First 3 months - lots about schools and prices

[FromDurbs]

We packed our bags and everything we owned.  All things were a bit helter skelter and last minute and I cannot say well planned or properly thought through.  We got on a plane on 26 November, landed in Melbourne midnight Sunday night.  We stayed in a one bedroom flat on the fringes of the CDB for the first 12 days.  I am glad we did that, because it made the city accessible.  We spent the weekends exploring the city.  Melbourne CBD is really great, my favourite part of the city.  Having stayed in the city means we know the layout of the CBD and came to like it.  I started working almost immediately.

After our cramped living; 4 people, 10 suitcases, 1 bedroom (the kids slept in the lounge on a sofa-bed) we were fortunate enough to move to a colleague’s house in the posh suburb of Kew.  We had to look after their house and dog.  It was a stunning house, with a nice living area and outdoor entertainment area with water fountain and lovely garden.  It was nice to be able to spread out a bit.  The house sitting also came with an offer of a beach house and we went to the beach house between Christmas and New Years.  We had a lovely Christmas by the sea. 

Getting the kids into school was our biggest challenge.  We arrived too late for all applications to schools.  The state schools have to take you if you fall in their area.  They refused to speak to us until we had a house in their area.  We spent the first two weeks visiting schools and choosing a school and only once we had a school we were happy with, we started looking for houses in that school’s area.  We looked at Coburg as a nice area, but the school in Coburg does not have Arnold’s year.  They stopped taking in new students one year and therefore just don’t have that one year.  The surrounding schools refuses to take Arnold if we live in the area with the school that does not take Year 10 because we are not in their area.  All the surrounding schools are also full, because they needed to accommodate all the extra kids because the other school does not take that year.  We therefore abandoned Coburg. We started looking at an area called Essendon and got a house on the edge of the zone for a very good school.  One of the best in the state.  However, we only signed our lease one day before the schools closed for the December holidays.  The school just told us they were full and cannot meet with us.

In the mean time, when we just started looking at schools, Francois visited a school called Mount Alexander College.  It is close to my work, 2 km, on a tram line, the tram stops right in front of the school.  It is a fairly small school, around 500 kids, the others were all around 1000.  Francois spoke to the principal, saw a video of the school and sent me a message “This is our school”.  He was really impressed.  The school is in a not so great (for Australia anyway) socio-economic area and draws a lot of what people here call “immigrant children”.  I know, my kids are also immigrant children.  What they mean by immigrant children are children who cannot really speak English and struggle in school. I also have a strong suspicion that it is polite speak for black and from Africa.  This school's reputation and standardised test results are not that great, they don’t get 100% pass rate and everyone going to university.  In short it is not “a good school”.  The principal started in 2015 (late) and all the stats you get online stop in 2015. 

Here is an article describing the school:  http://www.kidspot.com.au/school/secondary/real-life/this-school-is-breaking-all-the-rules-and-the-students-are-succeeding

The principal keeps talking about all the changes he made.  They have a different philosophy about learning.  They believe children should be empowered to take control of their own learning.  He wants to raise independent learners in stead of spoonfeeding people.  The children can choose their own subjects, no restrictions.  They can evening do MOOCs and study completely on their own.  He also got a lot of money from the government and upgraded some facilities.  The school looks good.  They do not put children in grades.  You are in a class according to your ability.  If you are good at maths, you move up to the advanced maths class and if you are bad you take the lower maths class.  In other words, the school is not arranged according to grades.  My children could theoretically be in the same class if they wanted.  Francois and the boys wanted to be in this school and mom wanted to keep looking for a “good school”.  Schools closed 19 Dec, we had a house in a good school area and had to wait till late in January for the schools to open again before we could speak to schools.  We spent a stressfull month wondering where the kids will go to school.

