Dan Not Dale

Yeah we are close to Sandhurst. Did apartments in Bentleigh whilst saving a deposit. Mixed feelings. I’m very appreciative of your suggestions (Eliza, Mornington). I think my reactions to them actually tell me what I need to know. Been to them, they have no appeal at all. Maybe I’m just a pint in a sh*t pub while watching the football, then back home to watch tv kinda guy, and that’s ok, but not very Australian. I hope I’m not coming across too contradictory, these comments are helping a lot.

Ultimately she would come back, but we’re always goona be away from one side of the family. We’d have a circle of friends in UK tho. I’m acutely aware of all covered there and play these sort of scenarios in my head all the time. Keeps me up at night. Always said I’m on the first plane home when the parents start to struggle, but yeah once a kid is in the mix, isn’t that simple. I guess it’s why I’ve reached out here. The constant worry and comparison. It’s just put life on hold.

Cranbourne South. Brand new estate. The Estate itself is extremely good. People travel to be in the estate at the weekend. Take their kids to the parks. I think you’d be presently surprised. Yep, I appreciate no one has time to study the whole thread carefully, I’ve openly said if we were in Brighton, Black Rock I’m sure we’d have an great life. But as you say, there is no way I’m taking on 1.4 million of debt to be in one of the desirable suburbs, I couldn’t sleep at night with that kind of debt. Perhaps my original post should have said that Melbourne can be a great place, but the vast majority of people below a certain age have a choice. Insane debt or soulless suburbs. I appreciate first time buyers can’t go straight to in to a four bed inner eastern suburb, but let’s say your the average 30 year old with 100k saved up for a deposit (which I’m told most don’t even have). What choice would you have? sorry if sounds like a rant, just open to discussing the topic, I can get quite passionate about it

I assumed as much! I’m just pleasantly surprised I wasn’t absolutely hammered for suggesting there are any negatives to Melbourne. So nice to be among Brits, acknowledging negatives……. maybe hanging around here will be all the change I need?

Sorry about that last post, very glitchy. Yeah it is more about routine no one even needs to drive more than 10 mins in all the scenarios this has happened in. Do threads always go off topic like this?

This is my biggest annoyance when I return on trips. You can’t possibly miss one week of karate to see us, that would be ridiculous. I get that we moved away, but is the schedule really that set in stone.

Yeah definitely conscious of not swapping one soulless suburb for another

What is your suburb? Now I know your travel times to CBD I can base other estimates off of it.

Definite value to be had then. And a slower pace potentially. I shall have to do some research on Adelaide too.

This things you point out would be nice. But I’m willing to drive to them on the weekend if the proceeding week hasn’t felt like such a slog. Do you know anything about places like southern river or Parmelia? we’ve just had a look at what you can build there for under 500k and we are staggered!

Basingstoke, Hampshire, approx 180k and rising. yep highly likely could be the first one and I don’t want to find a place to justify my move home, and fortunately I’m somewhat aware of it on some level. I may have given the wrong impression on having to be vic. It’s comfortable to choose vic as her family is here. But we are willing to look elsewhere.

Not seen much of it. Warrnambool was lovely though when we went there. Have you been there?

500k sounds good for a 30 min outside rush hour. We have a new build but it’s small 3 bedroom house (by Aussie standards but great for us), Outer suburb, infrastructure cr*p. 50-55 mins to city off peak. 1.5+ hours every morning and similar home from 3.30 - 6.30pm. To cover it succinctly, Im not outdoorsy. Im thinking ahead, I want good life for my child (which we don’t have yet lol). And I just don’t want to feel like I’m in a rat race all the time. Sorry to be vague, but these comparisons are so valuable to hear! I think mainly I just want some time back every day to remember what I like doing and not be a miserable moaning Pom. I stay at the office till 6.30 every day just to not sit in the traffic if that paints a picture.

Leeming, stayed with my dads best mate who moved to Australia 30+years ago. Did Christmas in 2005 and then I visited them for a week in 2011 and 2015. I lied, it’s 3 times

I’ve often said to partner can we just try Perth. What’s it a actually like? Am I still looking at 1 million plus for a house which gives a 45 mins commute or less for job in or near the city. Are the roads always busy? Does rush hour last from 2.30 to 6.30 like Melbourne. Will people do anything to get one car ahead of me in traffic? Has infrastructure proceeded suburban sprawl? Or is it playing catch up? do you know Melbourne, would you have enough knowledge to compare the two? Sorry to ask so much.

Yep partners uncle lives in Geelong. In a great spot too. I can see positives and negatives to the place.

Yep I’m with you on the reasonable drive to a city, I’d feel isolated too far from one. Although I could gladly never go to a beach again (I didn’t mention this just to get a disagreement in there, more to paint a picture of how I might not be cut out for Aussie life). yeah I think the vibrant suburbs will continue to thrive, but I do tip and exedous from Melbourne at some point when it becomes even more unliveable, especially if a few businesses move out and jobs become available more regionally. Any exedous of population would be replaced by immigration.

Drove to and from Bendigo for work once, looked tiny, nice enough, but yes I should visit.

Yep I agree. I have been told that one giant soulless suburb would be a good description of Perth. Is that unfair? I’ve been twice but barely left the same suburb both times, seems nice. Trip and living always different tho. and yes I think we could have a phenomenal life in Brighton, South Yarra or similar suburbs. Better than UK. A lot of debt needed tho so yes, we’ve ended up in a soulless one

I would advise against foxtel, nothing on there. Only thing on there you can’t get elsewhere is some sport. And now that’s only AFL football (which I doubt you will want to watch) and Formula 1. Other than that it’s just re runs of American police shows, CSI, NYLAPD, FML….. whatever they are called. Use the money for VPN instead, Australian TV is garbage.

I’m sure there are many nice places and that’s good to know.

Where abouts in England are you from? Are bendigo like towns in any way comparable to a typical UK town?

Had 2 crisp care packages in last 12 months from home thankfully. Now working through the last of the sweets, chocolate and angel delight (yes I’m 12).

I may have worded it badly. I didnt mean treatment wise, rather what experiences have people had living in Australian towns. And yes I probably do think a little too small town wise. I could be far from correct, but geelongs and bendigos strike me as pretty similar to living in outer suburbs of Melbourne. Happy to be proven wrong. Thanks for the suggestions. It’s nice to have things pitched to me, as I don’t discuss it with anyone here, through fear of an aggressive protection of Melbourne. My instinctive reactions to your suggestions do, as you say, reveal how I’m feeling about the place.