Anyone need any advise on moving to Melbourne?

[beverlyblue]

Hi Ben

 

Thanks for info, I have two children and we have checked out schools which seem to vary loads, also looked on Domain for rental properties as I have just been offered a job with DHS as a social worker in Boxhill on 457 visa. That said we will rent out our property here. We don't want to live in Boxhill as we would prefer to live near the coast.

 

How much can we do before we get there also lots of people on here who recommend serviced apts for a couple of weeks, do you know of any in this area??

 

Thanks, need to consider all of this before make a decision!!!

[Guest jonny & liz]

Hi Ben

 

Any areas of Melbourne to avoid living? We are family of 5 - kids are aged 8,6 & 19mnths - and left a lovely village next to Canterbury Kent 2 weeks ago. Looking for somewhere fairly close to CBD with nice schools (primary & secondary) where other families may live too. Currently in Sydney (doing work) with kids up in Brissie with my parents and feeling nervous at how long out of school they've been. We are both keen skiers so thought somewhere where we could escape reasonably quickly to the slopes in winter would be a bonus too. Am I asking for too much???

 

Ta Liz

[Guest MelbourneBen]

Beverleyblue....We arranged a rental property before we arrived. We had a friend to view it for us. We were taking a bit of a risk but it turned out the place and area is great. Do you have a friend in Melbourne who could view properties for you before you arrive? I dont know of any short term lease apartments in Melbourne but im sure theres heaps around. Just be mindful that since we arrived (9 months ago) rental properties are not as easily available and it may take a little longer than a couple of weeks to find and move into somewhere.

 

I personally wouldnt want to live in Box hill and would look around the south eastern suberbs e.g cheltenham Hope this helps, if I can be anymore help just let me know.

 

Johnny&liz.....if your budget allows it I would look around the south eastern coastal suberbs. Starting at Elwood and following the coast round through sandringham and as far as moordiallic. All of these area's are nice, im not sure about the schools as we dont have any kids but there would be plenty for them to do with great parks, beaches, cinema's and shopping centres etc. I wouldnt live any further around the coast than moordiallic as that would be a bit far to commute. Moordiallic is about 50 mins away by train to the CBD.

[Guest Hello Kitty]

Hi ben

We just started the long winding road to Oz. We thinking bout melbourne way because of my work and we have a friend in brunswick. We been looking at roxburgh park and hawthorn . Have you any info or knowledge of the areas. plus in realistic terms how far from centre melbourne. coz on a map it looks close . We are heading out for a reccie in march for 3 weeks

any info would gratefully recieved mate

Paul and Kerry

 

 

Hawthorn is a lovely suburb but expensive. It is fairly close to the city with public transport, lovely houses, very leafy and quite upmarket. If you can afford to live there then go for it.

[Guest Hello Kitty]

Hi

 

Can anyone give me info on Cheltenham and Mordiallioc areas.

 

Thanks

 

Bev

 

 

Cheltenham is a good and safe suburb. Houses are a mix of pre-war californian bungalows to 1960's era but a lot have been renovated. There is a very large shopping mall in Cheltenham called Westfield Southland which has everything you need. Also there is a train station in Cheltenham so easy access to the city via public transport. Cheltenham is a mix of eldery people and young families - a bit of a mix age wise really. It is quiet but it is easy to get to places with a bit more action. The beach is about 5 minutes drive.

 

Mordialloc would be similar to Cheltenham. Most houses are 50 years old or so but there are newer developments such as The Epsom Estate. Close to the beach and best to buy houses on the beach side of Nepean Highway (unless you go to Epsom Estate). Also try Aspendale Gardens and Waterways estate which is nearby for newer homes.

 

 

Both suburbs are very safe with low crime rates.

[Guest Hello Kitty]

hi just wondered if you have any knowledge of the dingley village area very interested in moving around that area any advice would be great .

janine

 

 

Dingley Village is a south eastern suburb. Houses are mainly from the 1970's onwards. There is a small shopping village there with a supermarket and a few other stores which are okay. It is about a 10 minute drive to the beach, Southland Shopping Centre (which is a big mall). There is no train station there but public buses would be available. It is a quiet and safe area with a mix of age groups from young families to older. Not that exciting but has everything you need and nice enough. Other areas which I would look at that are not too far from there are Cheltenham, Mordialloc, Aspendale Gardens. I think you need to visit yourself and get a feel for the place. It also depends on your budget in buying a house.