I had applied at both schools.  A week before the schools started Mount Alexander or MAC as they call themselves met with us, discussed the boys’ subjects and sorted everything out.  The Friday before schools started the good school called us.  They said they had to take the kids and will meet with us the day before school starts.  We spent a few hours with them. Grade 8 was easy, he does not have much to choose between, basically he had to choose his second language.  The options were Japanese and German.  Year 10’s subjects would not work out because they had to accommodate the roster and whether classes were full or not.  He is a sciency kid and all he could end up with was music, some weird community service thing I still don’t understand, drama, geography, maths and English.  This is all the day before school starts.  We walked out of there at 3:30 the day before school starts and decided, this is not going to work.  So we sent the kids to MAC.  They seem very happy there.  I have not seen any grades yet, but the school seems good.  I like the smaller classes.  In some of their classes they are about 10. 

We are renting a house.  House prices in Melbourne is crazy.  I cry everytime I compare what I left in Durban with what I have here.  A house of $1 mil is nothing special.  And that is R10 mil.  We have a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, actual house.  It is not too small, rooms are spacious enough (except one).  The garden is tiny and we don’t have a garage.  We do have a carpark with a roof.  Only one.  And tiny – so tiny in fact that we have already scratched the new car getting into it.  And a laundry room.  Not a lot of storage space in the house.  We are not supposed to hoard here.

When we lived in the city I walked to work, about 25 mins.  When we lived in Kew I took the train, about 25 mins and now I cycle to work, about 30 mins.  The boys and I leave the house at 8 in the morning, cycle together to their school and then I cycle another 2km to work.  At work I have a bike storage area and showers, with hair dryers etc to shower before getting to work.  It would take husband an hour to drop us all. We will reassess the cycling when the winter and rains come.

What do we think of Australia?  The kids answered this question in the beginning that it is just like South Africa.  Especially before they went to school, they just had a very long holiday, staying at home mostly, reading and surfing while their mom worked and their dad looked at rental houses. 

Food wise it is just like South Africa.  Because of our shared British roots you basically get all the foods you are used to seeing in the shops.  Less spicy Indian, but you can find it if you try.  Being close to Asia there are lots of Asian influences, so there are lots of foods we don’t know as well.  Some food are really expensive; especially fruit and vegetables, but many others are the same as in South Africa.  If you buy seasonally and what is on special groceries will probably cost you what it did in SA.  If you insist on buying specific things you could spend a lot more.  The food are good quality, the fruit are great.

Things are easier.  Connecting your gas, electricity, phone etc took almost no time.  And all of it worked.  People are quite efficient.  They like doing things online if possible.

Eating out is ridiculously expensive.  Ice cream cones cost $6 and coffee is $4.  Coffee is really good.  I still don’t get ordering coffee.  You go to a coffee shop.  They post a price for coffee, usually $4.  When you order you say you want coffee and they keep looking at you.  As if they are asking: please specify.  And then you say cappuccino,  and they seem happy.  It seems that coffee is some collective noun and not a thing on a menu.  I have no idea how to get a normal cup of coffee.  And I assume cappuccino cost the same as that elusive normal cup of coffee would cost.  Coffee is everywhere and quite good.  The free coffee in the office is Nescafe gold.  The stuff that would have been Frisco in SA.  And nobody drinks it.  They all rather buy coffee from the coffee shop. 

 What is different:

Microwaves cool themselves after they heated the food. 

The kids wear uniforms to school, but they are much more relaxed than in SA.  Girls wear makeup and nail polish, their hair are loose.  Boys have long hair.  They also look a bit more unneat than we are used to.  We were not sure about hair rules and asked both schools when we met.  They look surprised that people might restrict hair styles.  Their question was “How will they express themselves?”  And my kids are expressing themselves.  They have not had a haircut since we left SA in November.  They really like their long hair and mention that they like feeling their hair move.

Cost of things

Australia is expensive and Melbourne is expensive. 

Food prices can be divided into a few categories:

Same price as in South Africa:  milk, almost exactly the same, canned food (like beans and tomatoes), white bread, beer (some types)

Luxury foods that would have been imported in South Africa were often quite similar, for example Lindt chocolates, olive oil, deli cheeses, craft beer, etc.

