Help needed-Looking for housing in Melbourne, Australia


Status
Not open for further replies.

Golgotha

New Member
Aug 20, 2004
1,250
0
0
Melbourne/Singapore
Dear all,

Help needed-since Clubsnap has now become an international forum with members from many parts of the world. Thought this would be one place I can find help/advice.

I will be going to Melbourne, Australia for the next 2 years this coming July. I have yet to sort out my accomodation. I'm wondering if there's anyone here who are looking for flatmate/housemate or maybe a website where I can visit to check out.

In case you are wondering, I will be there to further my studies. ;)
And yes, money is definitely a problem. :cry:

Would appreciate if anyone out there can help.
 

Hmmm, you better get started. Check the major news website for housing. The location that you will be studying would more or less determine where you will be living unless you choose to buy a car.

My advice is (assuming that you are a guy :bsmilie: ) pack luggage that you need for 2-3 weeks, while packing the long terms things in boxes ready to ship. Go to Melbourne after booking in mid-term stay hotel first for 1-2 weeks. During this 1-2 weeks look for apartments or finalize the apartments. Note that by law you need 1 month of rent as deposit. Once you confirmed and move in, then ask you family to ship your stuff over, via air (if you got $$$) else you will need to wait up to 8 weeks if via sea.

July, frankly, is a less nice time to go over as it is winter and few people move during that time...
 

Hi, where will you be studying? Do you mind travelling? Your accomodation budget per week? Do you prefer to stay in the city, near the city or suburb? There are lots of apartment/flat available for students, depending on your needs.. and timing of course :)
 

Firstly, congratulations on embarking on this new journey in your life. It'll definitely be an enriching experience. :)

Which part of Melb?

I agree with Watcher's recommendation to put up in a mid-term stay hotel first for 1-2 weeks. Make use of the time to get use to the surrounding and gauge the cost of accomodation.

Seriously, there so much I can share with you, but I don't know where to start because I don't know your needs... so perhaps you may want to elaborate first.
 

I will be studying in Uni Melb for my post grad course.

I won't be staying in a hotel while checking for accomodation. I will be staying with some relatives but as their place is limited, i intend to look for a place of my own.

Budget wise I hope to get ard $100-$150 , also will be looking for part time to supplement my spending there.

Now i have a few worries on my mind.

1)Accomodation
2)Finding part time jobs
3)Internet access( w/o it I can't access CS!!!)/mobile phone access
4)What are the stuff to bring over.

As for sharing an apartment with a sweet aussie gal, well neh.better don't wait my gf will kill me!
 

When you mention your budget of ard $100-$150, is that weekly or monthly basis?

1)Accomodation - within uni melb, you are looking at about $500/mth upwards for a shared apartment.

2)Finding part time jobs - can get help from the uni's student body once you're there. do note that as a overseas student, by law, you are only allowed to work a certain amount of hours monthly.

3)Internet access( w/o it I can't access CS!!!)/mobile phone access. Internet - plenty internet cafes. Once you've settled down, can source for permanent ISP. For mobile, perhaps go prepaid?

4)What are the stuff to bring over. Warm clothing since winter is starting. Your arsenal of camera/ lenses :) . An open mind. Be friendly (I have the unfortunate experience of coming across stuck-up Singaporeans there - some, not all).
 

zha said:
When you mention your budget of ard $100-$150, is that weekly or monthly basis?

1)Accomodation - within uni melb, you are looking at about $500/mth upwards for a shared apartment.

2)Finding part time jobs - can get help from the uni's student body once you're there. do note that as a overseas student, by law, you are only allowed to work a certain amount of hours monthly.

3)Internet access( w/o it I can't access CS!!!)/mobile phone access. Internet - plenty internet cafes. Once you've settled down, can source for permanent ISP. For mobile, perhaps go prepaid?

4)What are the stuff to bring over. Warm clothing since winter is starting. Your arsenal of camera/ lenses :) . An open mind. Be friendly (I have the unfortunate experience of coming across stuck-up Singaporeans there - some, not all).


Very good advice.
Looking at per week , doubt i can get that kinda price for per month rental.:bsmilie:
Stuck up singaporeans? Yah that happens some time. Experienced that when I was in Japan n Sweden for student exchange program.
 

1)Accomodation - You would be lucky to find anything below $150 in Melbourne city that doesn't require you to use public transport to get into uni. Do note that's Australian, not Singaporean dollars.

2)Finding part time jobs - You need to get a student work permit from DIMIA (Dept. of Immigration) that limits you to 20hours a week during term time. There's no limit to the hours you can work during vacation.

3)Internet access( w/o it I can't access CS!!!)/mobile phone access. Internet - If you join a shared house there is likely to already be a connection. Otherwise you'll be waiting around quite a bit for the ISPs to come around to hook you up (typical beginning-of-semester surge). If you are coming over with friends, it makes sense to get everyone to be on the same mobile phone carrier - you save calling between the same carrier. My friends are all on Optus, we got 300 minutes to call each other free every $30 top up.

