thejaggers Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi All New to the forum and have learned so much about oz already - so thank you for that ! I have been thinking of relocating to Melbourne from Leeds due to a pending job offer and wondered if I could get some advise. I have read a lot about how bad the weather can be in Melbourne and am frankly very surprised. I grew up thinking all Australia was hot. all year round.. Are these comment over the top or is the weather sketchy? Surely the weather can only be infinitely better than the constant grey skies of West Yorkshire. Also I would be getting a 457 visa can anyone tell me how long these last for ? I have read varying things. Lastly one of the biggest worries I have is telling my children (A boy 7 and a girl 5) my boy is especially sensitive and I am not sure how he will take the news, he is very close to the rest of the family. Any tips on how we can convince him its the best move for us. thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 one of the reasons we moved from Melbourne to Brisbane was because of the weather. Its no different to the Uk, just a bit warmer. We got fed up of the rain and cold in winter. Most houses do not have any heating whatsoever so when the antarctic winds blow, you might as well be in the UK and it can be overcast for weeks on end. Spring and Autumn are nice but summer can be over 40 degrees one day and 20 the next. I would say that the weather is better than the Uk but not as good as Queensland....which can get incredibly hot too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave53 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Thejaggers .... Who told you it hot all year round in Australia ?... They were just a little generous there with the truth . boganbear, said it as it really is . Houses are generally poorly built with little or no insulation , often with no heating and the people just don't dress for the weather either , add all that up , and you will feel the cold , moreso I would say than in the UK . We have lots of visitors from the UK , and all without exception say how they feel the cold here . I live in the Sydney area , which is considered warmer than Melbourne too .. Dave C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KazzE Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I would say the weather in Melbourne is similar to the UK (we lived in the south) but generally better, warmer, longer spring/summer and shorter winter ( although this year winter seems to have been colder and longer!) with a few more extremes. hotter days in summer stronger winds - all seasons heavier rain at times I disagree that 'it can be overcast for weeks' it can be overcast but not for long. one of the things I like about the weather is how often it changes, hot days end with a cool change or followed by a cool day, rare to have more than a couple of hot days in a row without a cool change. i love the heat but hate humidity so don't think I would cope anywhere else. i was not prepared to feel cold in Australia but you certainly do feel it more here which is mainly to do with most houses being set up for the heat, draughty through lack of insulation, tiled floors and the fact that most houses are bigger just makes them harder to heat. But you do get used to it. Melbourne weather - four seasons in one day - A very true statement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I have read a lot about how bad the weather can be in Melbourne and am frankly very surprised. I grew up thinking all Australia was hot. all year round.. Are these comment over the top or is the weather sketchy? Surely the weather can only be infinitely better than the constant grey skies of West Yorkshire. Only the top third of Australia is hot all year round...hot and dry or hot and wet depending on the time of the year. The further south you travel the cooler it can get in winter. Melbourne has 4 distinct seasons but it's not as cold as the UK and has about double the number of average sunshine hours as Leeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 To answer your question on the 457, its a temp visa. Have you researched it at all? I would strongly advise you do so especially if you are migrating with young children. http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/457.aspx TBH we read many not so good stories about the 457. People can be made redundant from their job and only have X amount of days to find another sponsor or have to leave the country. If going out on this visa I would look at it as a temp thing and be prepared for it to end anytime as you are at the mercy of your employer. If and when you gain PR then you can relax. But not everyone gains PR off a 457. Look into all the things like medical cover and the like. You can read more about that here http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/457-health-insurance-faq-visa-holder.htm I don't think Victoria has school fees but double check. If so, then you are liable for those also. I think you should actually post and ask about your 457 separate from the weather questions as its been lost in the post. Its far more important than the weather IMHO and you really should go into it with your eyes wide open and fully understanding the implications of the visa and what it can mean. Also read some other threads on the forum from members on a 457 who have lost their jobs. I don't say this to scare you but with