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Visa activation trip - Melbourne


Mel-B

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Hi forum friends :) Firstly I would like to say thank you for all the information and shared experiences that everyone has been sharing here. We found that the info given to us over this forum over the years was very accurate as to our own experience.

We went to Melbourne for 10 days. It was interesting. I can honestly say that I did not fall in love. I am feeling a very strong LIKE, more like lets be good friends and see where it goes. Maybe my own expectations were too high. Other overseas trips were always EXCITING and VIBEY and a culturally different experience. This one was rather plain, like visiting Pretoria for a holiday. So apart from it perhaps not being a dream holiday destination it gets full marks for a livable, clean and lovely city. I would feel rather blessed to be able to get a good job for hubby and have a nice home in Melbourne, life would be good.

I understand what some forum members said about it not being exciting or there being much passion. It seems like a very laid back live and let live city. We stayed in Eltham (which is BEAUTIFUL) it reminded me of visiting Knysna, the trees are so gorgeous, and we saw many beautiful birds and MANY fat crows. Property is expensive everywhere. Wow yes, you hear about it and then you go look and you really understand. We drove around in a rental - a huge Holden which was rather comfy. In the Eastern parts we saw Eltham, drove through Doncaster, Donvale, went to the lovely Westfield mall. (PLEASE IF I GET NAMES WRONG I' M WRITING FROM SLEEP DEPRIVED MEMORY HERE). Went to Mitcham and many other places, Templestowe, Heidelberg, Greensborough. Our 6 year old was in ecstasy over the park in Mitcham (Halliday park?), we had to go back twice. Beautiful parks in Eltham as well that we visited often with the kids.

We drove to St Kilda to the BEACH. NOT :) The dam rather, our daughter was not impressed. Drove through some of the city centre, got lost a bit. But we weren't stressed, we never felt like we were going to get bumped or smashed and grabbed or anything silly like that. That actually felt like another world. We went to Sunbury, right up to Maras house! Her place is lovely, close to a golf course, and sweeping views of beautiful vistas. Husband was unsure of the distance to city though it felt like a LONG way. There is a train, so its not off the options list. We had Nando's in Sunbury. We also did our first self serve petrol fill in Sunbury, which was rather easy.

We went down to Point Cook, Seabrook, Altona and Williamstown. The "beach" at Altona is even worse than St Kilda :) The black swans were a nice treat though. Point cook was lovely, but again I see what forum members mean, there is a lot of houses and people with narrow roads, so can see traffic being a nightmare, but also not off our options list. Williamstown was interesting, we saw our first loiterer/backpacker there. I saw him and about 30 seconds later police showed up and searched him and his pack. They asked him to clear out as he was loitering close to a child's play area. They sat in their vehicle and watched him until he had left the area.

We saw many many people walking their dogs but never saw poop. There might be poop somewhere, I'm sure everyone doesn't pick it up, but its not like we ever stepped in any.

We went to Melbourne Zoo, and that was realllllyyy nice. I know a zoo is a zoo, but I LOVE the zoo, and husband is never keen to go due to the hijack and danger risk. So the kids were super happy and that was a day well spent, no one went for my handbag AND I could use the toilet which was real clean. Hahaha I sound paranoid and silly.

I don't like the graffiti, but it is the same in Italy, it also bugged me there. At least it isn't harmful to your person or your kids. So its a lesser evil vs the trouble the youth get up to in SA.

We spent a lot of time park hopping, to keep kids happy, and the kids in the parks didn't strike me as particularly friendly of unfriendly. Just sort of minded their own business. My daughter usually makes friends easily, and that was one thing that bugged me a little. I thought she would be making friends every time we stopped somewhere.

Melbourne all and all seemed well maintained and rather clean. We found two South Africans in a park (they were speaking Afrikaans). We didn't find any other South Africans until we were back at Sydney Airport.

We didn't see or do half of what was planned. Our 1 year old was not adjusting to the time difference and went to sleep every night at 12. The first night only at 4 in the morning. So we were actually extremely tired for the entire 10 days. This morning our baby woke up at 3 and was wide awake. So now its probably another week of sleep hell for us. Our roaming didn't work. We spent an hour on the phone with 8ta/telkom from the hotel and they couldn't make it work.

