Gosh, aren't these Ozzies nice people?

[ghosty]

Have been in Melbourne since Friday, checking out suburbs, sights, schools etc .... and you know, these Ozzies are REALLY REALLY nice people
Coming from NZ with not many Aussies in my acquaintance (apart from some cousins I don't know) my view of Australians has been somewhat tarnished by the slightly paranoid attitude of kiwis (don't want to offend any kiwis - you know I love 'em, will be one myself very soon) .... and apart from the odd Aussie mumsnetter who is always very kind, I wasn't sure WHAT to expect ....
Anyway, Melbourne is a fab city .... it feels very European, the spring weather is toptastic, the trams are wonderful, lovely shops and cafes, and loads of little nooks and crannies of loveliness everywhere you turn. The people are soooooo friendly and chatty - have been helped on and off (buggy and toddler) every tram I have been on - people falling over themselves to help, smiling and waving me on my way .... all shiney happy people .... wow!
Dead trendy too ... which scares me a bit because I am not used to trendy ... but maybe it will kick me up the backside a bit and drag me out of mumsiness and back to the old me .... well, sort of
And the best bit? I met a mumsnetter today ... Melbournemum .... .... what a lovely lady - she drove miles to meet me, had a coffee together and a lovely mooch round a children's farm .... she was also so very lovely and friendly and I feel so good that I have my first RL friend in Melbourne ... If you read this MM - thanks for today ... it meant a lot
Mumsnet is a fantastic thing isn't it? Meet someone on the internet, talk to them, meet them in RL in a foreign city and she is the real deal (not a hairy trucker at all! )
I think I might like it here

awww ghosty ... if you grin any wider your face'll split

Melbourne is fab isn't it? I loved it there, brilliant market off the main street iirc.

I love Melbourne, I lived there for 3yrs and if I was going to move back to Oz I would live in Melly B for sure.

As for aussies we are lovely aren't we , I'm from Perth but live in London now. I'm stuggling to meet some other aussies over here as I do miss them alot! Mind you I have met some really nice kiwis.

naff off ghosty.

I'm fed up in grey, wet Blighty, autumn decay is upon us and I want Summer back!

We got the green light from our visa people yesterday and the forms are in the post to us, will take a while but we should be in sunny oz in the not too distant future. Perth though, not Melbourne.

my absolute pleasure can't stop laughing at the image of me as a hairy trucker - a rather fetching thought for my dh I'm sure, just off to tell him
Can also vouch for Ghosty's not being a Ghost at all but quite real and particularly lovely. Very excited to have you and your gorgeous ds and dd here (soon)!!! whoops, and dh of course! Hope to be able to show you guys the beachy neck of the woods before you leave.
Melbourne IS a wonderful city and made more wonderful by making friends through fab sites like mn. I also met another mumsnetter in rl last week and it was just great (hi Tangox3 if you are reading, I've emailed you!) So, any mumsnetters, do drop in if you're passing, we really are a rather friendly lot Down Under

Aw gee MelbourneMum .... re. me being loverly ... you shouldn't, you really shouldn't

lucifercat ... don't be cross - I miss England ... I do ....

I just spoke to the enrolment lady of a kindergarten on the phone just now and she chatted to me like I was her oldest friend .... just so friendly - bit overwhelmed really

Sounds great. Hope they are as nice in Sydney

Quokka- are younamed after those funny rodents on Rottnest? Went there when we visited friends lving in Floreat.

pooka I prefer not to call them rodents! More like a small wallaby - sounds much better!

SittingBull I'm in Gunnersbury, right on the edge of Chiswick and Acton. All the aussies around here are backpackers without children

Bugger we thought of moving there!

buying, but we're thinking of getting a bigger place. If dh office moves then we will move to east sussex.

Hows sunny california?

of course

They looked quite rat-like to me!
What a gorgeous place though - aaaah,wish I was there now.

Melbourne is a fantastic city isn't it. My sister lives there and when we went to visit earlier this year we really fell in love with it. Both DP and I couldn't stop going on about how friendly everyone is.

I think you'll love it there Ghosty.

well until it comes to sport and then we hate the kiwis and the poms - and it is such a hard choice of who to support when kiwis play the poms

hi there. glad you're having such a good time ghosty! Melbourne is fab isn't it? you're going to love it there I'm sure. have you had any thoughts on where you'd like to live once you arrive? enjoy the rest of your stay .

CaliforniaFrau ... I shall endeavour to avoid your EMIL like the plague ....

Ah yes, the sport, eidsvold .... DH got a fantastic All Blacks fleece as a leaving present from the office in Auckland ... he got quite a lot of grief walking down the street wearing it the other day I have to say .... but all in good spirit (DH just had to remind people that the All Blacks WON the Bledisloe Cup ..... ) ....
Of course, we, as a family will be totally torn - being British by birth and Kiwis by adoption .... what will DS do with his England Strip when he starts playing soccer here ???????

Where to live? That is the question ... we were sort of hooked on the Surrey Hills area (nice area, bit pricey but with lots of character etc, lovely schools, reasonable commute for DH to work .... he doesn't work in the CBD, which is a bit of a pain because we would have more choice if he did) but then today we drove through and area called Ivanhoe which seemed lovely too .... more north than east ....
We have seen 4 fabulous schools in the last 2 days .... loved all of them - and they are in the Surrey Hills area .... but DH will have to look on his own at the schools in Ivanhoe after we go back to NZ on sunday.

One of the biggest differences between NZ and Aus that I can see at this point is that in NZ there is a HUGE emphasis on Maori culture (which I love) and in Aus there seems very little signs of Aboriginal culture (as a cultural identity of the whole country) ... which I think is a shame - it seems to be more a tourist pull rather than a national identity like in NZ ....
I don't know the ins and outs of that yet at this point (I will make it a mission to find out more about the history and culture of Aus like I did in NZ) but would love an Aussie perspective on this point .....

please people in Aus tell me what a little boy is? (kath & kim fan)

ghosty...I think you sould come to SA. No-one comes here !

Very hard to have a mn meet up with just yourself!

sob sob