Bobths

We didn't have references to get our first place - we just offered to pay 3 months up front. At the time, I'd only signed my contract - not even started working - and DH was still at the interview stage. I think it also helped that we were friendly and chatted to the agent for a while. Our second place was easier as we had refs from our first place - knew we had potentially stiff competition from another couple so we offered to pay an extra $5 a week. Hey presto, we got the apartment :wink: Arriving in Feb is good as the school holidays should pretty much be over and people will be back in work - we arrived in January BAD IDEA! Everyone was on holiday so my DH really struggled to get interviews until mid-Feb (I was lucky in that my agent in the UK also did international recruitment so was able to set me interviews up before I arrived). Best of luck with your move in Feb ps Clubbing in Melbourne is not as good as the UK, but its still fun - plenty of places to go

Two years in Melbourne Ok, so I’ve previously done 2 weeks and 2 months, now it’s time for the 2 years update Housing So we’ve now been living in Kensington for 18 months after initially living in Greensborough for 6 months. Greensborough is a nice little regional centre with the added bonus of being on the doorstep of the Yarra Valley but the commute into the CBD every day was awful, taking up to an hour and a half (including walking) and standing up most of the way. After I fainted and actually didn’t have room to fall down, we decided enough was enough. So now we have a lovely, decent size 2 bed apartment in Kenso – right opposite an off leash dog park, 5 mins walk to the shops and some awesome little cafes, 5/10 min drive to Woolies or Coles and most importantly, a 6 minute train ride into the CBD And it’s cheaper than living in Greensborough – our rent costs more but our travel costs are way cheaper (especially as I walk to work if the weather is ok and my DH cycles). Jobs Well we’re still in the same jobs as we were two years ago. Both of us have won awards (Me, employee of the year and DH engineer of the year) so the Pommie work ethic has definitely paid off for us. I’m now a manager and DH is a senior engineer – positions we would have had to battle for for a few more years if we’d stayed in the UK. It took a good 6 months for colleagues to really trust me in work, and I didn’t truly feel settled in for about a year. It’s all good now though and we’ve even started socialising with some of our Aussie colleagues outside of work. We have a good work/life balance although sometimes I think my DH just has a life/life balance as at his work they have not only a beer fridge, but a keg fridge, full on DJ set up, BBQ area where on sunny days the directors hold BBQs and often vanishes to the pub on a Friday afternoon. Oh, to work in IT! Friends We have a really good mix of friends now, although most are still made up of Poms or Poms married to Aussies. Been socialising with more of my husband’s colleagues , which is good. For anyone wanting to make friends – my recommendation is go out to Pom meetups, talk to people, arrange follow up coffees if you work near people, get FB contacts – ask if people fancy going to events (Queen Vic night market, watch the tennis in Fed Sq, Sunday session in St Kilda, picnic in the park). We are now fast friends with 3 couples we met at a Pom’s in Oz meet up in April 2011, another 3 couples we met through a girly Poms in Oz meet up at about the same time and another couple we met at Poms in Oz meetup in about May last year. My DH goes mountain biking every other Saturday, plays futsal with work on Thursday and we invariably meet friends for dinner or a BBQ most weekends. I also go meet the girls for dinner every few weeks. We still miss our friends back home but we’re now building friendships which will be equally as good in future here. Money, finances etc Personally, we are far better off over here. But every family will be different. Australian prices are crazy different to the UK. We nearly fell over at rental prices (we currently pay $405 a week for our 2 bed apartment) but conversely there’s no council tax, our water bill is $15 a quarter (on a meter) and we pay a DD for $80 a month for electricity and gas (and we’re currently $120 in credit). We have Foxtel (equivalent of Sky) for the sports package so DH can watch his beloved Utd, which costs $80 per month and our basic broadband package is $70 a month. Happily DH gets a free mobile and plan through work and I already had an iphone so I’m on a PAYG sim which I think I put about $30 a month on – mobile phone costs over here are ridiculous so I’m glad we don’t have to pay. Health insurance was a big shocker too - $200 a month for the two of us with the minimum extras cover so we don’t have to pay the extra tax levy. Petrol we spend about $50 a month on, and I reckon we spend about $200 