Relocating to Melbourne at Thirty: Week One

Hey team,

While this started as a little photo outlet and travel blog while I’ve been away, I figured it will make a useful space for our relocation diaries.

We’ve been in Melbourne for nearly a week and I’ve been very quiet! That’s mostly because I have no major update. We’ve had to knuckle down and do all the boring admin bits to become fully-fledged humans.

So, here’s a rundown of all the boring/useful things I now know, having moved here from London.

Accommodation:

We’ve been staying with a friend of mine in Flemington and I am very grateful as Melbs is expensive. The only snag is he doesn’t have wifi so we needed phones with data asap. Flemington is a great spot just outside the city, it’s quiet and tree-lined, about 30 mins train outside of the CBD. If we lived here long term, I’d happily live out in the suburbs.

FYI. Airbnb’s for 2 people (a whole place rather than a room in a house) are around £90 - £110 a night at the cheapest, so it’s not sustainable for a long stay. We’ve booked an Airbnb in St Kilda for a week to explore (and give my friend his room back!) but my credit card is crying. This leads into my next FYI. The rental market in Melbourne is spicy at the moment. We’re looking for sublets as we can’t commit to a year, but everyone is looking right now. Rooms are going within hours and above the advertised price. Cue anxiety bunny.

Transport:

Turns out that you can’t tappy tappy in Melbs. You’ll have to grab a Myki card (basically an Oyster for us Londoners). The card costs $6 and you can top it up from an app on your phone. Easy!

Phone numbers and data:

We both got Felix accounts. It’s a SIM-only mobile plan and there’s an e-SIM option which gives you an Australian phone number. If your phone is new enough to support an e-SIM this is much easier. No need to change or swap physical cards. A Felix account is $35 a month, with unlimited data and unlimited calls and texts. We could sort this all online and it was super quick.

Bank Accounts:

Up was recommended to us by a friend as it’s very similar to Monzo in that it’s all App based. We were able to create accounts without having to provide proof of address. You will need to provide an address, but won’t have to faff around with documentation. The only snag was you need an Aussie phone number, so do this first!

TFN:

To get paid out here you need to apply for a Tax File Number, our equivalent of a National Insurance Number. This was pretty easy to apply for, but you have to be in the country, so can’t do it before you arrive. You’ll need a postal address, but not proof of address.

Staying sane/working out:

Yeah, this got a section! For anyone who knows me, I use exercise to stay on top of my stress. Relocating involves stress? Who knew. Anyway, I found an amazing Pilates studio called Flow Lab on ClassPass. While I’ve got mixed feelings about ClassPass (I can bore everyone later!) it’s a great way to find gyms and studios in a new city, plus you usually get a free trial (or a few if you have a new phone number…).

Flow Lab is a beautiful boutique Pilates studio in Moonee Ponds, which is just North of Flemington. The studio is small and intimate, so we got 100% of our instructor’s attention. There are also infrared saunas and ice baths… it’s boujee. This is actually the first reformer class I’ve done that wasn’t a 1Rebel. I felt surprisingly exposed without the thumping bass and strobe lights but felt like a million dollars afterwards. I would definitely become a regular tomorrow if I knew I would be living locally, that’s how much I enjoyed the vibe and instructors.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to run a couple of times a week, which manages the anxiety bunnies a little. Maybe this will become an Aussie fitness blog while I ClassPass my way around Melbourne….

Job Hunting:

My favourite! I joke. I’ve not had to properly job hunt for years, but if you need us, we’ll be frantically job and flat hunting in a lovely cafe in Flemington. And I’ve just ordered banana bread. Byeeeeeeeee!