Melbourne to Brisbane - anyone made the move?

[Guest Kerry 24]

Hi there

Just as an intro...Have been living in Melbourne for 2.5 years in a suburb north east - Eltham. It is gorgeous - great rented house and a nice town. Very rural with lots of walking/cycling tracks and wildlife in abundance and of course beautiful Yarra Valley 25 mins away. We both commute to Melbourne - nice, cheap and easy which takes us 1 hour door to door.

 

One and only complaint is the climate!! No I don't think it is anywhere near as bad as England but it still does get cold in the winters and we are not keen......

 

We are just about to become permanent residents so we can truly settle down, buy a house etc and have freedom - at last - to go where we please.

 

Have never been to Brissie but have heard great things, we are planning a trip next year. The main pull is the climate. We are hot weather fans and will certainly NOT miss the cold or enjoy rugging up!!

 

Having decided we love Aus and are here to stay we are thinking we should make the move even more to suit 'exactly' what we want - and that is more sunshine and warmer temps.

 

We came to Melbourne because of work visa's and we do absolutely love Melbourne and wish we could move it 2 hours north. So please don't just attack Melbourne as that is not what I am asking. we have made some friends here so leaving will be hard. Staying in Melbourne would not be so bad - just a little cold at times.:laugh:

 

I am asking whether anyone has moved from Melbourne to Brissie and what their take is? What is diffirent/bettter/worse etc? What are the 'burbs' like?

 

Really interested in any views on the subject..

 

Thanks:v_SPIN:

[Guest HappyBunny]

Hiya, Rubiks lived in Melbourne for about 10 months and is in the process of moving to Queensland right now, hence she's not posted for a while. If you PM her I'm sure she will reply as soon as she's sorted. x

[Guest o2coffix001@optusnet.com.]

Hi Kerry I live just down the road from you in pascoe vale. We have lived in Melbourne 19 years now and stayed here because my oh has a really great job on the building trade but we always said we will move up to QLD. So now the time has come and we move up on the 21st Jan. We flew up 3 weeks ago to enrol my son in school we are going to the sunshine coast. My cousin and her family moved out 7 months ago to Mooloolabah and within 4 weeks they were both working. They love it.

[calNgary]

Hiya ,i currently have a family staying who have just arrived from Melbourne ,i will ask her to post tomorrow with her initial impressions.

Cal x

[kernow43]

Hi there

Just as an intro...Have been living in Melbourne for 2.5 years in a suburb north east - Eltham. It is gorgeous - great rented house and a nice town. Very rural with lots of walking/cycling tracks and wildlife in abundance and of course beautiful Yarra Valley 25 mins away. We both commute to Melbourne - nice, cheap and easy which takes us 1 hour door to door.

 

One and only complaint is the climate!! No I don't think it is anywhere near as bad as England but it still does get cold in the winters and we are not keen......

 

We are just about to become permanent residents so we can truly settle down, buy a house etc and have freedom - at last - to go where we please.

 

Have never been to Brissie but have heard great things, we are planning a trip next year. The main pull is the climate. We are hot weather fans and will certainly NOT miss the cold or enjoy rugging up!!

 

Having decided we love Aus and are here to stay we are thinking we should make the move even more to suit 'exactly' what we want - and that is more sunshine and warmer temps.

 

We came to Melbourne because of work visa's and we do absolutely love Melbourne and wish we could move it 2 hours north. So please don't just attack Melbourne as that is not what I am asking. we have made some friends here so leaving will be hard. Staying in Melbourne would not be so bad - just a little cold at times.:laugh:

 

I am asking whether anyone has moved from Melbourne to Brissie and what their take is? What is diffirent/bettter/worse etc? What are the 'burbs' like?

 

Really interested in any views on the subject..

 

Thanks:v_SPIN:

We lived in Melbourne for 34 years before moving to Brisbane. Wish we done it many years earlier, mainly for the weather and laid back lifestyle. We are on the Redcliffe peninsula and will see our days out here. Melbourne has many things going for it, but too busy for us now. Also we love the early mornings especially in the summer when it is light at 4.30 and we can go for a swim at 5 am without freezing.

Our family are still in Melbourne so we have a place to holiday and and so have they

[Guest Kerry 24]

Thanks very much for your helpful replies. We are definitely all for the laid back, warm and out doors livestyle so I am thinking its more and more likely - jobs depending - we will move. I guess once we have actually been to Brisbane we can then make our minds up completely. Planning a trip early May 09.

Thanks again...

Kerry

[Guest JoanneHattersley]

Im in Brisbanes western suburbs. WHat sort of information do you want to know?

