If Sydney is the New York of Australia, then Melbourne is San Francisco. Melbourne is the food and music capital. Something for everyone’s taste and price range. The arts scene is high-brow, underground and everything in between. It’s a very good looking city and easy to get around; serviced by a reliable system of trams, trains and buses. There is a whole range of different eating and shopping and cultural experiences in different pockets of the city and surrounds.
On the whole, it is cheaper to live in Melbourne than in comparable Australian cities. The average house price in March 2010 was $482,000 in Melbourne and $585,000 in Sydney. Private schools are also less expensive. Melbourne Grammar is often said to be the best school in town- or even in Australia. In 2009 Grammar candidates earned a median ‘Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance’ rank of 93.95. Melbourne is a top spot for migrants who want to teach or study. There are 9 universities, a selection of performing arts academies as well as TAFE courses and night classes in almost anything you can think of.
Many European migrants choose a move to Melbourne because it has familiar seasons; all four of them. Spring is blossoms and bulbs and the Fashion Festival. Summers are warm to hot. Autumn is gorgeous, crisp clear days and trees every shade of red and gold. Winter is cool, but not too cold. There’s an occasional frost in May and June. You can even go skiing only 120 kilometres away at Lake Mountain.
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