Moving to Melbourne (VIC)

Many people who move to Melbourne find that Melbourne’s lower house prices, lower crime rates, better transport and lower humidity make it more livable than its rival Sydney.

Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city with four million residents. Its the sports, arts and cultural capital of Australia. Its numerous lane-ways of house bars, cafes and restaurants are covered in street art. Its renowned for its coffee culture!

It has four seasons in one day, which is very similar to New Zealand, but it also benefits from a warm climate. It sits on the banks of the Yarra River, which is set up with picnic spots that are regularly used. It’s multicultural and has large pockets of Greek, Italian, Chinese, and Indian residents. It’s home to the University of Melbourne and Monash University. It’s ranked as one of the world’s top cities for students.

It’s an expensive city to live in, but not as expensive as Sydney (Australia’s largest city). It has a great tram system that makes it really easy to get around. First-rate surf beaches are just a small drive out of town.

Population: 4,000,000 people
Climate: four seasons in one day, warm in summer, cold in winter
First Home Buyer Award: $10,000
Top draw cards: world-class shopping, sporting, cultural activities, and festivals ensure you will never be bored.
Public Transport: tram, train, buses and cars

The Economy

Melbourne is Australia’s fastest-growing city, and predictions show it will soon be the largest. It needs the skills of 35,000 new people from overseas each year to work in its growing economy. A number of global businesses are setting up headquarters within the city’s bustling economy, and there are a lot of jobs. It’s also Australia’s tech capital.

Melbourne’s Pros:

• Sporting capital of the world
• Always plenty to do
• Amazing places a day trip away
• Delicious food, plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from
• Hip, cool and full of culture
• Diverse population
• Generally friendly people, safe suburbs, clean
• Top Beaches

Melbourne’s Cons:

• Weather is unpredictable and cold in winter
• It’s expensive to live, rent and buy groceries
• Traffic sucks
• Real estate prices are booming
• Water shortages happen

Introduction to Melbourne

Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, is the capital city of the state of Victoria. Melbourne is located at Port Philip Bay and is known as the cultural capital of Australia. This name is credited to Melbourne due to its Victorian architecture, museums, theatres, galleries, large gardens, parks and shopping centres. The residents count up to four million, most of whom are sports lovers and multicultural in origin. Melbourne is surrounded by various tourist attractions, such as the Grampians National Park, Great Ocean Road and Philip Island, which hosts a penguin parade. These and other sporting events are the main reasons visitors visit Melbourne. If you are considering moving to Melbourne, you will be glad to know that it is a happening and lively place.

Districts of Melbourne

Melbourne is classified into two regions, namely Central Melbourne and Metropolitan Melbourne.

Central Melbourne consists of the following sub-regions:

City Center

Popularly known as Melbourne’s Central Business District, it is surrounded by the Yarra River in the north and by the new Docklands precinct in the west. Central Melbourne has great restaurants, pubs, and clubs. The lively atmosphere and good public transport facilities are factors that make Melbourne stand apart as an amazing city to reside in. It is regularly voted the most livable city and attracts more people to move to Melbourne.

South Bank

Is known for theatre, arts, the Crown casino, operas and fine restaurants.

St Kilda

Has sunny beaches, bars and some good nightlife to offer.

South Melbourne

Includes Clarendon Street and historic ports.

Inner North

Is the University district and is known for its authentic Italian cuisine and culture.

Inner East

It is the Bohemian quarter, which includes the working class, many boutiques, ethnic Vietnamese cuisine, and good pubs.

Stonnington

It is Melbourne’s upper-class neighbourhood with exquisite dining and shopping.

Metropolitan Melbourne includes the following sub-regions:

Eastern Suburbs

They stretch from the inner suburbs of Hawthorn, Camberwell, and Kew to the outer cities of the Dandenong Ranges and Maroondah.

Northern Suburbs

Cover Broadmeadows, Epping, Nillumbik Shire, Bundoora, Tullamarine and South Morang.

Western Suburbs

This includes areas such as Point Cook, Werribee, Caroline Springs, Melton, Sunshine, Keilor, Footscray, Altona, and Sydenham.

South Eastern Suburbs

The project extends along the coast of Port Philip Bay, covering areas such as Elwood, Frankston, Brighton, Dandenong, and Frankston.

