# life in melbourne



## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

Hi everyone sorry i havent posted in a long time, we have been so busy with work and shopping around getting used to the melbourne way of life. im working away and my wife has started uni. not sure what to make of melbourne yet as it is not what we expected. its very old and the rent is expensive . we went looking to buy but the houses are bad quality wooden framed homes with no land. australia is huge yet evrything is packed together in melbourne. are they afraid to build with land?? it is more greed i think. people are getting ripped off here. the transport is over priced but we have a car as it is a must have, we dont like the trams they are old and slow. they should be gotten rid of and buses used instead. a big eyesore. other than that everything is going good. the weather is unpridictable!!. sorry if i am complaining im just trying to be honest. i would like to visit perth as i have heard it is much nicer


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## rangola1 (Jul 14, 2009)

Thanks for ur honest view abt Melbourne!!!


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## riversandlakes (Nov 18, 2009)

Interesting view. Much appreciated!


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Sydney got rid of its trams and the transport went downhill ever since, so MEL should keep it's trams. Maybe you get to see the old ones, they have modern ones too.

Problem isn't land (plenty of that), but services (pipes, power, water, roads, schools, hospitals, etc.), 80% of AU people pack into the cities just for that specific reason. It will be a long time before something like people spreading out happens. If MEL not to your taste give a look to Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.





richie colton said:


> Hi everyone sorry i havent posted in a long time, we have been so busy with work and shopping around getting used to the melbourne way of life. im working away and my wife has started uni. not sure what to make of melbourne yet as it is not what we expected. its very old and the rent is expensive . we went looking to buy but the houses are bad quality wooden framed homes with no land. australia is huge yet evrything is packed together in melbourne. are they afraid to build with land?? it is more greed i think. people are getting ripped off here. the transport is over priced but we have a car as it is a must have, we dont like the trams they are old and slow. they should be gotten rid of and buses used instead. a big eyesore. other than that everything is going good. the weather is unpridictable!!. sorry if i am complaining im just trying to be honest. i would like to visit perth as i have heard it is much nicer


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi richie

so good to c u again.. thanks fro your comment son the place but my suggestion would be to keep your expectations down, the higher they are, the worse you feel if things are not as you expect them to be.

keep writing.

cheers
anj


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## rangola1 (Jul 14, 2009)

How abt ur job search?...did u manage to get one already??


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

richie colton said:


> Hi everyone sorry i haven't posted in a long time, we have been so busy with work and shopping around getting used to the melbourne way of life. im working away and my wife has started uni. not sure what to make of melbourne yet as it is not what we expected. its very old and the rent is expensive . we went looking to buy but the houses are bad quality wooden framed homes with no land. Australia is huge yet evrything is packed together in melbourne. are they afraid to build with land?? it is more greed i think. people are getting ripped off here. the transport is over priced but we have a car as it is a must have, we dont like the trams they are old and slow. they should be gotten rid of and buses used instead. a big eyesore. other than that everything is going good. the weather is unpridictable!!. sorry if i am complaining im just trying to be honest. i would like to visit perth as i have heard it is much nicer


Sorry to hear that you were disappointed with Melbourne. When we were there we found it to be somewhat different to your experience. Melbourne seemed to be a good mix of old and new. Plenty of old Victorian era building, with a lot of new and exciting modern developments. Maybe its just the tram line you traveled, but we saw mostly modern trams, with the odd old ones used on the tourist lines around the inner city. I think that the trams are much more efficient than buses, and should be kept. What parts of the city were you looking at houses in? I'm not sure about the quality of the newer houses, if they are anything like here in the US, they will fall apart after 20 years, however the older houses, even if wooden framed, were made to last. As amaslam said, infrastructure is what keeps stops the city from spreading too much. Also, in Melbourne there is a plan in place to prevent the spread of the city further into the surrounding rural areas. This is called the 2030 plan, which you can read more about here:

Melbourne 2030

If they don't curtain the urban sprawl, then they will end up with a big old mess like LA where people are reliant on cars to do everything, and will have similar traffic nightmares.

The weather is somewhat unpredictable, and Melbourne is often said to experience the 4 seasons in one day. For more consistent weather, I think Sydney, Brisbane and Perth would be better choices.

Spend time traveling around now that you are there, and see what floats your boat. Unless you were there on the 176 visa, your free to move around and find a place that fits your lifestyle. Good luck... i know it can be difficult moving to a new place!


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

I agree with what Mat said Richie,

I really love Melbourne, the trams and 'generally' the trains do run on time.

