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cammaniac
Apr 24, 2007, 10:58 PM
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So, I want to pick the brains of those that live in or have traveled down under. I have a great opportunity to move to Melbourne and actually have a real job, I'm one of those engineer types. I have yet to travel there, although my wife and I are getting a trip for the final interview. We're looking at being there for at least 3 to 5 years, maybe longer if all goes well.
Some of my questions are:
How's the climbing around Melbourne? I see that the Grampians are about 150 or so miles. What else? How's the mountain biking?
What's the cost of living compared to the states, I live in Atlanta now? Will I be able to buy a house, have a decent living like I have here or is it really expensive.
What's Melbourne like? It looks to be about the size of Atlanta in population, but what about traffic and smog and anything else you can think of.
Is it really that damn hot and dry?? Is the economy doing good or not?
Any info is great. Thanks for the help.
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caughtinside
Apr 24, 2007, 11:02 PM
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Australia is a beautiful place with very friendly people.
The culture is similar to ours, except that they don't seem to be quite the slaves to the almighty buck. It was pretty refreshing to see that things were actually closed on sunday, and people were out enjoying themselves!
Also, the whole population of the country is something like 30 million, which is about 3/5 of california.
The place is a dream come true.
I remember Melbourne being a cool town, but I was only there a week.
Didn't climb while there (d'oh!) but did surf a lot.
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billcoe_
Apr 24, 2007, 11:04 PM
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cammaniac wrote: Is Australia really all that ?
If not all then certainly most.
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taino
Apr 24, 2007, 11:35 PM
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If I had the opportunity to move down there, such as yourself, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
The one visit I had will never be forgotten.
T
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crankingclimber
Apr 25, 2007, 12:34 AM
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I lived in Australia for 8 years - originally it was meant to be a 3 year stint, 5 at the most, but my Dad ended up keeping his job there longer than we thought, and it turned out to be 8 years. We lived in Brisbane, about 24 hours drive North of Melbourne. The furthest South I ever made it was Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
I absolutely loved Australia, and hope to be able to go back one day. Super laid back friendly people, generally less driven for the buck then us yanks, funny as hell and a good taste for sarcasm.
Near you you would have the Grampians, and Arapalies - do some research on both, you'll see that they are world class, beyond a doubt. Like I said I never made it that far south, and that's one of my big regrets - they're supposed to be amazing.
I'm not sure about the cost of living/econ type questions you asked - if it's comparable to Brisbane, then you'll be fine - some things more expensive, some things cheaper, but all in all pretty damn comparable. Actually moving over there, if you have any savings, will feel good depending on how the US v Aussie dollar is, but moving back might suck.
It's a helluva place, you would have a blast, and my advice is to go for it, unless you have some kind of pretty big opportunity/obligation on this end.
Will
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getsomeethics
Apr 25, 2007, 9:19 AM
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my $0.02
i moved down here permanently in november of this year.
no regrets.
no winter to speak of.
arapiles is close to melbourne and it is the best crag on the planet.
melbourne is a cool place. big and sprawling. winter there is close to a vancouver or seattle winter but with greater chance of seeing the sun regularly.
if you decide to make the move, you may never leave.
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deadhorse
Apr 26, 2007, 1:00 AM
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I thought only sydney was real expensive to live in?? The whole "oldest isolated culture in-the-world" thing is pretty sweet man, and although it seems like a whole lot of stuff would need to be imported and therefore more expensive (climb-wise) i suppose some stuff would be alot cheaper there- DMM? (or are they regular, not new, wales?) anyhoo, I hope you do it, because opportunities not taken are like a bloom unseen. just my 2.
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gamehendge
Apr 26, 2007, 1:14 AM
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I went to go backpacking there for 1 month and ended up staying for 3. One of the best places to live in. Melbourne is really cool, alot like SF Bay area. Brisbane and the whole Queensland area is absolute paradise. Had the one of the most awesome time of my life and wanted to stay a lot longer. My only regret is I wasn't climbing when I was there.
