I'm heading to Melbourne next week from the UK (can't wait ). I'll be there for 6 months and wondered how cold the winters actually are when compared to the UK.
Do you think I'll actually find it very cold - any recommendations for what to wear - thick coat? lots of layers or could I get away with wearing a few layers?

Coming from the uk (we came from Ireland) you will find a Melbourne winter quite mild by comparison to a UK one.

It was 3.5C today and in some places close to 0 degrees

It's bloody freezing here right now

A few layers? 2 is enough I think!

The week ahead:

The thing with Melbourne is that it's so very changeable. People are right in that generally it is a bit milder than here, but even so, you will need your jumpers, fleeces, coats, umbrellas....

Enjoy, we'll be following you along soon

If you ever lived in the UK/Ireland for a Winter, you would realise that those temps are practically balmy by comparison

Louise, you can ref the Melbourne Obs for the temps in context for the Melb City weather station @ the following BOM site...
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDV60...01.94868.shtml

For us Euro blowins, its really very, very mild indeed.
Unfortunately, after 8 years here, I have now acclimatised and believe if I ever had to go back to Ireland and spend a winter there, I would probably not survive it

This is the big problem. Temperature is pretty subjective - in other words what might be warm to an Eskimo would be freezing to an African. Today in Melbourne was 4 degrees when I started the car to go to work at 6:15am and 15 degrees when I picked the kids up at 4pm. 15 degrees is a warm spring day in the UK - here I was standing with the other parents waiting for the kids to finish kindy and we were all wishing the kids would hurry up so we could get in a nice warm car!

BB

I saw water in its solid form being removed from a windscreen this morning...and not out in the hills somewhere, but in Camberwell.

Exackery ! My money is on Louise (being fresh off the boat so to speak) with a frame of reference of UK winters, finding a Melby winter quite pleasant by comparison.

I'm not so sure...I reckon although people know it's winter, they still might come subconsiously expecting it to be kinda warm - which it sometimes is I suppose - and get a shock.

Mate, we arrived in July, and we loved the weather! Mainly I suppose because it was so sunny, unlike UK winters which can be a bit grey and are always dark!

I still love winter because it reminds me of when we first arrived and everything was so new and exciting. Now it's just old and exciting (a bit like me.....)

BB

...talking of the weather, here's a very strange photo my OH took in yesterday's fog - Eureka!

Thanks for all the advice, I'm guessing I won't find it too cold except for in the mornings/at night which I can cope with
After having a winter in the UK where temperatures were getting down to -5 it probably won't compare in Melbourne and I think it was less than 15 degrees here the other day anyway

We are heading to Melbourne too, but decided to drive down from Cairns. We arrived on Sunday, bought our camper today and has been a lovely 27 today. A wee shower last night but glorious. No flies , no mossies, just beautiful. I could just stay put if we could find work here.