MASONL

I am thinking of moving out to Oz with my other half and 2 children aged 4 and 2.
Were looking at the area around St Kilda, i know the rental costs are higher than the outer suburbs but i have had a look at jobs and their salaries and it looks like i could get a job with a salary around $120k. So i think this would cover it.

My main question is, what do you all do after work!? Is it the same scenario here where everyone goes home, watches their soaps etc and chills out at home. Or is there a large social evening drink on the beach type of thing?

I have travelled around Oz 10 years ago, but this was just me and the other half so i feel my experience this time will be completely different but to me, evening socials are important in a hot climate (Season depending)... I know in portugal, as soon as you finish work its straight to one of the bars to have a drink and a social...

Also anyone work in IT in Melbourne? Is it just like working for another company here in the UK, same pressures etc?

Any help would be appreciated, and expect more questions lol

L

Pomster

pre child and working on a project we all used to stop for a drink on a Friday after work.

In my normal non-project job we all used to just bugger off home and do normal stuff. A lot of people (I work with) seem to drive to work, so are not too keen to drink.

Buzzy--Bee

G'day, I work in IT in Melbourne for the biggest IT company in the world. Work for me is pretty flexible - I start at 7 and leave around 3 so barring emergencies and scheduled cutovers I have a longer "evening" than most.

In summer we frequently go to the beach in the evening especially if it has been a very hot day - we take the canoe and all the kids beach toys and play in the water and watch the sunset with a few beers.

Other seasons we have family time and dinner in the early evening and then walk the dog before putting the kids to bed, after that we watch TV etc, fairly mundane really but I like it.

Very few people here drink together regularly after work in my experience, but I would reckon if that was what you were looking for you could probably find it in Melbourne.

By the way, why St Kilda? It's a great area for young singles/couples but I'm not so convinced about it being as great a family area as others, people who actually live in St Kilda may have better information.

BB

MASONL

Thanks for your reply, thats helpful. With regard to the downturn in the economy, has the IT industry picked up, as i know you suffered a few years back and in 2002. I know looking through other feeds, people have said they were having great difficulty securing a job in this industry.

The main reason was the distance to the beach and its atmosphere. And a place where there are a lot of things going on.
One of the few places i actually visited in Australia was Melbourne. I actually ended up spending most of time in Margaret River WA. I loved that area and the general vibe of the place. Very laid back. But seeking a IT job there is pretty much impossible. Theres the obvious commute to Perth but i'm wanting to escape the whole commuting area and actually have time with family, and of course new friends.
Can you suggest a suburb that is very close to the beach (for kids), also less than a 30 minute commute to the CBD?
I presume i would get a lot more for my money avoiding St Kilda?

My other half would be working and expecting to earn somewhere near $20k -$30k in Part Time Role. Combined we would be able to get by comfortably, and enjoy life a bit more.

Many thanks

L

GarryP

You've basically just defined what many people are looking for ... and therefore what tends to be expensive. I did a lot of research before getting here, working out commute times etc. and there was a pretty good match between cost and commute time/cost.

A quick and dirty way to work out how far out you would be going is to fire up google maps and use the directions part. Anchor one end in the CBD and then drag the other around. That will give you the journey time for an area outside rush hour; then double or triple it for commute times. Wait until a time that would be the morning commute and fire up the traffic overview bit of google maps and see how 'orrible it gets (and it does).

For train/tram commute time, look at http://www.railmaps.com.au/melbourn.htm - there are little clock faces which show you the journey times.

Most people end up compromising on one or other requirement to find somewhere that's not 'London' prices. On the east you can move back from the coast, or south towards the Mornington peninsula, but commute times tend to rise and you hit the more expensive 'zone 2', and the toll roads. I went for the west (Point Cook/Sanctuary Lakes), no good beaches, but commute times aren't too bad and the expansion plans being in that direction means there are plenty of new homes to rent/buy/build (don't underestimate how bad old aussie houses are). Mind driving, the Westgate bridge is murder.

Buzzy--Bee

I haven't seen any tough times in the industry or any downturn in the economy since I arrived here 4 years ago. Individual people may have trouble finding work because their skills or experience don't match requirements.

Well I guess St Kilda would meet those requirements but I'm not convinced its the best place for young families.

As you sure you will be working in the CBD? Many IT jobs are in St Kilda Road.

You'll need to share your budget with us. The stretch from Sandringham to Black Rock would suit the 30 min from CBD and family requirements, however you would be hard pressed to get a house for much under $1 million.

We live in Mordialloc, it might be too far out for you though, more like 45 mins. Family houses here start at around $650k for a townhouse and work their way up above $1 million but the beaches at Mordialloc, Parkdale and Mentone are among the loveliest on the bay and those are very very big areas for young families with great schools etc.

Even further out Aspendale, Edithvale, Chelsea etc are all near the beach, but about 1 hour from the city.

BB

DownUnderPaddy

agree. I would extend that statement back to 2003, since I have been here. If you are suitably skilled and experienced there is no shortage of well paying work here.

Almo

If you've been here before and spent time in St Kilda and have made your decision based on that then please ignore this, but otherwise, I don't know whether St Kilda is exactly what you have in mind? Do you want quiet/nice/swimming beach? To me, St Kilda isn't exactly what I think of as 'the beach'. More a young, funky suburb which happens to have a bit of sand/sea next to it.

moneypenny20

Don't try that at the moment, Google Maps isn't working.

sr71

The IT industry is booming in Melbourne, Australia is by far the best IT market in the world to be in at the moment.

I too work for the largest IT company in the world, on a global account, and we have trouble with Australian resourcing - we cannot get people and have trouble retaining them due to the current market. Compared to the US, where it is dire, and Europe where the economy is still bad and exchange rates make their salaries look bad, Aus isn't a bad place to be at the moment.

Buzzy--Bee

...Southgate is pretty convenient too

BB

MASONL

Thanks all for your help....

I would be looking to rent a house, not buy. If we decided to stay for a longer period then we would then consider buying.

Hampton looks very nice for a young family. This may be an avenue we will proceed with. Any other places not too far from the CBD or St Kilda?

To all the IT people on here commenting, whats the sort of average wage for a very experienced 2nd/3rd line support engineer? Any ideas?

L

Buzzy--Bee

Hampton is nice - one of the best suburbs in Melbourne. You could also consider Elwood and Brighton and Sandringham. All very pricey though and if you are planning on staying longer I would recommend renting somewhere that you can afford to buy, otherwise you will be uprooting your lives all over again when you do buy.

As a permanent employee - $80k - $120k I reckon. As a contractor add about $20k - $30k to those figures.

BB

DownUnderPaddy

BB's pretty spot on with those figures I would say.