# My experiences with Melbourne



## MaddyS (Jun 24, 2010)

Folks, 

I reached Melbourne on the 6th of October 2010. I am on a 175 visa. Trying to list down my experiences with Melbourne so far. Hope it will be useful. 

1. Sending the house hold goods : I had quite a lot of house hold goods that I wanted to send to Melbourne. Tried several places then finally went with a sea frieght provider in Chennai. For around 5 Cu Mts, i was charged 21000 INR. Should anyone need their contact details please let me know. Just to give an indication, 5 Cu mts will mean that one can fit it most of the white goods, tv, home theatre, kitchen items, clothes etc. In all i had around 240 kgs. The time it takes for shipment will be roughly 1 month to 45 days. 

2. The flight to Melbourne : I took the Singapore airlines from Chennai, India to Melbourne. I was allowed to carry in 40 Kgs + 7 kgs of cabin baggage. However I had around 10 kgs of excess baggage for which i had to pay nearly 13000 INR... 

3. The immigration formalities in Melbourne : It was pretty straight forward. One has to present the passport and the incoming passenger card. I had carried with me the visa grant letter, but it was not asked to be produced. Post this you need to collect your baggage and proceed to the quarantine where you wil have to present you passenger card and may have to open your luggage form the offiecers to inspect. 

4. Airport to city transfer : Taxi is available outside the terminal or one can catch the sky bus which tend to be economical. However, if there are more than 2 people, taking a taxi would be better

5. Intial Stay : I had pre booked my initial 10 days of stay at a serviced apartment in the CBD. It was coming around 99$ a day, slightly on the higher side. There are a few hotels which can be booked at 60$ a night as well or one can opt for hostel/backpacker acomodation which will work out much cheaper (i.e 70$ for 3 days)

6. First Day : 
I arrived in the morning, hence went straight to the bank. The only proof that is required to open a bank account is the passport. They will instantly open the account and will send the debit card to the address you have mentioned. Otherwise, you can also let them know that you will collect the debit card from the branch where you open the bank account. I did this.​Mobile : Again, to get a prepaid, all you need is your passport. However, for getting a phone on contract/pay as you go, you would need 100 points which is generally difficult unless you have other supporting documents like debit card/medicare card/electricity bill/rent agreement etc. It would be better to wait and understand the various plans available and then select one. I prefer a TPG or a 3/vodafone plan as it allows unlimited calls within their own networks. I also took a optus sim for international calling. You can buy lebara as well. The India rates are identical around 2.5c a min​
7. House Hunt : I wanted a place on rent not very far from the city and nearer to the public transport. Generally it is difficult to get a place on rent without a job or without rental history. In such cases, one can show the bank statements or can pay 3-6 months rent in advance. Luckily i got a place to rent on my 3rd day in melbourne. Its a place 20 mins from the city by tram. 

8. Public transport : Is fairly good. MyKi or Metcards are accepted on all the trains, buses or trams. Since I anticipate travel everyday, i took the monthly metcard. It costs 109$ and with that i can travel on buses/trams/trains any number of times. Depending on ones travel needs, there are plenty of choices to buy the myki pass or metcard. The city circle tram and the melbourne tourist shuttle bus is free. Home - Metlink - Your guide to public transport in Melbourne and Victoria is the site where you will get information for all public transport. 

9. Broadband / Internet : Is freely available near starbucks, library, few malls. Public library membership is free and its available there too. The internet usage charges are pretty high. It will be as high as 4$ every hour in the internet centers. Once you have found a place to rent, there are lot of providers you can choose from. Look out for bundle offers (broad band + home phone). Those tend to be economical. I took a TPG ADSL2+ unlimited bundle. It costs me 60$ a month. 
However, unlike in India, the average time to get broadband comissioned is 10-20 wrking days 

10. Electricty/Gas : Usually the agent would help you with these. You can also use the services of directconnect. http://www.directconnect.com.au.Its free

