Hi all,

I've only recently joined the forum because I might have a chance of working in Melbourne and thought I'd get some ideas from ExPats who live there. However, most of the stuff I've heard on the forum makes me think it is not worth the hassle. Comments range from people saying that any decent places to rent will cost you London prices and the rental market is in a dire state, to people saying that you need at salary of least $120,000 per annum to ensure you do not end up living in a dodgy area or have a massive commute into the CBD. Most of the comments on the forum seem very negative, which seems to be at odds with what other people have told me who have lived in Australia. Maybe it's just Melbourne and I should be thinking of trying somewhere like Adelaide or even New Zealand!

Come on folks, loads of you have done it so has anyone got anything positive to say about Melbourne and reasons for moving there????

Do a search on the forum for Melbourne and allsorts will come up, good and bad - don't let what's written on here be the only reason to look elsewhere in the country to move to!

The update forum is a good place to look too -- sometimes more of an overall perspective instead of just a rant on a bad day!

I personally can't comment on Melbourne, other than to say I hate driving there but I'm a country bumkin so hate most cities! I've a lot of friends who love Melbourne!

I love Melbourne. Moved here nearly 5 years ago, have rented the whole time. I now live in Elsternwick, a fairly desirable suburb in the inner SE just inland from St Kilda. I couldn't afford to buy here but love this area, so that's why I rent.

The train is 15 minutes to the CBD, I'm a 20 minute walk from the beach/5 minute drive, I live near to a bustling shopping strip in Glenhuntley Road, but far enough away for it to be quiet. Personally I love cities and have found there's loads to do in Melbourne, sports, arts, eating out (pretty reasonable prices in most of the restaurants), markets etc.

Victoria is a great place to do short trips. The Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island, Gippsland, Lakes Entrance, the Alps, the Grampians, The Murray etc. These are cheap breaks on your doorstep.

My wife and I are on a combined income of about 80-100K, and live comfortably on that. To be honest, you will make of it what only you will. My love of the place is not a 100% guarantee that you will like it, but then again just because there is a load of bad stuff written about Melbourne, or anywhere else, doesn't mean you won't like it.

Melbourne is a lovely city and a great place to live. If you want to live right in the CBD then it can be expensive, but it depends on what you rent or buy. There are plenty of smaller cheaper apartments to rent or buy depending on your budget, but if you want a house then the cost of land in the CBD is at a premium and you (like most of us) will have to be content with living in one of the outer suburbs where we can afford it. But there are some beautiful placse to live here within the budget of most people, it just depends on what you want. Have a look on www.realestate.com and www.domain.com and see what you can find in your price range.

Don't be put off moving to Melbourne, we've been here 4 years and Its the best decision for us and our kids we have ever made.

Hi

The truth of the matter is that I love this country as much as I did 7 years ago - only it is not really fashionable to admit to liking certain things so I keep stum.

We live in Melbourne - we have a large block in a village just under an hour from the CBD. I work in the city and have always had a good work/life balance. I've worked particularly 'hard' this last 3 months but I am about to be rewarded with a fairly large bonus and extra staff. So the positives distill down to:

i. Space. House - land - natural beauty. Vallys, vistas, paddocks, tree-lined avenues, vineyards. No brown and sand around here.
ii. Mix of country/city life in a package we wouldn't get in London. Next to a large thriving city, but the pace of life you'd get in Devon or Dorset in the UK. It's not like we are in some sort of London greenbelt where the pace of life is still sort of city.
iii. I'm a volunteer firefighter. I'm a qualified First Aider, wildfire and structural FF, with Search and Rescue.
iv. Other parts of my life are positive because I have a great wife (partner?) and young family. That's nothing to do with Australia so I'm not saying any more about it.
v. Interests - never get bored - always something to do and I can pursue eclectic hobbies quite happily.
vi. Love of the country. I like getting out and about on friend's farms. I work in the city in my day job but this does not otherwise limit me.
vii. I like Australian culture and the way it dovetails in with my English heritage. Bit of a win-win to be honest. Some people struggle with this, or are loath to do what they see as some sort of sell-out, or have real issues coming to terms with the whole Australian identity and way of life. I don't - I've found my niche quite easily.
viii. Friends. Met some very interesting people.

My wife has slotted in quite happily and has become a bit of a superstar. She has made quite a name for herself as a Mum, and professioanlly, and everyone seems to like her. I take a backseat quite a lot.

Negatives - Australian suburbia which is the breeding ground for most of it's ills. Stay away from them and you'll be none the worse for it's existence and possibly a lot happier than some disgruntled people.

How many British are actually living in Melbourne ?
How many British, living in Melbourne, are on this forum ?

The first question is easy.... 139,000 approx UK born currently living in Melbourne.

Now, count up how many are actually being negative ???

Melbourne is as far away from Birmingham as it's possible to get without ending up in Tasmania or the Antarctic. And even on a clear day, it is physically impossible to see Walthamstow.

That's two positives right there.

+++++++

Badge, what is the name of the area you live? It sounds to be more of what I would look for, and must admit that Melbourne would probably be more attractive to me than Perth.

Melbourne's great! We chose it because we could afford to live by the beach in commuting distance of the CBD and I would be able to get work easily.

It's a truly lovely city, we and our kids love it here.

Buzzy

Melbourne's great, Australia is great, it's what you make of it really, like anywhere else.

The people who freqeuent this forum regularly are boring whingers who have a bee in their bonnet about Australia and not much else to do than vent on here. I would ignore 90% of the posts on here and look at the positive ones.

Okay I live just outside of Melbourne but from my experience.

It's not as expensive as London.
The traffic is better than London.
The cycling is better than London.
It's easier to buy into a nicer area than it is in London (or even some other parts of the UK).
You get more for your rental $ than in London.
You can live on less than $120k. Different people have different cloth. How long you cut it is up to you.
The weather is better than London.
It's less crowded than London.

Can't really compare to Cardiff as I've not lived there.

As a general tip in comparing the cost of living then I would go 2:1. That is $100k will get you the same standard of living as £50k.

Be wary of the following trap. Normal life plus new lifestyle (e.g. your own boat) will cost more than just a normal life in the old country. You'd be surprised how many people don't foresee this.

I can give you some negatives as well if you want.

I'm sure plenty of others will do that for you....

Genuinely, the only negative that I have found that bothers me is the flies in summer.

And there are so many positives I'm prepared to live with that.

Good point about your own boat....

Buzzy

PM sent!

Some people might wonder why some of us draw comparisons with London and that it does not apply to many - but coming from the edge of London myself, my view is that Melbourne is good if you don't want London but on the other hand don't want to move too far away from a fairly substantial place.

Some people love it, some people hate it.

But if you are planning to move, or not to move based on people’s opinions on a forum, then you are not ready to move overseas.

Read people’s opinions, good and bad, but don’t let that make your decision on where you will spend your life.