London to Melbourne for families?

[jennlx]

My husband as been offered a job in Melbourne - more money (40%) than currently earning in London, but as we have two primary school aged children understand that schooling, clothes, food etc. will be more expensive. I feel like we live hand to mouth in London. For example, our mortgage deposit fund stagnated at a very low figure after having children. I work part time and do expect to be able to go back full time so our finances should improve regardless of whether we go or not.

 

We rent in London and although my husband is from UK, we do not see any of his family (which would be another thread altogether). I have family in Melbourne, and we get on OK, they're really nice but we're not close though - I think we would probably see them 4 times a year but could be called on in emergency situations (whereas in London we have no one at all). Current UK jobs are stable, albeit probably a bit low for our experience. We both work in London and it grates on me: terrible air, crowds, dirty streets etc. We live in South London, a bit on the rough side for me and I despise the local high street like nothing else. But I love the museums, the art galleries, the theatre etc. I love just going to different places - Richmond, Primrose Hill, Wimbledon - and just seeing a different part of London.

 

Are there any families in Melbourne who have come from London and can offer their impressions of life for young families? What do you love about Melbourne? What don't you love? We are specifically looking around the cheaper ends of Bayside and surrounds (e.g. Bentleigh etc.). Thanks!

[ChrisH1]

I moved from the north of England to Melbourne in the 80's, having grown up in the south of England.

You will never have the access to culture, history of the UK in Australia. You will never have the access to European countries and all that, that entails.

I think only you can choose. For me it was easy, I could afford to feed my family buy a house and buy a car.

[evets]

I moved from the north of England to Melbourne in the 80's, having grown up in the south of England.

You will never have the access to culture, history of the UK in Australia. You will never have the access to European countries and all that, that entails.

I think only you can choose. For me it was easy, I could afford to feed my family buy a house and buy a car.

 

The cost of living and house prices are/is very different from the 80's in Australia and in London.

 

They appear to be struggling to get on the housing market in London, it will be no different in Melbourne, but the added bonus is her hubby will earn 40% more. Not sure what the overall figure or package would be to offer a fairer point of view. The problem being they are not fighting against first time buyers by local and foreign investors at auctions and the actual sold price will be far more(look at 200 to 300k AU$) than the original RE estimate.

 

Would the company provide healthcare and any other benefits? Relocation allowance?

 

As Chris mentioned, I fully agree with the culture and history comments. Melbourne, while it is the most European equivalent in Australia is still remote, but does have tons going for it.

 

Bentleigh while probably a lot safer than South London, the high street is still disappointing. Then again not filled with pound shops, still a variety of cafes, shops etc to choose, far more choice than the suburb I live in not so far away. On the postive side you rarely see people begging for money, unless you are in the CBD.

 

As for living in Bentleigh, you would need a car if you want to get out and about. It does have a train station to get you into the CBD, but commute times if you wanted to visit other areas and the beach would be pretty long. What is your budget for renting, guess looking at a 3 bed min: house or flat? What about budget for buying?

 

You are looking at some of the prime areas of RE in SE Melbourne. People are being pushed out further and further due to the increasing costs. Have you thought about looking to East Melbourne outer suburbs or West or North?

 

For example, 3 units in the block I am on, 2 bed detached went for around the $600k mark. All of them would have needed a new kitchen, bathroom and one of them a garden refurb. I am only 2 suburbs to the east of Bentleigh.

 

I personally think Melbourne is the best city in Australia, having visited all of them. Great lifestyle, culture, brunch lifestyle, friendly people, big investment in the CBD, lots going on culturally, big Latin dance scence and culture.

 

Downside I feel, it is just getting to expensive, wages not rising with the cost of living, housing market out of control. If you were one of the people that arrived pre 2009, and by a few years before that and got on the housing market then sorted. Now not so good. Think the same can be said for London, but London had GFC at that time and house prices fell, not so here. They have risen nearly 100% in Sydney and Melbourne since 2009.

The weather in summer can sometimes be oppresive when it starts to rise above 30/35 and not so safe for the kiddies. My unit feels like a very hot sauna at the moment, even though we just had a major thunderstorm, which caused major flouds in the CBD, East Melbourne and oddly Bentleigh(came up on my Twitter feed). Still not really cooled down. Been fun watching the twitter and instagram feeds of car drivers still not having any sense of how to deal with it and getting stranded.

 

I really cannot say much bad about Melbourne especially compared to London(both very different cities), but it does have its downsides. It is all really what you are looking to move for and achieve longterm.

[starlight7]

I was brought up in London and moved to Melbourne many years ago and we never looked back. Melbourne is a great city but because it is so sprawly you do need to do your homework as to where to live. It takes hours to go from one side of Outer Melbourne to the other ( traffic, distance etc)- similar to London in this.

[Guest]

I didn't live in Melbourne, I was in Perth but went to Melbourne on business so have an impression. I used to live in the South East Kent/Essex and commute to London for work, I still travel to London for work so I know it pretty well.

 

From what you have said it sounds like things tip in favour of Melbourne for your circumstances. You don't own a house in London, your husband has a better paid job offer in Melbourne and your children are primary school age and although you can see some positives in London, it sounds like you have fallen out of love with it for sure.

 

You have very little to lose in terms of embarking on a family adventure & that's all it may be depending on the visa - ideally with a family you would want to go over on a PR visa but a job offer generally means a 457 - if that is the case do make sure you understand what that means in terms of school costs, child care costs etc. and in terms of permanency.

 

Even if you take up this offer on a 457 look into whether an independent visa is possible - that's the way we did it, moved over on a 457 but with a PR visa application already in progress.

 

I do not honestly think someone moving from London would find the cost of living much different in Melbourne - for us it was because by then we were living in a 4-bed house in Scotland that cost under £200k and to buy something similar, in a similar area in Perth was around $1m and we earned less!

 

On the whole people moving from the South East into better paid jobs wonder what everyone else is whinging about

[jennlx]

Thanks for your replies, they are really helpful. One thing we don't have to worry about is visas - myself and the kiddies hold an Australian passport, my husband has a spouse visa (subclass 100). House prices have really stopped me in my tracks. We would need a 3-bed (as could not count on needing to move again) and I don't know how we could pay $4,500 a month in mortgage repayments for a unit. As you say, I need to look further afield, which is possible, of course, but then a longer commute and I don't want the kids sitting in after school club until 6pm every day as that's not a better life for them. It has to be said, though, my family are utter, utter snobs and so we'd be forever driving to Bayside to see them.

[Beaty]

Some good informative and objective replies here folks.

 

B