Melbourne, HELP!

[isaidahiphop]

hi. Name changed as this will be identifying After much toing and froing... looks like we are off to Melbourne early next year, covid permitting. DH has Aussie passport, rest of us are brits from London. We will be renting for at least the first year and want to keep costs down. Would love to live centrally and or near the beach but we have dogs...

Also need to get DDs into schools - one is 6, other is 9. From what I understand the elder will have to move schools after 2021 as she will have her last year in primary, this makes me think I need to put her in a private school that goes all the way through so she doesn't have 2 moves in the space of 2 years. Any ideas on this would be greatly appreciated. She is bright and arty, a bit alternative. Ideally I want them both in the same school and definitely coed - I thought Melbourne Montessori looked interesting.

Any tips on where to live with hounds and children would be ACE. Rents look pretty steep but we could squash up a bit for the first year before we buy.
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What's your budget? Melbourne is quite expensive. Also if you want to buy later you might want to stay in the same suburb.

Haven't quite figured it out as yet. This is all happening rather quickly. (We thought we would be in another country altogether) We will be paying our rent so I want to keep it manageable but also want beach and school

Looking at all rentals for a house in central Melbourne with 'pets allowed' criteria leaves about 20 houses

eeeeeek

I think early next year is unlikely because of covid tbh. Melbourne still in strict lockdown. They're issuing visas but that doesn't mean you'll actually be able to travel.

You really need to fix a budget and work from there.

I live centrally near the beach (Albert Park area) and decent 3-bed rentals are around $1500 per week minimum. To buy you would need around $2m+.

Williamstown area is a bit cheaper (still not cheap) or you can move further out, towards Point Cook one way or Mornington the other way.

Melbourne also has some of the strictest lockdown rules and even citizens are finding it hard to get flights back
There are no international flights coming into Melbourne at the moment and that doesn't look like changing soon.

I thought there was a change to rental rules recently, and landlords have to allow pets - but I might be wrong!

Good luck

I can't imagine anyone moving UK to Melbourne in the near future tbh, would love to be proven wrong 😊

I am in Sydney so can't help with schools etc. but what I would say from my experience of moving here with three children is that once kids get settled in schools, local sport teams etc. it becomes quite difficult to move far so choose wisely. We ended up buying one suburb away from where we initially rented for 18 months as it would have been too disruptive for the kids to move further. Private schools that go from K-12 or younger also make life easier. At one stage I had kids in pre-school, Y3 and Y9, being in the same school really helped their relationships - they are all still really close now even though two are adults - and was so convenient for me.

You are spoiled for choice with private girls schools. They are mostly in the eastern/south eastern corridor so if you start on that side of the coast on a map (i.e. Port Melbourne) and work your way out, depending on how close to the city you wish to be and what you can afford, it's a safe bet.

Beaches around Melbourne are bay beaches not ocean beaches, you won't get surf like you see on TV in Bondi etc. The water's bloody freezing too. I love the coast and wouldn't live anywhere else though, the air is so much fresher.

I'm not sure about your eldest's transition to high school, generally kids have turned or are turning 12 as they finish primary (year 6). You daughter would need to be 12 by the end of April in the year she starts high school unless special arrangements are in put in place if she's advanced. Many kids will be turning 13 at the start of year 7.

Sorry, I re-read your OP and see you want a co-ed, that narrows it down a bit. Check out Wesley, Carey and Caulfield Grammar schools, all quite accessible from beachside suburbs (Carey less so). Wesley has a great rep for pastoral care.

Thanks @BinkyandBunty! What about government primary schools in suburbs near the beach? Basically my wish list is - great coed primary, garden, 3 beds, beach nearby, for around $1000 a week. But a vaguely cool area, ie. not super suburban... It is the dogs that cause the issue. But no we would never move without them. Can you think of a coolish area with a lovely school that we might like in our budget? I am reading a lot on the homely website which is helpful.

Just reread my wishlist, I am probably dreaming

Don't worry about the dogs, as a pp said a landlord isn't allowed to refuse pets.

St Kilda is the most edgy of the bayside suburbs, a great hub for shopping, eating out etc. The late night vibe is probably too much for most families to actually live amongst but neighbouring suburbs eg. Middle Park and Elwood are lovely and quiet, so you have the best of both worlds. They are high socio-economic areas which almost always = great state schools.

South Melbourne and Port Melbourne also have beaches and lots of amenities, very close to the city.

Williamstown is probably within budget if you're not after anything too fancy, I'm not sure I would describe it as cool but Melbourne itself is super cool so my bar is high! It's has great state schools and a lovely villagey feel. As its a tourist hotspot in good weather there's a huge variety of cafes, restaurants and shops. Famous for being dog friendly too!

@BinkyandBunty brilliant thank you! will look at all suggestions

This might help.

www.myschool.edu.au/

@isaidahiphop

Looking at all rentals for a house in central Melbourne with 'pets allowed' criteria leaves about 20 houses

eeeeeek

I moved to Sydney with pets ten years ago. You should ignore rentals that specifically say “no pets” but you do not need to look for ones that say “pets allowed”. Very few make a point of saying that, but the ones that do not mention pets at all, will more often than not accept pets.