[Guest Kerry 24]

Hi there

 

I guess the things I love most about where I am now is the open countryside and no end of walks and bike trails available. I do love the beach but think I am more of a countryside sort (big wildlife fan). I also really love the hills and trees around us. Most of the houses have elevated views and gum trees in the gardens and quite private settings. I was really put of the eastern subs of Mlebourne because although you have the beach, it is so flat and not so many trees (unless you head right down the pennisular).

I also would like easy access to some good shopping malls (big retail fan as well:laugh:)

and I guess access to the CBD. No kids as yet but def on the agenda so good community and schools etc.

 

As for a house, new or old not too fussed. Budget around 400k to 500k.

 

Does this sound comparable? I am not expecting like for like but just an idea.

 

Thanks

Kerry

[Guest JoanneHattersley]

Hey there

 

Look on www.ourbrisbane.com . this will enable you to look up all the suburbs and get an idea of rough areas to live. Then head off to www.realestate.com.au and look at houses!

I am in Sinnamon park, Brisbanes west. We are in a lo-set home, 3 bed, 2 way bathroom, double carport , corner plot. We paid 350K for this house but it is worth more now due to reno work that we have done.

We are 12kilometres from the CBD. We can catch the 0905 bus (rocket bus) and be in the CBD in 20 minutes. About an hour from Gold Coast and a little under 2 hours from Sunny Coast.

I live near Mt Ommaney shopping centre, well 5 minutes walk from my house. Transport links are fantastic and schools in area are great!

[calNgary]

Hi there

 

I guess the things I love most about where I am now is the open countryside and no end of walks and bike trails available. I do love the beach but think I am more of a countryside sort (big wildlife fan). I also really love the hills and trees around us. Most of the houses have elevated views and gum trees in the gardens and quite private settings. I was really put of the eastern subs of Mlebourne because although you have the beach, it is so flat and not so many trees (unless you head right down the pennisular).

I also would like easy access to some good shopping malls (big retail fan as well:laugh:)

and I guess access to the CBD. No kids as yet but def on the agenda so good community and schools etc.

 

As for a house, new or old not too fussed. Budget around 400k to 500k.

 

Does this sound comparable? I am not expecting like for like but just an idea.

 

Thanks

Kerry

 

Hiya have a look around the Gold Coast hinterland, Springbrook ,south end of the gold coast is scenic and lovely whilst still giving easy access to shops,beaches etc and also look at Mt Tamborine,Eagle Heights, Canungra, Clagiraba, Mt Nathan, Mundoolun and Jimboomba all semi rural areas with most ammenties you would need under an hour away.

Hope this helps a bit

Cal x

[tracy123]

there is someone on this site(i know they will get upset when they find out I've forgotten their name) that lived in country victoria moved to Qld lasted a few months and moved back to Victoria try a holiday 1st

[Georgie]

it was taffy62 (i think) who moved back to Wodonga in Victoria and she couldnr wait to get back! We have made the big move from Melbourne to Brisbane and we couldnt wait to get here but now we are here we are not sure it was the right move for us. We will see how we settle in 6 months time but right now i have never been so sure i want to return to England. I dont want to go back to Melbourne now either although i do think if we had stayed there we may have stayed in Australia longer. Very negative of me but will see how it goes. I do think the stress of getting a rental and the agents attitudes havent helped. Also we are staing with friends (maybe ex friends) and into our 5th week with still another to go. There are 3 young children and 3 older ones and all they do is fight and hit each other). Plus the schools here are VERY different even with the handwriting techniques. The weather is very hot which we knew but its not til you are here it hits you (although winter should be good). Cant walk the dog as much as very dog unfriendly here even the locals say the councils have gone overboard with their dog rules. The ticks are a worry too.

 

We are renting in Narangba and i will say it is very pretty. The beaches are nice but then so are the beaches in Melbourne.

 

Pm me if you want any specific info on the differences between the 2 places as i dont want to go on about the neg things on here so as not to cause friction!!! Plus you will never know til you try. regards georgie

[Guest angiebabe]

Hi, as Cal said we have just made the move from Melbourne to Brisbane and are currently staying in one of her properties.

 

We made the move for work reasons as there wasn't anything coming up in hubbies line of work (Locksmith) We have been here just over a week now and has secured a job in the first few days.

 

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was how warm it was and that was just after the storms, not sure if it would be suitable for physical workers as it is dam hot!! and all we want to do is nothing...but we have to find a rental and schools for the kids. Melbourne almost seems flat now compared to Brisbane as the are so many hills and mountains here everywhere you go but the scenery is so beautiful. Another thing we noticed is just how big it is here!! the distance between the gold coast and the sunshine coast is far greater than we anticipated. When we arrived in Melbourne we thought that was big but here is something else.

