For Austrailians ~ Opinion Req'd

[Chas]

I am strongly considering a move to Melbourne. I need some practical advice and opinions on the quality of life there.

Housing costs, availability, traffic, crime, culture etc. etc.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

This is something best done on a personal blog.

Now, if you were asking about the vintage scene there, it would fit into our forum.

Still, I'll leave it up for now so you can tap into the resource that is the Fedora Lounge.


Thanks,
HJ

 

[RitaHayworth]

I don't live in Melbourne - personally, one day every few months to shop is enough for me - but Im a country Bumpkin!

Try these sites:

http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/ViewPage.action

http://www.vic.gov.au/

 

[Smithy]

Wonderful city with a lot of culture and things happening.

I must like it though as I'm moving there next month

 

[cookie]

Ask Splatt and Madame Circa...they may help you settle into "Bleak City" nyuk nyuk nyuk....lol lol

 

[RitaHayworth]

Ask Splatt and Madame Circa...they may help you settle into "Bleak City" nyuk nyuk nyuk....lol lol

And don't believe anyone who tells you there isnt a rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney!

Didn't I read in the papers not long ago that Melbourne is the more liveable city over Sydney?

 

[splatt]

I am strongly considering a move to Melbourne. I need some practical advice and opinions on the quality of life there.

Housing costs, availability, traffic, crime, culture etc. etc.

Hi Chas...be great to have another Lounger in Melbourne...not that there is anything wrong with Sydney...i did live in the harbour town for 10 years so i do have a soft spot for the place

OK..some answers to your questions...

Housing costs - Its just like most other places these days, in that the closer you want to live to the CBD the more expensive it will be to buy or to rent...though its definitely not as pricey as Sydney. You might want to check out some of the Australian online real estate sites: Domain and realestate.com.au

Traffic - It isn't anywhere near as bad as Sydney, London or Seattle but it certainly does exist. Its worth noting that the greater Melbourne metropolitan area only contains around 3.64 million people according the 2006 census.

Crime - Once again its like any large city but you certainly don't have guns stuck in your face...unless of course you are involved in something nasty or run a 7-Eleven

Culture - Some would say that Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia and i would have to agree with that. It has lots of great restaurants, gorgeous little cafes and bars tucked away in cute little laneways...some great theatres (also home to the Australian Ballet), a fantastic museum and art gallery and the local wineries in the Yarra Valley are some of the best in the country as well.

Sport - Melbourne is the home of Australian Rules Football (go the hawks), the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian Open, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup.

Outdoors - Great surfing not far from Melbourne, a good number of kite-surfing locations on the city fringe, some great bike tracks (for both road and mountain biking), lots of water skiing spots, good snow skiing areas for both downhill and cross-country(at least there was this year), salt water fishing in Port Phillip Bay, lots of good freshwater fishing, walking tracks across the entire Great Dividing Range, some amazing camping and off-road driving locations and canoeing is well looked after as well. Victoria has everything from beaches to deserts to snow covered mountains...

The small country towns that dot the state of Victoria are fantastic and are not only full of great local history but also some of the best pubs around

It's also a pretty good spot for loungers...with some good shops and a great bunch of local loungers to hang out with

Hope that helps in some way Chas

 

[Talbot]

Ditto ^^^^^

Ahh, Melbourne! If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes. People joke you can get all four seasons in one day.

I haven't been to BC, so I can't compare, but Melbourne is a pretty good place to live. A lot of anywhere you live depends on what you do for a living.

Splatt covered the Melbourne scene well.

I recently accompanied my 17y.o. daughter to Chicago and LA on a music scholarship.

I was expecting her to be wowed by the big smoke. She said 'Dad this is cool, but its not Melbourne is it?'

I was stunned....

 

[Mojito]

I can't claim to know Melbourne well at all, but what I've seen of it I've absolutely loved. And I know from first hand how good Splatt's advice is on things Melbournian!

I particularly enjoyed the pub scene there - thanks to local licencing laws, it leaves the Sydney pub scene for dead.

And then there's the fact it's the home of the spectacular Circa Vintage...

 

[cookie]

Hi Chas...be great to have another Lounger in Melbourne...not that there is anything wrong with Sydney...i did live in the harbour town for 10 years so i do have a soft spot for the place

OK..some answers to your questions...

Housing costs - Its just like most other places these days, in that the closer you want to live to the CBD the more expensive it will be to buy or to rent...though its definitely not as pricey as Sydney. You might want to check out some of the Australian online real estate sites: Domain and realestate.com.au

Traffic - It isn't anywhere near as bad as Sydney, London or Seattle but it certainly does exist. Its worth noting that the greater Melbourne metropolitan area only contains around 3.64 million people according the 2006 census.

Crime - Once again its like any large city but you certainly don't have guns stuck in your face...unless of course you are involved in something nasty or run a 7-Eleven

Culture - Some would say that Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia and i would have to agree with that. It has lots of great restaurants, gorgeous little cafes and bars tucked away in cute little laneways...some great theatres (also home to the Australian Ballet), a fantastic museum and art gallery and the local wineries in the Yarra Valley are some of the best in the country as well.

Sport - Melbourne is the home of Australian Rules Football (go the hawks), the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian Open, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup.

Outdoors - Great surfing not far from Melbourne, a good number of kite-surfing locations on the city fringe, some great bike tracks (for both road and mountain biking), lots of water skiing spots, good snow skiing areas for both downhill and cross-country(at least there was this year), salt water fishing in Port Phillip Bay, lots of good freshwater fishing, walking tracks across the entire Great Dividing Range, some amazing camping and off-road driving locations and canoeing is well looked after as well. Victoria has everything from beaches to deserts to snow covered mountains...

The small country towns that dot the state of Victoria are fantastic and are not only full of great local history but also some of the best pubs around

It's also a pretty good spot for loungers...with some good shops and a great bunch of local loungers to hang out with

Hope that helps in some way Chas

Yeh Splatt blah blah blah ...the Many Rice Davies defence

"'E would say vat wouldn't 'e?"

 

[Chas]

I have to thank you all for the feedback to the thread. I think that this thing is "a go" circumstances permitting. I have been doing a fair bit of research on my own and well and Melbourne looks like a really good fit for me.

Thanks again, it's appreciated.

Melbourne's gain will be another Psychiatric (Mental Health) professional, swing/R&B/Rockabilly dj, Lindy/Balboa/Shag dancer and saxophonist. Maybe I'll even try to break into the community radio scene and start another show down under.

 

[splatt]

No worries Chas...

So you play the sax hey???

hmmm...if i brush up on my alto-sax skills (i have't played it in at around 15 years) and we can get gingermore and a few other instrument playing loungers from Melbourne together...maybe we should start up the "Melbourne Fedora Lounge Big Band"

 

[dr greg]

horny

I might be touring down there before the end of the year, and not sure if my horn player can go, might be looking for a dep
http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomthehardword

 

[Chas]

I'm a bit "beginner band" but I can read a chart fairly well. I will be making my move hopefully some time April/May, maybe sooner. I'd like to pick up a good vintage Baritone before I head down under.

 

[Talbot]

Chas

This might give you an idea of the local melbourne music scene.

http://www.pbsfm.org.au/