DeePee Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi, I'm a long time reader of the PIO forums and finally feel ready to embrace the community as a whole. Tomorrow I'll be submitting all the relevant information to a migration agent for an application for a 457 Visa. The company providing the 457 Visa have provided a letter of offer to start my new role on 15th October, so hopefully the Visa will come back sooner rather later as I'll need to give 4 weeks notice to my current employer in the UK. I'll be moving with my wife and 10 month old son and luckily we'll be staying with family until we get settled into our own little place. We're going to be staying in St Kilda, however my place of work will be Altona North, looking at the map of Melbourne, it could be a bit of a trek to get there! I've checked public transport, and the journey seems like a trip of an hour each way, I was wondering if anybody knew if leasing a car would be a valid option. Or am I best just sticking it out with public transport. I'm currently in a mixture of excitedness and nervousness....however cannot wait to get outhere to start our new life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Welcome to the forum. Public transport to Altona may be the way to go it would mean taking the light rail to the city and changing trains. The other alternative is driving over the Westgate Bridge which is busy busy busy most of the time. How about joining the Life in Victoria forum there is a link at the foot of this forum. There is a lot of information provided on it from people already resident. Also there are others with young children to make contact with. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 Thanks Petals, I'll try public transport for the short term. Will also join the other forum too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Mate, I have lived round Altona North all my time here (6 years). The commute from St Kilda to there will be a complete and utter shocker and I wouldn't recommend at all dude. Why are you moving to St Kilda (please don't say 'cos that's where friends live, or it's a happening suburb or sommat) if you are working at Toyota or where-ever? Makes do sense at all....... Getting to work in this city is a very big deal. I reckon on a good run you'll be looking at 1:20min on the tram train. Car would be about the same. Basically, and in the nicest possible way - moving to St Kilda is a stupid idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Thanks surfndirt, this is exactly the type of thing I need to know. We're moving to St Kilda as we have family who live there already, we'll be living in St Kilda until atleast around June next year, then our options are pretty much open. What is so bad about the commute, is it just the length of time it takes? I have to use the M62 between Liverpool and Manchester at the moment, so I'm used to traffic jams and spending hours on end trying to get to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Yeah, the bad thing about the commute is well, the commute! hahahaha :-) Driving St Kilda is kinda positioned a little down the bay, lots of people commute along the bay road to get to work in the city so that road is really bad in the morning. In order to get to Altona you'd need to come all the way up that road (with everyone trying to get to work) then go the back way through Port Melbourne to the Westgate bridge - over the bridge then off at Millers Road exit. On the way home you'll hit the traffic on the inbound lanes of the westgate bridge, then all the traffic on the bay road going home from the city (towards St Kilda). Train Tram to Flinders Street, train to Altona then a bus = ultra nasty Driving in rush hour Melbourne is really nasty dude, it's like everyone is in the worst mood all the time. Beeping, trucks getting agro, tail gaters all over. I'm a big lad from Middlesbrough and I get stressed out / intimidated all the time on the road hey. I actively avoid driving when-ever possible - it's just a sh*tful experience. I guess my point is that if you have the option to not have to endure that everyday then I would really look into it mate. Ignore your relatives if they ask in disgust 'whhhhy would you live in the West?' - if they do... then again, and in the nicest possible way, they are scriptless. For me, I'd move to the Western Suburbs. Williamstown / Williamstown Beach is the best kept secret in Melbourne, have a look.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikyuu Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Yeah, the bad thing about the commute is well, the commute! hahahaha :-) Driving St Kilda is kinda positioned a little down the bay, lots of people commute along the bay road to get to work in the city so that road is really bad in the morning. In order to get to Altona you'd need to come all the way up that road (with everyone trying to get to work) then go the back way through Port Melbourne to the Westgate bridge - over the bridge then off at Millers Road exit. On the way home you'll hit the traffic on the inbound lanes of the westgate bridge, then all the traffic on the bay road going home from the city (towards St Kilda). Train Tram to Flinders Street, train to Altona then a bus = ultra nasty Driving in rush hour Melbourne is really nasty dude, it's like everyone is in the worst mood all the time. Beeping, trucks getting agro, tail gaters all over. I'm a big lad from Middlesbrough and I get stressed out / intimidated all the time on the road hey. I actively avoid driving when-ever possible - it's just a sh*tful experience. I guess my point is that if you have the option to not have to endure that everyday then I would really look into it mate. Ignore your relatives if they ask in disgust 'whhhhy would you live in the West?' - if they do... then again, and in the nicest possible way, they are scriptless. For me, I'd move to the Western Suburbs. Williamstown / Williamstown Beach is the best kept secret in Melbourne, have a look.... You hit the nail on the head about rush hour driving. I use the Calder/Western Ring road and the things I experience and see are beyond belief. You will be tail gated for most of the journey no matter what lane/speed. You will be cut up continuously and have to break heavily all the time to avoid people changing lanes, it's like they have a death wish. I've always enjoyed driving and been a car enthusiast, but now I hate it. Public transport could be a safer option. Williams town is gorgeous, but there's little to rent and no-where to buy below $1mil. Plenty of nice places in the west including Caroline Springs, Hillside and developments near point cook which would be ideal for Altona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Ha, yeah - it's interesting to hear that everyone see's the whole driving thing and it's not just me finding stuff to moan about cos I've been here ages!! I used to love my cars in the UK, had em all - WRX that, Type R this - S2000 the other. Now I hate having to get in the bloody thing cos I know I'm gonna be tail gated within an inch of my life, speed camera'd to death and generally stressed out. I am actually seriously considering moving back to my beloved Newcastle Upon Tyne at the moment and be it as it may - the whole driving thing is playing a part in the decision! On that note, recently I have noticed a significant number of my British mates (some have been here > 10 years) all talking very seriously about moving back. Seems not all is well in the Aus ex-pat scene at the moment. A simple Cost Benefit Analysis puts alot into perspective hey..... I guess I can actually now say it - I really miss some stuff about the UK (north east/west, of course - not interested in that whole southern half :-))..... - Driving / riding my motorbike fast (don't care if I sound like a bogun) - Country pubs (mmmmmmmmmman I miss em, went to some crackers in Cumbria with me Mam when we were back this year) - The craic of all the lads and lasses in the toon (funny, friendly bast*ards the lot of em) - Pints for less than 6 quid - Motorsport on BBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks for your help surfndirt & rikyuu. The UK isnt really a very nice place to live at the moment with the current government making cuts left right and centre, the cost of living keeps rising and wages are not keeping up, I suppose the grass is always greener.