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Update from Melbourne

Update from Melbourne

Old Dec 18th 2003, 5:28 am
  #1  
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Default Update from Melbourne

Well g'day everyone!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get round to this but I never seem to have any time at the moment, nor the inclination to sit at the computer for hours like I did in the UK.

Well, we have been in Oz for almost three months now and we are absolutely loving it. Yes yes, I know, naive, honeymoon period blah blah blah - not interested thanks.

Anyway, to those of you who would like the story here it is;

My husband Neil and I are still waiting for PR but I have a WHV in the meantime and we were sick of the UK so......
We flew Singapore airlines in October and stopped over in Singapore. I cannot recommend the airline or the place enough. It was absolutely fabulous and we can't wait to go back. We stayed on Sentosa island which is trully stunning, in the beautiful Shangri-La Hotel - superb!

Arrived in Melbourne to much rain and the freezing cold but soon started warming up and is now bloody boiling!

We are currently staying in a very nice fully-furnished flat in Hawthorn East, a nice suberb not far from the city. We booked it over the internet before we came through Rentahome who offered a short-term lease, but that's about all I can recommend them for! The flat itself is very nice but the rent is quite steep so we have just signed a 6 month lease on a little house in Armadale (very trendy suburb) from January but we have to furnish it ourselves. We have ordered soem stuff already and are finding it very reasonable cost wise.

Getting a job took a little longer than expected but I am now working as a Vet nurse which I used to do a long time ago and enjoying myself very much, though it is hard work for crap money! My plan is to start supply-teaching as soon as my Vic tecahing registration comes through (I only got round to applying last week). There are absolutely tonnes of teaching vacancies here so I am feeling quite optimistic about the New Year.

So, I go to work everday and come home completely knackered, money is quite tight but there are no plans to retreat just yet!

We are getting more and more onto the Ozzie outdoors lifestyle, we have taken to fishing at the moment and have a few fillets in the freezer to show for our efforts! Accidently caught a banjo shark last night which was all very exciting but he got away in the end. Neil goes running everyday and most weekends find us on a pier or in Yarra Bend Park (most stunning place on earth in my opinion) soaking up the soon and burning a few snags!

We had a little incident with the 15yr old car that we bought to run around in when Neil jumped a Give Way sign and drove into a Merc - idiot! Both cars were written off but no one was hurt thank God. The insurance company have been brilliant and we now have another, much newer car which is fully comp!! It was very cheap to buy and we are very pleased with it.

My parents come over on Saturday to spend Xmas with us. We are going up the Great Ocean Rd for a few days and then having a nice family Xmas at home - can't wait. We have the real tree and everything. It's beautiful and smells divine though there were a few dodgy spider episodes!

We have not seen anything at all nasty so far (touch wood), a few possums and lots of bats the size of geese, but not many spiders of any consequence. We did see a bloody big one abseiling past our balcony the other night but it didn't seem inclined to stop so that was fine with me. we also saw a white tail in Ikea this morning which I promptly stomped on! I am not sure how I will be when I see a dirty great hairy thing but so far I am coping rather well!

Well, that will do for now I think. It's my work Xmas party tonight so I had better go and get ready.

Hope everyone is well and looking forward to Christmas, will update you again soon.

XEm
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Old Dec 18th 2003, 6:23 am
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Hi Emma, glad to see you settling in & that you are liking it down there. Aso glad you liked Sentosa, hope you got a pic of yourself next to that dragon that breathes smoke LOL.
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Old Dec 18th 2003, 8:24 am
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Hi Emma

Glad to hear that you are loving it and thanks for taking the time to tell us about it. As i am hoping to get to Melbourne eventually, its always great to hear posts from people like yourself. Also, just noticed that median house prices in Armadale and Hawthorn are over $700k!! Expensive areas!

Merry Christmas

Noodle

Last edited by noodle; Dec 18th 2003 at 8:29 am.
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Old Dec 18th 2003, 9:26 am
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Emma (and Neil)

Thanks for your post, I was wondering how you were getting on in Hawthorn East, soon to be Armadale. Good to see that you are both settling in, enjoying life there and things are falling into place gradually.

All the best for the festive period.

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Old Dec 19th 2003, 6:12 am
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Hi Emma

glad to see you are ok and settling in well, stay positive.

Have you been diving yet? give matt a shout when you do cos hes winging about not going yet
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Old Dec 19th 2003, 9:32 pm
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Hi H!
How are you? Where are you?

No, we haven't been diving yet and are dying to go. We are going down the Great Ocean Rd next week and hope to find something down there but if Matt knows of something more local we are def up for it.

Maybe should arrange a get together?

XEm
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Old Dec 19th 2003, 11:10 pm
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Hi Emma, it's good to hear about people in a similar situation to us. I haven't been on this forum for ages. We moved over her at the beginning of October but we travelled for 2 months before settling in Melbourne. We're living in South Yarra, so not that far from you. We haven't managed to find jobs yet as everything seems to be shutting down for Christmas, but we're having fun discovering the area. Jack, my partner has found a local football (soccer) team and we're running in our local park, Fawkner Park. We're both enjoying melbourne life too. Hope you have a great Christmas with all your family.
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