Ridiculously expensive category:  joghurt, scoops ice cream (like Mozarts), fruit and vegetables.  We ate a lot of fresh fruit and veg in South Africa and I am still shocked at the prices for it here.  Sweet potatoes $5 per kg, $5 per mango (they are a bit cheaper now), cherries are like $29, etc.  Carrots seem to be fairly cheap.  We eat a lot of carrots now.  Chips is also much more expensive than back home.

Actually cheaper: cream and cheese

Expired food seem to be sold on special.  I have seen a few really good bargains; that turns out to be food past its expiry date.   And it is not like the food expired yesterday, some of it had expired months ago.  I do not think shops ever sold expired food in SA. 

Petrol used to be similar to SA, but got really expensive overnight.  It jumped by 20c.  Petrol prices differ from garage to garage and seems to change overnight.  So we never know whether it would be cheaper or more expensive tomorrow.

Cheese here is really nice.  Amazing brie, blue cheese, even the cheap Coles brand cheddar cheese is good. 

Driving

Driving is a breeze.  My kids say driving here is like playing a video game on easy.  Cars move at a slower speed, people give you a chance to change lanes, they stop when they are supposed to stop, nobody tries to overtake you when you are driving on a quite single lane back road.   Drivers are polite and give you a gap.

Distances take a lot longer than expected.  You would drive 10 km in 20 mins,

Traffic circles everywhere; even in quiet residential streets and on highways.

Robots are red forever.  Cycling to work takes about as long as driving.  There are dedicated bike lanes for most of the trip to work.  If you are on a bike you zip past the cars standing and get to wait at the front of the line at the red lights. 

Sunsets and sunrise can be truly spectacular, as lovely as in South Africa

[Mara]

I do hope that you have checked out Aldi? Their prices are a lot better than either Woolworths or Coles. Vegetables, if you know your prices, check at the vegetable shops, they are often cheaper. I find the meat at most supermarkets, fairly expensive and pretty average. We have often either bought our meat vacuum packed from wholesale butchers, or from Costco (you have to have membership at $55 per year). For meat it is good to have freezer space so that you can buy in bulk. From Costco we often get a whole vacuum packed rump, at around $12kg. Hubby brings it home, puts it in the fridge and a day before the use by date, he will cut it up and vacuum pack it into the portions that we need. So.. a vacuum packer for the home, is an essential item for us and it saves us a lot of money.

 

At Aldi I pay $4-95 for a kg of Blueberry yoghurt, my favourite.

[FromDurbs]

Thanks Mara, we have tried Aldi, but we tend to go to Coles and Woolworths more.  Should try Aldi more. 

Our recent discovery (by chance) is to go to a market (Footscray market, Queen Victoria market) on the weekend around closing time.  They are almost giving things away.  We bought mangoes at $4 for a box where the guy was picking up the mangoes from the $4/mango shelve and dumping them in the $4/box right in front of us.  We got steaks at $10/kg and while we were contemplating beef or pork mince the woman removed the $6/kg special sign and put a $5/kg special sign on the mince.   It is also quite exciting, frantic and noisy and fun.  We think we should do this every second weekend.  The fish sellers sold stuff for half price.  

[Mara]

@FromDurbsThere you go, it takes a while to find your way around, but eventually you will find that food does not have to cost you an arm and a leg...LOL! I do my shopping weekly, on a Friday. I first go to Aldi, buy all the basics there, then head off to Woolworths, (only because parking is easier and closer) to get the rest. We have fruit trees and at this point plenty little cherry tomato's. So it helps to have a little vegie patch. I like the idea of the community gardens that you get around Melbourne. You plant your box, and then when you get to use the results, you can swap out with others who have different veges to yours! Win, win, situation I think!

 

I am one of those that always check the weekly catalogues... I know the stuff that I need, and check for specials, if it is a good special in the catalogue, it is added to my shopping list, and I buy enough to last a while. When hubby used to drink Pepsi, he would only buy the 1,25 litre bottles (fit easily in the fridge door), but he would only buy them when they are on special for around $1,10 per bottle. Then he would stock up with around 24, and wait for the next round of specials as he gets near the end. So those catalogues are not just junk mail, they can save you a lot of money. Aveeno body cream is around $14,50 per bottle. I buy them when they are on special for around $7,50 and then I buy 10, as there use by dates are distant. I the present ones about 3 years ago and only now am I down to 2. By the way, this is the best lotion I have ever used, I like the fact that it works well and that it does not leave an oily residue!

