Captain Ron Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 Thought it would be nice to chat to anyone else that is doing the move to Melbourne soon. We are hopefully leaving on the 4th of November from UK. I have searched areas and schools for my kids. Was hoping to have a good look around but not sure how possible that will be this year but will have to see what happens! How are you getting on with your plans so far and anything you would like to share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 As a Melburnian, I certainly hope we're not still in lockdown by the time you arrive! Most people find that they do a heap of research before they arrive, and then when they get here and drive around, it all goes out the window. It's very easy to get the wrong impression online, unfortunately. The thing to bear in mind is that Melbourne is a BIG city - 5 million people. It's almost 100km from one side to the other. Like all cities of that size, the difference between suburbs can be vast (and so can the house prices!). There are lovely, lively suburbs and suburbs which are completely dead and soulless. It's hard to judge until you're actually here, because some of the most lifeless suburbs look very nice in photos - smart new developments in the outer suburbs look good, but often have no pubs, cafes or even shops nearby, and poor transport links. So, fingers crossed we're more open by November and you can drive around and see what it's really like on the ground. Don't worry about rushing to get your kids into school: better to be sure you're making the right decision on location first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 Thank you @Marisawright I too hope you are out of lockdown! Fingers crossed it all works out for us both! Very true about location etc, we were actually discussing that point. The internet can tell you one thing and you can experience something completely different. I agree it is important to find the right location first. It is also good to have an idea on schools in the area however, because I have three kids of different ages, i'm looking for a junior school, high school and nursery. I liked the look of Sandringham. Brighton also looks lovely. But we need space being a family of 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 13 hours ago, Captain Ron said: I liked the look of Sandringham. Brighton also looks lovely. But we need space being a family of 5 Brighton is multi-millionaire's row. Poms are drawn to Bayside because the Australian dream has to include the beach, right? But you're coming to Melbourne, which is nothing like the rest of Australia. Bayside beaches are not on the ocean like a "proper" Australian beach, they're on a huge enclosed bay with no surf, dirty sand and lots of seaweed. If you want a beach lifestyle with a family and have flexibility with work, I'd be moving to Geelong instead. You could look at the Mornington Peninsula but it's a horribly long commute if you have to work in Melbourne. I assume you're aware of the Homely suburb reviews https://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-melbourne-greater-victoria 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 9 hours ago, Marisawright said: Brighton is multi-millionaire's row. Poms are drawn to Bayside because the Australian dream has to include the beach, right? But you're coming to Melbourne, which is nothing like the rest of Australia. Bayside beaches are not on the ocean like a "proper" Australian beach, they're on a huge enclosed bay with no surf, dirty sand and lots of seaweed. If you want a beach lifestyle with a family and have flexibility with work, I'd be moving to Geelong instead. You could look at the Mornington Peninsula but it's a horribly long commute if you have to work in Melbourne. I assume you're aware of the Homely suburb reviews https://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-melbourne-greater-victoria My husband's office is in Melbourne city centre Living near a beach would be nice but we don't need to be within walking distance of one, if you know what i mean! Im happy to live further away and take a drive to a beach when we feel like one! Currently we live in Brighton in UK, our beach has no waves and no sand only pebbles, Lol!!! Im South African living in UK for the past 9 years. Never been to Melbourne so i'm very grateful for any of your information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Captain Ron said: My husband's office is in Melbourne city centre Living near a beach would be nice but we don't need to be within walking distance of one, if you know what i mean! Im happy to live further away and take a drive to a beach when we feel like one! Currently we live in Brighton in UK, our beach has no waves and no sand only pebbles, Lol!!! Im South African living in UK for the past 9 years. Never been to Melbourne so i'm very grateful for any of your information! The beaches in Melbourne don't have waves either, because they're all inside a huge bay which has just a small opening to the open ocean. Of course that's good for kids swimming because they're not going to get caught in rips or knocked off their feet, but at the same time, the enclosed bay and lack of strong wave action means the water isn't always as clean as you'd like. Having been used to living on the East Coast of Australia where all the beaches are like "Home and Away", I'm very unimpressed with Melbourne's little beaches! And of course, the weather is so unpredictable here too. On the plus side, I think that's why Melbourne has such a wealth of indoor activities compared to some other parts of Australia. Where you live will depend on your budget and whether you're renting or buying. Also whether your husband needs his car for work or could commute by public transport. You'll find