[Guest Hello Kitty]

Hi Ben

 

Any areas of Melbourne to avoid living? We are family of 5 - kids are aged 8,6 & 19mnths - and left a lovely village next to Canterbury Kent 2 weeks ago. Looking for somewhere fairly close to CBD with nice schools (primary & secondary) where other families may live too. Currently in Sydney (doing work) with kids up in Brissie with my parents and feeling nervous at how long out of school they've been. We are both keen skiers so thought somewhere where we could escape reasonably quickly to the slopes in winter would be a bonus too. Am I asking for too much???

 

Ta Liz

 

How about the suburb of Canterbury in Melbourne. From one Canterbury to another!

Beautiful suburb but expensive and close to the CBD and fab. schools.

 

It depends on your budget really. As you like to get to the snow then somewhere north of the city would be good for you. I don't know this area well but can suggest Eltham and Warrandyte as being very nice suburbs which are a fair way out from the city but easy access to freeway.

[Guest Hello Kitty]

Hi Folks

 

New here so please be gentle!

 

Can anyone tell me what the Eltham North suburb of Melbourne is like? Looks OK on Google Earth but hey - one never knows!

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Cheers

Chris

 

 

Eltham is a very nice suburb. Very leafy, quiet and safe. Lots of families there and some lovely homes. I think it has a nice feel to it and the main street looks quite nice too. It can get quite hot in summer as it is away from the sea and you don't get that sea breeze so it might be a couple of degrees hotter. Warrandyte is also very nice from what I remember. Worth having a good drive around and getting a feel for the place. Have you looked on realestate.com.au for housing?

[Guest dazdb9]

Hi All,

 

Ive just found this site, looks really good with some useful info!

 

My partner and I moved to Melbourne in August`07, we've settled in well and love the place.

 

I know how daunting it can be making the move so thought I would offer any advise that I can.

 

So if you have any questions or need any advise just ask away.

 

Ben

 

 

:biglaugh:hi ben

we had our visa's granted 1/4/08 we will be in oz melbourne for ?/08/08 we are in the proccess of sorting out what we will need to do when we arrive! ie:- car rental, finding rental accom, tax codes, banks,schools.

 

any advise and other things we might need to do would be great.

where abouts in melbourne are you?

we are looking to move melbourne area close to city centre:jiggy:

may be we could meet up when we get out there?

cheers darren

[beverlyblue]

Cheltenham is a good and safe suburb. Houses are a mix of pre-war californian bungalows to 1960's era but a lot have been renovated. There is a very large shopping mall in Cheltenham called Westfield Southland which has everything you need. Also there is a train station in Cheltenham so easy access to the city via public transport. Cheltenham is a mix of eldery people and young families - a bit of a mix age wise really. It is quiet but it is easy to get to places with a bit more action. The beach is about 5 minutes drive.

 

Mordialloc would be similar to Cheltenham. Most houses are 50 years old or so but there are newer developments such as The Epsom Estate. Close to the beach and best to buy houses on the beach side of Nepean Highway (unless you go to Epsom Estate). Also try Aspendale Gardens and Waterways estate which is nearby for newer homes.

 

 

Both suburbs are very safe with low crime rates.

 

 

Thanks Kitty and Ben

 

I think we have decided to go around that area if and when we arrive. The DHS is still being vague about our relocation package, so as yet I have not accepted the job offer plus we are a little concerned about the cost of living at the moment. I will be taking a pay cut to go to OZ and the children would have to have after school care as we would be both be working full time. My Partner is an architect and would have to work in the city initially. Bsically in limbo at the present time my biggest fear is getting out there and not having the income to take total advantage. Sorry for rambling on but thanks for the info.

[no1spark]

Gail, mornington is expensive im sorry to say however most places are now expensive in Australia, Geelong is a massive place to be honest its a city lots of shops & the rest i live in the S/E subs Rowville where ever you live there are plenty of schools also plenty to do lots of parks & open spaces.

 

if your O/H is in the electrical game he or she shall have to do there electrical qualifications again its as simple as that.

 

all the best to you all.

 

we have been here 11 years now & love the place never intend to return to Blackburn in Lancashire

[Guest Rachel L]

Hi, we moved to Wheelers Hill, 3150, (eastern suburbs) four weeks ago so happy to answer questions.