The houses are of a lower built standard to that of the UK and US...no internal brick and plaster walls, just wooden batons and plasterboard but makes life so much easier if you're doing renovations!!!!

You will find with any major city that houses will be closer together. It's not until you get out of the city you will find houses with a decent amount of land. Where I live the plots are upwards of 1000sqm to an acre (or more).

I visited Perth recently and although I loved the city itself, I couldn't bear to live there. It was McMansion after McMansion. The houses was literally the plot of land, no garden to speak of. Awful. Again, it won't be until you get further afield away from the city that you will get a decent plot of land.

To do the 40km trip into town from here costs around $8, if you buy a travel card for 5 days plus the weekend it's $15. Travelling at the weekend will be cheaper. For the same journey back in the UK it's double those prices.

Melbourne is renowned (as is Scotland) for having the 4 seasons in one day, and it's true. But that's what we like about it. We'd really hate having 365 days a year of sunshine, believe me it sounds great to begin with but actually live it and it's not that fantastic, especially if you have high humidity on top. But it is a personal thing, perhaps you'd love it.

Just give it time....it's early days yet. Have an open mind about things, try not to compare too much with things back in the US (It's very difficult, I know).... as Mat said, travel around the area to see how different it can be and also travel to other parts of the country....the States are SO different.

Dolly


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## aussieland (Oct 14, 2008)

richie colton said:


> Hi everyone sorry i havent posted in a long time, we have been so busy with work and shopping around getting used to the melbourne way of life. im working away and my wife has started uni. not sure what to make of melbourne yet as it is not what we expected. its very old and the rent is expensive . we went looking to buy but the houses are bad quality wooden framed homes with no land. australia is huge yet evrything is packed together in melbourne. are they afraid to build with land?? it is more greed i think. people are getting ripped off here. the transport is over priced but we have a car as it is a must have, we dont like the trams they are old and slow. they should be gotten rid of and buses used instead. a big eyesore. other than that everything is going good. the weather is unpridictable!!. sorry if i am complaining im just trying to be honest. i would like to visit perth as i have heard it is much nicer


i agree with the views of dolly,matjones,amaslam......trams should be there in mel:clap2::clap2:....its an intergral part of the city(old trams also)...as far as space is concerned you can always choose the suburbs(which are cheap & spacy)...all in all i loved melbourne weather alot:clap2:....though it was 4 different in a day....


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## CleverClara (Nov 29, 2008)

My husband and I had a reccie recently. We found Melbourne not so modern as we thought it would be (from the information we gathered online or other sources). The house seems overly priced compared to its not-so-good quality. However, we did found some nice areas and places. I suppose Melbourne is a big city. We just need to get to know the city a bit better. 

The weather was lovely when we were there. It didn't rain at all for a week. I am a bit concerned of the draught situation in Melbourne...

We don't want sunshine all year round, so Melbourne will be the one. I am Chinese and my hubby is Irish. Been lived in Amsterdam, Manchester, west of Ireland. I really prefer nice four seasons. Currently living at the west of Ireland. The weather cannot be more predictable, rain, rain, and more rain... I actually love trams which give Melbourne a touch of Europe, and they get you to almost anywhere in the city.

Every place has its good and bad things. It's hard to find a place which ticks all the boxes. As long as the place gives you the main things you want, you will get used to all the other little things that gets you initially. So, although we are not as excited as we were after the reccie, we are still looking forward to moving there. The reccie was necessary, it made us realistic. Not to have high expectation is always right. 


Priscilla


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## riversandlakes (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm looking from the angle of a Third Worlder. When one comes from nothing I don't know how one can be disappointed ;-)


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## serenity_speaks (Nov 6, 2009)

@riversandlakes - I totally agree with you when someone comes here with no expectations everything is good.

I would like to share my initial observations in Melbourne (or maybe Aussie in general). It is a tough country to come and settle down. I agree the PR process is relatively easier compared to the UK or the US. 

Having lived in the US for a long time I was expecting Oz to be quite similar to the US. The only similarity I saw was Mccas (trying to become an Aussie now) and the Starbucks (ok, throw in Subway as well).

The one thing that bothered me the most is the system to find a house to rent. If you find a house that you like, that you can afford and it is available at that point, why should not one get it? Having the decision making left completely to private landlords makes the whole system based on good will (or so it seems). For a newcomer to the country gaining that is not an easy task.

Having said that, Melbourne is a great place to live. I just love the food here. Yes, beer could be a little cheaper.


