Moving to Melbourne: A Beginner's Guide

You‘ve just moved to Melbourne. New city, new people, new culture, possibly a new language. So many things to figure out. Speaking from my own experience - relax- you‘re definitely not the only one experiencing this. 

The trams will confuse you, the buildings at the university will make no sense, and you‘ll have trouble finding your room not only in the first week. This is all completely normal, it’s part of the game so to speak.

Something that I found quite helpful at the start was to pick “Go-To Spots“. That could be a café nearby, a quiet spot in the library, a cute restaurant, you name it. But having those go-to places is super helpful to become more settled in the city, as well as the campus. Find yourself a place that makes you feel grounded and where you can retreat when things get too stressful.

Say YES to stuff (within reason of course). Join that club. Apply to the committee. Go to the O-Week party. Go to that random event that your classmate from the first week invited you to. Say YES. Worst case, you get a free snack, best case, you make one or even a couple of new friends.

And trust me- finding friends is important.

The people around you can enhance your uni experience - and Melbourne experience - by so much. And trust me, Melbourne is full of lovely people to meet from all kinds of backgrounds.

But it‘s also important not to force friendships. Some people will just click naturally in an instant, some won‘t. It‘s totally okay to not have found your best friend or a friend group by week 3. Talk to people, be social, and things will flow naturally.

Coming from central Europe, I was used to cold weather, so the Melbourne winter didn’t throw me off too much. But in case you come from a warmer country, be prepared! The weather here is no joke. They say Melbourne has four seasons in a day, and after having been here for a while, I couldn’t agree more. Bring a jacket! Even if it‘s sunny, chances are it‘ll rain at some point. And never, never trust the weather forecast. You will be disappointed.

The last one is self-explanatory. Get your basics sorted, and do it in the first week to save yourself the hassle later on. Get that Myki card, the phone plan, find the nearest Woolies, a good coffee place. All the essentials. Finding a routine early on will make you feel settled here much quicker.

Finally, give it time. Seriously. Melbourne is a city on the other side of the world that‘s unlike anywhere else. It will feel weird at the start and you will feel homesick. That‘s all completely normal. It‘ll pass quicker thank you think. Melbourne is an amazing place and it will grow on you! 

(Pro tip, don’t fall for Lygon St tourist traps, ask actual students or locals for affordable food spots nearby!)

By Leo Bauer