HankScorpio1985

Thanks for this. I do quite enjoy afl so that shouldn't be a problem. I just need to figure out who to support. Would you have any recommendations on the best places to buy a second had car? Reliable and affordable sites or dealers?

I think they might be a bit too far away from the city to live to be honest.

Thanks for this. My friend is Irish but he is living with his Australian girlfriend. I guess they are fairly settled down so not sure how much socialising they will be up for. I will grill him for more info though. A door on the street for a bar sounds like it's right up my street. I am a big fan of an old man style pub. No loud music, good conversation and nice pints.

Thanks for all of this. Great info! I guess one of the main reasons in thinking about moving to St Kilda is because it's close the sea. I just have it in my head that what's the point in moving to Australia if you're not going to be close to the sea? But also because it seems to be an expat area. Might be easier to settle in there. Kind of similar to Clapham in London. I won't be working shift hours a lot but it could be a few times a week.

Haha. Why do people dislike Collingwood? I actually have one of their jerseys but it was gave to me as a surprise present years ago. Maybe the person didn't actually like me. I see that none of the Melbourne teams are doing that well recently.

Thanks for this. Especially for the tips on having an extra few weeks accommodation at the start. As long as the commute is an hour or less then I don't think I will mind. I also have the option of cycling to a train station from St Kilda and getting the train to Frankston.

Thanks for this. Ya I guessed that's what would be the case regarding Frankston. It sounds the same as anywhere late at night. Certainly no different to some of the areas in London!

Hi Petals, Thanks for this info. I think I am going to try and live closer to the city where there is more going on socially. I was thinking that if I did get a car that I would just use it to commute to Frankston. I would use public transport to get into the city.

Thanks for these tips. I thought I might need a car alright but I may wait a while to get a 2nd hand one over there. I don't mind the commute as long as it's less than an hour. So I think I might live nearer to the city where there's more going on socially.

Thanks for this. I didn't realise shipping stuff was that expensive though. Good job I don't have much!

Hey KiwiKaye, Thanks for the info. What is Frankston like? I am not planning on living there but I will obviously be working there a bit. I have heard a few people say that it's a bit rough. Especially around the train station. Is this true? Thanks H

Hey starlight, Thanks for the info. My time will be split between the city and Frankston. I am not sure what the split will be. So one of the factors of figuring out where to live would be the ease to get to the city and Frankston. I am not looking to live in Frankston. Thanks H

I recently accepted a job in Melbourne with a private hospital. They are organising my visa (457) through a law firm so that should come through handy enough. I guess at this stage I will be moving in 2-3 months (hopefuly) so I was looking for some advice on a few things. Where would you recommend I live? A bit of background. I am a 31 year old single male. I have been living in London for the past 3 years. I will be based between St Vincents Hospital in the city and Frankston which is 40km or so south. I initially thought about St Kilda/Elwood because I wanted to be close to the beach but I heard the beach around the bay isn't great. Is this true? It would also be difficult to commute to Frankston without having a car. I might get a car after a while though. So then I read a good bit about Richmond and I liked the sound of it. I am looking for somewhere that has a lot going on (bars/restaurants). I only know one person in Melbourne so I will want to get out and meet new people but also handy enough to get to work (<45mins would be ideal) and good public transport links. Would people recommend moving into a house share or living on my own? A house share is a good way to meet new people I know but it's always a lottery. The hospital said they will pay for the first couple of weeks accommodation while I search for a permanent place. Is there anywhere nice to spend the first couple of weeks? Also my salary will be around AUD124K so what would be the right amount to spend on rent? I know its relative to what I want etc. but any rough idea would be good. What agency have people used to move stuff to Australia? The hospital said they would pay and I don't have that much. I don't think I will be bringing much apart from clothes and golf clubs. Maybe a tv and a hi fi. Weird question but as I will be probably be flying home once a year or two is it more advantageous to fly with the same airline or airline alliances? Rather than always looking for the cheapest flights is it better to build up air miles with someone and avail of perks like free upgrades etc? The hospital also said they would pay for my flights over. Is there much truth to the rumour that Australians are very reluctant to integrate new people into their friendship groups? As I said I will only know one person living over there. I know there's a lot in this but any advice/help would be great. Thanks, H