4 Things I’ve Learned About Melbourne in My First Month
I’ve been living and working in Melbourne, Australia for 6 weeks which isn’t a long time to truly know a place but there are certainly things I’ve learned about Melbourne so far. I do a lot of walking around the city and these are things I’ve noticed / picked up so far with a culture change from British Culture.
The longer I stay in Melbourne, the more I’m going to learn about Melburnians and their way of life but here are the basics for a first timer to Melbourne.
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1. Weather in Melbourne
The weather in Melbourne is something you have to learn. I have not fully adjusted to Melbourne weather yet and it still surprises me everyday. My very first steps in the land down under were, unfortunately, freezing. What is so weird about the weather in Melbourne? Well, in just one short day, Melbourne will see every kind of weather you can imagine. They call it four seasons in one day! Melburnians are used to it too, you can just tell because nobody moans or looks shocked; everybody carries on with their day as normal. Then there’s me, a newbie to town who has come out wearing a coat, wrapped up because it’s freezing, and then I’m absolutely boiling and the sun is burning my face.
One minute the sky is blue and sun is shining and the next minute it is torrential wind and rain. Most locals I’ve spoken to have said, ‘welcome to Melbourne’.
Seriously, if you’re visiting Melbourne, be sure to take out a coat, sunglasses, an umbrella and sunscreen.
Dry Lips
As a side effect from the constant change of weather, my lips have never been so dry in my life. I am so glad I brought cocoa butter chapstick with me because it is crucial to have. I have had such dry lips in Melbourne!! Strange, but had to add this.
Make sure you buy Cocoa Butter Chapstick to take with you on your trip!
2. Traffic Lights
The traffic lights in Melbourne are taken extremely serious. Pedestrians walk the streets and cross the roads like clockwork. Everyone crosses at the lights or a zebra crossing and this isn’t something I’m used to being from Wales. In Wales, everyone just crosses when the road is clear (or dodges the traffic) and it is something I noticed immediately. I have become used to it by now though. As soon as the lights are green, you can cross and they change so fast to a flashing red. They also make a loud sound but sometimes you get confused because they are going off on the adjacent crossing!
They even have the official road rules online which are found here.
Read Next: How to Move to Melbourne
3. Australian Football League
Never have I seen a whole city come to a standstill for sport like Melbourne for the Australian Football League Grand Final. Wow. Also known as AFL, Victorians treat this sport like a religion! On the Grand Final, restaurants actually shut because it was THAT QUIET. Of course not pubs which were packed but no-body bothered to do anything except watch the most important game of the state. The streets were littered with fans wearing their team colours and every place was celebrating the day. It’s lovely to see the passion shared across the city.
The most shocking thing I found was that Victoria actually has a public holiday for the AFL Grand Final. A PUBLIC HOLIDAY.
Read Next: Public Holidays Celebrated in Wales
4. Coffee and Brunch: Last thing I’ve Learned about Melbourne so far
I believe that Melbourne culture is surrounded by coffee and brunch. It’s essential to love coffee here and have your specific order. There is everything that I’ve never heard of such as a long black, a piccolo, a soy flat white. There’s so many options to choose from (and ask what they mean).
Working as a waitress and taking orders, I quickly had to learn what each type of coffee meant and as a coffee lover, tried them all too! The thing I love most about Melbourne is that every coffee is served ready to drink! At cafes in Wales, coffee is always served scalding hot and you have to wait ages until you can take the first sip. Not here, they got it right!
Brunch is another outgoing ingrained into the lives of Melburnians. Sundays are a fantastic day for brunch (especially bottomless brunch), but every day of the week you can find brunch deals everywhere.
Read here for my first ever time experiencing Melbourne Brunch.
Melbourne is a city of late-risers too. The early mornings are quiet and everything starts later. A city of great nightlife which I’ll hopefully explore more of in the next few months.
I’m loving Melbourne life right now and cannot wait for the summer to come! If you want to get over here and start your own Working Holiday Visa, I wrote the ultimate guide for UK citizens on how to apply here.
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