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-   -   The Melbourne thread (https://britishexpats.com/forum/australia-54/melbourne-thread-427876/)

Buzzy--Bee May 12th 2008 3:49 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 6342326)
It's all about perspective, I find Melbourne too quiet as a whole and am always amazed when people say how busy it is.

Me too. But then you and I came from LAAHNDAAN so anywhere apart from Hong Kong, Cairo or Bombay might seem quiet to us.

Buzzy

ozzieeagle May 12th 2008 5:01 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 6342326)
It's all about perspective, I find Melbourne too quiet as a whole and am always amazed when people say how busy it is.

I agree to a point, only because I've got used to Melbourne now. Of the little I know about Birmingham, I'd say Brum feels a lot bigger. Melbourne is quite flat on the building side of things outside of the CBD. I'd Imagine that Birmingham goes 24/7 ?

There is no point comparing Melbourne with London though, a totally different feel here. Melbourne does feel sleepy compared to London.

Pains me to say it, Sydney does have a bigger city feel, I think its the proxmity of the buildings, narrower and winding streets that does that, especially around the city centre.








'

dave_woodsy May 12th 2008 5:27 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 6342326)
It's all about perspective, I find Melbourne too quiet as a whole and am always amazed when people say how busy it is.

I think the inner city locations in Melbourne are pretty lively and buzzing but then i was living in a fairly rural area in the UK .

However i'd agree that once you get away from the inner city areas things do get quieter and most of the suburbs further out are pretty dull.

dave_woodsy May 12th 2008 5:32 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by Margaret3 (Post 6342053)
well said, i want people to look at it all, i feel short posts like 'its great here', are of no use ,

Couldn't agree more , posts such as that are a complete waste of time and of no more help to prospective migrants than the people who say everything in Oz , Melbourne or wherever is s%$t.

Give me a balanced view every time........

Margaret3 May 12th 2008 8:23 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by @boy (Post 6342263)
Just to put it into perspective for others in terms of population :
Manchester : 400,000
Birmingham : 1,000,000
Glasgow : 600,000
Edinburgh : 450,000

MELBOURNE : 3,800,000

Yes, Melbourne has 3.8 MILLION people (and growing/sprawling fast)

I can absolutely understand the challenge of the headjump required for an immigrant coming from any place with much smaller city sizes.
As stated previously, the challenges to adapt for each person are different, this would be just one of them.


gotta say it doesnt feel like that. I wasnt really talking about population, more about towns, give me a town any day over a suburb, and give me a town any day over a city. Think this is one of the problems i was used to 'the town community' (the good and the bad of it). I feel suburb (or should say the one we are in) does not have a 'suburb community'.

Margaret3 May 12th 2008 8:32 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by dave_woodsy (Post 6342532)
I think the inner city locations in Melbourne are pretty lively and buzzing but then i was living in a fairly rural area in the UK .

However i'd agree that once you get away from the inner city areas things do get quieter and most of the suburbs further out are pretty dull.

I love the inner suburbs:) I think melbourne is fab, but we just dont have a better life here.

Nagiboy May 12th 2008 11:02 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by Margaret3 (Post 6342228)
i know people that one partner hates it and the other loves it.

Yes we fall into that category at the minute. I really like my life here. I enjoy working in the CBD and love coming back to the Bellarine Peninsula at the end of the day.

Kath on the other hand would be on a plane back to England tomorrow if she could. She is missing her friends and her old work mates.

I'm away for more hours working here than I was in the UK, but that is mainly due to the travel.

Kath finds that there are limited things to do here compared to where we were back in the UK. Ok there are the beaches here but apart from that there isn't a great deal more for the kids to do. I think because the weather was so crappy back in the UK there was a wider choice for the kids.

Food shopping is rediculouly expensive here compared to the UK and the choice is not as wide as you'd get in Tesco or Sainsburys.

We are struggling to find things for the kids - cannot find decent comics for them anywhere - we are actually getting them sent over from the UK.

Kids clothes are just crap - if they don't fall apart they'll shrink.

As for clothes for me - I've looked round the shops and either just can't find the right shops or everything just looks crap. Thank God I live near surf shops as at least I can get decent T-shirts from there.

I'm currently trying to find a pair of work shoes. Used to pay $40 from Next and I knew they'd last me 18 months. Here for similar things you are looking at $200+.

Seriously if anyone can point me in the direction of a decent shoe shop i'd be grateful.

But as I said I'm happy here. Kath isn't. Only time will tell if we stay.

lor May 12th 2008 11:11 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 
With us not being there - and never have - I was just wondering whether you see many horses grazing in the countryside like you do here?[/QUOTE]

Hi Jane
Not sure where your heading for?? But here on the Eastern side you'll see plenty of horses, either out grasing or stabled in equine centres. :thumbsup:

BadgeIsBack May 12th 2008 11:12 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by Margaret3 (Post 6342228)
First of all let me say, i can see why you love melbourne, its a fantastic place and i am glad i have had a chance to see it.