young kids, especially one who is sensitive, if you were to lose your job how would the upheaval of returning to the UK affect your child after they have settled and so on? How would it affect your family? Of course, if you only want to go for a few years and fully wish/plan to return to the UK at the end of it, gives things a different slant. If you really want to migrate, I'd look to seeing if you are eligible for PR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Well I have central heating, a wood stove so feel a little chilly in the winter time, however hardly every wear an overcoat here in Melbourne. I also have ducted airconditioning. I like the Spring, Autumn and Winter months, hate the summer. Why do I hate the summer, well the flies for one thing, the northerly winds which are very hot and blow very strongly. Its usually dry in the warmer months and we get most of our rain in the winter. We have very low rainfall compared to other parts of Australia in fact we can be affected by droughts badly from time to time and they say they will get worse with global warming. You can grow vegetables all year round in our climate which is great. We get lots of sunshine as I have solar power I know that is correct as I am in credit with my power company all year round. I like the fact in summer that we will get a few hot days and then the cool change comes. Its not humid and that is definitely a bonus as I can stand hot dry heat, however once humidity comes into it like Sydney and Brisbane, its so uncomfortable need to take a shower all the time. I would not live anywhere else, Melbourne has over four million inhabitants now and they keep on coming so there are quite a few who like the climate and the lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melb3000 Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Melbourne is under the same climate classification zone as England, i.e. the Oceanic zone as per the widely used Koppen Classification system. The main difference between Melbourne (and southern Victoria in general) and England lies in the latitude difference (Melbourne is at the same latitude as Seville, Athens and far northern Iran/southern Turkey), and also the continental influence, i.e. Melbourne is on the southern edge of a vast land mass that extends towards the equator through the tropics, therefore contains some very hot deserts in the inland tropical areas. The net effect of all this is that Melbourne has roughly similar weather to southern England (think cool with a lot of showery changeable weather and frequent rain for a lot of the year) but with somewhat sunnier skies on average, temperatures several degrees higher, especially in winter and the hottest days in spring through autumn are significantly hotter than what you get in England. I would also say that Melbourne experiences higher rainfall rates during the warmer months with severe thunderstorms at times and wilder fluctuation in temperature. Melbourne is also prone to sudden squalls and variation in wind speed throughout the year, especially in spring and summer. Spring is usually very windy with frequent periods of gales when cold fronts come through. Keep in mind that the central Melbourne climate is not necessarily indicative of the entire Melbourne metro area. For example the wettest parts of the Dandenong ranges receive up to 1400mm of rain a year, contain pockets of temperate rainforest and have similar average temps to London thanks to the elevation. Areas to the west of Melbourne on the other hand are bordering on semi arid (in the driest areas around Werribee) due to a rain shadow from the Great Divide and can get extremely hot when the strong northerly winds come through in summer as they are in lee of the mountains and hills of the Great Divide and are under the influence of a Foehn effect on these days. Areas on the Great Divide to the north of Melbourne are also quite wet (700-1400mm a year) and also have similar average temps to southern England, sometimes receive snow down to as low as 400-500m above sea level and can suffer frosts with temps down as low as -7C in winter. Some towns on the ranges near Melbourne rarely get above 10C during the winter months. Overall though there is enough pleasant weather through the year to compensate for the unpleasant stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hot today. 40 degrees. Im glad the cooler works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrover Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 We've only been here 6 months but to be honest I don't recognise some of the descriptions here of Melbourne weather. Don't know if you acclimatise? It is not cold in the winter, it's very dry and you don't get endless grey days. When we left the uk in early April we'd just had 4 weeks of snow on the ground and grey skies, with temps less than 5 degrees. Here think uk spring temps in the winter. Agree houses here are drafty and decent heating helps. 