 

Brisbane seems a lot cleaner and there is not half as much graffiti..there are a lot of new roads, some are still being built so it appears newer here, the roads are not as congested as Melbourne maybe thats because it is spread out more here (this could turn out to be a negative) We didnt have that "wow factor when we arrived in Melbourne 3 months ago but we did here, having said that it is still early days and yes we were excited about the warmer climate but not sure if it might just be too warm here for living, will we get used to it? who knows. But just now we love it here and cant wait to start exploring.

[tracy123]

it was taffy62 (i think) who moved back to Wodonga in Victoria and she couldnr wait to get back! We have made the big move from Melbourne to Brisbane and we couldnt wait to get here but now we are here we are not sure it was the right move for us. We will see how we settle in 6 months time but right now i have never been so sure i want to return to England. I dont want to go back to Melbourne now either although i do think if we had stayed there we may have stayed in Australia longer. Very negative of me but will see how it goes. I do think the stress of getting a rental and the agents attitudes havent helped. Also we are staing with friends (maybe ex friends) and into our 5th week with still another to go. There are 3 young children and 3 older ones and all they do is fight and hit each other). Plus the schools here are VERY different even with the handwriting techniques. The weather is very hot which we knew but its not til you are here it hits you (although winter should be good). Cant walk the dog as much as very dog unfriendly here even the locals say the councils have gone overboard with their dog rules. The ticks are a worry too.

 

We are renting in Narangba and i will say it is very pretty. The beaches are nice but then so are the beaches in Melbourne.

 

Pm me if you want any specific info on the differences between the 2 places as i dont want to go on about the neg things on here so as not to cause friction!!! Plus you will never know til you try. regards georgie

 

thats the one thanks

 

stick with it the weather does get better over time I'm sorry things aren't working out for you with your friends etc.

 

I wish you well and i hope you get on your feet no matter what part of the world you live in

 

Geoffrey

[Guest Kerry 24]

Thanks guys for all your replies, really helpful. Judging by your comments it seems Brissie and the surrounds has beautiful countrtyside as well - which is what I fear I would miss most of Victoria. We are having a quick weekend away next weekend but only for a few nights in the Sunshine Coast (hope the thunder stops by then).

 

Have planned a longer trip up there next year, where we can explore (we also need to find jobs before we can even consider the move!)

 

Georgie - I hope things work out for you. I think once you have your own place you will feel better. I do believe that when you make a big move (firstly to Aus and then perhaps to a different city/state) you initially feel like you have taken a couple of steps back as it is very unsettling but eventually and hopefully you feel you have moved further forward. I know that is how I felt when I arrived in Melbourne (it was just me and my OH - we didn't have family in tow to think about) but once we found a nice property to rent, settled in our jobs and got to know our way around the place etc we felt better. I guess I may go through a bit of the same if we move to Brissie which makes me nervous....no gain without pain hey!!

 

Thanks again all - I will keep you posted....

[Georgie]

Thanks Geoffrey and Kerry for your well wishes. Yes i am SURE when we move in our own place my thoughts will change. It is very pretty here and as someone said the distances are immense (just try and get a job where you will go against the flow of traffic and you should be fine). I do miss Melbourne i think as it so completely different here. Dont miss the flies though and there doesnt seem to be many here. The bugs are enourmous found a grasshopper in the cupboard as long as the mouse for the computer!!!

Our friends will still be our friends (i think) i was just exaggerating as its awful with the kids all under one roof. If it had been any longer then they probably wouldnt be our friends though lol

[Guest sassy123]

Hi all nice to hear differences about mel and bris.

how did you move all your stuff from mel to bris and with who and how much?

 

my friends have a bit of furniture to move and need the cheapest way poss and asap!prob for just after christmas.

if anyone could help with recommending reliable van hire or the like.also rental

thank you so much

x

[KathK]

Hi Kerry, was v interested to read your take on climate in Melbourne. We're not sure where to live & its a decision between Melbourne & Brisbane for us too. We are doing a recky in April & are including both destinations to have a look round. But like you, we are sun lovers & want to move to be warmer, so do you really find Melbourne too cool? I've also heard the weather can be unpredictable? I don't mind seasons (rain/cooler temps) but I like to know when, so at least you can plan ahead (what I hate about this country is the fact you can plan a bbq/outdoor party, but you can NEVER predict the weather, even in summer!)

