stuckinblighty

Well here we are in Australia.....Pakenham,Melbourne to be exact.We arrived on June 9th,nearly 3 months ago and now i feel the time has come to post a thread about what i feel are the good and not so good things that i have found about Aus.I know its very early days but these are the only experiences that i can call upon so here goes..

THE GOOD

Weather -
As we arrived in winter i wasnt to sure what to expect but i have been pleasantly inpressed,lots of the days have been.15-16 degrees with sun most days,only going cold in the evening but as i said..it is winter.
Filling up the motor -
Petrol prices are cheaper than in the uk.It reached a peak of about $1.65 ish about a month ago but its since dropped about 25 cents.I run a 4 litre ford falcon on LPG and that only costs 59.9 per litre which is a real bonus !
Outdoor space -
Fantastic for the kids.We rent a house which has a park right outside the front door.The kids are out there as soon as they get back from school.
Plasma tv's!
Bought a beauty for approx £600..all 42 inches of it
The locals
Not had any bother with them at all.Infact they have been nothing but friendly (although that may be because we are always giving them our bloody money)

THE BAD

Rental hunting
All i can say is good luck if you're planning to rent when you arrive.It was a nightmare for us...rentals dissapearing as soon as they go on the market :curse:
Driving
Why the hell do they insist on driving right up yer arse until you move out of the way !!!???! Tailgating is a real issue outhere and is one of my pet hates.
Working conditions/enviroment
This is probably my biggest dissapointment about Aus.Casual labour is common practice here and recruitment is mostly ruled by agencies,I dont feel secure at all at work i feel they could tap me on the shoulder at any time.Dunno how i will ever feel stable at work enough to get a mortgage Conditions are years behind the UK in regards to sick pay..not good at all.
House prices
Although i feel they have dropped slightly dont come to Melbourne thinking you're gonna get a mansion for 50 grand cos it aint gonna happen ! With wages being marginally lower than the Uk and interest rates being far higher......you do the maths
Drinking water
Tastes like bloody swimming pool water to me (although the missus cant taste it)

THE UGLY

Riff raff
Ive seen loads of bogans its scarey and not just in Pakenham but all over the place.Hoons are another menance ...bloody teenagers in their ute's



So there we have it.
3 months in Aus and thats all i can come up with.I'm sure there is loads more but i cant remember them at the moment...i'll add to the lists in due course.
No doubt other peoples experiences with differ wildly but as i stated earlier these are mine (and only my ) feelings on living in Aus at this moment in time.

Will we stay ? buggered if i know...time will tell.

Thanks for reading

Lee

TracyAnne

Hi Lee,

Sounds like you are happy in Pakenham........ I think?? We are just down the road in Berwick, been here almost 3 years.

Its good to see that the weather is improving, we have found our 3rd winter here to be bloody cold (god knows how we would ever survive a UK winter).
Whereabouts in the UK are you from? How old are the kids?

Tracyanne

29palms

I am sorry but you cannot class your experiences so far as living in' Melbourne' on what you have experienced in Pakenham, as the two areas are a world apart. Pakenham is a whole different world away from what Melbourne is famous for. Maybe you should have tried living your first year in the central suburbs and experience the culture and diversity of Melbourne before moving out to Pakenham. I am sorry but those towns out to the west like Pakneham, Berwick and Narre Wareen ect are full of bogans ect and there is nothing much out that way!. If you are going to move to the Melbourne area try and experience the lifestyle Melbourne is famous for first, as you are so close or if you like them sorts of towns maybe Perth would have suited you better

Geelong Gent

Actually yes he should and yes it is an integral part of Melbourne. To really understand Melbourne you need to take it all in. After 3 months he has given what he has seen - an honest opinion.

Your making big assumptions about reasons many come to Australia for and setting yourself up as a target for reverse snobbs. For the record there are just as many bogans in South Yarra and Windsor - they have just run out of money to pay for their V8 with the cost of petrol and rents.

good thread mate, hope your next 3 months + get better and better.

stuckinblighty

"Pakneham,Berwick and Narre Wareen" are not out to the west.
Its my experience so far...nothing more nothing less.

TracyAnne

Errrrr Pakenham is EAST of Melbourne not West. OP was merely giving his opinion and his experince of the area so far. Whilst I agree Pakenham is maybe not quite a desirable suburb not everyone would want to or could afford to live closer to the city. Personally I would prefer to live a lot further out than here in Berwick but our daughters are settled and we would not want to move them, having said that Berwick offers everything and more that we need and like.

The purpose of this site is to share opinions and experience, lets not forget that.

TracyAnne

You beat me to it, we must have been typing at the same time!

stuckinblighty

Thanks GG i'm glad you understood the meanings behind my thread

Lee

stuckinblighty

Thanks TracyAnne
Pakenham is a bit further out than we originally planned but as i've been here a while i actually quite like it.I like the feel of being out of the big city (and boy are we out of it !)
and as for desireability...thats in the eye of the beholder

stuckinblighty

oi and while i'm at it i said i was living in 'Australia......Pakenham,Melbourne'
I never said i was living in just 'Melbourne'

ta very much

TracyAnne

[and as for desireability...thats in the eye of the beholder [/QUOTE]



Hi Lee,

Yes, you are right. Pakenham has become very popular, but only in the last couple of years with the nice new estates being built and new shopping areas etc. I beleive my "opinion" was probably based on the reputation that Pakenham once had a few years back and has now risen above, indeed in particular it has become very popular with recently arrived Brits. If Pakenham had looked as good as it does now when we first arrived then maybe we may have house hunted there. Having said that Pakenham does have some issues with their state schools, and that cannot be denied.

When are you thinking of buying? When you do be sure to consider schools if your kids are in state schools.

How have your kids settled? Do you have boys or girls? Is the wife working? Have you met many people yet? Sorry for all the questions.

Tracyanne

29palms

Yes I aplogise I should have said out 'East'! But my point is why bother moving half way around the world to be stuck in a mediocre town (That goes for Geelong as well), when you have one of the worlds most exciting cities on your doorstop. I see your 'Good' observations when you got here was that you could by a 42 inch tele cheap! my 'Good 'observations in the first 3 months was: the amazing architecture old and new mixed together, the overwhelming restaurants and diversity of them, how cosmoplotin Melbourne is, how diverse the each suburb is and also the positivity of the place and how Melburnians love there city and the shear number of things you can do. And I dont live in South Yarra or Winsdor. My point is thats why I moved here to experience what Melbourne has to offer and live it, If I wanted to live in a mediocre town cos it has a school a supermarket and a park close by I could have stayed in the UK. Many people come out here and moan about the drinking water and not being able to get creature comforts back home and try to recreate there lifestyle that they were desperate to get away from. Try experiencing somthing new!

moneypenny20

For crying out loud, it's a harmless, general 3month update. It's his opinion. That doesn't make it wrong. I'm not aware of him bagging Melbourne either or saying he doesn't love it. Stop reading what you imagine he's putting and actually read what he's put.

Nu-Shooz

You always get one don't ya!!!

Good update Lee, true to the word.

Kapri

Good update Lee

I found it very balanced - it had positives and negatives and seemed very honest.

Good luck for the next 3 months