Renting in a retirement complex

[Brecun15]

Fairly fit, active and independent senior lady travelling solo to visit family in Melbourne for 3 months at a time and want to stay in retirement complex where activities/facilities on site. Don’t want to be dependent on family for socialising the whole of stay. Looking for contacts to seek out rental opportunities if available. 

[Parley]

A serviced apartment might be suitable. Not for retirement specifically but good for older people.

Look up Quest apartments.

[Marisawright]

5 hours ago, Brecun15 said:

Fairly fit, active and independent senior lady travelling solo to visit family in Melbourne for 3 months at a time and want to stay in retirement complex where activities/facilities on site. Don’t want to be dependent on family for socialising the whole of stay. Looking for contacts to seek out rental opportunities if available. 

I would be very surprised if you find a retirement complex willing to take short-term rentals.  If you are coming to Melbourne, sign up for the U3A Melbourne before you arrive (you can join any time of year) so you get notified of their activities.   

Look at the "Let's Do" groups, which allow members to just turn up as and when you feel like it, rather than being expected to go every week.  It's also possible to join a lot of the courses mid-year and they run new short courses each term as well.  It's $90 to join, and then all the courses are free.

https://u3amelbcity.org.au/

https://www.facebook.com/U3AMelbourneCity

Notice that all the activities take place in the city centre.  It's fairly easy to get to the city from any suburb, but if you don't want to travel, you'll find there are smaller U3As in many of the suburbs.  The suburban ones are much quieter and as a fit, active senior lady myself, I find them (you'll laugh) a bit too "old lady" for me.  Whereas the city group is all ages from 50 to 90 and is much more active.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Marisawright

[Brecun15]

Thanks Marisawright for your  really helpful reply. Looks like we‘re on the same wavelength! Know what you mean about the “too old lady for me” thing. Will look into the U3A and “Let ‘s Do” groups. We have the U3A in the UK and there is also the Meetup website. Cheers.

[Marisawright]

31 minutes ago, Brecun15 said:

Thanks Marisawright for your  really helpful reply. Looks like we‘re on the same wavelength! Know what you mean about the “too old lady for me” thing. Will look into the U3A and “Let ‘s Do” groups. We have the U3A in the UK and there is also the Meetup website. Cheers.

I never came across the U3A in the UK, but one thing I notice is that the Melbourne U3A has a totally different feeling to the suburban ones, and I get the impression there are major differences from place to place across Australia, so I wouldn't assume that the Melbourne ones are anything like the British ones (whatever they are like!).

[Quoll]

On 28/12/2021 at 08:53, Marisawright said:

I never came across the U3A in the UK, but one thing I notice is that the Melbourne U3A has a totally different feeling to the suburban ones, and I get the impression there are major differences from place to place across Australia, so I wouldn't assume that the Melbourne ones are anything like the British ones (whatever they are like!).

Most of my UK friends were heavily into U3A but AFAIK only one of my Canberra friends because  she wanted to learn bridge. The UK ones were into line dancing, French, Roman History, knitting, poetry and a few other things I can't remember. I guess it's just what crosses your bows wherever you are. 

[ramot]

U3A is thriving on the Sunshine Coast, over 100 courses on offer at our local one. 

[Marisawright]

7 hours ago, Quoll said:

Most of my UK friends were heavily into U3A but AFAIK only one of my Canberra friends because  she wanted to learn bridge. The UK ones were into line dancing, French, Roman History, knitting, poetry and a few other things I can't remember. I guess it's just what crosses your bows wherever you are. 

It's quite interesting to see how the activities vary from U3A to U3A.  Of course, all the activities are run by volunteers, so it depends entirely on what volunteers are available in the local area.   

The other interesting thing is the way the age group varies.  Most U3As welcome anyone over 50 who's retired or semi-retired, but I notice that in some suburbs, all the members are in their mid-70's and older.  I guess that then becomes self-perpetuating, because spring chickens who join in their 50's wouldn't stay long!    Whereas the Melbourne City branches has a very wide age range and it's certainly not the only U3A like that.

[Quoll]

4 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

It's quite interesting to see how the activities vary from U3A to U3A.  Of course, all the activities are run by volunteers, so it depends entirely on what volunteers are available in the local area.   

The other interesting thing is the way the age group varies.  Most U3As welcome anyone over 50 who's retired or semi-retired, but I notice that in some suburbs, all the members are in their mid-70's and older.  I guess that then becomes self-perpetuating, because spring chickens who join in their 50's wouldn't stay long!    Whereas the Melbourne City branches has a very wide age range and it's certainly not the only U3A like that.

I think that's right. Where I was in Cambridge, the Cambridge city U3A was largely run and patronised by academics so learning classical Greek or studying feminist literature would have been lead by ex professors whereas in wider Cambridgeshire you're more likely to get foraging and jam making or countryside walks led by WI members.  I have a feeling that Canberra is probably going to be more the Cambridge than the Cambridgeshire option but, tbh, I don't really have the inclination to find out! Not unless there's a course on genealogy in Germany for rank beginners! Or maybe overcoming family history brick walls.