14 degrees is not cold by uk winter standards but not comfortable if that's the temp in your house. Rare there's a day without any clear blue skies - cloudy days normally clear. If it rains it properly rains but doesn't drizzle for days on end like the uk. It is very changeable - not uncommon to change 10-20 degrees from one day to another. And to be honest, having just gone through our first 40 degree day, I'm glad it's due to drop 15 degrees in the next 2 days. Overall significantly warmer, with much more blue skies vs the uk, but windy and very changeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 It's hot now. Summer has decided to make its presence known. Finally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 we are 2 1/2 - 3 hours North of Melbourne on te Murry river it is 9am and already 30 C and heading for 44C ! Oh hate this heat. Winter is not as cold as Melbourne and not as wet, in fact we get more sunny days up here than the Gold Coast of Qld with out the humidity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 we are 2 1/2 - 3 hours North of Melbourne on te Murry river it is 9am and already 30 C and heading for 44C ! Oh hate this heat. Winter is not as cold as Melbourne and not as wet, in fact we get more sunny days up here than the Gold Coast of Qld with out the humidity Echuca ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Echuca ? Yep ! On contract for 3 years then we will be off to Toowoomba back in Qld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 we are 2 1/2 - 3 hours North of Melbourne on te Murry river it is 9am and already 30 C and heading for 44C ! Oh hate this heat. Winter is not as cold as Melbourne and not as wet, in fact we get more sunny days up here than the Gold Coast of Qld with out the humidity Or the beaches :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I know Echuca can get incredibly hot. I had a week there in a Tent in a caravan park and was like an oven. The Murray river is great for cooling off though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I know Echuca can get incredibly hot. I had a week there in a Tent in a caravan park and was like an oven. The Murray river is great for cooling off though. when we took on this contract we had no idea it got this hot. People do swim in the murray but have to say it does not appeal to dirty looking. Would be hot in a tent thats for sure. We dont get the big storms like Qld which we are use to after a hot day, really do miss that, a nice cooling storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiveAGirlShoes Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Echuca ? One of my memories of Echuca involves wrapping myself up from head to toe in a sheet whilst trying to sleep, listening to kamikaze mosquitos :eek: I was staying in a very nice hostel and it was incredibly warm!! I think that was sometime in November (spring?) Melbourne at that time was generally warm enough not to need a jacket during the day and ok with a light jacket or long sleeves in the evening... I had just left northern WA so wasn't just comparing it to the UK :rolleyes: We did have 1 major downfall which was miserable but it was gone the next day And don't forget, in the UK we go on holiday when the weather is grim, no reason not to do the same in Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbkitty Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Felt like Summer would never start and then bam - 4 days of 40 degree plus weather (not fun at 31 weeks pregnant) I've lived here 4 years and find the weather comparable to England alot of time, except it doesn't get quite so cold. I try to schedule a 5km walk in per day and often frustrated that I can't get out as it's too cold, too wet, or too hot. Autumn is lovely though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jatkins Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi All New to the forum and have learned so much about oz already - so thank you for that ! I have been thinking of relocating to Melbourne from Leeds due to a pending job offer and wondered if I could get some advise. I have read a lot about how bad the weather can be in Melbourne and am frankly very surprised. I grew up thinking all Australia was hot. all year round.. Are these comment over the top or is the weather sketchy? Surely the weather can only be infinitely better than the constant grey skies of West Yorkshire. Also I would be getting a 457 visa can anyone tell me how long these last for ? I have read varying things. Lastly one of the biggest worries I have is telling my children (A boy 7 and a girl 5) my boy is especially sensitive and I am not sure how he will take the news, he is very close to the rest of the family. Any tips on how we can convince him its the best move for us. thanks in advance Don't know so much on your visa issue, but with regard to explaining to the kids, we are in a similar position with three girls, 3, 5 & 8. Best advice I can give is to keep talking about the positives of the move with them, but be honest with them about the things they might miss. My eldest daughter has some pretty close friends and extended family living within a stones throw of our current home and i'm not sure she really appreciates what going to happen and all the implications for her when we move. But we look at the move as an adventure and keep telling the kids the same. They've all been to Australia more than once so they some have expectations of what to expect with weather etc, and we took them for a look around a school (which they seemed to love) i'm sure my three will have aussie accents after a week of school....! And i'm sure if your kids get settled into school get stuck in to some aussie fun with other kids their age, they'll fine in the end. Think it will be much harder to move once kids are in their teens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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