My opinion on Melbourne

[Maz]

Hi, I thought i would let everyone know how we got on in Melbourne when there on honeymoon .....WE LOVED IT!!!!!. Have read mixed reports on poms from people who have been and the biggest complaint was the graffitti. I don't know whether there has been some mega clean-up of the graffitti recently but we hardly saw any at all, only now and again on small alleys off the main streets in the city but apart from that, it was so clean and gorgeous!!

 

Our first day there we headed straight to yarra river, i was desperate to see it for real after seeing hundreds of photos and will never forget the feeling of seeing the place for the first time. All the usual landmarks were even better in reality and honestly don't have a bad word to say about Melbourne. The people were so friendly and have a brilliant sense of humour. 3 times, while we were standing reading a map and looking confused, a local came up and asked if we needed directions!! In Glasgow (our nearest city) if you stand looking confused with a map a local would only come up to you to mug you!!!

 

We hired a car and went to see some suburbs we had already picked out as potential places to live. Went to Williamstown, Altona, Altona Meadows, Dandeenong, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Geelong,Edithvale, Laverton, Wyndham Vale and St Kilda. Rather than have a mile long story on each place, anyone wanting info on any of the above places, feel free to ask me but will say just now that the only disappointing place was Dandeenong, it was awful (apologies to anyone who stays there), our favourite by far was Werribee and have decided thats the place for us!!

 

We were quite surprised by some of the prices as they were generally more expensive than we thought. Wine is much cheaper due to Melbourne having its own vine yards, prices started at $3, but spirits were more than at home. A bottle of vodka was $35 so me thinks we will be changing our drink to wine!!

 

We priced some random things in Werribee to give yous an idea: In the butchers, 1kg mince $8 (In melbourne city $9.90),whole chicken $6,rump steak $19, bbq packs $20. In fish&chip shops, bag of chips $2.50, fish supper $4, cheese burgers $3.40. In Supermarkets, VO5 shampoo $2.70, 100 english tea bags $2,6 toilet rolls $3.29,loaf of bread $1.09, Shiraz red wine $3.99, large bottle of coca cola $1.68. Cigarettes seemed around the same price as uk. Electrical appliances like fridges, washing machines etc are same as uk. Petrol was average $1.40, MUCH cheaper than uk although could hardly be any dearer!!

 

Now for more serious money stuff, we went to see some mortgage advisors, on an income of $90,000 and buying a new build of $200,00 for land and $200,00 for house, after putting down $40,000 deposit therefore a mortgage of $360,000 the monthly repayments (of average 9%) would be $2,600. If the loan to value is higher than 80% then you need lenders insurance fee which would be $2,000. Land stamp duty would be $6,810. You usually have to pass a 3 months probation period in your job before mortgage lenders will consider you. New builds are usually completed within max 6 months. Income tax is 17%. New car prices are slightly higher but you don't pay road tax. Second hand cars are cheaper. Car insurance is around the same or slightly higher. We seemed to notice a lot of cars driving around that had obviously been in accidents with bumps and bashes that hadn't been fixed so don't know if garage prices for body work is higher or maybe they just don't care lol!

 

My OH is a plumber and we went to see several work agencies who all said that he won't need an agency as plumbers never have a problem finding work, we get told that here but it was nice to get that confirmed from the ozzies! The minimum hourly wage for plumbers is $25 and average minimum wage for administrators/receptionist etc is $20.

 

We arrived on the 2nd of September just as their winter was finished and spring starting and the weather was fine. Could walk about with just a cardi or thin jacket during the day but got very cold at night.

 

As i said before, please feel free to ask any questions you want to know and i will do my best to help if i can.

 

Maz x

[Guest mont de wally de honk]

Hi Maz

 

Good to hear you like Melbourne. If you like it now, wait until it really grows on you.

We are in Sanctuary Lakes, Point Cook, just South of Werribee, and have been here for 3.5 years. With your OH being a plumber I can't see him being short of work as there are thousands of houses being built over the next 5-10 years in the local area.

Looking at the food prices you have got, I would say that you might be able to get vodka a bit cheaper but spirits do seem quite pricey (although I am more of a wine drinker). Also bread can often be around the $3 mark in the likes of Coles. Aldi is definately the place for bread, and for cheap food shopping in general. There are good places for meat and fruit & veg in the area, just let me know if you want any help with places to go.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hi Maz

Congratulations on the wedding and on your reccie around Melbourne.

What a great post!!!!! There is so much information there that will be useful for people considering Melbourne. Dandenong is not a great area unfortunately, maybe you should have headed to the Dandenong Ranges and your thoughts would have been totally different.

Unfortunately people don't bother to get bumps repaired because after quite a few idiots have bumped you and drove off (common occurance in a car park) it's not worth putting a claim in.

