Monday, June 17, 2013

Melbourne FAQs

As Daniel and I have been sharing the news of our impending move to Melbourne, we've gotten lots of questions, ranging from ones about the city of Melbourne itself, the moving process, and what our lives will be like once we arrive . Particular ones come up over and over again, so I thought I'd collect them here for a handy dandy one stop guide to our FAQs :)

1. Where is Melbourne?
Melbourne is located in southeastern Australia, in the state of Victoria (good name, right?) It is the capital of Victoria. The city sits at the top of Port Phillip, a natural bay that you can actually spot on a world map, it's the little dip up at the very tip of the Australian continent.

2. How big is Melbourne?
Melbourne is home to somewhere around 4,246,345 people (according to Wikipedia), making it the most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia (Sydney beats it out at an estimated population of 4,667,283.)

3. What is Melbourne like?
Melbourne (at least as far as we can tell from our research) is a vibrant urban center. It is known as the cultural capital of Australia, and is home to numerous art, music and theater venues, as well as some of Australia's most famous sporting venues and events.  The city also has an impressive food scene, including a special emphasis on artisan coffee (a huge plus for Daniel and me!)

4. Do kangaroos wander the streets in Melbourne? (Yes, we've actually been asked this.)
No, they do not. Kangaroos, much like most wild animals, have no desire to be in areas crowded with people, buildings, and cars.

5. What is the weather like in Melbourne?
As far as we can tell, weather in Melbourne is fairly moderate. Summer is from December to February, with the average temperature during that time being around 78 degrees. Winter is from June to August, and the average temperature is around 57 degrees.

 6. How far is Melbourne from Sydney?
Melbourne is about 8 hours by car from Sydney.

7. Does Melbourne have public transportation?
Yes, they have a system consisting of trams, buses, and trains. Taxis are also available, though apparently quite expensive. We will be using the public transport system extensively, as we are not planning to have a vehicle while living in the city.

8. What currency does Australia use?
Australia uses the Australian dollar. The exchange varies day to day, but for the last few years it is has generally been worth a tiny amount more than the US dollar.

9. What time is it in Melbourne?
Melbourne is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time in the United States, meaning if it is 1:00 am Eastern time in the United States, it is 3:00 pm in Melbourne on the same calendar day.

9. Will your baby have dual citizenship since she will be born in Australia?
No. The United States is somewhat unusual in granting citizenship solely for being born on its soil. Australia does not grant automatic citizenship to children born to foreign citizens, however, if we stayed for the majority of our child's first 10 years, then on her 10th birthday she would be granted Australian citizenship. Since we're coming back in no more than three years, that won't happen...we'll have an all American baby, plain and simple. :)

10. Are you taking things from the US to Melbourne?
Yes, though we aren't taking much. Due to the cost of shipping, we've decided to store all of our furniture as well as most of our household goods while we are in Melbourne. We will replace the most essential items once we have an apartment in the city. So we'll mainly be taking things like clothes, books, DVDs, games, and sentimental items with us from the States.

Have more questions for us? Let us know in the comments! :D

~Victoria




3 comments:

  1. I am so glad you're doing this! It's such a once in a lifetime thing y'all get to do, and I am so happy you've decided to do thus blog :)

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    1. Thanks, Rachel! We are super excited...it's an opportunity we never thought we'd have! :)

      Congrats on the beautiful new niece, btw. ;)

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  2. I especially like question #9. Since Alex and I are night people, arranging online/phone call chats should be easy... whichever is more convenient for y'all and less expensive for us. :)

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