Need info about Melbourne

Hi,
We r planning to move to Melbourne ,regarding my husbands project work which may be for 2-3 yrs.Presently we are in Hyderabad.
Since we have neither relatives nor friends in OZ,we are not able to get sufficient information .
Please help me out in getting the right info for the following questions.
1.Cost of living in Melbourne,like rentals,grocieries,electricity,telephone etc.
2.Childrens education.I have 3 yr old boy.So i would like to know about School fees,Distance of the schools ,Schools usually preferred by Indians. etc
3. Public Transportation.we stayed in USA for 2 yrs where public transportation is limited.I used stay at home most of the time with my kid .Car is must in US.What about in OZ.Do we need a car? If so will we able to get at an economical price.
4.Indian community.In which places we can fine Indian community?
5.Security.How safe and secure is Melbourne.Like, we Indians can we go alone anywhere .
6.Used Furniture .Will we able to get used furniture like sofa ,dining table etc and electronic items like TV,microwaves etc.
and last but not the least,
I have a 3 yr old boy who is extremely active.He goes to play school here in hyderabd and he enjoys a lot.I want to know whether children of his age will be able to adjust in this country or will they feel lonely and get bored.

I will be extremely thankful for those who provide with the above information.

Thanks & Regards,
Suma.

Hi Suma
All the best for your relocation. I will try and answer to the best of my knowledge, however, I am sure you will get more response from otthers too, esp from our dear friend Coral.

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

1.Cost of living in Melbourne,like rentals,grocieries,electricity,telephone etc.

Very subjective, however, 3.5k to 5k should be decent enough.

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

2.Childrens education.I have 3 yr old boy.So i would like to know about School fees,Distance of the schools ,Schools usually preferred by Indians. etc

Your son will go into 3 yr kinder. There are lots of community, private and semi private kinders in every suburb of Melbourne and the fees for community ones are very nominal

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

3. Public Transportation.we stayed in USA for 2 yrs where public transportation is limited.I used stay at home most of the time with my kid .Car is must in US.What about in OZ.Do we need a

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

car? If so will we able to get at an economical price.

I would go with having a car, that way you can easily chauffer your son to places. If you plan to put him in other classes (as kinders are not everyday affair, they are only once or twice a week and you need to occupy him during the other times as well). You can easily get a low end new car for 20k

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

5.Security.How safe and secure is Melbourne.Like, we Indians can we go alone anywhere .

I feel Melb is very safe and secure. people are very friendly and accomodative of multi races.

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

6.Used Furniture .Will we able to get used furniture like sofa ,dining table etc and electronic items like TV,microwaves etc.

I think there are a lot of used furniture shops around carnegie, clayton and moorabin area, although I am not too sure of the rates.
I have a 3 yr old boy who is extremely active.He goes to play school here in hyderabd and he enjoys a lot.I want to know whether children of his age will be able to adjust in this country or will they feel lonely and get bored.

I came to Melb when my son was 2.5 yr old and i put him in lot of classes like swimming, tennis, multi sports, etc when he turned 3. He loved it and we made lot of new friends through these classes. I am sure your son will enjoy melb, esp because of the multitide of child friendly activities, you have got here. If you make use of all tehfacilities available here, you might find that you dont have any time left for the normal house chores... yo guys will become so busy.

I hoe this info helps... do feel free to ask for any more help if needed.
Cheers
Sky98

Thank u very much sky98 for the info. provided.
U have written that u take u'r kid for all the extracurricular activities,by yourself in car,that means u learnt driving in oz and got the license.Is driving and getting license easy in oz.?could you pls give more info about car driving and getting license.
Thanks & Regards,
suma.

Dear Ksrisuma,

Sky98 has done a wonderful work of answering your queries in a very patient, clear & systematic way. Hats off to you Sky98, you are an asset to IL.

I would like to add Oz is a Multi-Cultural country. For instance today, Federation square is decked up for celebrating the Bengali New year.

I am off to a Gurudwara on my friend's invitation today for some Gurbani & Langar.

Ksrisuma, rules have changed with regards to getting your DL. Are you a full license holder or are you still on a learner's permit (Indian Drivers Licence)?

Please visit this website for a more up to date info with regards to your query:

VicRoads : VicRoads

Regards,

Corallux

Thank u coral.
Good to know that Melbourne is a multi national country.
I'm going through the site mentioned by u..I'm having learners licence here.
I will get more info from this link.
Thank you very much .

Melb is the Capital of Victoria...You will find a mix of all cultures here.

All the best for your move...Don't worry once you come here, you will feel you were here all your life...

Hi Suma
Yes i learnt driving here and got my license, just 3 months after I came here, just so that I can be independent in taking my son to all places without having to depend on my husband. Nowdays, poor guy, he hardly gets to drive the car.
Yes Coral is right abt the Vic roads website and you will get all the info you need. Dont worry about your relocation, we are all here to guide and help.
Cheers
(Sumathy) Sky98

Originally Posted by ksrisuma

Thank u very much sky98 for the info. provided.
U have written that u take u'r kid for all the extracurricular activities,by yourself in car,that means u learnt driving in oz and got the license.Is driving and getting license easy in oz.?could you pls give more info about car driving and getting license.
Thanks & Regards,
suma.

Thank you coral and sumathy for providing me with all the info.