Google Maps very handy - just set the day and time to the time he'd need to get to work by, and you'll get a pretty accurate picture of how long his commute would be. Edited August 28, 2021 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 2 hours ago, Marisawright said: The beaches in Melbourne don't have waves either, because they're all inside a huge bay which has just a small opening to the open ocean. Of course that's good for kids swimming because they're not going to get caught in rips or knocked off their feet, but at the same time, the enclosed bay and lack of strong wave action means the water isn't always as clean as you'd like. Having been used to living on the East Coast of Australia where all the beaches are like "Home and Away", I'm very unimpressed with Melbourne's little beaches! And of course, the weather is so unpredictable here too. On the plus side, I think that's why Melbourne has such a wealth of indoor activities compared to some other parts of Australia. Where you live will depend on your budget and whether you're renting or buying. Also whether your husband needs his car for work or could commute by public transport. You'll find Google Maps very handy - just set the day and time to the time he'd need to get to work by, and you'll get a pretty accurate picture of how long his commute would be. Ive heard about the weather in Melbourne and it did/does bother me but we don't have a choice at this stage to be anywhere else other than Melbourne due to work. But at the same time, i live in UK and the weather is rubbish here most of the year so it can't be that bad in Melbourne in comparison!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Captain Ron said: Ive heard about the weather in Melbourne and it did/does bother me but we don't have a choice at this stage to be anywhere else other than Melbourne due to work. But at the same time, i live in UK and the weather is rubbish here most of the year so it can't be that bad in Melbourne in comparison!! Australians love to make fun of Melbourne's weather! Coming from the south coast of England, I don't think you'll have much of an adjustment to make. When we returned to Australia this time, we came to Melbourne from Southampton. I'd say Melbourne's winter is colder (I had to go out and buy woolly hats and gloves) but there are more bright, sunny days in summer and it can get very hot then. The annoying thing about Melbourne is that the weather can turn on a sixpence, it's a sunny day then it's pouring rain half an hour later. Luckily I'm not an outdoors-y person! Edited August 28, 2021 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 Sounds like the winter weather we had in Cape Town Its freezing in winter and central heating is not a thing!! As for summer in the UK - we have not had one this year yet and we are at the end of August already! We followed Melbourne's weather and it has been better in your winter than our 'summer'! Don't get me wrong, I've had some of the best summers here. But sadly this year was a dud We have spent so much time indoors since the Covid outbreak here last year, combined with home schooling and lockdowns and now a rubbish summer it really is the icing on the cake! On another note: Im sure through my kids school we will meet and make friends but what, in your opinion, is the best way of meeting people there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 9 hours ago, Captain Ron said: Sounds like the winter weather we had in Cape Town Its freezing in winter and central heating is not a thing!! As for summer in the UK - we have not had one this year yet and we are at the end of August already! We followed Melbourne's weather and it has been better in your winter than our 'summer'! Don't get me wrong, I've had some of the best summers here. But sadly this year was a dud We have spent so much time indoors since the Covid outbreak here last year, combined with home schooling and lockdowns and now a rubbish summer it really is the icing on the cake! On another note: Im sure through my kids school we will meet and make friends but what, in your opinion, is the best way of meeting people there? I've only been in Cape Town once for a week or so, but that was in winter and actually, it was rather similar now you mention it. And yes, I'd say we've had a good winter this year. We've been in lockdown for a fair bit of it and the weather has rarely stopped us getting out for our 2-hour daily walk. If you are interested in sports, then you might want to research Australian Rules football. Most Melburnians are mad about it and will appreciate anyone who shows enthusiasm for it. We have more of a café-based social life than a pub-based social life, but again it will depend which suburb you end up in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 10 hours ago, Captain Ron said: Sounds like the winter weather we had in Cape Town Its freezing in winter and central heating is not a thing!! As for summer in the UK - we have not had one this year yet and we are at the end of August already! We followed Melbourne's weather and it has been better in your winter than our 'summer'! Don't get me wrong, I've had some of the best summers here. But sadly this year was a dud We have spent so much time indoors since the Covid outbreak here last year, combined with home schooling and lockdowns and now a rubbish summer it really is the icing on the cake! On another note: Im sure through my kids school we will meet and make friends but what, in your opinion, is the best way of meeting people there? That’s bought back a memory for me. I visited Cape Town in I think September? in the late 1960’s while I was living and working in Zambia. I was so cold I had to buy a coat and warm clothes. It was also my first experience of