However if you asked me to choose to go back to a big city such as manchester, birmingham, some places of glasgow and edinburgh or stay here, then i would say, i'll stay here thankyou very much.

However i came from a small ayrshire town, where my heart belongs and we had a lovely wee life, not far from glasgow if we felt the need for the big city:D, and am sure there are lots of people usuing this forum who live in such places. I do not want to come across that i am desperate for my old life , i am not, i am glad i have moved on, that's the natural way of things, but our lives are definately not better.

IMHO Margaret, I think it's some of the settled rural people in the UK who might be at risk of the biggest disappointment - unless you move to acreage then you might do better.

You know what, I look at exactly what 80pc of Australia suburbs offer the average Brit and I think "nothing"! I wonder why many even bother to be honest.

B

BadgeIsBack May 12th 2008 11:17 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 6342326)
It's all about perspective, I find Melbourne too quiet as a whole and am always amazed when people say how busy it is.

I find that it is as busy as you want it to be. If it was any busier I could not live here but you can turn the book to the right page and go out, do your thing. We love slipping in of a Sunday and getting a park or a cheap rail ticket. London never seems to belong to you. It seems to belong to the tourist. I was in the West End last month and I thought, 'what overpriced crap!'.

But Melbourne is big enough to feel like a city. And it is the fastest growing city in Australia.

Somewhere in those 3m plus people is a life. As I've said ,we get that 3m plus Devon or Dorset compressed in to 45 mins odd and thats what gives me a smile on my face every weekend.

Margaret3 May 12th 2008 11:21 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by BadgeIsBack (Post 6343789)
IMHO Margaret, I think it's some of the settled rural people in the UK who might be at risk of the biggest disappointment - unless you move to acreage then you might do better.

You know what, I look at exactly what 80pc of Australia suburbs offer the average Brit and I think "nothing"! I wonder why many even bother to be honest.

B

i would 100 per cent agree with this:),

however if i had been sitting on my comfy sofa, in my comfy house, in my comfy town reading this i would still have came to find our for myself (eejit that i am, lol)

Margaret3 May 12th 2008 11:31 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by Nagiboy (Post 6343724)
Yes we fall into that category at the minute. I really like my life here. I enjoy working in the CBD and love coming back to the Bellarine Peninsula at the end of the day.

Kath on the other hand would be on a plane back to England tomorrow if she could. She is missing her friends and her old work mates.

I'm away for more hours working here than I was in the UK, but that is mainly due to the travel.

Kath finds that there are limited things to do here compared to where we were back in the UK. Ok there are the beaches here but apart from that there isn't a great deal more for the kids to do. I think because the weather was so crappy back in the UK there was a wider choice for the kids.

Food shopping is rediculouly expensive here compared to the UK and the choice is not as wide as you'd get in Tesco or Sainsburys.

We are struggling to find things for the kids - cannot find decent comics for them anywhere - we are actually getting them sent over from the UK.

Kids clothes are just crap - if they don't fall apart they'll shrink.

As for clothes for me - I've looked round the shops and either just can't find the right shops or everything just looks crap. Thank God I live near surf shops as at least I can get decent T-shirts from there.

I'm currently trying to find a pair of work shoes. Used to pay $40 from Next and I knew they'd last me 18 months. Here for similar things you are looking at $200+.

Seriously if anyone can point me in the direction of a decent shoe shop i'd be grateful.

But as I said I'm happy here. Kath isn't. Only time will tell if we stay.



Nagi am sorry your all finding it hard, i know i do, so i can sympathise with you
<<<<<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>>>>

the aston family May 14th 2008 6:20 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 
Hi to all the melbourne people. I would like to know if there is anyone living in the west. We are a family of two children a boy and a girl aged 4 and 19months i am julie other half is dave. we also find it hard to find things to do with the kids so are always on the look out for new friends to play with. I am always looking for adult chat so if you are to drop me a pm

jpen29 May 14th 2008 9:50 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 
Is Melbourne already (becoming) overcrowded/overpopulated? Hows the feel of the city?

Buzzy--Bee May 14th 2008 9:57 pm

Re: The Melbourne thread
 

Originally Posted by jpen29 (Post 6353403)
Is Melbourne already (becoming) overcrowded/overpopulated? Hows the feel of the city?

Overcrowded is how long is a piece of string. Someone from Hong Kong might find London not overcrowded.

Melbourne feels like a well planned city with wide boulevards, and space for everyone. I never feel crowded here, like I did on Oxford Street, for instance.

Buzzy


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