11. Job hunt : My wife had got a transfer to Melbourne. Hence I could search for jobs in a much more relaxed frame of mind. The most important point to keep in mind is that one has to be persistant and optimistic. Like many posts before, I too had found out that not all the job ad's in seek are genuine. Lot of them are just to adhere to come compliance requirements while lot others are just to fish out resume's. However, the fact is, Jobs are there always. Its a matter of time before we get. Depending on what one's skills are, the number of responses would vary. Mine's a very niche skilset. Hence I was not expecting too many call's for intereviews. To give a perspective, the number of jobs advertised in seek for lets say J2EE would be like 2000+ where as for my skil set it will be less than 10% of it. 
Anyways, I did apply to all the job ad's that were in seek. I was surprised to get a call on the 3rd day from a consultant. They wanted to meet me before forwarding it to their client. Usually, for jobs advertised by consultants, they would interview you before then put you on to the clients. After i met them, a week had gone by and I did not receive any responses. Meanwhile I met with couple of other consultants. What one important piece of advice they gave me was not to apply till you are in Australia. The reason being, before you are in australia, you would have applied for several jobs and the attitude of the consultant will be like, this person is overseas and applies for lots of jobs. Let me not look into this. I felt this was a valid point. The other thing they said was that its perhaps easier to get a job as a contractor rather than a full time employee. Again it depends on one's skill set. I didnt want to take up a contract role and hence i was prepared to wait for a few weeks. 
That was about consultants. Now, the other way to get a job is through employee referrals. This is where networking comes in handy. Post my interview with the consultant, i received 2 interview calls from 2 professional services organisations. Both of them were through referrals from my friends. I cleared the first round of both the interviews and before i could attend the second interview in the second company, i received the offer from the first (i had attended another interview there). Hence I decided not to attend the second interview and take the offer from the first organisation. Prior to giving me the offer, they did my reference checks. I had worked in Melbourne 3 yrs before and that was one of the factors that helped me get the job. Local experience is very handy, else getting a job may be delayed. 
Without local experience and without employee referrals, getting a job is DIFFICULT but not impossible. Be prepared to wait for weeks/months before you get a job and be persistant. Also, the resume MUST be tailored to suit the way its written here. It must not be too long and it MUST emphasise on what you did rather than what you know. 


12. Shopping for Groceries/Veggies : Victoria Market is the cheapest to the best of my knowledge. Far cheaper than Coles/Woolworths. Although it will be a bit far for people living away from the city. Aldi supermarket is chep, IGA is a rip off. Try not to buy stuff from 7/11 and other convenience stores as they tend to be more expensive. Try a take a membership in COSTCO. Its best if you want to buy stuff in bulk. I dont think you can get rice for 25$ for 25 kgs anywhere else in Melbourne. 

13. General Shopping : Big W is cheap . Target is decent and reasonable. You can get good deals while shopping in DFOs. Gumtree.com is good for a lot many things. Try ebay and graysonline.com as well before you buy anything. Shopping for other items have already been so wonderfuly covered in the sticky. 


I've hope this was useful. Lot many more things to write. Perhaps at a later time. 

Maddy


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Very good post, look forward to your future posts once you start working and get used to MEL a bit. Be sure to write about MEL after you've visited Dandenong or other ethnic areas so you can provide a comparison point for those looking for local foods and things like that.


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## gustavg (Nov 3, 2010)

Thanks for the overview, It seems you took a while writting this post . Thanks for sharing your experiences...


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Thanks Maddy. It's so great when members come back and post updates like this for the newer members. 

Congratulations on your job offer too! 

Regards,
Karen


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks Maddy... going through each line in your post was like reliving our validation trip in Melbourne.. Good Luck and god bless to you two. 

Regards,
Randhir Singh


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

REMEMBER : Every MacD has free Wi-Fi


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## Sam James (Oct 13, 2010)

outstanding, thank you.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Except those prohibited by restrictive shopping centres and airports. Sydney airport takes the cake. Maccas in the airport (no Wi-Fi), Maccas 200 meters outside the airport (Free Wi-Fi).



Halo said:


> REMEMBER : Every MacD has free Wi-Fi


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

Sadly you may be tempted to eat something


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## Big Bob (Oct 16, 2010)

Very good.Will surely Help


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi Maddy, that was helpful. Can you PM me the shipping company details, just for my knowledge.

and thanks for taking out time to write so much. I am a little late in commenting but after reading ur experience, i had to 

Cheers
Anj


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## sriikanth (May 23, 2009)

Excellent work !!!!


