We've recently told our Aussie friends that we are considering moving to Melbourne, at the moment we live at the quiet south end of the Gold Coast. Why is it that I cant find anyone who has a positive opinion about moving to Melbourne? I get comments about 4 seasons in one day (hello? I'm english), its built up and you can see your neighbour washing up the houses are so close (just like here??!) and 'its a city, why would you want to live in a city?' We dont, we'd live on the outskirts

I've read nearly all the posts here about Melbourne and I have an uncle who lives in Langwarrin and swears by the place after being there for nearly 30 yrs, but I cant find a thread where someone has moved from the Gold coast to Melbourne and liked it. Has anyone done this? I like it here but the humidity kills me and I cant help wondering if there is more to life than battling with tourists and lovely beaches...now I just sound ungrateful

Is there anyone who can reassure us that we aren't mad thinking about this move?
Kiz

We moved from melb to GC then split between SC and brisbane.

We moved mainly due to a huge demand for partners work in QLD.

IMO a spell in either is fine, I love the cooler weather of melb, but dont kid youself Melb has some brutal summer days too, but its more on off. Melb winter suites me fine, I love a bit of grey and gloomy weather, and dressing up

Go down and make your own opinion, I know round here you get a lot of people from Victoria who have moved to QLD and really slag melb off, maybe too much? Main complaint I hear is weather - as you say though constant sun is not for all, and property prices in melb, that I would possibly agree with based on relatives homes in melb Pricey alright but were talking inner melb.

If it's humidity that you hate, then Melbourne would be the place for you. I live some distance away but the climate is much the same.

We have no more than 5 oppresively humid days a year. Yes it gets to 45 degrees sometimes but with low humidity. There are seldom more than three hot days in a row.

In fact, I hate the 32, 38, 40 , 26 type of weather we get. 26 feels so cold after a few hot days.

This week we are in for 19, 24, 26, 30 , 28, 19, 19....we'll have the fire alight over the weekend!

But if you like it cooler, then most places in Victoria would suit you.

I like the culture of Melbourne too.

Try having a read here -

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673936

BB

Thanks to everyone for your opinions so far, Buzzy Bee your link was the one that originally made me think that Melbourne might be the one for us

We are ping-pongers, and have been here a year at the end of this month. I didn't want to come back as I was quite happy where I was, but was outvoted 3-1. My uncle in Melbourne is aware of how much I missed certain aspects of the UK which I think is why he suggested we try down there

We are planning a visit Jan/Feb when OH has built up his holiday supply again (lots of visitors from the UK this year). In the end we will have to go where he can get work, he's a vet so jobs are all over the place and not in one set area, there are a few jobs going in Ballarat too which also looks nice.

Thanks again
Kiz

Melbourne is a fantastic city and imo the best city in Oz.

Pros -

Nightlife
Eating out - cheap and cheerful to the all out stupid prices
Friendliness of people - I've never lived in a place where you could strike up a conversation with a random on the tram and nobody would bat an eyelid
Events -Always and I mean always something going on
Sport - they have it all down here, Go Demons
Public transport - Trams, skyline to airport, Taxis everywhere
Jobs - lots of them, as you would expect in the Big Smoke
Close to Tasmania - I love tassie and is a great escape from the city
People from all walks of life and people of all ages adds to the great divesity of the city

Cons -

Weather - IMO it's crap, I personally like the sun and don't like the winters down here.
Public Transport - Trams/Trains breaking down can feel at times like it brings the city to a complete standstill.
Housing - If you're looking to buy inner city then expect to pay well over the odds.
Territorialism - The Melbournian's continually telling you how good it is down here.
Beaches - A lot better in the other states

These are some things I feel about Melbourne and as ever it's down to the individual or family to ultimately decide. It's a big city and offers a bit of everything, but we're moving to the Sunshine coast at the start of 2011

Good Luck and I would do it all again giving the opportunity

Ballarat is a pleasant enough town but it is at some altitude and can be VERY cold. Typically if it is 25 in the west of the state and 25 in Melbourne, it will be 19 in Ballarat. BUT the folks are just as welcoming and pleasant as Melbourne.

Ballarat is at an altitude of 1500ft and temperature decreases by 2C for every 1000ft. So if the temperature is 25C at sea level then it should be 22C at 1500ft.

I have never lived in the Gold Coast but we are considering moving there from Melbourne in the future.

Melbourne is a nice place to live and Langwarrin is a lovely family area although it is too quiet for us and as there is very little to do in Langwarrin itself everything is a drive/taxi/train away. We are 'townie's' at heart which is probably why we find suburbia too quiet but having said that our friends who were born and bred here said the same thing on Saturday night. The main reason that we chose to live here and that they stay here is because it is a fantastic place to raise our children.

Everyone finds their own bit of paradise and we are all looking for different things. Until you actually live somewhere you just don't know. I personally would look at various areas to find a happy medium between the two.

Should be..seldom is...probably the wind factor.

There's also the urban heat island effect, greenhouse effect and other such things that need to be taken into account which affect temperatures locally.

Why are you moving from Melbourne's outer suburbs to the Gold Coast if you are seeking a "townie" lifestyle?

Why not move to Melbourne's inner suburbs - I would have thought they would suit your desires much better and make for a considerably less unsettling move.

BB

Given that Melly's going to be a much larger heat island than Ballarat I guess Alistair was right in the first place!

Not really as Alistair only mentioned altitude as the cause of heat differential and that only accounts for 3C.

He mentioned a typical temperature difference and altitude difference in the same post but he did not suggest that the temperature difference in his example was entirely due to the altitude difference (i.e. he didn't say that the 6 degrees difference that can typically happen is entirely due to altitude).