Am interested in your thoughts

 

Kath

[fish.01]

As an Aussie who glances around at the other cities when the weather comes on I think moving to Melbourne when warm weather is important to you might be a mistake. It very often a lot colder than Brisbane.

[Guest Kerry 24]

Hi there

 

Mel is definitely MUCH warmer than the UK and you are guaranteed a gorgeous summer with lovely and very hot days (although this year it took a little while longer to warm up). Honestly, I do find it cold in the winter and there is defintely a change in the place. Melbourne is much more lively in the summer months, so you do get that 'winter' feeling as things quieten down. However, the autumn is gorgeous with bright blue skies. Oh and it hardly 'ever' rains in Melbourne.

 

One thing that makes it feel so cold is that the houses are not well insulated. They don't really install double glazing and all the little things we have in the UK to keep our houses toastie. I also have this warm air heating blowing out the ceiling which takes the edge off but generally I feel quite cold and have to wrap up even inside - we have to use electric blankets on our bed etc. I am a bit of a wimp and feel the cold so perhaps this is why!!!

 

However, we are renting and if we decide to settle in Melbourne and buy our own house we would insulate it (many houses in Vic have wood burning and or gas heaters in the main family room which would be lovely and def make a difference).

 

Personally I think Melbourne could be an easier transition from the UK as it has a European feel and does have distinct seasons. As much as you want to accept that Australia is not the UK (and it really isn't) I do think I would have struggled going straight to QLD as it is soooo different to the UKs climate.

 

I did some research before I left (in 06) and more people who have emigrated to Oz and chosen Melbourne have actually remained. People who had gone straight to Brisbane or Perth have returned home. I am sure some of this is because of the climate (as much as we think we want it hot hot hot - actually living somewhere so much warmer can be a shock) so anyway this backed my initial choice.

 

Now I am here and settled and used to Melbourne hot summers - I want to go one stage further and go warmer all year!! Still not sure though myself. Don't think I have really helped you there much....sorry.

 

One thing to remember is that either way, I dont't think you will be dissapointed and once you are here - you can always move interstate. Aussies do it all the time.

 

Good luck

[millars]

Hi there

 

Mel is definitely MUCH warmer than the UK and you are guaranteed a gorgeous summer with lovely and very hot days (although this year it took a little while longer to warm up). Honestly, I do find it cold in the winter and there is defintely a change in the place. Melbourne is much more lively in the summer months, so you do get that 'winter' feeling as things quieten down. However, the autumn is gorgeous with bright blue skies. Oh and it hardly 'ever' rains in Melbourne.

 

One thing that makes it feel so cold is that the houses are not well insulated. They don't really install double glazing and all the little things we have in the UK to keep our houses toastie. I also have this warm air heating blowing out the ceiling which takes the edge off but generally I feel quite cold and have to wrap up even inside - we have to use electric blankets on our bed etc. I am a bit of a wimp and feel the cold so perhaps this is why!!!

 

However, we are renting and if we decide to settle in Melbourne and buy our own house we would insulate it (many houses in Vic have wood burning and or gas heaters in the main family room which would be lovely and def make a difference).

 

Personally I think Melbourne could be an easier transition from the UK as it has a European feel and does have distinct seasons. As much as you want to accept that Australia is not the UK (and it really isn't) I do think I would have struggled going straight to QLD as it is soooo different to the UKs climate.

 

I did some research before I left (in 06) and more people who have emigrated to Oz and chosen Melbourne have actually remained. People who had gone straight to Brisbane or Perth have returned home. I am sure some of this is because of the climate (as much as we think we want it hot hot hot - actually living somewhere so much warmer can be a shock) so anyway this backed my initial choice.

 

Now I am here and settled and used to Melbourne hot summers - I want to go one stage further and go warmer all year!! Still not sure though myself. Don't think I have really helped you there much....sorry.

 

One thing to remember is that either way, I dont't think you will be dissapointed and once you are here - you can always move interstate. Aussies do it all the time.

 

Good luck

 

Hi there!

Having arrived in Brisbane in July (winter) I have to say it was freezing at night once the heat of the sun had gone. Its obviously not as cold as the UK but the houses are practically made of cardboard! Went to bed in PJs & dressing gown under duvet & blanket! And everyone I've met agrees!

My hubby is a brickie & hasn't found the heat here unbearable yet (he says it can't be worse than a winter on a UK building site) but the humidity is a bit of a killer at times for me. Doing a bit of housework here works up more of a sweat than an hour at the gym back home! But TBH, its not too bad - although everyone tells me the worst, February, is still to come lol!

Good luck, & like someone else said, do a good rekkie first.