(This post was edited by gamehendge on Apr 26, 2007, 8:34 PM)
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kachoong
Apr 26, 2007, 1:09 PM
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Lived in Aus for most of my life.... not in Melbourne, even though I've visited many many times. Trust me, it's almost as expensive in Melbourne as in Sydney and the cost of living is a little bit more than most parts of the States. Melbourne is known for its four seasons in one day (hail, wind, hot sun and minor flooding in one day) and it can get to 100-110F quite easily in mid summer. Winters can get frosty but never really cold, unless your heating sucks, or you're from FL or TX. Melbourne is also the most spread out urban sprawl from one city center than any other city on earth. The night life can be better than Sydney if you look for the right places. It's just not as beautiful of a city as Sydney.
Climbing is great, although you have to travel somewhat to get to it. Arapiles is about 40 min the other side of the Grampians and about a four-five hour drive depending how heavy your foot is. The Yoo-Yangs are close and Wilson's Prometary is about two hours to the SE and a very beautiful place. Mt Buffalo is Australia's aid-mecca, with many classic 1000ft granite lines and plenty of trad and sport (shorter stuff) in the area. Buffalo is NNE and about four hours or so, up in the Snowy mountains. It can get very cold up there in winter.... hence the three or four ski fields they have (Buller, Hotham, Beauty, Falls Creek)
Surfing, as caughtinside mentioned, is good, and a half hour to an hour in either direction. Portsea on the south east, Bells to the south west. The Great Ocean Road is beyond Bells beach to the SW and is worth a couple of days vacation to check out.
check out this website for more direct info.
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cammaniac
Apr 26, 2007, 7:38 PM
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Thanks for the input so far. Sounds like Sydney has alot more to offer close by as far as climbing goes. Looking at weather averages, I'm surprised to hear that it gets that hot, but I guess it will continue to get hotter as the years go by. I've been reading about the extreme draught there now, anyone have knowledge of how bad it's affecting things...For you smart arses out there I know it makes things dry!
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summerprophet
Apr 26, 2007, 7:45 PM
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Buy all the climbing gear you could ever want before you go. (and mountain bike gear as well).
It is almost double what you pay in the states.
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yankeebama
Apr 28, 2007, 10:52 PM
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Yes! Unfortunately, i only got to go climbing in Brisban and never got to Melbourne. Our economy is doing so bad that pretty much anyone's currency is gaining ground on the doller...including the australian dollar. The scuba diving is amazing...worked as a guide both on the reef and in Byron Bay. I may be going back in about a year or two.
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getsomeethics
Apr 29, 2007, 12:01 AM
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i would reccommend the buying up of gear to bring down with you as well. as much as you can. you can sell it for twice as much as you paid and it will still look cheap compared to the retail prices down here.
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RockRingtail
Apr 29, 2007, 3:07 PM
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cammaniac wrote: I'm one of those engineer types. I have yet to travel there, although my wife and I are getting a trip for the final interview. We're looking at being there for at least 3 to 5 years, maybe longer if all goes well. Is it really that damn hot and dry?? Is the economy doing good or not? Any info is great. Thanks for the help.
Engineers get paid reasonably well here but some areas more so than others. I don't know what the cost of living in Atlanta is, however, by Australian standards Melbs is OK. Check out realestate.com.au for housing/rental prices as that is really the main chunk of your spending. Food/transport etc is all pretty cruisy. Fitzroy, south yarra, prahran, port melbourne, elwood, albert park, middle park and south melbourne are all pretty nice areas and would be my top picks, tho maybe a bit pricey.
Melbs is known for having lots of awesome cafes/bars/restaurants, good nightlife/music scene, excellent public transport etc. The people are welcoming and I have heard the climbing is good but a few hrs drive away (never climbed there).
As for the climate Q.. I have always considered Melb wet and cold but then I'm a Perthie so our standards may differ. The weather there is particularly moody so I doubt you'll remain hot & dry for very long on any given day.
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rightarmbad
Apr 30, 2007, 1:23 AM
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Registered: Mar 22, 2005
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No guns, no dickheads thinking that there is a god given right to have guns.
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bester
May 13, 2007, 12:22 AM
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you have a couple of gym's in Melbourne as well. hardrock in the eastern suburbs is one of the best
I was born in Melbourne but moved to Sydney (job reasons) I like the fact in Sydney you can catch a train and 2 hours later you are in the blue mountains.
Melbourne is a lot cheaper to live than in Sydney (I am in balmain) also you don't feel like you are living ontop of everyone
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