So that's it in a nutshell. We will be selling our house and trying to move over next year. It was horrible for me that everyone I knew was sleeping every time I wanted to share a cute baby pic or share something I saw. That will suck forever I guess.

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Glad you had a good trip. I think I can relate to what you mean about not falling in love with Melbourne. Generally I like it, I really like where we live, it has a lot to offer, but there are also things that I don't like.

The beaches around Melbourne aren't that flash, you have to travel away from the bay to see fantastic ones. You didn't go to the dog beach in Altona did you? We take our pooch there to run around and meet other dogs. Not really a good "human" beach as such. You'd look a bit weird if you pitched up with your towell and umbrella :)

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Hi Mel-B that was pretty much our first impression of Melbourne except we made the mistake of staying in a city hotel on the edge of Docklands overlooking a construction site. After seeing preospective employers and running around with the family I was really not sure what we were getting into as Melbourne doesn't have the in your face awesomeness of the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the beautiful sea side walks of Sydney beachside suburbs. Fast forward 6 years and we have discovered the awesomeness of Melbourne. It is a quiet understated awesomeness and it grows on you.

Now we will be moving again and I'm having to say farewell to the bits of Melbourne that I really love. It makes me realise how much this city has gotten under my skin,graffiti and all. You will love Melbourne, just give it a chance and let it weave its magic.

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Glad you had a good trip. I think I can relate to what you mean about not falling in love with Melbourne. Generally I like it, I really like where we live, it has a lot to offer, but there are also things that I don't like.

The beaches around Melbourne aren't that flash, you have to travel away from the bay to see fantastic ones. You didn't go to the dog beach in Altona did you? We take our pooch there to run around and meet other dogs. Not really a good "human" beach as such. You'd look a bit weird if you pitched up with your towell and umbrella :)

Hahaha! No we didn't, now that would be embarrassing :)

Hi Mel-B that was pretty much our first impression of Melbourne except we made the mistake of staying in a city hotel on the edge of Docklands overlooking a construction site. After seeing preospective employers and running around with the family I was really not sure what we were getting into as Melbourne doesn't have the in your face awesomeness of the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the beautiful sea side walks of Sydney beachside suburbs. Fast forward 6 years and we have discovered the awesomeness of Melbourne. It is a quiet understated awesomeness and it grows on you.

Now we will be moving again and I'm having to say farewell to the bits of Melbourne that I really love. It makes me realise how much this city has gotten under my skin,graffiti and all. You will love Melbourne, just give it a chance and let it weave its magic.

Where are you going next?

It sounds like a really busy trip, wow well done with such small kiddies :)

It was a challenge!! :)

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And there I had the kettle on, pity you did not ring the doorbell! LOL!

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I think you've summed up pretty well how I feel about Melbourne at the moment. Like... let's be friends and see how things go... lol. To put your mind at ease, I felt the same way about Perth and basically fell in love with the place. Australia is like that in general (maybe not so much Sydney which is very flashy and in your face wowness from the start). You arrive and it's quite meh, maybe even a bit of a dump... but then slowly you relax and the places become home :)

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I must say, I actually liked Brisbane from the start. I still love driving next to the river at night, especially when the bridges and the wheel are all lit up. To me it's like a mini London.

I don't know Melbourne that well. I do remember some fiery pillars & a casino with gambling machines I didn't 'get' :)

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I must say, I actually liked Brisbane from the start. I still love driving next to the river at night, especially when the bridges and the wheel are all lit up. To me it's like a mini London.

I don't know Melbourne that well. I do remember some fiery pillars & a casino with gambling machines I didn't 'get' :)

Yes well it's Brisbane and Brisbane is just plain amazing :)

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I must say, I actually liked Brisbane from the start. I still love driving next to the river at night, especially when the bridges and the wheel are all lit up. To me it's like a mini London.

Whoever you are, let Bronwyn out of the cupboard and get the hell out of her house !!!!

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Mel-B,

You hit the nail on the head! LOL-it's like visiting Pretoria for a holiday.

I have been in Melbourne 2.5 years now, and I am still seriously underwhelmed.

It's Ok-in a "Blah" kind of way.

