bcworld

You have to remember that what happened in Melbourne last week was the hottest three day period since records began....so it's hardly the norm.....although Melbourne will get a few days of extreme heat each summer from my experience - but then I don't think there's a city in mainland Australia that wouldn't register a few extremely uncomfortable days each year, be it from heat alone, or heat + humidity.

I still think I would rather be subjected to extreme dry heat in Melbourne than heat + humidity in Brisbane. As long as you don't exert yourself too much you can remain pretty composed in dry heat, whereas in the humidity you will sweat just sitting down.

Probably the worst thing about last week was the high overnight temps - 3 days with very little sleep left me almost delerious by the end of it! I did go out looking for fans at Harvey Norman but strangely all the cheapies had disappeared and only the $200 chrome fancy pants variety were left on the shelves.

As for power outages, Brisbane suffers from them too when the temp reaches about 35C and the A/C gets cranked up. That and when the storms take out the power lines.

johnnyx0

Hi Suzy,

We lived in Altona for 18 months, and it drove us crazy. Way too quiet for us. You get the occasional whiff from the oil refinery, and if you're working in the city the train service is not the most reliable. We lived in a weatherboard rental property with no insulation or decent heating. It was freezing in winter and roasting in summer. There were no nearby bars, which offered anything other than gambling machines. If you go further away from the sea, Altona North starts to get a bit more "hoony."

When we originally moved to Melbourne we looked in the Albert Park, Port Melbourne, St.Kilda areas, but at the time found it so busy and expensive trying to get a place to rent. Eventually we started to look to the west and gave Altona a go as you get alot for your money.

It was cheap for while, $300 a week but then the owners decided to hike the rent up, so we gave them the two-fingered salute and moved to Middle Park, opposite Albert Park lake - where we originally wanted to live. Got ourselves a funky apartment in the middle of everything for only $40 a week more than the old landlords wanted to charge us. We're now fifteen minutes from the CBD by tram, close to the life in St.Kilda, still only ten minutes walk to the beach - and have a huge park over the road. Neighbours are really great around here, and a much better atmosphere (no hoons in Commodores doing burn outs in the street - yay!)

It depends on what you want and what you're used to. We've found out that we're definitely not suburb people, and need more going on - but thats just us.

As for Melbourne weather - personally I'm not a fan. Cold in winter (although not European cold), and so changeable in summer. Last weeks 40 degree spell was a killer. Most air-con units couldn't cope and the power grid certainly couldn't cope with demand. Public transport in chaos and people starting to lose their cool. Lack of rain means permanent water restrictions.

Geelong Gent

"Planning" thats all that you need to get around these high temps. Look at adelaide they had it far worse and we don't have many of them grumbling (that I have heard so far hi Wendy)

Firstly people should not be relying on AC over 35 degrees its obvious power cuts will occur the demand will be so great. Therefore you plan to keep the house as cool as possible and you reduce anything thats going to cause heat - ie eat out - either BBQ or restaurant.
- Keep windows covered to keep heat from coming in
- Keep drinking water and occasional hot sweet tea (keeps your internals cool)
- Enjoy the beaches after 8pm and before 9am
- I managed to read about 4 books instead of watching TV.

Our daughter went back to school last week and they just planned around the heat - ie indoors Art, encourgaged parents to take the kids home at lunch time. Plenty of water consumption (kids do forget so need to be monitored). Lots of stories in well shaded buildings

We are building 2 houses at the moment both with integrated pools and using ICF construction - with NO AC. Will be quite comfortable at 50 degress outside or even 5 degrees outside.

suzyambrose

Come on budding Melbournians! (or summat like that) Where are you? Let's be having you!

poshrice

Hi just wanted to post as haven't been on here for such a long time. We have been living in Sydney since arriving from the UK 3 years ago, we will be moving down to Point Cook sometime around July and i wanted to ask if anyone has had any experience of either Lumen Christi or Stella Maris Primary Schools as my 5 year old is in Kindy at the moment at a wonderful catholic school and we want him to attend the same type of school when we eventually arrive in Melbourne. we are coming down on a recce trip at the end of may beginning of june for a fortnight and will be stopping in a serviced home in sanctuary lakes so we can get a feel for the area (also hubby will be working so he can get used to ther commute although that should be less than he does at the moment). If anyone is local and wants to meet up for coffee to fill me in on what it is like to live in Point Cook or Sanctuary Lakes would love to meet for a coffee pm me and we can chat.