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## aussieland (Oct 14, 2008)

nice write up doode....keep it going..


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## 10mct (Jul 12, 2010)

*WOW *maddy..
*Congrats *and that was really nice of you to write such a wonderful detail 
*can u p.m. the shipping agencies contact (email/site..)*


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## OceanHeart (Nov 29, 2010)

MaddyS said:


> Without local experience and without employee referrals, getting a job is DIFFICULT but not impossible. Be prepared to wait for weeks/months before you get a job and be persistant. Also, the resume MUST be tailored to suit the way its written here. It must not be too long and it MUST emphasise on what you did rather than what you know.


Thanks, Maddy! Your post is exactly what I am looking for. Do you have any advice for those who are hunting jobs but have not made progress yet after several months? Although I do not have to work, I do not want to continue a housewife life. It's just too boring to me. I have high qualifications in IT, I have over 10 years international work experiences, but I just cant find a job in Adelaide. What a bloody fact!


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## Artemisa (Aug 31, 2010)

However, unlike in India, the average time to get broadband comissioned is 10-20 wrking days​ Gosh! :confused2:


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## virgoboy (Dec 31, 2009)

*VIC sponsorship applying Online*



Big Bob said:


> Very good.Will surely Help


Hi ,

First of all congratulations for the VIC state Sponsorship. I would like to know that , to apply from online , what we need to have . I think for you IELTS is not required it seems you are from UK. 

Please let me know the procedure for that,

Thanks in Advance,
Narendra Kumar


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

When we applied for Vic sponsorship, We were asked to provide:
1. Filled online application form.
2. Skill assessment result.
3. Chronological CV. 
No IELTS etc.


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## Vishy (Nov 3, 2010)

MaddyS said:


> Folks,
> 
> I reached Melbourne on the 6th of October 2010. I am on a 175 visa. Trying to list down my experiences with Melbourne so far. Hope it will be useful.
> 
> ...


Hi Maddy,

Could you advise what movers did you use for moving your luggage. I am planning to move from hyd to sydney. I have been quoted 3000 AUD for 250 cubic feet (gross). This is door to door and includes packing and custom clearance.

BR,
Vishy


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## viji (Dec 29, 2010)

Hi Maddy,

Thanks 4r sharing ur experience.

I have 4years of development experience in oracle apps and fusion middleware {BPEL and ESB}. Also have pretty much exp in XML and BI publisher.

I came to aussie in dependent VISA and my husband is working here in subclass 457 VISA.

We are planning to apply for PR.

I am 50 days old to aussie and searching job for past 30 days. As many people had mentioned i too attended many telephonic interviews and even few of them was success. The consultants themselves called me and informed me that u have cleared the interview. But yet now i did not receive any offer letter. I think as i do not have local experience the client might have rejected me. but not sure this is my thought.

Some times i feel depressed that i could not even get a job even after attending 5 to 6 interviews.

just thought of sharing this to u all.

As i am new to aussie i do not have the network to get the referral opportunities. 

if any of u find referral openings that suit my profile plz do inform me.

waiting for advises from seniors.

Thanks.


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## bbraj (Sep 2, 2008)

MaddyS said:


> Folks,
> 
> I reached Melbourne on the 6th of October 2010. I am on a 175 visa. Trying to list down my experiences with Melbourne so far. Hope it will be useful.
> 
> ...


Hey Maddys,

Very nice and detail post.
you mentioned about apt and hotel. 

Well i am planning to travel 3rd week of Jan for a week. Can you help me providing bit more detail about Apt and hotel with rates and location.

Wish you good luck in Melbourne.

BBraj


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

Novotel Melbourne St Kilda - Melbourne's Premier Beachside Hotel | St Kilda Hotel is nice....


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

viji said:


> As i am new to aussie i do not have the network to get the referral opportunities.
> 
> if any of u find referral openings that suit my profile plz do inform me.
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity what are you doing to increase your network so that you can get referrals? Other than posting on here that is 

Regards,
Karen


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

kaz101 said:


> Out of curiosity what are you doing to increase your network so that you can get referrals? Other than posting on here that is
> 
> Regards,
> Karen


Relationships Matter | LinkedIn


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## RUSTY001 (Apr 7, 2011)

*From Rusty*

Hi Maddy

Your blog was really nice. I was thinking to move my stuff from India to Australia via ship as I have many things to bring here. In that regards I have spoken to few international movers, but was thinking to get a quote from the company you got your things move , I think you said it was 21 k. So it would be great if you can provide me with their contact details. 

