Mummy3

Hi.

My OH has been approach with a view to moving to Melbourne. He is reticent but I think its a huge opportunity.
Can you help with a few questions?

Standard of living. In Aus dollars what would salary need to be to compare to uk, i.e a third more (so equal on exchange rates), double, less etc. We are not rolling in it but dont want to end up in debt.

Schools, we have 3 littlies, so in the primary sector can anyone give first hand experience? The facilities look awesome in the areas I have googled, is there anyway of checking up on them, ofsted type repors etc?

Did your children make friends easily?

Melbourne weather, is it grey all the time?

Areas, I am trying to come up with some areas, we dont need beach side living, as we like sky and space around us. But OH would be in CBD, so under 50 mins would be great.

Many thanks

Mummy3

May have put this in the wrong section?

Pollyana

Its ok. I'll move it

h2oskineil

You can get school info from this web site. = http://www.myschool.edu.au/

monkeyalan

melbourne weather is quite variable , not as much as the uk but more than most other Australian places.

winter can be very dull (2010 six months of solid cloud) or not so bad ( 2011 mostly cloudy) it does however stay at 14 degrees around the city.

spring and autumn are as you'd expect changeable and sort of like british summers

summer here varies from 40+ to low 20's. we get some great thunder storms and some very heavy rain causing flash floods.

one thing to bear in mind having kids is the UV index. playing outside in the sun in the summer is pretty much a no-no without good protection.

eddie007

I was always jealous of people who's jobs gave them the opportunity to live abroads ... As a panal beater and nurse our travelling was done PC... Pre children... Some times I wish I had married some one in the diplomatic corps so I could experience living in a LOT of different countries/cultures...

The only downside is if you loved it and wanted to stay but couldnt... That would break my heart personally... But if you look at it as a short term adventure I'm sure you'll ALL benefit from the experience...

Mummy3

Thanks Everyone, really appreciate your time.

The schools website was very interesting.

Years ago we decided we would go to Australia, but life got in the way, so this seems meant to be.

My initial research on family areas has honed in on Eltham, Sunbury, Belgrave and Frankston South, am I ok here or right off the mark?
we live in a village here so like fresh air and space!! But realise OH has to get into CBD so that is out for Melbourne.

Thanks again

Buzzy--Bee

Hi. You should aim for a salary 2.5 times the amount in pounds for a similar financial standard of living. So 40,000 pounds would roughly equal 100,000 dollars in salary.

We have twin 6 year olds in grade 1. The primary schools here are excellent (we are in Mordialloc/Parkdale) and we are spoilt for choice. The class sizes are 18 - 24 kids. This may not be the case in other parts of Melbourne, no idea.

Not sure what made you think that? Melbourne is cooler than most other Australian cities and drier and less humid. There's lots of sunshine in all seasons, although not as many sunshine hours as say Brisbane or Perth. But the climate here is very agreeable, where we live we almost never get frost for instance.

We live 35 min train journey from the city but once you have added on the time at each end of the train it is around 1 hour. All the areas you mention above could easily be 70 - 90 mins from the city door-to-door.

Hope that helps

BB

Mummy3

Thank you, that is really helpful, especially on the salary side.
So, which beach suburbs would you recommend?

elice_in_oz

Can't really comment on the other suburbs, but Eltham is 45 to 50 minutes from the CBD on the express trains. If you are lucky enough to live near the station - like we do - then the commute can still be about one hour. We live in Montmorency, one stop before Eltham and it takes me 65 minutes to get to work in North Melbourne, door to door.

Buzzy--Bee

How much is your budget for a house? Beachside suburbs are generally much more expensive.

BB

Mummy3

No idea on budget yet, until salary finalised, but my OH was quite shocked at the need to go 2.5 higher, all new...

Eltham looks good, was one I found, really like the look of the primaries there. My kids are the priority really, want a good experience for them. Elice, have you children at school?

derab

I personally would not recommend Sunbury, I used to work at the Airport which is close to Sunbury and not many of my work colleagues had anything nice to say about the place. Mind you, I was living in Watergardens (Taylors lakes) at the time and that area is a little soul-less so I cant talk much.
Eltham and Belgrave are quite similar to each other, quite heavily wooded and with a rural ambience. I like both suburbs.
Frankston has a reputation, it is becoming a little gentrified which is lowering the crime rate, but it was quite high to start with. if you strike the right street, you will love the place, if you miss the right streets, you will question your wisdom.
all 4 areas you are looking at are about 60-90 minutes commute, Sunbury is on V-Line (main line rail) but they have been talking about extending the Metro rail out to there as its only 1 station out from Watergardens. the other 3 areas you are looking at are on the Metro network which improved the frequency.

Buzzy--Bee

Yep, things that cost one pound in the UK will cost at least $2.50 here so you need to earn at least 2.5 times as much.

To give you an idea on beach suburbs, where we live in Mordialloc/Parkdale, you would be looking at around $650,000 to get a new townhouse, an older house on a larger block would go for $700,000 - $800,000. The closer you get into town the more expensive it is. If you were prepared for a longer commute then Frankston would be about 1/2 - 2/3 these prices. Renting would be more affordable, near us a 3 bed rental will be just under $500 per week.

Have a look at www.realestate.com.au

BB

Mummy3

OH wants the world, nice house, suburb, 30 min commute but not feel as if he is in the city, budget based on 2.5 would be £300k so what's that? 750?
Does this exist?