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Just a point about the commute to Altona you do not need to take the tram from St Kilda you get the light rail to Flinders St and just change platforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks Petals, much appreciated. My wife and I have a fondness for cooking and trying new foods, I have an Italian heritage and will be looking to carry on in this way when I land in Oz. I believe Melbourne has some really good markets? Any advice on the best ones to visit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks Petals, much appreciated. My wife and I have a fondness for cooking and trying new foods, I have an Italian heritage and will be looking to carry on in this way when I land in Oz. I believe Melbourne has some really good markets? Any advice on the best ones to visit? If you live near the city Queen Victoria is a good one, arm yourself with a double basket trolly and join the other food shoppers. Fish, meat, deli, veg, wine very good. Its not open every day Tuesday, think Thursday not sure, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If bit further out then you have South Melbourne Market, similar but smaller. Prahran market is a small gourmet type market and a friend of mine does market tours there. If further out still you have Dandenong Market which is very good as well. Croydon Market. Not sure about the markets in the west as I do not go over that side of Melbourne much. Springvale is not a market but its a great place to shop if you like Asian food, mostly Asian people live around there and the fish and pork is great and cheap. Also all those asian veg that may not be in the local veg shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Thank you Petals, this is a big help. I've checked my 457 application status this morning, and it says Approved! Looks like we're on track for moving at the beginning of October! I'm guessing the fun starts now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeePee Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Thought Id update on how we've progressed since we made the move. We landed in Melbourne on 27th September ready to embrace whatever Australia threw at us....perhaps a little premature because jetlag completely took it out of me, my wife and my 1 year old son....the first few days were a complete blur. We stayed with family in a small apartment in St Kilda, which was really good because we'd missed the people we were staying with and they really helped with the transition to aussie life. We had two weeks to adjust to our new surroundings before I started work in Altona North on 15th October. During those two weeks we visited some of the above markets mentioned: Queen Victoria...absolutely huge with so many stalls....although most of the stalls are quite similar especially the clothing stalls... South Melbourne...my personal favourite...mainly on a sunday for the $1 and $2 bags of veg you can get before the stalls are closing... Prahran Market...very nicely presented..overly priced. It was strange trying to adjust to using public transport especially as we had two cars back home to get around with...but soon got used to it...you can get pretty much anywhere in the East side of Melbourne on trams.....the West doesnt have the same access...shame really. We went on day trips out to botanical gardens, visited beautiful beaches, went for night walks, visited some fantastic restaurants and bars and really enjoyed the two weeks....its safe to say we spent a small fortune adjusting to the difference in prices over here initially. I personally dont think I could have prepared for the difference in prices to the UK until I'd actually been over here....we're alot better because of the experience now. Once work started, travelling from St Kilda to Altona North was worse than I thought....it consisted of the following.... 15 min walk to Balaclava from home 20 min train journey from Balaclava to Flinders Street 20 min train journey from Flinders street to Footscray 30-40 bus ride from Footscray to Dohertys Road, Altona North 30 min walk from bus stop to work And it was pretty much the same coming back! I done this for around 3 weeks during which time my place of work changed from Altona North to a new development site in Truganina. The Truganina site was a little easier to get to via Laverton but still took around 2 hours to get there and 2 hours to get back on a daily basis. We finally bought a car, to which was an absolute nightmare in itself, mainly because the car was not roadworthy (although certified roadworthy) when we bought it. We ended up paying $1000 over an above what we initially paid on the car for recovery costs, taxis and other miscellaneous items until the car was fixed by the dealership. The dealer was not happy either as he had to pay out $1500 to get it fixed, which to be honest I'm glad there was a warranty on the car! Since the car was fixed..its been fine since (touch wood). The journey to work now takes 30 mins on average, and 45 mins back depending on the West Gate bridge traffic, but overall its alot better than public transport. Having a car has really opened up our options for getting around, we've done road trips to the Great Ocean Road, seen some unbelievable sights like wild koalas and the Apostles. The weekend just gone we travelled to Phillip Island which again was really beautiful and my Son (and Wife) are really starting to enjoy our time here, especially on the beaches. This coming weekend we move into our own rented premises in Point Cook. After looking at around 40 rental properties, the choice here is unbelievable compared to what is available back in the UK, we finally settled on one not too far Boardwalk Boulevard (Alamanda end). The house is far too big for the 3 us but we're certainly going to enjoy the space, and my now 15 month old son who has come on leaps and bounds since we've been over here will love being able to run about in a big house and garden. It has been a very trying first few months especially with it being quite cramped were we currently live, settling into a new job and getting to know new people....not to mention being away from our families back home at Xmas and New year but I'm hoping things will start to get much better for us once we move into our own place. We're looking forward to meeting new people in Point Cook and hoping our son can play with new friends. We'd be interested in any meetups happening around Point Cook or surrounding suburbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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