 

I haven't been to Aspendale, Beverly Blue, but I think it's one of the newer developments. I'm sure it's lovely. It's probably a 30-35 min drive from the CBD off-peak rush hour.

 

Good luck everyone.! Especially with that exchange rate! Rx

[Markandsharon]

hi has anyone moved to point cook / werribee area , house prices seem reasonable and not to far the central melbourne , but is there a downside

 

thanks

[tracy123]

hi has anyone moved to point cook / werribee area , house prices seem reasonable and not to far the central melbourne , but is there a downside

 

thanks

 

What would you like to know? I lived in point cook,:yes: werribee for 3 yrs

[Markandsharon]

hi tracy

we have been drawn to point cook , mainly by the short distance to central melbourne , and the house prices seem reasonable , but as with these things it difficult to judge an area from estate agent pictures and info we find on the web .

 

we have two young daughters 4 and 6 so any area we choose has to be good for them also

 

many thanks mark and sharon

[no1spark]

Rachel L; what do you think of wheelers hill then some of the houses there are massive, we are down the rd from you in Rowville, we have been here for 11 years now & love the place. may i ask where in the Uk are you from.

[Guest Rachel L]

Hi Arthur - Wheelers HIll is just great. We're renting, so not sure if we'll be able to afford to buy here when the time to bring over our money comes.... but in the meantime, we have lots of room, the most amazing park (Jells Park), great school (Jells Primary) and I've got my daily dose of parrots in the garden. I do miss being close to the city - I went there this evening to meet friends, and wow, the lights, the buzz... but when you've got kids you've got to make some lifestyle decisions. We moved from Worcester, although we're not originally from there. We're from Oxford and Birmingham. How about you? R

[no1spark]

Rachel L;

 

Oxford is real posh if one may say, we are from Lancashire town called Blackburn its a town thats for me has stood still for a couple of centuries, but to be honest there has been lots of new industry there.

I worked as a contracting electrician through the north west of the UK then for 9 years working as an electrician on BT then we applied to migrate to Australia, we love the place our daughter was 11 years old when we made the move.

people ask how long did it take for her to adapt to Australia i honestly tell people it took about 20 mins after the plane landed for her to love this place.

 

I was offered a job as i left the Airport, i was unwell at the time having pneumonia due to working in the frigging snow in Blackburn before we left. But after a few days all was well & its been OK ever since for us.

 

My wife works in a local factory close to scorseby rd & stud rd thats about 3 mins drive from your place. as you rightly say Jells park is fantastic & the schools are also good round there.The company she works for are moving in July just down the rd into Carabean Estate again thats 2 mins from Jells park.

 

May i ask what do you both do for work if its not to forward asking you.

 

Myself i work for the education dept here in Melbourne working at Vermont Secondary College as a networks technician i do all the data cabling & fix all the computers 500 of the bloody things, then look after all the servers also help kids & teachers with software issues 1600 of kids & staff i also do emergency electrical work for them seeming i have an A class electrical license.

 

so as you may imagine its full on all the time, where the wife works they pack lady's stocking & tights for the shops like Target, Myers, David Jones there is about 80 people there most are working 3 days one week then 2 days the week after, most are casual workers some are on full time the wife is on full time she sorts work out for the other lady's.

 

My girl is now 23 old she is in her last year at Uni doing a teaching Degree a double degree in foods/technology.

I keep trying to talk her out of it all seeming i know whats its like all day but she wont have any of it from me she says "Shut it Dad" im going to be teaching so thats the end of the matter.????? Females what can i say.

 

i hope all goes well for you both if you need help with the schools just ask there is a massive difference between private & state school if your child is academic then most state schools can offer the child a great education it all depends on what the parents want & also what the child wants to do in there pathway of education.

 

regards

 

Arthur

[tracy123]

hi tracy

we have been drawn to point cook , mainly by the short distance to central melbourne , and the house prices seem reasonable , but as with these things it difficult to judge an area from estate agent pictures and info we find on the web .

 

we have two young daughters 4 and 6 so any area we choose has to be good for them also

 

many thanks mark and sharon

 

Hi Mark and Sharon

I loved Point cook It was all very new when i moved in as land was still being devloped the primary school they had there was really good and they looked after my son very well and he devloped very well. The school had lots of activitys for the children and lots of information nights for the parents on simple things like how to listen to your child read (sounds silly but the information you got was fantastic) never seen this done since.