on trains/trams. Rego (like car tax) in Victoria costs about $700 a year, but insurance is about the same as the UK (we pay about $300 on our Ford Focus). Food varies – if you want to save money, shop at the markets as its much cheaper than Coles and Woolies, and be prepared to be flexible. Fresh veggies and fruit taste so b1oody good over here because they are mostly grown in Australia – but that means you can only get things in season, or the price sky rockets when something is out of season. For example, limes in season can be picked up 5 for $1 at Queen Vic market. Out of season I’ve seen them selling for $2.50 each. At the moment, I’m not eating avocados as they’re $3.50 each – in season they’ll be two for $3 or less. Meat is cheaper here but don’t expect seafood to be – the best stuff gets shipped off to Japan where it commands a higher price. And if you want to buy English brands (eg Lurpak butter, Vimto, Branston pickle, Hellman’s mayonnaise) be prepared to pay for them – Coles and Woolies are quite prepared to rip off Poms who won’t change their eating habits. Sadly beer is also ridiculously expensive – expect to pay $20 for a decent 6-pack (think you can get Peroni etc for about $16). Much cheaper to buy by the slab, but still not cheap by any means. Wine is also not cheap, but you can get ‘clean skins’ (ie not branded/labelled) for around $5 a bottle which can be alright. The car is on finance but we don’t have credit cards or an overdraft – credit is v expensive over here, no such thing as interest free (I think the interest rate on our car is 14 or 15% - hence why we’ve nearly paid it off already)! Going out / things to do Omg, there is so much stuff to do in Melbourne and Victoria. Tickets for events like festivals, concerts etc tend to be expensive (we love clubbing and we’ll end up paying $60 to see a DJ that would normally cost us $12 back in the UK) but it costs nothing to go to the beach, for a walk in the park, have a BBQ by the river. Some of the stuff we’ve done since coming over here include: Music festivals (2 within walking distance of our apartment), open air cinema, the Grand Prix, Australian Open, AFL games, A-League games, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, countless BBQs in lots of parks, mountain biking, walking, camping, lots of trips to wineries, day trips to Kyneton, Daylesford, Woodend, exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria, watching sporting events in Fed Sq, firework displays in the CBD, trips to the beach and the Mornington peninsula, trying out endless cafes for brunch and dinner…. Anyone who says you can’t get a good curry in Aus is lying - there are so many good places to eat in Melbourne it is untrue. We’ve also been further afield to the Whitsundays, Byron Bay, road tripped up the east coast to Sydney and been to Bali. Best things about Melbourne Food – Everything about it. From the experience of shopping at Queen Vic market or South Melbourne market, having a day long everyone-bring-a-dish-BBQ, brunch in any one of the fab little cafes we’ve discovered, to special meals at top restaurants – its all good (plus being able to grow my own veggies on our balcony) Weather - What a difference a bit if sunshine makes! I love that Melbourne still has 4 distinct seasons and it doesn’t stay ridiculously hot for too long (currently its 40 degrees at 9pm and I can't wait for it to cool down!). Winter is pretty miserable with no Bonfire Night, Christmas or NY but its easy enough to go get some sunshine in Bali or head up north. I love being outdoors in the sunshine - just the simple pleasures of sitting outside reading or taking the dog out every morning and hardly ever getting cold or wet! (I'm originally from Manchester so I appreciate every rain-free day!). Stuff to do - I challenge anyone to be bored in Melbourne. There is always something going on. Top tips Get return airfares. Flights cost up to 30% more flying Aus-UK-Aus rather than UK-Aus-UK. Get all your dental work done before you leave the UK - dentists over here cost an arm and a leg. Bring lots of towels, bedding and pots and pans - again super expensive for decent stuff here. Aus vs UK? We both went back to the UK in Nov for my brother's wedding. I can safely say I could happily never go back again - I'd rather fly our friends and family over here (it's cheaper!). Unfortunately, DH's parents won't ever come out here (health issues) so we have to go back so DH can see them. I haven't had one minute of homesickness but it did hit DH very hard and he still misses the UK and his family a lot. So we have a flight fund so he can go back to the UK every six months. Again, it's too much of a personal circumstance thing for me to compare. Living in Australia was my dream and now I'm living it For now, we're very happy where we are - long may it continue! Best of luck to anyone in the visa queue - it really is worth it