on the beach road in Beaumaris so we are quite lucky in that way. It's also interesting what you say about the ready meals - strange!

[tracy123]

Hi Buck
Im really sorry your not enjoying yourself fully. I agree with what you say about the city being the same as london (somethings different of course) but i honestly think that is the same as all cities. Its not until you get out and about that you really see the place.
I think in regards to food it maybe you rather than the food (not being rude to you) When i first came to England 4 years ago i hated going out i thought the food in this country was crap! no taste, it all seemed to taste the same, no matter which restaurant you went in, but now i enjoy going out and the food taste great?! Well maybe just good! lol.
As for the supermarkets i like the fact you dont bag your own shopping, i like the fact you just buy food and you have a larger range of choice, Once again i thought it was silly having clothes in a supermarket or tv's etc but now im used to it i enjoy it (well as much as you can).
Once you get used to new things, and a new way of doing it, it becomes normal. When i first arived in England i compared everything (and i hated England as it wasn't Australia) I think you are doing the same its normal. Once you can get over the fact that you are in a strange place and its not England cross fingers things should fall into place for you, i think it took me 2 to 3 years but im a stubborn sh!t, i still sometimes compare prices etc!
Enjoy your family, enjoy your weekends and if things dont work out for you hopefully you will come back to England having enjoyed your time in Australia, looking back with fond memories and not being bitter.
Keep your chin up and i hope all works out for you

All the best

Geoffrey

[buckbuchanan]

You may well be right, but one thing I will disagree with you on is the packing at the checkout - this drives me insane because it takes them so long! Hey - maybe I need to chill out a bit more!

We will definately be going back with fond memories and won't be bitter!! The Aussies are so nice that you can't feel bitter towards them! And at least we will have done it - if we had not it would have bugged me for the rest of my life.

[maz&jon]

oh my god,i cant believe you r still here if its that bad!we have been here for 2mnths and b4 we came i read your posts and thought oh my god what r we doing flying to the other side of the world and its no better than here,but we made the move and im not being funny but have you been living in some sort of cocoon all your life because we all love it here and would not trade places with anyone.we are living in mornington and it is safe,clean and just a wonderful place to live and bring up children.
every city in the whole world has graffiti even rome the most beautiful place in the world and it has dog poo,litter etc so what in gods name do you want,go back to england turn your tv on and listen to all the teenagers getting stabbed and shot.i lived in liverpool and as hard as it was to leave all my wonderful family i had to get out for mine and my childrens sake.there was a boy my sons age rhys jones was playing football and was shot dead.im sorry to go on but watch sky news from time to time and maybe you will learn to love victoria like i love it the peninsula is an amazing place to live and i wouldnt go home tomorrow if i had a free ticket,but thats just me.x