Melbourne #1

For the next year or so I'll be on my year abroad in Melbourne, Australia. I'll be completing my final year of studies at the University of Melbourne (unimelb for short), and I'm going to try document/summarise what I get up to through these blog posts. There will be a lot to learn and take in, new experiences to be had and places to explore, so I hope you enjoy the content over the next year!

Melbourne - Initial Thoughts

As I'm writing this blog in my 3rd week of staying in Melbourne, I've had some time to adjust and get used to the new city. Overall, I'd say Melbourne is quite similar to London, in terms of size, diversity and layout. It has the CBD (otherwise known as the city centre), and spreading out from that are various other regions and suburbs. I would say that it doesn't feel as sprawling as London, but that may be because I'm staying in a fairly central location. Melbourne is known for it's culture, arts, sports and coffee culture, and from the short while I've been here I can see why! There's always something happening in Melbourne, whatever you're interested in.

Transport & Infrastructure

Melbourne seems to be more car-centric than London (especially further away from the city centre), as things are more spread out over a greater area. However navigating within the city is straightforward, with buses, trains and trams at your disposal. The latter is definitely the most popular way of getting around in the city, with Melbourne having a well established tram network. This took some getting used to at first, but Google Maps is a useful tool to plan your journey and stops. The trams run on the same road as regular traffic, so what I found a bit strange was that when you get off a tram, you could be walking into oncoming traffic (so always check before you get off!).

General infrastructure in the city is great. When possible I like to walk, and the wide pavements and crossings make it easy to do so. I also noticed that Melbs has a lot more greenery than back home, both where I'm staying and on the streets. I've seen a fair few people cycle too, and there's plenty of cycle lanes that you can use to do so. I'm not too far from uni campus, so walking is a good option for me.

I haven't used the buses yet, but they also serve the city. The trains can take you futher out beyond the reach of the trams e.g. if you want to go to the beach or the suburbs. Access to all public transport in Victoria (the state that Melbs is located in), is done through your myki card (for the Londoners out there, it's the same as an oyster card). You can top it up with credit in advance, and then tap on.

Amenities

Being a big city, I've had no problems finding things that I needed to buy once I got here. Melbourne has everything. For my weekly grocery shopping, there's a few options of supermarkets: Woolworths, Kmart, Coles & Aldi. Kmart also sells things like bedding, utensils and other homeware at reasonable prices, so it's great for students. For other things, such as clothes, or specific ingredients, you'll find lots of shops in the CBD, so don't worry! Price wise, Melbourne is comparable to London.

Weather

This is one that I've been asked about a lot! As I've only just got here, I can't give a full picture of the climate, but so far I'm liking it! Australia have just come out of their summer season, so when I got here temperatures were in their mid 30's. What I have noticed is that the weather is very variable in Melbourne - hence the saying that you can get all 4 seasons in a day here! The temperature can jump a lot daily, and it can randomly rain, so always carry an umbrella. If you had to compare season for season with the UK, think of Melbourne as being London weather + 5/10 degrees as a rough guide.

The ozone layer is also a lot thinner over parts of Australia, and so when the sun is out you need to make sure you have sunscreen on, as it's a lot easier to burn. Wearing a cap and applying sunscreen has become part of my routine when it's warm, rather than something I can choose to do.

People & Culture

Whilst Melbourne is comparable to London in terms of size and scale, there is a difference in culture, in a good way :) I'm so far finding Melbourne more relaxed than London, reflected in the people I've interacted with generally being more friendly, chilled out and willing to have a conversation. This is definitely the case at unimelb too, where the lecturing style is more informal and conversational, making it easier to have a chat with your lecturer about anything. For exchange and international students this can help to calm the nerves and settle in. I think the good weather and proximity to the beach also adds to the culture here.

Melbourne is super diverse too, which I love. There's people from all over the world living, working and studying here, giving me the opportunity to learn from others and their background/traditions. This is the same at uni too, where my friends here are from all over the world and are studying a variety of courses.

In each of these blogs I'll try to cover a few themes/topics about my experience in Melbourne, but if you'd like to know anything in particular please leave a comment below!

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