Edited March 20, 2017 by Mara

[Husky]

Thanks for the detailed update @FromDurbs

Keen to hear more about how your boys get along at their new school. My son is in grade 8 and I want to explore 'alternative' school options for when we make the move later in the year.

If I remember correctly, you are working at a university there? How is that going? I am also in the tertiary education space so may just pm you if you don't mind.

[FromDurbs]

@HuskyYou are welcome to PM me.  I work in the tertiary research space, I dont teach.  I work tangentially at a university.  In SA I was a university employee, here I am an employee of the hospital.  But a lot of my colleagues are linked to the university.  LeaS on the forum works at Monash university.  We moved across almost the same time.  She also does not teach, work in an admin function. 

[Husky]

Thank you @FromDurbs

Will pm you.

[Eyebrow]

I think a normal coffee is a "flat white"

but I have asked for coffee before, then there is awkward silence until I come up with "latte", and then seem happy too...

 

Glad you are enjoying it!

[RYLC]

Here's some further help with the coffee thing. I usually order a flat white but it is very confusing.

 

http://www.baristamagazine.com/shannys-guide-to-ordering-coffee-in-melbourne/

[rozellem]

Yes, asking for a coffee is like asking for a "steak" at the butchers.  He will end up asking you "what kind".  I go for a flat white myself. 

[Mara]

Hope you are ready for it... here is coffee explained! I hope it helps you to at least know what you are ordering.

Coffee types explained

Posted by James Hurwood 06/06/2016

Different people will invariably drink different types of coffee, and for different reasons. You probably know someone whose morning routine includes a tiny cup of espresso, drunk solely for caffeinating purposes. On the other hand, you may also know someone whose idea of a lovely morning is sitting down with a tall, foamy latte and thoroughly enjoying every sip of it. The point is, there are a lot of options to pick from when it comes to coffee! And if you want to know more about them, you’ve come to the right place.

Italian coffees

While coffee originated from Arabia, a lot of modern coffee and the culture surrounding it has been attributed to Italy, so it’s no surprise that some of the most popular coffees are Italian inventions! Let’s first have a look at the most well-known Italian coffees.

Espresso

The premise seems simple; use high pressure to shoot hot water through ground coffee beans, and pour the resulting brew into a dainty little cup. However, espresso isn’t quite as simple as that, as any barista will tell you. A lot of people tend to regard espresso as a simple or even dull coffee order, but that doesn’t do it justice at all. Espresso is the purest and most refined coffee experience you are likely to have, and it is hands-down the best way to try different blends or single origins in order to discern the flavours and nuances of each.

Café Latte (or Café au lait)

A popular option for coffee drinkers – and good entry point for someone who isn’t a fan of the bitterness of coffee – a latte consists of espresso (one shot or several) with steamed milk poured over it; the milk is steamed to the point where it becomes quite foamy and frothy. If you ever travel to Italy and fancy a coffee, make sure that you order a cafe latte. The word ‘latte’ is Italian for milk, so simply asking for a latte may result in you being served a glass of milk.

Cappuccino

A strong contender for most popular coffee order in the world, a cappuccino is a three-layered beverage; it’s like a cake! The first layer is espresso, followed by a shot of steamed milk, and then finished up with a layer of frothed, foamy milk. The drink is usually then topped with chocolate shavings or powder, making it another good starting point for those new to coffee. This, along with cafe lattes, are considered breakfast drinks in Italy, where only espressos and other black coffees are consumed past ten or so in the morning.

 

Piccolo latte

Kind of like a latte, but without all the milk and much, much smaller. A piccolo latte is simply a shot of espresso with a small amount of foamed milk gently poured on top. It’s a good option if you’re feeling a bit full, or for those who want more coffee than milk but can’t stand the bitterness of straight espresso.