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## mpgrewal (Feb 22, 2009)

Its hard to believe that Melbourne has small homes. Recently there was an international poll which verdicted that Australian homes are biggest in the world. May the OP is living in wrong area.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi MP:

I can assure you they are not huge homes. USA still seems to have the largest homes, AU homes do seem to be bigger than UK homes however. Also newer homes are larger than older ones as the trend has been to have smaller backyards and larger main homes if the land size is limited. This has led to some areas having the McMansion type of homes. This happens in the newer suburbs and not at all in older established suburbs.



mpgrewal said:


> Its hard to believe that Melbourne has small homes. Recently there was an international poll which verdicted that Australian homes are biggest in the world. May the OP is living in wrong area.


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## serenity_speaks (Nov 6, 2009)

@MP - It is not the size of the house I was concerned about. It is the system. Anybody who has been in the US will vouch for how easy it is for a newbie to the country (with a decent job) to find an apartment to live. 

@amaslam - I totally agree with you on the size of the houses and the new suburbs.


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## era7bd (Nov 30, 2009)

*Condition of Melbourne*

Hi Dear,
What do you mean by unpridictable!!? is it goog or bad. I like sunshine area. More warm and less cool. Melbourne is like that? 

regards,

era




richie colton said:


> Hi everyone sorry i havent posted in a long time, we have been so busy with work and shopping around getting used to the melbourne way of life. im working away and my wife has started uni. not sure what to make of melbourne yet as it is not what we expected. its very old and the rent is expensive . we went looking to buy but the houses are bad quality wooden framed homes with no land. australia is huge yet evrything is packed together in melbourne. are they afraid to build with land?? it is more greed i think. people are getting ripped off here. the transport is over priced but we have a car as it is a must have, we dont like the trams they are old and slow. they should be gotten rid of and buses used instead. a big eyesore. other than that everything is going good. the weather is unpridictable!!. sorry if i am complaining im just trying to be honest. i would like to visit perth as i have heard it is much nicer


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

era7bd said:


> Hi Dear,
> What do you mean by unpridictable!!? is it goog or bad. I like sunshine area. More warm and less cool. Melbourne is like that?
> 
> regards,
> ...


Hi Era, 

Check out some weather sites for Melbourne - when they say you can have all 4 seasons in one day they are not joking! Warm is very subjective - if you check out the weather sites then you'll get a better idea. 

Regards,
Karen


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

4 seasons in one day can mean this in Summer.

Humid and cloudy at 9 AM : 22 C
Scorcher hot day and sunny at 2 PM: 40 C
Hail, windy and raining at 7 PM: 15 C

Yes, MEL can be like that.

If you like Sunny lots of nice sunny places in AU.



era7bd said:


> Hi Dear,
> What do you mean by unpridictable!!? is it goog or bad. I like sunshine area. More warm and less cool. Melbourne is like that?
> 
> regards,
> ...


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*heavy rent*

the rent is way over priced in melbourne, people dont seem to realise that they are being ripped off, in ireland you can find a brand new fully furnished place to rent no problem at all. in melbourne the places are old with no furnishings and if there is they are bad, it very hard to get a place to rent then because you have to go into an application process with other people which is very bad. melbourne has a huge shortage of rentals.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

I can't speak for properties in Melbourne, but here in Frankston South we had been accepted for 2 rental properties and had the choice.

Which area of Melbourne are you looking at? If it's the CBD or close to it then rentals will be expensive.

Dolly


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## ThKmOz (Oct 21, 2009)

amaslam said:


> 4 seasons in one day can mean this in Summer.
> 
> Humid and cloudy at 9 AM : 22 C
> Scorcher hot day and sunny at 2 PM: 40 C
> ...


Oh Gosh! MEL temperature looks so quick to change


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## mpgrewal (Feb 22, 2009)

ThKmOz said:


> Oh Gosh! MEL temperature looks so quick to change


The best cities to live in Australia are Cairns and Adelaide. If you can get a good job there you are very lucky.:juggle:


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

I would think Adelaide has decent weather, but Cairns is extremely humid (Tropical) so that is usually not good weather for most people. 

Coffs Harbour in NSW is said to have the best weather in AU.



mpgrewal said:


> The best cities to live in Australia are Cairns and Adelaide. If you can get a good job there you are very lucky.:juggle:


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

mpgrewal said:


> The best cities to live in Australia are Cairns and Adelaide. If you can get a good job there you are very lucky.:juggle:


The 'best' cities really is an individual preference. You couldn't pay us to live in a big city (and yes I do include Adelaide in that too although it's not that big  ).


