Contract position in Melbourne

Marelton · #1 (**permalink**) 28th August 2011, 10:58 PM

I have been very recently offered a position to work for Ford at their Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne. I was wondering if there were any brits out there that have been in a similar sitution and give me some advice about getting started etc.

Any advice on housing, car and cost of living in general would be greatfully received

Regards

anj1976 · #2 (**permalink**) 29th August 2011, 01:16 AM

hi marelton

welcome to the forum

congratulations for getting the offer i stayed at tullamarine for about a month and half, infact i have friends staying at tullamarine and it is a beautiful area, about 5 mins from broadmeadows. check realestate for rentals at Essendon, Tullamarine and surrounding suburbs. they are all stone's throw from Broadmeadows. The rental is approximately $340/wk upwards for a decent 2-3 room house. my friend is paying 320 for a 3 room house and has been staying there for close to 9 months now.

for car i'd suggest checking carsales.com.au. we picked a 2000 Camry for $6000. my friend has a SS 2004 model that they picked for $14000. it really depends on what your preferences are. as for cost of living, check the cost of living thread. the nearest shopping ocmplex is westfield that has almost every store like woolworth, coles, aldi etc.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Anj

Marelton · #3 (**permalink**) 29th August 2011, 06:00 AM

Many thanks for the reply Anj.

This really helps because I can start to work out some costs for the basics. I've not made any enquiries about rental locations around Broadmeadows so this gives me a good starter. I've seen some of the living costs threads and they seem a mixed bag of comparitive and then down right scary figures compared to the UK!

In terms of driving I take it the UK driving licence is acceptable in Australia or would I have to take a seperate driving test?

I have so many questions at the moment and are likely to be on this forum for a while I think once I've had the chance to list them out.

Thanks again for your help.

Martin

anj1976 · #4 (**permalink**) 29th August 2011, 06:03 AM

hi martin
i think uk license can be converted, not sure though, search the forum for the same
as for the cost of living it is a to each his own scenario, it depends on what you eat, where you buy from, you can save a lot if you know where to get what from but if you dont want to explore and want to go with whatever comes first, buying everything from one place that is, you might not be able to save much plus again, it depends on how much meat you eat, how much you eat out etc..

Marelton · #5 (**permalink**) 30th August 2011, 11:21 AM

Hi Anj,

I've checked out the driving licence issue and it looks like I am covered to drive on the UK licence provided I'm regarded as a temporary citizen on business. I can apply for an Australian licence after 6 months if I would wish to do so.

Regarding the cost of living, you're quite right it is dependant on where you go. I've already started to put together a comparison list to work out a budget based on some of the very good posts by members here.

Many thanks for your help and I'll be using this forum regularly...what a goldmine of info!

Best regards

Martin

anj1976 · #6 (**permalink**) 31st August 2011, 12:33 AM

Martin i know people who manage well in 2500/month. they earn 4500/month, save 2000 each month and i know those who earn as much as 8000/month and still crib end of the month

wish you luck

cheers
anj

Assassin8 · #7 (**permalink**) 4th October 2011, 08:12 PM

I wouldn't be living anywhere near Tullamarine or Broadmeadows as suggested... They are NOT beautiful as suggested... but if you go further east along the Western Ringroad you will come to Greensborough and Eltham, which is a much nicer and livable area... Broadmeadows is a much lower class area where there is a lot of crime.... I lived in Eltham for five years and know this area very well...

Marelton · #8 (**permalink**) 5th October 2011, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assassin8

I wouldn't be living anywhere near Tullamarine or Broadmeadows as suggested... They are NOT beautiful as suggested... but if you go further east along the Western Ringroad you will come to Greensborough and Eltham, which is a much nicer and livable area... Broadmeadows is a much lower class area where there is a lot of crime.... I lived in Eltham for five years and know this area very well...

Very interesting, I have had similar comments about the area around Broadmeadows and Campbellfield since posting my original message.

I have been considering living closer to the bay, but I'm not sure about the day to day levels of congestion travelling through the city?? Perhaps someone may be able to advise??

janer · #9 (**permalink**) 26th October 2011, 05:44 AM

I agree with the comments about Broadmeadows, Campbellfield and Tullamarine. Whilst fine for work purposes they are not nice areas to live in.

As suggested east along the ring road gives you much nicer suburbs to settle in as does any bayside area, although these may be a bit of a hike from work and the quicker routes will have tolls. They will also be expensive for rentals.

There are also good suburbs towards the city from Broadmeadows such as Essendon, Brunswick, Thornbury and Northcote though they will be more pricey for rentals as well.

Areas within good distance and reasonably priced for rentals would be places like Greensborough and Macleod. A nice city fringe suburb is Diamond Creek as it has lots of woodland and open spaces.

On the point of cost of living- the impact of this will depend on what you will be earning. I earn more over here than I did in the UK so I am not struggling at all with the cost of living though I concede it is high compared to the UK. If you are earning well here it will not be a problem. A good tip for when you get here is not to keep converting dollars into pounds if you are earning in dollars as it will make everything feel expensive because the UK is so cheap at the moment.

Second hand cars are expensive compared to the UK so be prepared for that.

Good luck with the move and have fun. Melbourne is a great place to work and play.

Marelton · #10 (**permalink**) 27th October 2011, 11:46 AM

Thanks for the advice Janer.

Things have moved on since I last posted and I'm in Melbourne now and have been for the last two weeks.
In fact I moved into one of the "Bank" apartments in Southbank just today overlooking the city.
I don't seem to miss the car too much and the public transport seems pretty good and is virtually direct to the Ford car plant in Broadmeadows (Upfield train station).

I do agree with your last comments though....this is a great city!

Many thanks

Martin