Good luck on the visa process it sounds like your OH will have no problem getting a job.

Kate

[Maz]

Thanks moving2melbourne for explaining the bumped cars, couldn't understand it, will bear that in mind when deciding whether to buy a new or used car!

 

mont de wally de honk - love your name!! Thats def good news on being able to get cheaper vodka! Forgot to say on original thread that we went to see Sanctuary Lakes, it was absolutely gorgeous but most of the houses are outwith our price range, especially when we first get there but biggest thing that put us off was that theres not a school on the doorstep. Houses in point cook are lovely and would def consider there if we can't find anywhere in Werribee. Loved point cook coastal park and would def visit there regularly with the kids! Do you have any kids and if so, what school do they go to? We have a 13 year old boy and 9 year old girl and would like to know your (or anyone elses) opinion on how the schools differ from the uk.

 

Maz

[Guest *KAY TEE*]

Hi, I thought i would let everyone know how we got on in Melbourne when there on honeymoon .....WE LOVED IT!!!!!. Have read mixed reports on poms from people who have been and the biggest complaint was the graffitti. I don't know whether there has been some mega clean-up of the graffitti recently but we hardly saw any at all, only now and again on small alleys off the main streets in the city but apart from that, it was so clean and gorgeous!!

 

Our first day there we headed straight to yarra river, i was desperate to see it for real after seeing hundreds of photos and will never forget the feeling of seeing the place for the first time. All the usual landmarks were even better in reality and honestly don't have a bad word to say about Melbourne. The people were so friendly and have a brilliant sense of humour. 3 times, while we were standing reading a map and looking confused, a local came up and asked if we needed directions!! In Glasgow (our nearest city) if you stand looking confused with a map a local would only come up to you to mug you!!!

 

We hired a car and went to see some suburbs we had already picked out as potential places to live. Went to Williamstown, Altona, Altona Meadows, Dandeenong, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Geelong,Edithvale, Laverton, Wyndham Vale and St Kilda. Rather than have a mile long story on each place, anyone wanting info on any of the above places, feel free to ask me but will say just now that the only disappointing place was Dandeenong, it was awful (apologies to anyone who stays there), our favourite by far was Werribee and have decided thats the place for us!!

 

We were quite surprised by some of the prices as they were generally more expensive than we thought. Wine is much cheaper due to Melbourne having its own vine yards, prices started at $3, but spirits were more than at home. A bottle of vodka was $35 so me thinks we will be changing our drink to wine!!

 

We priced some random things in Werribee to give yous an idea: In the butchers, 1kg mince $8 (In melbourne city $9.90),whole chicken $6,rump steak $19, bbq packs $20. In fish&chip shops, bag of chips $2.50, fish supper $4, cheese burgers $3.40. In Supermarkets, VO5 shampoo $2.70, 100 english tea bags $2,6 toilet rolls $3.29,loaf of bread $1.09, Shiraz red wine $3.99, large bottle of coca cola $1.68. Cigarettes seemed around the same price as uk. Electrical appliances like fridges, washing machines etc are same as uk. Petrol was average $1.40, MUCH cheaper than uk although could hardly be any dearer!!

 

Now for more serious money stuff, we went to see some mortgage advisors, on an income of $90,000 and buying a new build of $200,00 for land and $200,00 for house, after putting down $40,000 deposit therefore a mortgage of $360,000 the monthly repayments (of average 9%) would be $2,600. If the loan to value is higher than 80% then you need lenders insurance fee which would be $2,000. Land stamp duty would be $6,810. You usually have to pass a 3 months probation period in your job before mortgage lenders will consider you. New builds are usually completed within max 6 months. Income tax is 17%. New car prices are slightly higher but you don't pay road tax. Second hand cars are cheaper. Car insurance is around the same or slightly higher. We seemed to notice a lot of cars driving around that had obviously been in accidents with bumps and bashes that hadn't been fixed so don't know if garage prices for body work is higher or maybe they just don't care lol!

 

My OH is a plumber and we went to see several work agencies who all said that he won't need an agency as plumbers never have a problem finding work, we get told that here but it was nice to get that confirmed from the ozzies! The minimum hourly wage for plumbers is $25 and average minimum wage for administrators/receptionist etc is $20.

 

We arrived on the 2nd of September just as their winter was finished and spring starting and the weather was fine. Could walk about with just a cardi or thin jacket during the day but got very cold at night.

 

As i said before, please feel free to ask any questions you want to know and i will do my best to help if i can.

