Validation and Recce

[Graemsay]

I was granted a visa back in February, and was meaning to head Down Under in April or May, but a combination of a certain, unpronounceable volcano and landing a bit of work delayed things somewhat.

 

I ended up flying out in early July, and arrived back yesterday. The main reason for travelling was to get my visa stamped, and also to take a look around a few places, catch up with friends, and chase a few agents.

 

Melbourne

 

Most of my trip was spent in Melbourne. I was there for the first and last week, which gave me a chance to have a good explore.

 

I stayed at the George Powlett apartments in East Melbourne. These are relatively cheap, and consist of a basic studio style flat with a kitchenette area, but some of the decor is a little worn. The rooms all have free Wi-Fi.

 

The centre of the city has a more European feel, though there are parts that feel American. The inner suburbs south of the river are generally the most attractive, though Toorak (the expensive part of town) gets a bit Footballers Wives at times.

 

North of the river was traditionally working class, and tends to be a bit tattier. I liked Fitzroy, which is or was where the artists hang out. It felt like Camden or Brighton.

 

I managed to get up into the Dandenong Hills for an afternoon (very nice), along with the Mornington Peninsula (ditto), and the hot springs down there.

 

I didn't use public transport much, as most places were in walking distance, but it looked reasonably efficient with both tram and rail services. The trams run quite a distance out into the suburbs too, but I'm not sure what the coverage is like.

 

Melbourne's got a diverse ethnic background. There are a lot of Asians, along with the usual mix of Europeans. I liked the multicultural vibe there, and it meant a wide range of different eateries. (Vietnamese on Lennox Street, Italian on Lygon Street, and so on.)

 

And don't believe all the comments about the weather being horrible during winter. It was generally grey and a bit damp, but felt like early spring in the UK. They had the coldest day in the last 10 or 20 years just before I arrived, with temperatures plummeting to a low of 4 degrees (Celsius).

 

The locals must be a bunch of wimps.

 

Sydney

 

I stayed at the Australian Heritage Hotel. The bar there looked a bit Wild West, being in an old, Colonial building. They had a wide selection of beers, though that was lost on me.

 

The decor was a bit tired in the communal areas, I could get a Wi-Fi signal from a free hotspot, though that was only open until 7 pm, and the window latch on my room didn't close properly giving me concerns about security. But overall I liked the place because it was quirky.

 

I was in town for three days, and spent the first in the CBD, the second walking through Collingwood, Glebe, Balmain and Birchgrove (all suburbs to the west of the centre). I took the opportunity to visit the Deus showroom - worth a look if you like motorbikes. The last day involved a trip to Bondi Beach via Watsons Bay, and back to the airport. (Hint, if you catch the bus from Bondi Junction to the airport then it's an awful lot cheaper than the airport train.)

 

Sydney is as diverse as Melbourne, but there seems to be less of the arts culture. That might have been because I didn't see as much of the city, and hence missed what is there.

 

I do like Sydney's geography, which is dictated by the harbour, as it gives the city its character. Makes it a bit of a pain to get around, but that's what ferries are for. It's also warmer than Melbourne.

 

Adelaide

 

One of my younger brother's friends moved out to Adelaide four or five years ago, and I hadn't seen him since.

 

Anyway, this friend lives in the Hills (Bridgewater to be exact), which is about twenty or thirty minutes from the centre of town, but has a more rural feel. Seems a nice area, though I'd probably want to live in North Adelaide, which is the old part of town, if I ended up that way.

 

The city centre feels a bit less wealthy than Melbourne and Sydney, and I wasn't too struck on it.

 

Aside from looking around town, I got taken out camping (up near Berri) and offroading. The temperatures meant I didn't freeze overnight, and it was far more civilised than the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions that I did at school.

 

The camping trip was useful as it highlighted the whole lifestyle aspect of being in Oz. But I think that there is very definitely a tradeoff against other aspects, in particular the distances between cities and countries in that part of the world.

 

Jobs and Economics

 

My line is IT contracting, and there are a few of us lurking on PiO.

 

Rates seem to be on a par with what was on offer in the UK in 2008 outside of London at the current exchange rate, possibly 10% or 20% better. However they are below what was available in the (non-banking) London market, but rental costs in Sydney and Melbourne are probably on a par with London.

 

The jobs market seems tough right now, but there are roles out there. It's not great, but significantly better than the UK.

 

Overall, I'm still undecided on future plans. A lot depends on what comes up with work here and in Oz. I'm meant to be in Holland for the rest of this year, so it'll be sometime in 2011 (at the earliest) before I make a move.

[Guest siamsusie]

A really good post, enjoyed the read, cheers for that Susie x

[Guest jeza]

Thanks graem, great to hear the cold is not too bad in melbourne. We go over in 3 weeks to live there. Very excited! Fitzroy sounds like an interesting and fun place to hang!

[Guest The Pom Queen]

What a great reccie report, thanks for sharing. When we first arrived in Melbourne it was the middle of winter and we were in shorts and T Shirts, but believe me you soon acclimatise, in winter we always have the heating up to 30.