Vienna

A Vienna is made by adding two shots of espresso together, and then topping them off with whipped cream; the cream acting as a substitute for both milk and sugar. It’s meant to be a sharp juxtaposition between the strong, bitter flavours of espresso and the smooth and luxe flavour of cream. We can’t tell if it sounds incredible or horrific. Maybe both?

Mocha

Forget what we said earlier about lattes and cappuccinos being good entry points for people who don’t drink coffee; this is THE entry point. The mocha is essentially a latte with chocolate powder or syrup added, making it chocolatey and a little thicker, but still with an underlying coffee taste. Living in the grey area between the babycino and the latte, we recommend this for your friend who doesn’t like coffee that much but wants to give it a go regardless.

Affogato

The affogato is the peak of sugary-sweet, only-kinda-coffee creations. It’s simply espresso poured over ice cream or gelato, and it sounds absolutely delicious.

Australian coffees

So that’s the best of coffee from Italy. Now let’s look a little closer to home. Believe it or not, Australia has actually made a handful of seriously valuable contributions to the modern coffee pantheon! While the two beverages we’re about to talk about are a bit contentious in terms of their origins (New Zealand claims to have invented both), we’ll just overlook that for now, okay?

Flat white

Favoured amongst soccer mums and dads alike, the flat white is made using the milk from the bottom of the jug, which tends to be less frothy and more silky. This milk is poured over a shot of espresso and handed to the nearest tired parent on a Saturday morning at the footy ground.

• While we’re on the subject of flat whites, here’s an important thing to note. A lot of people are fond of espousing the view that flat whites and lattes are identical beverages; some baristas don’t even know the difference, making them in exactly the same way! But here’s the difference. As we’ve mentioned, lattes are frothy and foamy, whereas flat whites are silky and flowing. While they use the same espresso-milk ratio, the way the milk is treated in each beverage is vastly different. The more you know.

Long black

Hot water is poured into a cup, and is then followed by two shots of espresso, resulting in one of the stronger coffees available to man. Long back is the drink of choice for tortured writers, the hungover, and the generally black of heart.

 

 

[FromDurbs]

Thanks everyone.  I did not realise the whole coffee thing would generate so many responses.  From @Mara 's response it seems that a Piccolo latte is the closest to a cup of coffee.  Everyone said it is a flat white, but a flat white is according to @RYLC link mostly milk.  If you want mostly coffee, with a dash of milk, it seems to be a Piccolo latte.  Who would have thought.  Luckily I like lattes and cappuccinos and have just been choosing those. 

[RedPanda]

 I had a good laugh at most of it!

Your kids have the best description of driving in Australia! Game set to 'easy'....  hahaha! Oh, and I love that you cycle to work, and that your work supports this option for their staff!

I like that they don't restrict kids' hair styles here. I also love seeing the bubblegum and rainbow hair that people wear all over the city.

Glad to hear you seem to be settling a little better now. You are always welcome to give us a shout if you feel like company  

 

Laat dit goed gaan!

[rozellem]

7 hours ago, FromDurbs said:

Thanks everyone.  I did not realise the whole coffee thing would generate so many responses.  From @Mara 's response it seems that a Piccolo latte is the closest to a cup of coffee.  Everyone said it is a flat white, but a flat white is according to @RYLC link mostly milk.  If you want mostly coffee, with a dash of milk, it seems to be a Piccolo latte.  Who would have thought.  Luckily I like lattes and cappuccinos and have just been choosing those. 

You learn something new every day. I didnt know my flat white didnt contain any water in it! 

[Mara]

@rozellem mmm.. as you say something new everyday! I also like a flat white, but I do not like strong coffee, so I order a "skinny flat white half strength" what a mouthful! The skinny is to appease my mind that it is not so fattening! Although I am not an everyday consumer, very rarely have coffee when I am out, tend to stick to tea.

[Husky]

I love coffee so am looking forward to exploring the Melbourne coffee scene .

Thanks for the education. 

[rozellem]

8 hours ago, Mara said:

@rozellem mmm.. as you say something new everyday! I also like a flat white, but I do not like strong coffee, so I order a "skinny flat white half strength" what a mouthful! The skinny is to appease my mind that it is not so fattening! Although I am not an everyday consumer, very rarely have coffee when I am out, tend to stick to tea.