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## j4son (Dec 16, 2009)

richie colton said:


> the rent is way over priced in melbourne, people dont seem to realise that they are being ripped off, in ireland you can find a brand new fully furnished place to rent no problem at all. in melbourne the places are old with no furnishings and if there is they are bad, it very hard to get a place to rent then because you have to go into an application process with other people which is very bad. melbourne has a huge shortage of rentals.


Richie, You answered your own question by saying that melbourne has a huge shortage of rentals and then saying that the price is too high, the price is high for that very reason, there are 1700 people per week moving into melbourne and thats obviously going to strain on the rental market.

As far as Ireland goes, of course you can find a fully furnished place easily, the property developers, encouraged by berties government built way too many homes, the economy crashed and for the first time in 10 years more people have left Ireland than arrived, add to that the fact that property values have fallen by 35% on average from their peak and interest rates have been at 1% for over a year.

If you want land look at places like Mickleham, you can get 6acres for 400k and 30 mins from the CBD. good motorwat links which DUBLIN definately doesn't have, a better climate, more jobs, great restaraunts, sports and arts and all in all its a Sensational place to live ....in my opinion


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## riversandlakes (Nov 18, 2009)

It's definitely personal preference and arbitrary. If you must have an index check out the Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2009.


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## claireu (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm a bit of a Melbourne fan I have to say. I love the diversity there and the fact that the people are soooo friendly. I spent 12 months in Oz about 10 years ago and I'm moving to Melbourne in May with my partner and we are so excited! I worked in Brisbane and in Sydney as well as Melbourne while I was there but thought that Melbourne was the city for me. I've been back to visit friends four time since and it never disappoints. On my last trip my partner came with me and luckily he loved it too.

I love the trams and the public transport is far superior to that of many public transport systems around the world (much cheaper than London that's for sure!). I think Melbourne houses are on small plots but the fact that most are on a single level and high fences in the garden you're not over looked. I come from Cornwall and I'm used to having plenty of space around me and I think that ultimately when we've tired of living in the city that we'll move out to the the Mornington Peninsula where we can have a sea view and a much larger plot. But for the moment we are going to enjoy the great restaurants, culture and entertainment and great friends that Melbourne has to offer us. 

I think the most important thing is to let the people of Melbourne have the chance to win you over with their fantastic friendliness. Love them and they will love you right back! Hope it works out for you.


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## RachaelK (Oct 14, 2008)

I'm just getting settled into Melbourne now. Finally got an apartment (took a lot of looking to find a good deal, but it was possible). I love that I can get pretty much anywhere I need to go between the trams and trains around here. There ARE some older trams (I've noticed more of them run in the suburbs) but they run pretty much on time so it's a reliable way to get around. The new ones have air conditioning that's a great break from the heat!

There are a lot of wood frame houses and most of the rentals are unfurnished, but I had never seen a house built with block like they do in Ireland (and I'm in construction) or even thought about looking for a furnished place until I moved to Ireland from the States.

Fantastic Furniture has some pretty good deals if you're starting from scratch to outfit a place with furniture, or gumtree.com.au has some decen deals.

Other than that, the unpredictable weather is kind of crazy but it's hard to complain about the heat too much when people at home are chipping away ice and digging out of snow!! Chin up. It'll get better once you settle in. It was like that for me when I first moved to Ireland!

~Rachael


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

we are starting to settle in slowly. the heat is mad but i would sooner it than back in ireland.!! the place we have now is good but no air conditioner !! will have to invest in one!! we want to visit perth soon . ive heard its nice there.. is this true? anybody know which bars or nite clubs are good to go to in melbourne??


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## RachaelK (Oct 14, 2008)

Richie,

Which suburb are you in? There are good bars and clubs all over the place, depending on what you're looking for. The a/c might be a VERY good investment. At least it'll cool off outside in a day or so. The news just showed a guy slip wicked hard on the ice in Ireland and his head BOUNCED off the sidewalk. I'll take the heat, thank you. Check out gumtree.com.au for some of the little appliances and bits like air conditioning. You can sometimes get pretty good deals. I've been on it a lot lately since we're trying to get all of our electrical and furniture sorted.


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

we are in parkville. its a nice area. close to everything.


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## ihrbfi (Apr 22, 2010)

mpgrewal said:


> The best cities to live in Australia are Cairns and Adelaide. If you can get a good job there you are very lucky.:juggle:


How did you find your time when living in Cairns and Adelaide ?
Why did you feel your time there was better compared to any of the other Australian cities ?

Please share your experiences as this would help others come to a better informed understanding.


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