It's not bad, but it's not great, it's just nothing much to get excited about.

Everyone says Melbourne kind of creeps up on you- well, I am still waiting for the creeping to start.

I do not hate it, but I also do not love it. Strange for me, as I usually have very strong reactions to places.

My first time in Sydney-I was blown away. Loved Brisbane, Perth is OK , adore Adelaide, and fell in love with Darwin of all places on a recent trip.

So why this non-reaction to Melbourne? I have been trying to figure that out for 2.5 years. To me it's the least exciting of all Australia's cities. It just lacks a "vibe" I simply cannot put my finger on it.

Anybody else feel this way?

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Melbourne sounds perfect for us - we're happy in Moorreesburg............ Also my least favourite place after our LSD, but now we are looking forward to moving there. Every night I discover something new. For instance something I would never even consider...... ice hockey and figure skating for my kids...... Woohoo, Victoria, get ready for us!

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Thank you for sharing your story. It's a little shocking but appreciated.

As much as I wanted to go for Sydney, due to IELTS and me not wanting to re-write I'm opting for SS190 for Melbourne (as Sydney seems to be a popular choice).

I look at it like this. No I haven't been to Melbourne but I've done research and there's a lot of what I want there. No, it may not be in abundance as Sydney but Melbourne is a good city.

I'm single and I see it as an opportunity: It's not as flooded as Melbourne in terms of jobs, opportunities (business), there's more to see in terms of it's not as claustrophobic. For my career, I've found a lot more jobs in Melbourne being advertised vs Sydney. For me a city is a place where you live but the people, and culture and small things make the experience.

While it's no Sydney, I accept I won't be going there and I'm headed to Melbourne and I intend making it the best journey and best experience I can.

:)

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Just goes to show, different strokes for different folks, I absolutely love Melbourne and dislike Sydney, Brisbane is way too humid in summer and to me Perth is just too far away from everything. Now if there is a city I would not mind living in it would be Adelaide!

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To be I looooved Perth. Which is weird because most people think of me as a Melbourne/Sydney person.

I understand what people say about Melbourne though... it's like... okay. The way people rave about it you'd think it was like WOW. It's nice, though, and it's a big city a little like Sydney, but without the excessively high property prices (at least for apartments I found) and "joburg aggression".

Perth was a big town trying to be a city, Melbourne is kindof a city trying to be a big town.

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Yep, i think the different cities suite different people, I have fallen in love with Melbourne and we have done trips to Sydney, Brisbane (City, gold & sunshine coasts), Canberra & Cairns

Each has their appeal but we have found a home here in Melbs, I don't see us moving, the other cities are for holidays now :)

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Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with Melbourne. it is a HUGE upgrade from Pretoria where I currently live. I was just taken aback as I expected more POW and WOW! But it was quite a normal nice place. Perfect for raising our 2 little ones :)

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Yeah-Melbourne is a bit like kissing your sister.

If you fly in to all the different cities-have a look at them from the air. From there you can already tell what to expect.

They all have very distinct personalities. Melbourne from the air is just flat and it looks uninspiring.

Having said that, if you need to be near a big city, rentals and property is still affordable here, which is not the case in Sydney.

If you like it quiet, not too much bling and glitz, and if can tolerate the weather, Melbourne might be just your place.

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It's kindof like if the major Australian cities were people:

  • Perth would be your surfer, laid back type that likes to get drunk and do burnouts and fight in the street over a weekend.
  • Melbourne would be an older, tattoo'd but ultimately gentle hearted biker, that likes to get drunk and do burnouts and fight in the street over a weekend.
  • Sydney would be a brash business person, all about the glamour and the labels and bling. That likes to get drunk and do burnouts and fight in the street over a weekend.
  • Brisbane would be like Perth, but unlike Perth wouldn't go to bed at 19:00 on weeknights. That likes to... do I really need to say it?

Obviously the fighting and burnouts are said tongue in cheek ;)

:D

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I love Melbourne. Not in a first date, champagne and roses, butterflies in your stomach kind of way. More in a happily married for many years comfortable kind of way. It's like an old shoe where I feel sooo at ease.

Hang on, must adapt to local lifestyle. It's like an old ugg boot.

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