Point Cook is very family orientated as it has alot of young familys the only draw back was you had to travel into Werribee, Hoppers Crossing to find things (5 to 10 min). So if your daughters want to join in sports they will need to travel. But saying that we travel to go to things over here, and 10 minutes is not that bad for what you are getting. they had just finished the mini shopping centre but still not as good as Werribee.

As for things to do you have Altona beach (great family beach) about 10 to 15 minutes away Werribee beach 5 minutes away you are close to Geelong. The trip into the cbd is about 45 minutes away and you have a train line into the city.

Hope this helps, if you need any more help just let me know either by pm or on this thread

 

Geoffrey

[Guest itskaren]

We moved to Mount Martha in Dec 07 and I hated every second of it. The estate agent called it 'God's waiting room'.

 

After a month of me just crying we relocated to Mooroolbark and soon to live in Olinda which is fantastic in the hills. Billanook College is just wonderful my boys are 8 and 10. We just love the school. Private paying approx $10k each per year. Well worth it. Good luck! karen

[Guest JacquiHH]

Hi MelbourneBen

 

My husband, our 4 children and I may be moving to Melbourne quite soon, just waiting on a job offer, fingers crossed... We have been looking at the Bayside area to live and would like some advice on areas to avoid and any that you would recommend? We are looking for an area as near to the beach as possible and my husband will be working in the city so easy commute needed. Schools are also a big factor, the children are currently in great schools in England so we want to continue that! Our children are 1, 4, nearly 7 & 12 so we need from nursery level through to secondary! I noticed that you live in Brighton, we live in Brighton in the UK so it would be wierd to end up there! Thanks for your advice...

[Guest Bella]

Hi Melbourne Ben,

 

I am in the same boat i have been looking at Berwick and I am unsure what it would be like for my two sons who will be 15 and 17.

I need it close to transport as i dont drive can anyone tell me of any others that may suit my needs

schools Shops etc

[Guest LindyClogs]

Hi Melbourne Ben,

 

We are just starting out on the long road to (hopefully) a skilled migrant visa. There are 4 of us, my husband (who is a software engineer), myself and two children aged 9 and 6. We have been looking at Melbourne partly because there seems to be IT work there and partly becuase it seems to offer a good quality of life.

 

Trouble is, I've been reading other threads where people have been moaning about various aspects of life in Melbourne and it's confusing me.

 

We've moved around the UK a lot and I've always found that it takes about a year to get a feel for a new place and to settle in. I think some of the problems some people are having come from not having moved so often so expecting to settle in straight away. I expect it to be hard now whenever I move so I'm never disappointed!

 

The other thing that strikes me about people who may be having problems in Melbourne is that maybe they have not been used to big city life before? I've lived in a number of big cities and they all have the same problems with transport, grafitti etc etc and I'm assuming that Melbourne is just like any other big city, you take the rough with the smooth.

 

What would be really good would be to get opinions from people with children about how you can live and work in Melbourne, get a decent standard of life and a good education. I suppose what I really want is to be reassured that there is nothing wrong with Melbourne and that we could make a good life for ourselves there.

 

Any opinions or comments would be great.

 

Linda

[Guest EvieB]

Hi Linda,

We don't have children to take with us but I am familiar with Melbourne because I have family there and I think you are right, every city has grafitti etc and Melbourne no more than any other. In fact compared to London... well, there is no comparison! We love it and confess to being a little baffled by some of the negative posts - but everyone to their own opinion! I think you are exactly right, living in a new place is hard and if you expect it to be it will be less of a shock. With your attitude, you can't fail to love it, I'm sure.

Make sure you let us know how you get on.

X

[Guest Bella30]

Hi

 

Can anyone give me info on Cheltenham and Mordiallioc areas.

 

Thanks

 

Bev

Hi Bev, we lived in Cheltenham for 5 years when we first arrived here. My son went to Cheltenham primary which at the time (in 2000-2002 when he was there) it had a very good name and prided itself on its very high standard of teaching.I still have friends in the area and their children now are in secondary schools around the area and all seem very happy. Its a nice suburb, we moved as we wanted to be a bit more rural and away from the traffic which is pretty heavy on the Neapean Hwy, but the beaches were great and Southland shopping centre is huge.