 

Coffee speak, its a whole new lingo. When I worked in London, I was dangerously close to a Starbucks. There I learned my rhyme. "Can I have a Tall, coffee, Frappuccino, lite, double blended, please." Then bafflingly, they would often ask if I wanted whipped cream on the top! Nope, the "lite" part indicates that I feel guilty enough without the cream.....

[HopefulJo]

I love reading these life stories and how everyone is settling in, beginning 2018 will be our turn 

 

On the coffee thing, You can also ask for an americano (essentially just a black coffee) and ask for extra milk or cream. That is my go to every morning at our office machine. 

[JackoFam]

Thanks @FromDurbs your journey is so similar to ours. We will have been in Melbourne 3 months on 4 April and our observations are very similar to yours even though we live in a different part of the city. Your info about the school has been very reassuring as we our year 8 daughter into a similar school and it's been quite an adjustment but she is settling in now.

[DXB2OZ]

I figured out that if you order a latte it tends to come in a glass with no handle. If you order a flat white, it comes in a cup with a handle.

 

Prices get a lot easier to stomach once you start earning in dollars. Remember, that the price of your coffee pays for the waitress to earn a living wage that does not require her to live in a shack.

[Thestains]

@FromDurbs Hi, I found your experience in securing a school for your children very interesting as I am facing a similar situation. 

We will be arriving in Melbourne within the first week of July 2017 and planning on staying in an Airbnb in any area on the outskirts of the CBD. 

My son is currently in Grade 11, diagnosed with ADHD & attends a special school in SA. 

Ive looked the MAC website & on all accounts the school certainly appears to be the right place for our son.

Does the school have a feeder area? If so, where can I get this from because the website doesn't have it.

Is there anything more that you could tell me about the school that could help my decision before we complete an enrollment enquiry?

 

[FromDurbs]

My boys have completed a term and a bit in MAC and seem very happy.  I have not seen anything to complain about.  I am not sure whether they offer any assistance for special needs, I just have not checked.  I think children who struggle in 'other' schools might do well here for several reasons:  the school is not just all academic.  They have a lot less academic subjects: art, music, various sports etc.  The subjects also seem to be very hands on and practical.  An ADHD child might do well with subjects allowing more active engagement.  Some of my son's classes are very small, which might also help.  But those were the more academic classes.  I would recommend MAC.  The staff are very approachable.  We arrived at the door and got an appointment with the principal and a tour of the school (at a later date, within the week.)  

In an attempt to "integrate" (read that as meet people) we attend the parent association meetings, so we get a bit more of the inside workings of the school.  There is no feeder area and the school is not full to capacity.  When we applied they were taking people from anywhere and did not ask for our address.  However, they did mention at the last meeting that they are starting to reject applications from "very far away" to keep places for more local families.  I have no idea what the definition of "very far away" is.  I think as long as you stay within a 20 minute drive of the school (west of the CBD) it should be fine.  That includes a lot of fairly affordable suburbs.  You should also look at MACs facebook page.  They post fairly regularly there.

Come say "Hi" when you get here. 

I just returned from attending a talk on the long term medication effects of treatment for ADHD.  (I work in a paediatric hospital)

[Enigma]

On 2017/03/23 at 7:08 AM, Husky said:

I love coffee so am looking forward to exploring the Melbourne coffee scene .

Thanks for the education. 

Husky if you trawling through coffee shops let us know, we Love coffee too, most of the top Barista's are in Melbourne too - going to find 'em all.

[Enigma]

On 2017/03/28 at 11:36 AM, DXB2OZ said:

I figured out that if you order a latte it tends to come in a glass with no handle. If you order a flat white, it comes in a cup with a handle.

 

Prices get a lot easier to stomach once you start earning in dollars. Remember, that the price of your coffee pays for the waitress to earn a living wage that does not require her to live in a shack.

Side note, how are the tipping rules there?

[RYLC]

There is no tipping here. In fact they would think you strange if you tried. Restaurants and cafes pay their staff a living wage.