buzzy--bee

I have had the soft top roof down on my car permanently this year. So far this year it has been sunny every day except 2, and I was glad for those days as my 5000 litre tank I use to water the garden was empty. There is no rain currently on the Melbourne forecast at all. Does that make you feel better? BB

Where are you trying to live? Which suburb? BB

Hi. we have a furnished studio flat we rent to new immigrants that is around your budget free at that time. Please PM me your email address and I will send you details and photos. BB

I'm surprised to see Brunswick, Northcote etc and good property prices in the same sentence.......... Have you also considered the SE bayside suburbs? BB

Hi, you may have to narrow your requirements down. Do you mean East Melbourne (inner city suburb) or do you mean the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne? There are a lot of good suburbs East of Melbourne, and South East too. Can you help us by being more specific eg how long a commute, near the beach etc etc? BB

You can have whoever you want to stay. BB

Neither trains nor trams in Black Rock - best to use the car to drive to another suburb which has either. BB

Hi, are you looking to buy or rent and what kind of place do you want? Also what is your budget for renting or buying? People may be able to help a bit more with this info. BB

Fast forward 10 years. You still haven't gone to Australia. You are 39 with 16 years experience in IT. Australia doesn't allow people over 45 to gain permanent visas. How do you feel? BB

Hi Andy, for prospective tenants the agency is really irrelevant. Just look on realestate.com.au BB

Hi Andy, geographically Black Rock and Aspendale Gardens are about 25 mins drive apart, however demographically they are a world apart! I live about in the middle, in Mordialloc. We go to Black Rock sometimes for a walk and coffee/lunch - the cafes are busy with "ladies who lunch" pulling up in their mercedes with their little dogs on their laps! Whereas in Aspendale Gardens, while it is still a reasonable area, it is more, how shall I put it, blue collar...... I recommend you have a look at Aspendale, Edithvale and Mordialloc also maybe.... a lot of places there you can walk to the beach, which you can't easily from Aspendale Gardens. Chelsea and Chelsea Heights are not particularly nice areas in comparison. BB

You can drive from SYDNEY to Rosebud without a single traffic light now! BB

Aspendale Gardens itself might fulfil your requirements. Why did you choose this school in particular? BB

Most people would stay in furnished short term tenancies. We own one in Melbourne which many people on this site have stayed in, this is obviously not useful to you if you are going to Perth or Brisbane though! Another option is holiday lets, these would probably be more expensive as they are in holiday areas. The third options is places like Big4 campsites where you can hire cabins, this may be cheaper but is a bit like camping. HTH BB

Depends where you mean by "Eastern region" but I reckon $250 a week anywhere within 50kms of Melbourne CBD is not going to provide you with a very good standard of accommodation. The real estate agent doesn't matter - you get the one that comes with the house you are interested in. Realestate.com.au rentals section would be the place to go. HTH BB

Camberwell is also very expensive! But may be more of a family suburb..... for those with lots of money and 2 working parents in senior management! BB

No the length of car drive doesn't make a vast difference but it's nice if you can walk from home to the beach! BB

Hi, Brunswick is a nice inner city suburb, big cafe culture etc. I reckon though the majority of people who live there would be urban professionals who do not have children, I may be wrong there. BB

Unfortunately these two factors do not go together as everyone wants to live by the sea, so the prices are higher! Try anwhere from Mordialloc outward, places such as Aspendale and Edithvale are still reasonably priced, stunning beaches and about an hour from the CBD door to door. BB

Disagree entirely with you. We chose Melbourne over Brisbane partly because nice beaches are so much more accessible in Melbourne. We could not live within a short walk of a stunning sandy beach in Brisbane. We use the beach all year round, as do many of our friends, swimming, boogie boarding, canoeing and snorkelling in summer and autumn, and walking, cycling along the beach path all year round. And then there are the beach cafes and restaurants, we always consider ourselves very lucky to live where we do because of the gorgeous beaches. BB

Yes, it is a very long commute. We lived in Mornington for a few weeks when we first arrived and I had a 1 hour 45 minute door-to-door commute to St Kilda Rd. Hence we moved very quickly to Mordialloc which is much more reasonable timewise. BB

Hi, we have a furnished serviced studio apartment that could accommodate you. However we are booked until 31st January. So if you could find somewhere else for 5 nights then we could help. Please send me a PM with your email address and we can send you details and photos. Regards BB

One of the nicest experiences I have living in Melbourne is, on a scorcher day like this, going down to the beach at about 6.30pm, taking a picnic and a bottle of wine and sitting on the beach or in the sea along with loads of other people, many of whom we know, doing the same. The sun sets into the sea in the SE suburbs of Melbourne, which is a sight that you cannot see in cities such as Sydney and Brisbane. One of the many reasons I love living here. BB

Try http://www.big4.com.au - they have parks with holiday cabins in them. BB

In Mordialloc/Parkdale you have some of the better primary state schools in Melbourne. We've lived here for almost 6 years now and there is so much for the kids to do. BB