Thanks and God Bless. 

Rusty


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## sriikanth (May 23, 2009)

Very informative thanks for the info.

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


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## twister292 (Mar 25, 2011)

In Melbourne, the best places for ethnic foods are:

Indian/Pakistani/Subcontinental: Dandenong, Clayton
Arabian/Middle Eastern: Sydney Road (Coburg/Brunswick)
Chinese: Box Hill, Clayton

Restaurants of different varieties are present all over the city...


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## S_e_g_o (Sep 3, 2010)

mr.india said:


> Thanks Maddy... going through each line in your post was like reliving our validation trip in Melbourne.. Good Luck and god bless to you two.
> 
> Regards,
> Randhir Singh


Dear Randhir,
I am from INDIA too and going to Brisbane (6th May-13th May) and Melbourne (13th May-20th May) to validate visa along with Family.(Me+wife+2 kids).
Let me know if you are visiting during the same time.I am architect by qualification.


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## ozthedream (Dec 31, 2010)

*relocation doha to melbourne*



mr.india said:


> Thanks Maddy... going through each line in your post was like reliving our validation trip in Melbourne.. Good Luck and god bless to you two.
> 
> Regards,
> Randhir Singh


hi mr india ( randhir) 

i have been a regular reader on this forum and have learnt a lot thanks to u folks . i would be reaching melbourne on a 457 visa with wife n infant by last week august . thanks to all posters , now know that Singapore airlines is best 40 kgs + laptop + handbaggage , clothes ok and if any food , need packing with list of ingredients to pass quarantine . we would be provided a temp accomodation for 3 weeks by my company while we search around. my qyery is regarding the goods we can transfer when relocating ( as can see you were in bahrain and i in qatar). we have listed out utensils , mixergrinder , cooker , warm clothes, shoes , 
laptops ( 2) as ok to carry and useful. what we are debating is if it is cost effective to ship out / or via removals guys - white goods like tv , refrigerator , washing machine, oven , furniture ( bed , mattresses, sofa set, dining table, kitchen items, crockery) as can see online that the prices in melbourne are astronomical compared to dubai & of course mumbai to buy these things. wil the shipping cost and duty be so high that this becomes foolish to send across ?
please advise 

also as wife is first time in a real foreign country would be nice to name places in melb recommended for us to reside . 

thanks 

Ozthe dream


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## ozthedream (Dec 31, 2010)

*relocation doha to melbourne*




mr.india said:


> Thanks Maddy... going through each line in your post was like reliving our validation trip in Melbourne.. Good Luck and god bless to you two.
> 
> Regards,
> Randhir Singh


hi mr india ( randhir) 

i have been a regular reader on this forum and have learnt a lot thanks to u folks . i would be reaching melbourne on a 457 visa with wife n infant by last week august . thanks to all posters , now know that Singapore airlines is best 40 kgs + laptop + handbaggage , clothes ok and if any food , need packing with list of ingredients to pass quarantine . we would be provided a temp accomodation for 3 weeks by my company while we search around. my qyery is regarding the goods we can transfer when relocating ( as can see you were in bahrain and i in qatar). we have listed out utensils , mixergrinder , cooker , warm clothes, shoes , 
laptops ( 2) as ok to carry and useful. what we are debating is if it is cost effective to ship out / or via removals guys - white goods like tv , refrigerator , washing machine, oven , furniture ( bed , mattresses, sofa set, dining table, kitchen items, crockery) as can see online that the prices in melbourne are astronomical compared to dubai & of course mumbai to buy these things. wil the shipping cost and duty be so high that this becomes foolish to send across ?
please advise 

also as wife is first time in a real foreign country would be nice to name places in melb recommended for us to reside . 

thanks 

Ozthe dream


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## ozthedream (Dec 31, 2010)