Poshrice(34 yrs) SparkyEng(36) Piglet(5)

stewmac

Walsall eh ....Ow am ya ???

Btw im not from yam yam land just lived there for 7 yrs

slipshot

Happy to help out here too - moved in Jan '09 with three kids aged 4, 2 and 9 months and we survived and still are. Was a pain for us as it was with everyone getting things sorted and given OH is Australian, it should have been easier but it was not. She had it tougher than I did for all the forms.

Anyhow, eldest in the pre-school we wanted and set for primary in one of the best next year and we're enjoying it as we get settled, so anyone who has questions, do please ask away.

We're in Camberwell, eastern suburbs (about 10km from city centre), and renting...

poshrice

LOL sorry cor understand yam yam i am a brummie born and bred but also lived in walsall for 7 years till we moved to Aus. So where do you live now?????

CodeMonkey

We are hoping to come to Melbourne in November this year. OH applied for visa in March 09 (CSL MODL 175) and we were requested to have meds and police checks done yesterday! Our agent reckons if all goes well we will have the visa in our hands by July. Totally in shock now and the reality factor is really setting in.
We did a reccie at Easter and the whole family including the children fell in love with Sanctuary Lakes, the location being a short drive to the CBD is ideal and the place had a really nice feel about it. I would love to know other peoples opinions on the area and particularly about good schools. Our son is 11 and daughter will be 10 when we arrive, so a good high school is a must on our list of priorities. We will also be needing to look for temporary accommodation and as we are planning to validate and live in Melbourne straight away, so if anyone has advice on that and finding a rental property we would be most grateful.
Thanks Karen

poshrice

good luck with visa we are moving to Point cook/sanctuary lakes by the 1st week in July and have a 5 yr old we are off to do a recce trip in a weeks time (we live in Sydney at the moment have been here 3 years) and will be looking at schools. Have started panicking now about all the packing i have to do lol at least i am only a 10hr drive away and not a 30 hr flight.

CodeMonkey

I would be really interested to know how you get on with reccie and move in July, it would be great to find out whether our initial impression lives up to expectations, or were we wearing our rose-tinted glasses? Good luck with your packing etc I would rather be in your position and have not quite figured out the impact on leaving behind family and friends, although I am a great believer in gut instinct and just know that we will not regret this decision. Melbourne felt so right for us when we visited, there is so much to see and do and with the children fast approaching teenagers they shouldn't even get the chance to say they are bored! Will you be buying or renting a house when you arrive in Melbourne? We will need to rent as can't see the point of selling in the current market. Is the rental market as bad as it seems or do you just have to know the right people?

ronnie98

would also like to know how you get on with the area and schools as were hoping to be there by christmas and need to fix up my 11 yr old boy with a good school and freinds as this will be the key for him to settle quickly, good luck with it all
Ronnie

CodeMonkey

Hi Ronnie
I take it you are still in the UK? We did speak to a lady in the sales office at Sanctuary Lakes (from Manchester with two teenage children), she said that the local schools were really good and her kids had settled really well. Obviously she was attempting to sell the concept of living at Sanctuary Lakes to us, so her advice would not have been without some bias, although she did seem really nice and not pushy at all. I am intending on setting up email contact with her, but have been holding back until more was known about the application process.

I just can't wait to get the all clear and go, but have got my finals for a degree in October (hence the November date) and am finding it really hard to concentrate thinking of the squillion things we need to do before we go!!!!

Kind regards
Karen

ronnie98

I feel the same, our meds are booked next week and then we will just wait, hoping to go out in august for a look around if we have are visa by then, still need to sell the house but will rent if we have to aslong as I get a job!

CodeMonkey

We have decided to rent ours out as hubby is going for permanent visa we were advised that tax wise it pays to rent out and sell after we have been in Oz for a full Australian tax year, the Australians then give you a 50% tax break on capital gains. It also frees us up to move asap. We are also going for meds next week, you aren't going to Cambridge by any chance? We are based in Cambourne about 7 miles west of Cambridge, if you are nearby then maybe we could meet up. It could help the kids out to know they are in the same situation, although ours are currently pretty cool about it - could be the PMA the OH and I have on the whole adventure.