4)What are the stuff to bring over - Don't buy a laptop, come over here, buy a cheap desktop. That'll save you lots of money and trouble since you'll lose money off depreciation of your laptop anyway. Bring your camera gear, lots to shoot. Bring extension plugs and adaptors, so you can still use your Singapore-plugged appliances. Depending on your course of study, it pays to find out the list of textbooks you need, and bring them over, its much cheaper for Engineering books. Not sure about others. I don't use textbooks. You should have a 30kg allowance if you fly with SIA or Qantas as a student, so use as much of it as you can. Don't bring food. Its easier to clear Customs that way.
 

Hi,

My korean is studying Master at Melbourne. Currently the apartment he stay is AUD600 per mth exclude electricity thou. I went to his apartment before, very small, kitchen very ver very small.. Toilet so so...

what kindof accomdation u looking for :eek:.. very comfortable or just a place to sleep and study ;o..
 

Looking for so-so place...most important is it's comfy for studying. Just sleep n study.
As for a part time job, I'm still negotiating with my office in Australia to take me in as part timer.

Yes, camera gear I suppose is a must! As for desktop.....doubt I will be brining there, cos I've already got a laptop. Will just bring that.

Internet n mobile I think is the most troublesome thing for me. I'm going there alone. So it will take some time to find pple with the same mobile plans. I shall just use school's internet for the moment.

I was looking around for my course, there doesn't seem to be any list of textbooks. Strange, but prob will check or email the faculty. Good point raised there r32, forgotten about textbooks in all this confusion.:confused:
 

If you are the type who likes nature there are many camping grounds all over Victoria.

I lived in a tent for 3 months in Australia. Lucky it was in summer.

It makes me appreciate the value of a roof.
 

Prices in the city near Melbourne uni would be going at around 150 to 200 per week. The nearer you are to uni, the more ex it is. 100 per week or month is very hard to get.

Further away is of course cheaper but then you have to pay for transport and also if you finish class late or want to stay out late with friends, you can forget about it unless u have a car or willing to pay sky high prices for taxi

Do note that some places do not rent to students esp foreign ones so take note of this. Many a times have viewed the house and then when about to sign papers, agent tells you. Sorry mate owner says Aussie only.

For Melbourne Uni, try this place called Drummond Court. I used to stay there. One room was Aud 450. There are 3 rooms and I was lucky my housemates and me became buddies.

And mate do go there at least one month in advance to look for a place! And for your advice buying a second car or a "Bomb" as they call it is not impossible for 2k AUD. Just dont expect anything fancy.
 

centuryegg said:
Do note that some places do not rent to students esp foreign ones so take note of this. Many a times have viewed the house and then when about to sign papers, agent tells you. Sorry mate owner says Aussie only.

There is an Anti-discrimanation Law against that.

If they said there is a place for rent and they change their mind because you're an Asian or African when you turn up in person, politely hint to them about it.
 

Sion said:
There is an Anti-discrimanation Law against that.

If they said there is a place for rent and they change their mind because you're an Asian or African when you turn up in person, politely hint to them about it.

What's the point? You shouldn't be where you're not wanted.

I am surprised no one pointed out http://www.realestate.com.au/ to the thread starter :bsmilie:
 

www.realestate.com.au
www.domain.com.au
These are the two websites most people use to find accommodation in Melbourne.
Renting a property by yourself will be a challenge as you are required to provide two character references (yes, they will phone them up), and evidence that you are currently employed or have a steady stream of income. It would probably be easier to find shared accommadation.
I find it hard to believe that any rental agency is so blatanly racist. You will find when you get here that Aussies in general... especially those from Melbourne are really quite multicultural and tolerant of others.
 

Since you will be staying with your relatives initially, no hurry then.. afterall, finding a place that suits your needs and budget takes time. When uni starts, check with the student union for accomodation assistance, they will have many cases just like you.. you may even find someone to share accomodation with. $100-$150 per week is reasonable if you are talking about shared accomodation around the city area.. if alone, try the nearby suburbs. Accomodation at Parkville and its nearby suburb Carlton are expensive. If you don't mind a little bit of travelling (10-15 mins tram), you may want to consider Brunswick.. not too far from Uni and quite cheap too.

There are lots of prepaid mobile phone cards in Australia, all of them free on incoming. Unless you call out often, you may not need to subcribe to any provider... save the trouble. Likewise, there are also lots of subcribe or prepaid internet service.. take your time to search and compare.

You might want to bring some warm clothings since its Winter now. But don't worry of buying all of them here in Singapore.. there are lots of varieties there too.. unless you are brand conscious, there are lots which are not expensive in Melbourne.

I agree with markimark.. don't worry about racism, have fun while studying!
 

Wow! You guys are swell. Now i've a better, cleare picture of what to expect and do. 1st time going abroad for such a long time...but luckily still got relatvies, in case anything happens, still got someone to turn to.

I'm will only be there 2 weeks in advance of the start of term. Most prob like what some have mentioned, take my time to look for a place. Meantime, for internet, most prob stick to school's internet. No choice, since my relative doesn't have internet!:eek:
 

Status
Not open for further replies.