*shipping white goods to melbourne*

Hey Maddys,

Very nice and detail post & a ready reckoner 
have been a regular reader on this forum and have learnt a lot thanks to u folks . i would be reaching melbourne on a 457 visa with wife n infant by last week august . thanks to all posters , now know that Singapore airlines is best 40 kgs + laptop + handbaggage , clothes ok and if any food , need packing with list of ingredients to pass quarantine . we would be provided a temp accomodation for 3 weeks by my company while we search around. my qyery is regarding the goods we can transfer when relocating ( as can see you were in bahrain and i in qatar). we have listed out utensils , mixergrinder , cooker , warm clothes, shoes , 
laptops ( 2) as ok to carry and useful. what we are debating is if it is cost effective to ship out / or via removals guys - white goods like tv , refrigerator , washing machine, oven , furniture ( bed , mattresses, sofa set, dining table, kitchen items, crockery) as can see online that the prices in melbourne are astronomical compared to dubai & of course mumbai to buy these things. wil the shipping cost and duty be so high that this becomes foolish to send across ?
please advise 

also as wife is first time in a real foreign country would be nice to name places in melb recommended for us to reside . 

thanks


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

hi Oz the dream,

Sorry I totally missed this post, little busy these days as we are also planning to move out of Bahrain next month. Packing and researching has started and keeping us busy for now. 

Melbourne is a good place, we have been there on our validation trip and we found a lot of Indians in Melbourne. The price of electronics stuffs in Melbourne are almost similar to middle east (Except LCD/ LED TV's). So, we are not planning to take anything from here. 

We are not in favor of shipping goods, we believe that we will buy new things there as and when needed. Me and my wife are most probably moving to Sydney as it looked more young then Melbourne. We have 3 Laptops, which we are carrying with us. 

Good Luck Buddy and Take care.


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

Only thing I would have loved to take with me was my 4x4 jeep ... but cannot coz, left had drive issues and import tax problems. It would be out on Sale next week and I am soo sad about it.


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## rangan (Jun 21, 2010)

mr.india said:


> Only thing I would have loved to take with me was my 4x4 jeep ... but cannot coz, left had drive issues and import tax problems. It would be out on Sale next week and I am soo sad about it.


there are a lot of 4x4's in Aus so dont worry.. 
and the terrain of the country is very suited for 4x4 

i would be in MEL, so lets do a off-road jaunt once you are there.. :eyebrows:


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## ozthedream (Dec 31, 2010)

*thanks - relocation to mel*



mr.india said:


> Only thing I would have loved to take with me was my 4x4 jeep ... but cannot coz, left had drive issues and import tax problems. It would be out on Sale next week and I am soo sad about it.


yes , cars are great here and wonderful prices . thanks for your positive validation of melbourne and for your advice , well taken . 

good luck mate


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

rangan said:


> there are a lot of 4x4's in Aus so dont worry..
> and the terrain of the country is very suited for 4x4
> 
> i would be in MEL, so lets do a off-road jaunt once you are there.. :eyebrows:



Thanks Ragan for your offer. We will definitely try to meet someday..

When i said ship my vehicle , I meant that I would have to give my vehicle here away on a throw away price (vehicle resale market is quite dull here) and would have to invest again in Australia (Vehicles there are quite expensive as there is resale value)

We had hired a AWD vehicle last time we went to Melbourne, sadly we couldn't do any offroading stuff. But let's see Some day maybe..


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## MaddyS (Jun 24, 2010)

mr.india said:


> Thanks Ragan for your offer. We will definitely try to meet someday..
> 
> When i said ship my vehicle , I meant that I would have to give my vehicle here away on a throw away price (vehicle resale market is quite dull here) and would have to invest again in Australia (Vehicles there are quite expensive as there is resale value)
> 
> We had hired a AWD vehicle last time we went to Melbourne, sadly we couldn't do any offroading stuff. But let's see Some day maybe..


Randhir, 

could you pls pm me or send me an email. 

Regards
Maddy


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

MaddyS said:


> Randhir,
> 
> could you pls pm me or send me an email.
> 
> ...


Just sent you a PM..


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## Vinod2012 (Jul 11, 2012)

Hi Maddy,

I am moving to Melbourne with family in Sept, need your advise on moving and looking out for a house, school etc. 

Could you PM me please?

Regards,
Vinod


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## mamabutterfly (Jul 16, 2012)

Maddy

Thanks so much for sharing your experience - we are investigating a MEL move, and it was very helpful.


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