Moving To Melbourne

[Hazel]

i wasn't aware that Queensland DID get that cold in winter. What part of Queensland do you live if i'm not being TOO nosy?

Yes, Qld really does get cold but it doesn't drag on for longer than about 2 months but during those two or so months it's reallly cold. I'm on the Gold Coast. Needless to say, by the time summer rolls around winter is a vague memory : -). I myself was shocked by how cold it got because I arrived in summer and asked the locals about the winters. They insist it's not cold at all but when winter hits those same locals are shivering away, ahaha. You'll hear a lot of "oh all you need is a jumper". Ummm, I don't think so.

[Hazel]

No not all new houses are built with winter in mind. In fact our home is new. If you look around and pay a bit more you can make sure you get an insulated house or maybe even a brick house as apposed to the very common plaster-board houses. You can feel the difference immediately when you walk into an insulated house...it's cool in summer and very warm in winter. I would imagine you pay a bit more for those. Also, just wanted to add my two cents worth about salaries. Obviously money is very relative but $100 000 a year is considered to be an excellent salary in Oz. I was amazed when I moved here that actually $60 000 a year is also very respectable. All I can put this down to is that the lifestyle is so different here for so many reasons. Firstly you don't need a huge lavish wardrobe (I'm talking about the ladies here) as no one cares what you have to show. I found myself abandoning all my fancy high heels and took to comfy walking shoes every day. This coming from a girl who refused to wear flat shoes at all!! Basically my whole life down-scaled. I stopped wearing even my jewellery (except for light-weight earrings) because it's just too hot in summer and necklaces stick to your neck...as for jewellery in winter...well no one cares and it just looks too blingy and show-offy. We used to spend such a lot on entertainment until coming to Oz. Why not any longer? Because the beaches are free, the parks for the kids are soooo nice and clean and also obviously free. The weather is usually good so you can make full use of these things nearly all year round.

Back to the salary thing- I think people are wary of commenting because every one is different with different expectations. All I can promise you is that if you come to Oz and go to a bank for a loan to buy a car or home etc, and you say that you earn $100k they will be impressed and give you the loan very quickly. I also trawled the net on salaries and I read somewhere that the Australian Government says you can survive on 35k. Do the math. I don't think on $35k you lead a lavish existence but it can be done with watching your pennies.

Well that's all from me for now. Do you know that if you can get through the rough time of adjusting in the first 4 months, Australia just gets better and better? At the risk of sounding soppy I feel like I'm the luckiest person on earth to live where I do: I see it in my daughter...she is just thriving in every way. If there is anything at all you would like to ask, feel free.

[scottishcelts]

Hey Hazel, everything you summed there is just what we gathered from all the research we've done in the last year! I think we will be pretty well off in Brisbane (that's where we are headed), but if it stands too hot for us we will move on somewhere a wee bit cooler! My hubby is a software engineer and apparantly you can make a fortune doing contract work.

Also we had already decided to go for a brick built house, as i said we have done a LOT of research. I couldn't imagine moving so far away and NOT researching. The only thing i can say that i don't like about the houses are the windows - they look rubbish, i bet they let in a bit of a draft in the winter - especially in the coastal towns. We are heading (hopefully) to Alexandra Hills - if we can get a rental that is, it's getting harder. I really hate the thought of renting, but there's no other way. Winning the lottery is an option though! and yes i'd still head to Oz.

As for high-heels and jewellery, make-up etc. i gave that all up when i started extending the family. My kids are almost 9, 5 and 1. So it will be a long time before i even think about pampering myself the way i used to! I also love the fact that you can wear what you want and nobody gives a toss - save me a fortune on fashion and trend! Living in Glasgow is a nightmare, everyone is so over the top, up to date fashionable, and if you head off into the city one can't help feeling like a complete tinker!!! So all suits me down to a tee!

Thanks for all your kind advice Hazel, can't wait to join you in the sun x

[maggiegirl]

Hazel is right, $100,000 is a very good salary and if there is a prospect that after 12 months your wife will have a job too, then you will be doing well.

When it comes to finding a place to live, just be aware that there is a rental shortage in Australia at the moment and that's the case right across the country. That means that you will be competing with dozens of others for a house or flat. Hopefully though because of your good wage, you should be able to find something good and not have to compete with too many others.

Also, there was a story on the tv news last night saying how the worst off suburbs in Melbourne are the ones that are further out from the city centre; and that's because people in those areas have to drive to get to work - and with higher petrol prices that can add up very very quickly.

You will be best off trying to get a place closer to the city centre and preferably on a train line. If you opt to move to Melbourne, you may find the idea of catching a tram to work appealing; but from my experience it can be frustratingly long. They are very slow because they have to stop and start all the time, hence the recommendation to be on a train line.

A good place to start to work out where you may want to live is a website called cityhobo. I used it for when I was living in Sydney and see that it's followed me to Melbourne. Too bad it wasn't around before I moved here.