Climate of Melbourne

The weather in Melbourne varies considerably during the late autumn and early spring. Melbourne receives about 600mm of annual rainfall, which is almost half of the rain received by Sydney annually. The maximum rains occur in Melbourne in October. An average summer day in Melbourne has a temperature of about 26 C to 30 C. The warmest temperatures are recorded in the inner suburbs and the coastal areas that enjoy a refreshing sea breeze. Despite the warm summer days, humidity is not a problem; hence, the night temperatures are always comfortable. Thunderstorms are more common in summer than in winter. Winter generally combines cool, damp conditions and clear sunny weather. The winter temperatures can be chilly at night, as low as 2 C, and at times can reach as high as 19 C during the day. The lowest temperature recorded in Melbourne was -2.8C (27F) in 1869. The highest temperature ever recorded in Melbourne was 46.4C. The hills located in the east of the city usually experience a snow shower every winter. Melbourne has the most pleasant weather during the autumn and spring, with daytime highs around 20 C.

Geography of Melbourne

Melbourne is located in the southeastern part of Australia. It is built on the convergence of the Quaternary to the west, Holocene sand accumulation along Port Philip and Silurian mudstones to the east. The southeastern suburbs of Melbourne are located on the Selwyn Fault that splits Mount Martha and Cranbourne. The city extends towards the Dandenong Ranges in the east, to Pakenham, towards West Gippsland, and to Yarra Valley along the Yarra River, northwards through the Bushland valleys. Towards the south, it extends through the Dandenong Creek Valley, the Mornington Peninsula and the city of Frankston, covering the Olivers Hills, Arthurs Seat and Mount Martha. In the west, it extends along the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries.

The major beaches of Melbourne are located in the southeastern suburbs, in areas such as Albert Park, St Kilda, Brighton, Port Melbourne, Elwood, Sandringham, and Frankston. The nearest surf beaches are located in the back beaches of Sorrento, Port Sea, and Rye, which are 85 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD.

Culture of Melbourne

Melbourne is known as an international cultural centre. It is the birthplace of Australian contemporary dance forms such as New Vogue and Melbourne Shuffle styles, as well as of Australian football, television and movies. The other cultural credits are the Heidelberg School of Impressionism and the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia’s largest and oldest public art museum. Melbourne is the second city to be declared a UNESCO City of Literature. As per the survey done by the Economist based on the broad cultural attributes, it has been credited thrice with the title of the world’s most livable city.

What’s happening in Melbourne now

Here are the main websites for Melbourne, with information on what’s happening in the city right now. Enjoy the amazing array of events currently happening around the city.

Guide to Melbourne: Melbourne is Australia’s mecca for trendy and tasty things. The city offers exquisite dining, exhilarating sports and abundant opportunities to experience art. A perfect blend of rich cultural history and new-age trends is waiting for you in Melbourne. As the sun goes down, the city comes to life with a vibrant dining scene, events, and exhibitions. Explore its bustling laneways, trendy neighbourhoods and sophisticated foodie scene to get a taste of what Melbourne is all about. Getting to Melbourne, when to visit and accessibility.

Melbourne, Every Bit Different: The play on, and on, and on a bit. This is the bit where we go mega-gigantic-big and talk about EVENTS. Our calendar is so jammed-packed year-round with major exclusives that there’s barely time to breathe. Think the Australian Open, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Formula 1 and more. The list goes on and on. And on. And on. And you know the best thing? They’re all either in the CBD, or so close that coming for an event isn’t just about doing one thing, it’s about doing all the things. World-class restaurants, arts, live music, bars, fashion and fun, fun. Are you heading out for an adventure in the region? There are outdoor, music, foodie and sporting events in every corner of the state. So, come for the big bit, but stay and play for all the other bits too.

More Information on Melbourne

The city of Melbourne has two airports. The Melbourne airport has both international and domestic flights. The Avalon airport is exclusive for domestic flights. There is good intercity and out-of-city connectivity via public transport systems such as taxis, buses, trams, and rail. All intercity trains from interstate and intrastate operate from the Southern Cross Station, which was formerly known as the Spencer Street Station. It is located in the west of Melbourne’s central business district. Bus services from out of state to Melbourne are provided by Greyhound and Firefly Express, and V/line provides this facility to those within the state. Melbourne can be reached by ship from Devenport, Tasmania. There is a ship that runs every night in both directions, and the journey takes about ten hours.

Melbourne is undoubtedly one of Australia’s best cities to live and settle in. Adorned with a multicultural populace, it could be your ideal city to settle in Australia.

If you are looking for more information on Melbourne, you can visit http://wikitravel.org/en/Melbourne. This includes information on getting into and around Melbourne, what to see, do, learn, buy, eat, drink, sleep, contact, getting out, and staying safe in Melbourne.

You might be interested in…

The below posts might interest you:

• Find a house to buy or rent in Australia
• Jobs in Australia
• Moving to Australia process

Still got unanswered questions?

If you’ve read the above content and the answer to your question isn’t there, please write a comment below, and I’ll research the answer for you.

Can I help you find something else?

If you need advice on moving to Australia from New Zealand, I’ve created a helpful little questionnaire to point you in the right direction. It takes less than 30 seconds, so give it a go!