discrimination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 37 minutes ago, ramot said: That’s bought back a memory for me. I visited Cape Town in I think September? ...It was also my first experience of discrimination. My first experience was in Johannesburg. We were living in Swaziland. We got invited to a garden party where Princess Margaret would be attending, so I wanted a nice frock. We'd been up to Jo'burg a few times and we were well aware discrimination existed, of course, but it never affected us. We would usually go to the movies or theatre and eat out, all in our privileged white bubble I guess. Anyway, I walked into one of the big department stores. I recognised it because it had a small branch in Swaziland which was very popular. I liked their clothes and thought a larger branch would have more choice. I was choosing dresses to try on when I realised that every single person in the store had stopped to stare at me. Then I registered that every single person in the store was black, except me. Then it dawned that of course, it was a "blacks only" chain (though of course, it was a completely unspoken, unofficial rule). I was tempted to stay on principle, but I could see that principle would be lost on the hostile people around me. They wouldn't think, "Isn't she a nice non-racist person, happy to shop in a black store?". They were thinking, "how dare she invade our shop when she's got heaps of white stores to choose from?" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcguinnessp1968 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 In terms of property the first thing you need to sort out is your budget and take it from thereProperty market in Victoria is bonkers at the moment 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nora Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 I would recommend Melbourne Eastern Suburbs. They are quite nice, and probably 38-45 min from Melbourne CBD. I.e.: Croydon Mooroolbark, Ringwood, or even the Yarra Valley area. Have a good look. We lived in Croydon for.3.years and loved the life stlye we had qith two school kids. Bjt we always wanted to moved up back to Qld because of the weather. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted September 5, 2021 Author Share Posted September 5, 2021 3 minutes ago, Nora said: I would recommend Melbourne Eastern Suburbs. They are quite nice, and probably 38-45 min from Melbourne CBD. I.e.: Croydon Mooroolbark, Ringwood, or even the Yarra Valley area. Have a good look. We lived in Croydon for.3.years and loved the life stlye we had qith two school kids. Bjt we always wanted to moved up back to Qld because of the weather. Great, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyay1 Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 Yeah the beaches are really rubbish in Melbourne 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyay1 Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 more rubbish melbourne beaches 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyay1 Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 Lol!! If only I knew which beach was which?? This gets me very excited for our move - thank you so much!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 9 hours ago, Captain Ron said: Lol!! If only I knew which beach was which?? This gets me very excited for our move - thank you so much!!! Yes, it would be good if that was revealed. Some rather flattering shots there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGyver Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 14 hours ago, jimmyay1 said: Looks beautiful - where are they located? Might have to add it to my travel list post-covid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 You don't need surf to have a nice beach. All Melbourne beaches are nice aren't they? They are all nice sandy beaches. No pebbles will be joy to the ears of the English. I used to go to Edithvale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 On 27/08/2021 at 06:23, Captain Ron said: Thought it would be nice to chat to anyone else that is doing the move to Melbourne soon. We are hopefully leaving on the 4th of November from UK. I have searched areas and schools for my kids. Was hoping to have a good look around but not sure how possible that will be this year but will have to see what happens! How are you getting on with your plans so far and anything you would like to share Are you planning to buy or rent? Do you know your budget if buying? I'm also in Eastern Suburbs but closer in. All depends on your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, Parley said: All Melbourne beaches are nice aren't they? They are all nice sandy beaches. No pebbles will be joy to the ears of the English. I used to go to Edithvale. I’m used to proper Australian beaches with wide swathes of soft sand and clean ocean beaches. I’m scared of big waves but the Bay water just looks a bit dirty and uninviting. You don’t come to Melbourne for the beaches anyway. It’s not a beach-obsessed place like other Australian cities. Too many other interesting things going on 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted September 7, 2021 Author Share Posted September 7, 2021 3 hours ago, Marisawright said: I’m used to proper Australian beaches with wide swathes of soft sand and clean ocean beaches. I’m scared of big waves but the Bay water just looks a bit dirty and uninviting. You don’t come to Melbourne for the beaches anyway. It’s not a beach-obsessed place like other Australian cities. Too many other interesting things going on Yes true- we are definitely not moving to Melbourne for the beach! But I"m sure my kids will appreciate the sand and warmer water when we do get to one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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