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Possibly Moving to Melbourne

Possibly Moving to Melbourne

Old Oct 25th 2012, 3:05 am
  #16  
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Default Re: Possibly Moving to Melbourne

Originally Posted by bluesteele
Me again.
IWe also harbour a lot of anger towards Australia for forcing such an emotional rollercoaster on us. Can we ever forgive Australia for that? Can we learn to love the country after the way so many of us have been treated in the immigration process.

So, I guess i'm just reaching out again to those who took the plunge and moved to Melbourne and hoping for a bit of positive, and even negative, feedback.

Is australia (Melbourne in particular) really the land of plenty? Or is it just not worth it?
I'm genuinely not sure if the bit about anger is tongue in cheek.

We took the plunge about 5.5 years ago but in very different circumstances to you, we were early 20s, no kids, no mortgage, just starting out in careers. Melbourne has been very kind to us, we have a substantial sum of money behind us after renovating and selling a house, we have good friends here and have learnt a lot. We would not be in the financial position we're in had we stayed in the UK, but then we're very lucky that the AUD is so high against the pound, which is a major part of how we are in this position.

We're going back to the UK in 6 weeks for no reason other than we've got itchy feet. There's nothing about Melbourne that is causing us to leave, it's just time to move on. I am an expat brat from birth and think I'll always be a bit of a wanderer.

Melbourne/Australia are categorically not the land of plenty. Nowhere is. Don't move looking for utopia, you won't find it. Move to experience living in a different country, meet new people, gain experience in a job or just for the sheer hell of it. It's a great city and a great country, like so many others around the world. It has problems, like every other city around the world. There are things that will compare unfavourably to the UK, and things which will be much much better than the UK.

I'd say if you're thinking about it, go for it, but I don't have kids and never will so any choices I/we make affect only me and my partner and you might choose to listen to someone who does have kids and is a little more considered in their decision making
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Old Oct 25th 2012, 4:21 am
  #17  
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Default Re: Possibly Moving to Melbourne

It's been a long time since I replied to a post on Expats but clearly you are in a difficult situation so I'll see if I can help.

We moved (from Hampshire) to Melbourne 7 years ago. I had previously visited Aus and liked it but had no real plans to move here. My wife on the other hand had been several times and was desperate to emigrate. A job offer came out of the blue from a former boss and friend. We accepted it (despite never having been to Melbourne) and moved about 10 weeks after I accepted the job.

Our kids were 3 and 5 at this point. We had a mortgage free house in a well to do village so we were very fortunate to have a good pot of cash. I was excited to leave, not too bothered about friends or family (small and not close). My wife on the other hand had many good/close friends, was incredibly close to her parents and had a good, established business (self employed marketing/business development consultant).

The move was all arranged for us by my work, which helped enormously. Back then the pound bought 2.6 dollars as well and LAFHA provided additional money whilst we rented (not cheap).

All in all, we found the move quite easy - from a logistics perspective. It wasn't without challenges though. It was way more expensive than we anticipated. It is certainly NOT England with sunshine. This is a different country, lifestyle, culture etc. Attitudes, tv, newspapers, radio etc is all different. We missed home incredibly, we missed the familiarity (watching tv or reading a paper we didn't know anyone !), we missed Tescos (!) and decent shops with quality items at good prices. We missed family and friends and at times wondered what the hell we had done.

However, we quickly told ourselves to make the most of it and get exploring. We spent every single weekend wandering around Victoria, which has many stunning and interesting places. The weather was sooooo much better than at home (we arrived during the drought which helped) and we felt comfortable planning things knowing it wouldn't rain. We started driving long distances to see places (Lakes Entrance, Falls Creek, Adelaide, Bendigo etc). We took the ferry (and car) to Tasmania. We regularly went to the Mornington Peninsula or along the Great Ocean Road. Melbourne itself is wonderful to wander around and so much for the kids to do and just so easy.

Holidays in Fiji, Bali, New Zealand, Queensland, Hong Kong, Sydney etc etc. The kids have had an awesome experience - quad biked, swum with dolphins, snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef etc.

The kids regularly play soccer, tennis and golf. My 12 year old is about to start wind surfing and this weekend we're all off on kayaks around a part of the bay. I cycle to work every day (55km round trip) and generally we are far more active and healthier than I would have been in the UK.