 

Maz x

 

Hiya Maz,

 

Thankyou for a brilliant informative post. We are flying out on 6th Dec and the places you mentioned are some of the areas we have been looking at. Soooo pleased the English t.bags are priced reasonably, I have been having visions of taking a seperate suitcase containing only t.bags ..lol..as I had heard they were very expensive, but I wont bother now. My husband is in the car body repair industry, so a lot of bumped cars means lots of work for him..lol.. Thanks again for your post Maz.

Ang xx :wubclub:

[Guest Hello Kitty]

I am pleased that you like Melbourne so much. It is a great place to live I think with plenty to do. The weather gets a unfair bad reputation but the weather I think is good with four distinct seasons and a short winter. The weekend was 30 degrees both days and there were plenty of people at the beach and we slept with just a sheet on. We are really needing rain though as the garden is parched.

 

I agree with you re. Dandenong. It is probably one of the 5 least desirable suburbs to live in Melbourne - no offence to anyone living there. It has always been a working class suburb with social problems.

 

I don't know much about Werribbee but it's great that you found somewhere you like. Did you look at Caroline Springs? That is also in the west and seems to be quite popular. Williamstown is lovely isn't it? but very pricey these days.

 

Good luck.

[Guest stue116]

Hi Maz,

can you tell me if there is a great difference from east to west of the bay,When we first started looking on the net we settled on Geelong, then someone told us it's really industrial, so we began checking out the Mornington side of the bay, I now think that we will need to be closer to the city for hubby's work, and the house prices seemed to of gone up quite a bit and have been looking at frankston, and edithvale.

I have never looked at wiribee (sorry not sure on spelling) so will start my research, Thanks for your great post.

Sam.

[no1spark]

Max, what a very good read your info is spot on, we live in Rowville 15 mins drom dandenong its like a different world, we love Melbourne, its as simple as that, when your here again try some Asian (Vietnamese food) in the city a suburb called Richmand street called Victoria st, its cheap & fantastic food.

 

regards

[jvm]

Hi Maz

 

Glad everything went well with the wedding and honeymoon!

Thanks for all your info on Melbourne, will maybe PM you with some questions later. As you know my OH is a plumber so we sent lots of CV's etc to numerours companies aroung the Point Cook area (thats where we're heading too) but not much came back, but thanks for letting us know there is plenty work for him.

Valerie

[Bordy]

So glad Melbourne made a good impression on you. What a pity you went to Dandenong & as said before didn't go further on to the Dandenong Ranges.

So from a Killie supporter very best of luck with the plans for your future.

[Guest MandyR]

Hi Maz

 

Fantastic post - really great informaiton which is so helpful when you haven't done a reccie!! We are coming out on 24th January - husband and two boys aged 10 and 7. We are thinking of looking at the west first because of husbands job. Will probably pm you if ok as have a few more questions!

 

Thanks again and congratulations on your wedding.

 

Mandy

[Maz]

Hi Sam,

 

The biggest difference is the house prices! We drove through a few places on Mornington and it's absolutely beautiful but prices are exceptionally higher than in the west. Most people advised us that since my oh is a plumber there is more work on the west due to the amount of building work getting done.

 

Try checking out some of the areas i mentioned on original post, Geelong was lovely but yes its industrial and quite far out of Melbourne.

 

Maz

[Maz]

Hi Maz

 

Fantastic post - really great informaiton which is so helpful when you haven't done a reccie!! We are coming out on 24th January - husband and two boys aged 10 and 7. We are thinking of looking at the west first because of husbands job. Will probably pm you if ok as have a few more questions!

 

Thanks again and congratulations on your wedding.

 

Mandy

 

 

Hi Mandy

 

Feel free to pm me with any questions and i'll do my best

 

Maz

[Guest ianmcgre@googlemail.com]

Hi was just reading some of your posts, I am a plumber and I sat my practical on the 28th Oct at Accrington, so fingers crossed to start the ball rolling for a better lifestyle for my wee family.

 

Ian

[Guest lowlinda]

Hi Maz

 

Good to hear you like Melbourne. If you like it now, wait until it really grows on you.

We are in Sanctuary Lakes, Point Cook, just South of Werribee, and have been here for 3.5 years. With your OH being a plumber I can't see him being short of work as there are thousands of houses being built over the next 5-10 years in the local area.

Looking at the food prices you have got, I would say that you might be able to get vodka a bit cheaper but spirits do seem quite pricey (although I am more of a wine drinker). Also bread can often be around the $3 mark in the likes of Coles. Aldi is definately the place for bread, and for cheap food shopping in general. There are good places for meat and fruit & veg in the area, just let me know if you want any help with places to go.

 

Hi Month De Wally De Honk,

Me and hubby is looking at moving to Melbourne March 2009. Looking at a few suburbs thru realestate.com.au, we kinda like point cook and caroline spring. Prices are affordable and nice houses too. Can you tell me more about Point Cook? What do you like about the suburb and is there any good public schools around? How about the public transport there?

