Top 5 Reasons to Move to Melbourne

Are you thinking of moving to Melbourne? Here are our top five reasons why you should!

1. Coffee
2. Food
3. Education
4. Sport capital of Australia
5. Music, theatre, museums and the arts

1. Coffee

Melbourne has a love affair with coffee like no other city in Australia. Coffee in Melbourne is not just good, it is great! Consistently voted in the top 5 cities globally for coffee, the coffee culture in Melbourne is second to none.

Back in the 1880’s the Temperance movement was persuading people to forgo alcohol and successfully pushed for public bars to close at 6pm. This in turn led to the development of coffee palaces, such as The Federal Hotel and Coffee Palace. The Federal was a large and imposing building in the centre of the city that became the social hub of the city… and all without alcohol!

The first espresso machines found their way to Melbourne in the 1930’s, and with the help of Melbourne’s large Greek and Italian populations, our café culture was established. Melburnians will not suffer bad coffee, so from small suburban coffee shops to funky inner city laneways, you will be sure to find a good cup. Some of our favourites are:

Aunty Peg’s
200 Wellington Street
Collingwood, VIC 3066

Auction Rooms Café
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne, VIC 3051

The Hamptons Bakery Café
427 Hampton St
Hampton, VIC 3188

Shamble Coffee Brewers
423 Little Collins St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

The Hills Pantry
190 Jells Rd
Wheelers Hill, VIC 3150

If just going to a fabulous café for your coffee isn’t enough, why not try a course at the Melbourne Coffee Academy? From making a basic espresso to latte art to a Barista masterclass, you are sure to find the right course for you. Visit www.melbournecoffeeacademy.com.au to learn more.

2. Food

If you are moving to Melbourne the very first thing you must try is a hot jam doughnut, sure you can get jam doughnuts everywhere but buying them hot is very much a Melbourne specialty. Nowhere else in Australia, let alone the world, are these hot sugary delights available from food trucks, fish and chip shops or local sporting grounds.

Some of the very best come from:

American Doughnut Kitchen
Queen Victoria Market Food Court
www.americandoughnutkitchen.com.au

Dandee Donuts
39 Clow St, Dandenong
www.dandeedonuts.com.au

Now that you have realised the joy of a hot jam doughnut, it is time to check out the rest of the food on offer in Melbourne. With such an ethnically diverse population it is no surprise that the range of food available in Melbourne is immense. Whilst in the city centre you can try so many different foods, sometimes it is good to head out to the suburbs to find the very best of a particular cuisine.

Vietnamese:

The Vietnamese community in Melbourne is concentrated across four suburbs, Springvale, St Albans, Footscray and Richmond.

In Springvale head to:

Pho Hung Vuong
2/15 Balmoral Ave, Springvale

In Richmond try:

Loi Loi
364 Victoria St, Richmond

Greek:

Oakleigh is a suburb synonymous with the Greek community in Melbourne. The majority of food on offer is also Greek!

For breakfast try:

Nikos
25-27 Portman St, Oakleigh

For lunch:

Kalimera Souvlaki Art
41 Chester ST, Oakleigh

For dinner:

Mezedakia
12-18 Chester St, Oakleigh

For something sweet:

Mykonos Crepes and Café
58 Portman St, Oakleigh

Chinese:

Box Hill and Glen Waverley – pretty much any restaurant or café in these two suburbs with provide you with some of the best Chinese cuisine you have ever tried outside of China!

To move away from the main stream you can also try the following cuisines:

Eritrean

Little Africa
358 Victoria St, North Melbourne

Croatian

Katarina Zrinsk
72 Whitehall St, Footscray

Polish

Kluska
161 Foster St, Dandenong

From the best buffets (The Conservatory), to more meat than you can handle (Meat & Wine Co), to vegan (Smith & Daughters) to bagels (Glick’s Bakery), Melbourne has you covered!

3. Education

Education in Victoria is compulsory for all children aged from 6-17 years old. The majority of children start when they are 5 or turning 5 on or before 30^th April of the year they are eligible. Whilst pre-school is not compulsory it is highly recommended.

Primary School:

Primary school classes in Victoria are divided into Prep and Years 1 to 6. Your child will usually go to the local primary school closest to where you live. You can also choose to send your child to a different government school (if they have a spot available) or to a non-government school.

A non-government school is sometimes called a private school, an independent school or a Catholic school. They are not part of the government system and have their own enrolment processes and costs. Fees at independent schools can range from a few hundred to $15000 plus per year.

Secondary School:

Secondary school in Victoria is divided into Years 7 to 12. Years 7 to 10 follow the Victorian Curriculum F-10, and students in Years 11 and 12 complete the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

There are other options available to students not wishing to complete their VCE including, Vocational Education and Training (VET) or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

Once again your child will usually go to the local secondary school closest to where you live. You can also choose to send your child to a different government school (if they have a spot available) or to a non-government school.

The majority of government secondary schools are open to all students living within the neighbourhood zone, however there are some selective entry government schools including:

• Melbourne High School
• The Mac Robertson Girls High School
• Nossal High School
• Suzanne Cory High School
• John Monash Science School
• Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences

Universities

As far as universities go the University of Melbourne ranks as one of the top 50 universities worldwide, and is the number 1 ranked university in Australia. It is home to 45000 students and 6500 members of staff. Monash University is ranked 5^th out of all the Australian universities and has 5 campuses in Victoria. So whatever the level of education you are after, Melbourne will meet your needs.

4. Sports capital of Australia

Melbourne is sports-mad, and home to some of the world’s best sporting events and venues, but you don’t need to be world class to get involved! Throughout the city you will find local sporting clubs and teams, and you are sure to find the right one for you and your family.

From our favourite Australian Rules Football to tennis, golf, netball, surfing, rugby union, rugby league, basketball, soccer, F1 racing, horse racing and of course cricket there is enough sport on in Melbourne to keep fans happy.

The iconic MCG is walking distance from the central business district and throughout the summer you can go to international cricket (test matches, one day matches and T20 matches), domestic cricket and the fast paced and highly entertaining Big Bash League. The Boxing Day Test is an event not to be missed!

From April through to October, the MCG and Marvel Stadium (also walking distance from the central business district) you will be able to head along and support your favourite AFL team during the 23 round home and away season. The AFL Grand Final is played a the “G” in front of roughly 100000 people, and in Victoria we love our AFL so much that we even get a public holiday for Grand Final Eve.

Speaking of public holidays for a sporting event, the first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup Day, the horse race that stops the nation.

Other major sporting events include:

• The Australian Open Tennis Tournament
• The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
• Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
• Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (cycling)
• Spring Racing Carnival
• Eureka Stair Climb
• Melbourne to Hobart Ocean Yacht Race

5. Music, theatre, museums and the arts

Given that Victorians love going to sporting matches you might be inclined to think that we are not the cultured type. However you would be wrong!

Opera, comedy, jazz, museums, art galleries, street art, musical theatre, street buskers, folk festivals to international mega stars, Melbourne has it all!

Visit the following links to find the next event for you:

https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/

For more information about how you can move to Melbourne: Visit https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/discover/melbourne-victoria/why-melbourne

With so much to see, do and be involved in, Melbourne is a fantastic place to live… what are you waiting for?

If you are considering moving to Melbourne we can help make your move simple, and stress-free. Click here for your free quote online, or on 1800 066 846 to speak to one of our friendly team about your interstate move today.

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