MELBS 1sT-m

Melbourne, Aus (June 8-July 18, 2012)

It’s been just over a month since we posted an update so we figured it was probably about time we posted another one.

As mentioned before, leaving Christchurch was a bit of a challenge with a freak dump of snow but I think we were due for an obstacle. It’s not much of an adventure if things go right all the time. And the timing of the rescheduled flight was pretty cool in that the 8^th of June marked 7 months away from Calgary.

We arrived at our hostel in Melbourne close to midnight so we just settled into our room and went to bed soon after. The rest of the weekend was spent preparing to live and work here (new SIM cards, applying for TFNs [tax file numbers]), getting to know the city a bit and adjusting to hostel life once again. 

Panorama of Docklands

Adrian at Docklands

A fire at Federation Square. "Light the Night" month-long art initiative.

Hotel Discovery, the hostel we chose to stay at, was everything we needed it to be although it was a big change from the BBHs (Budget Backpacker Hostels) in NZ, which were much smaller, comfier, and accurately marketed as a “home away from home”. Some positives we drew out of it and took advantage of were the location (in the heart of the CBD [central business district aka downtown]), free breakfast, 200MB/day of wifi and the job agency. It also had a café, bar, and cinema on-site. Some things we had to adjust to were the dorms, noise, life in a pack and the packed kitchens. It wasn’t too bad after a week or two; it was more the initial transition from flat living to hostel living. We had it really good at 5 Gilby St in Christchurch. After a week or so we also ended up moving into our own room. It was obviously more expensive but starting work, we felt we needed our own space and a proper sleep.

The first two or three weeks were very challenging, frustrating and stressful at times. Not having the best of luck with work in Christchurch, we came to Melbourne with high hopes. We didn’t waste any time either. The first Monday was the Queen’s Birthday but Tuesday we were in full on (as they like to say in NZ) – registering with temp agencies, applying for jobs, etc. I was able to organize some networking opportunities as well thanks again to Dr. David Legg. He was in Melbs, Canberra and Sydney with a group of students for a field study similar to the one I went on 4 years ago throughout Europe. So I was able to meet with Meaghan Jeffrey with Tennis Australia/Australia Open and Jim Cail with AFL Victoria. Even if nothing came out of it right away it was great to meet them, learn about their positions and learn about sport in Victoria and Australia. And I say nothing right away because I’ve actually been shortlisted for a position with the Australian Open 2013 (*fingers crossed*, *knock on wood*, etc.).

Rod Laver Arena (tennis)

Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG, the "G" - seats ~100,000
(obv cricket and some AFL [Australian Football League aka footy])

While it was/is relatively easy for me to get work even it is just office support, Adrian struggled a bit. Before moving to Oz, we knew he needed a “white card” to work in construction but once again, most places wanted Adrian to be Australian-certified, etc.  So after doing some research and chatting with people he learned a forklift driver would make more and it would be more beneficial to put efforts into getting an Australian forklift license and then a job in warehouse work.  Luckily he was able to draw on past warehouse experience with Co-op. 

After getting his license, he was able to take advantage of work being offered through the job agency at the hostel and by the third (?) week in Melbourne he was working in a warehouse. It would be nice for him to keep building on his plumbing and gas fitting skills but at this point we’re both happy he has work. And that there is potential for him to keep the job until we are ready to move on.

I eventually got work too but I think it may go down as the worst job I have ever had. My position was a customer service representative for an electricity provider. I received in-bound phone calls about anything to do with company. The main reason they hired me was to answer calls about a communication piece they recently sent out to all customers about price increases due to the carbon tax the federal government was implementing. As you can imagine, these calls were not happy calls. In addition to these calls, I received other ones about bad salesmen experiences, calls accusing the company about signing them up and switching them up without their permission, bills being too high, etc. Some positives about the job were the location, co-workers were all about my age, hours were 9am-5pm. Unfortunately, those aspects couldn’t really justify the type of work I had to do. Three weeks was more than enough with that assignment and I am currently waiting to get a new one. 

Outside of work, we’ve spent our time getting to know the city and seeing the few friends we have here so far. The city of Melbourne is rated one of the world’s most liveable cities and it honestly has so much to offer. The CBD is always lively and has such a great vibe about it. The architecture is a mix of very old European and very modern funky designs, there are countless alleyways that are filled with artistic graffiti and cafes, fun shopping at the pedestrian-friendly Bourke St Mall, Queen Victoria Market which is a massive mix of a flea and farmer market… And the inner suburbs are so varied and great to check out on the weekends. We’ve spent the majority of our weekends with Paul & Louise, a couple from Portsmouth, England we met while traveling throughout New Zealand. It’s been nice to have some familiar faces in a city of over 4 million and do things that are on a backpacker budget.

Queen Victoria Market

A shot of the fruit & veg

Sunday kangaroo roast dinner courtesy of Paul & Louise

Entrance to Chinatown

Dessert @ Dessert Story in Chinatown.
Rice pudding soup; green tea snow ice w/ chocolate & red beans; snow ice w/ strawberries

Louise, the birthday girl

Last week we were able to make the exciting move into a flat. After 4.5 weeks in the hostel, the day couldn’t come soon enough, even if it was in the middle of the work week. The flat is sub-letted by a company called TravelandLive which provides short-term accommodation for what seems like a very manageable cost. We are located in the CBD with everything we may need in close proximity. Our flat is shared with another couple from Manchester around our age. In the building, there is a small gym, pool and hot tub which we are looking forward to really taking advantage of. It’s been a week in the place now and I think we’ll be very happy here for the next 5 months or so.

Living room. To the left is a desk & computer. To the right is the dining table.

Kitchen. To the left is the dining table. To the right is the hallway then desk & computer.

Our room. Ensuite is beside the closet to the left. Our own washroom again, yay!

Also recently, my friend and old flatmate Megan has arrived for five days as a preview trip before she moves here in September/October. Being in between work assignments has proven to be advantageous to catch-up and spend some time with Megan. The past few days, I’ve been a bit of a tour guide and giving advice of life in Melbourne (the little I can offer) but have also seen a lot of different areas that were on my list to check out. Not to mention some much-needed girl time! Adrian is hoping for some guy-time in August/September when his friend and flatmate Preston has hinted at coming downunda!

As we mentioned in the last update, we would like to update the blog every month or so and we will try to hold true to that. So stay tuned for life in Melbourne for the rest of the winter season. Alternatively, we are open for Skype dates again!