The drought is over so the weather is (I'm assured) back to the way Melbourne used to be - chilly in Winter (rarely less than 6 degrees), rains more than we would like (but way less than the UK) and Summer is a mix but generally averaging above 20 degrees for 6 months.

We've made some great friends, mostly Brits it has to be said (bit of a village like atmosphere, very sociable and everyone helps out) but a good mix of aussies and others. It took time to settle but we are happy and content.

This is a wonderful city in a wonderful country but it is not for everyone. Believe me it has its faults - tv, newspapers, education, lack of history, drivers (!!), cost and distance - but show me anywhere that doesn't. I'm not sure what the future holds for us, my wife increasingly misses her parents and annual trips home and Skype cannot compensate. I suspect that at some point in the future we may return to the UK but I also suspect we would instantly miss Australia.

We came here knowing it would be a challenge but promised to stay for a minimum of 3 years and regardless of how happy/unhappy we were we said we would make the most of it and see as much as possible. We treated it like a three year adventure and a chance for the kids to experience something new.

Now, to finish on a negative (I'm afraid) the big, big difference from when we came out is the current cost of living and the exchange rate. I'm sure we would have still come over but it would be impossible to live where we are and it may not have been as easy as it was then. I have five friends who came out in the last four years, all on a range of salaries and with little equity from the UK. Two have settled and ended up buying in areas that are not as nice as they would have liked but are absolutely fine. One continues to rent and one is undecided, renting but thinking buying (scared to do so). The fifth one left last week for the UK. A combination of unhappiness with his job, a job offer in London and the cost of housing here. It will be interesting to see how they settle as she loved it here.

Spend some time on realestate.com.au to assess house prices. Rent for a period to see what areas you like and can afford to live in. Ask as many questions as you can on this Forum to help make up your mind. If you can cope with the financial impact for the first few years and you come with a positive attitude then you will enjoy this place and it certainly should be a better quality of life whilst the kids are young.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions - your concerns and questions are absolutely appropriate as this is a huge change you are considering.

Cheers
Col
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Old Oct 25th 2012, 10:41 am
  #18  
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Default Re: Possibly Moving to Melbourne

[QUOTE=haggis supper;10348644]It's been a long time since I replied to a post on Expats but clearly you are in a difficult situation so I'll see if I can help.

Thanks very much. Your post was really helpful
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Old Oct 27th 2012, 4:56 am
  #19  
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Default Re: Possibly Moving to Melbourne

Originally Posted by Almo
I'm genuinely not sure if the bit about anger is tongue in cheek.

We took the plunge about 5.5 years ago but in very different circumstances to you, we were early 20s, no kids, no mortgage, just starting out in careers. Melbourne has been very kind to us, we have a substantial sum of money behind us after renovating and selling a house, we have good friends here and have learnt a lot. We would not be in the financial position we're in had we stayed in the UK, but then we're very lucky that the AUD is so high against the pound, which is a major part of how we are in this position.

We're going back to the UK in 6 weeks for no reason other than we've got itchy feet. There's nothing about Melbourne that is causing us to leave, it's just time to move on. I am an expat brat from birth and think I'll always be a bit of a wanderer.




Melbourne/Australia are categorically not the land of plenty. Nowhere is. Don't move looking for utopia, you won't find it. Move to experience living in a different country, meet new people, gain experience in a job or just for the sheer hell of it. It's a great city and a great country, like so many others around the world. It has problems, like every other city around the world. There are things that will compare unfavourably to the UK, and things which will be much much better than the UK.

I'd say if you're thinking about it, go for it, but I don't have kids and never will so any choices I/we make affect only me and my partner and you might choose to listen to someone who does have kids and is a little more considered in their decision making


Good post
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Old Oct 29th 2012, 12:04 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Possibly Moving to Melbourne

Originally Posted by bluesteele
We were considering Canada because we never thought Oz would actually happen. I don't think Melbourne looks particularly cold, but does look very wet. Going by Wikipedia (yes, I know it's not always 100%) it seems that Melbourne has on average 40 extra days a year rain compared to SE England. Do you find that to be an accurate estimation and does it limit what you can get out and
Geez, I live 10k NE of Melbourne CBD and that seems like an utter rubbish statistic. Sydney gets more rain than we do.
We constantly have to water the garden to keep the sucker from drying out completely. Have been here 10 years, having moved from Ireland, and it is a rare day I have to bring an umbrella with me for the trip to from work.
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