[Guest zoensim]

hi maz, we too are going to melbourne, hopefully in january have been looking at mornington but oh job in st kilda so thought that it might be too far away...what was it like in st kilda? would be ideal for us there...also hi mandy got 2 boys age 10 and 7 they are really excited, how about yours?

[Guest stue116]

Hi all, checked out some houses in Werribee on your advice, and have fallen in love with one there, it's looks like a nice place. How far form the coast is it, is is about the same size town as mornington?

we also have 2 boys, 3 and 7. eldest is really excited.

not as much as me though!!

thanks for your advice Sam.

[Bordy]

Just a little warning to those thinking of Werribee. I know all suburbs have their troublespots but reports recently said Werribee had the highest teenage population around Melbourne.

Of course that can cause a few problems as can be seen here

Werribee

 

I'm not saying its a bad place to live, all I'm saying is be aware of the good & bad bits of Werribee.

[Guest stue116]

Thanks Bordy, these are the sort of things we need to be made aware of. I would thought that most towns have there fair share of teenage trouble, but this may be a bit more serious.

Sam

[Guest DSL]

Just a little warning to those thinking of Werribee. I know all suburbs have their troublespots but reports recently said Werribee had the highest teenage population around Melbourne.

Of course that can cause a few problems as can be seen here

Werribee

 

I'm not saying its a bad place to live, all I'm saying is be aware of the good & bad bits of Werribee.

 

I wouldn't worry about these "gangsters":biglaugh:

 

I live in Point Cook but we are in Werribee regularly, it is a really nice place and has got quite a few nice areas, its like anywhere else in the world where some parts are better than others. I was in Werribee Plaza last night and it was about 80% teenagers, none of which were causing any commotion or trouble of any kind - in my experience this is always the case.

 

Having walked past a numerous "gangsters" (even a few hanging around point cook), I have never felt threatened or intimidated by any of the kids. Now head back over to Glasgow and I become a quivering wreck if there is a handfull of 14 year old girls looking at me wrong way - now you should be fearing for your life, lol.

 

All areas of Melbourne have their critics (I wouldn't touch St Kilda) but it is best to come over and find it all out for yourself, if possible take your time to ensure you find the best place for you. Personally I can't see past Point Cook, but I would highly recommend Werribee as a nice place to live.

 

DSL

[Petals]

Interesting depending on the age of us and our children where to live seems to differ.

 

I remember when my children were little worrying about the bigger kids on a water slide. It was not too long before my kids became the bigger kids on the water slide. Then they became "those teenagers" and so it goes on.

 

There are problems in every area where we live. We have problems at the moment and they happen from time to time but it is not long before they move on and grow up. With the birth rate rising there will be lots of teenagers around and that is a good thing and they will not all be well behaved.

 

Look past the bit of graffiti and look for the soul of the area.

 

My elderly mum lived right in the centre of Frankston for a long long time and everyone thinks its so rough, yes it was very rough, the average age of the people who were her neighbours was 80 and they were always up to no good. There were different age groups around but when you live opposite a TAFE College a Park and a Railway Station not everyone is a perfect person. Mum never had any problems in fact she only ever had help from young people.

 

The saying goes "you can't judge a book by its cover"

[Guest stue116]

Thanks DSL and Forgetmenot,

Your right, we live on one of the nicer estates in my town and we get the odd teenage gang in the park, and I remember hanging outside the local shops in the evening. (along time ago now) It's part of growing up.

Most are helpful and polite it's only the bad ones that give the rest a bad name.

Sam

[Guest UGandSMUG]

There are some great informative posts in this thread, thanks everyone. I'm not sure how I missed this one up till now! :goofy:

 

Well done on the reccie Maz, it sounds like you did similar things to us when we were out a few weeks ago, although we didn't make it into Werribee. Both Sarah and I loved the point cook area in general and really loved the idea of building on the new Featherbrook estate.

 

To avoid thread hijacking I've just started another thread in this section about house pricing and new build pricing. I'd be interested in seeing what peoples opinions are as it looks like some of you are very knowledgable in this area. :radar:

 

Cheers,

 

Doug

[Guest MandyR]

Haven't forgotten to pm you and I will do soon!! Thanks!!

[Maz]

Hi Zoensim,

 

St Kilda looked beautiful with gorgeous beach but think house prices are mega money! You'd possibly be better looking to stay in a suburb in the east side near St Kilda, unfortunately can't really give much advice on that as were mostly looked at the west. Theres been posts on here before about an e-book called "Where to live in Melbourne", it gives great advice on areas for crime rates etc. If you can't find it pm me and i'll see if i've got a copy somewhere on my computer.

 

Maz