Melbourne So Far

Ok, so it’s been a little more than a month. Actually, more like two… Let’s not get precious about it! It has been some time living in Melbourne, and we’ve eaten too much, explored a lot, gone through a snap-lockdown, bought an emergency kettle, and moved into our very own apartment! Among so many other things.

Life is settling down a bit. We have some sort of routine, which helps this feel like home. And we’ve figured out some stuff. But we still have a lot to cover. So, let’s recap…

We stayed with Jimm and Pynqi for about three weeks, out west in Hoppers Crossing. And found time to see a bunch of different apartments, finally settling on one. We chose to limit our search to Docklands for a bunch of reasons. Number one being that its oh so pretty. And semi-quiet. But also, only 10 minutes from the city! And it reminds me of Cape Town’s waterfront. So we can pretend to be posh, you see. It’s remarkably similar to Napier’s Ahuriri, for my New Zealand readers.

The process of actually renting an apartment in Australia was completely alien to Simone and me. You first view the apartment. Ok, pretty normal so far, right. Then you sign up to a website that wants just about every official form that proves you’re a living human and not a bunch of eels in a trench coat. Then you use these forms to apply to each apartment you like. And on the off chance that the estate agent liked the way you opened the cupboards and said “hmmm”, you’ll then be invited to rent the place. You apply to rent and they inform you if you’re actually allowed. Renting may now commence!

There are so many hoops to jump through! Or At least it feels like it. And let me tell you – going from a homeowner to a renter takes some getting used to. For starters, we aren’t allowed to hang stuff on the wall, or hang washing outside. Even changing the batteries in our smoke alarm is off limits. And oh, did we really want to! Firstly, the thing beeped to tell us it wasn’t happy with its battery from the second day we moved in. And then for some strange reason the smoke alarm would go mental for a few seconds every few days. Often while we were both in meetings… That was after changing the battery too! (Simone and I just bought a battery, and like the adults we are, changed it ourselves).

Eventually we got hold of the property manager who sent someone along to fix it. Which he did by removing the smoke alarm completely. I’m glad to see tradies are the same on both sides of the ditch!

A week or so after moving in, and having almost no furniture, Melbourne decided it would be the best time for a snap lockdown. It was sold to us as only lasting 5 days, but at this stage we still did not have a kettle. Or proper groceries. Lockdown was scheduled to begin at 11:59 PM on Friday night. So, after work on Friday afternoon, I rushed into the CBD, to Target, and bought a one star $50 kettle.

But Kyle, the kettle boils water. How can it be a 1 star?
Oh, let me tell you the ways! Firstly, the kettle’s lid was secured by rubber. This meant you had to yank it off and force it down just to open and close the damn thing. Then there’s the handle. When this kettle was designed, the person sat there and threw away all ideas of how human hands work. Sure, the handle looked pretty, but in no way was it designed to be used. Think modern art but less functional. Every cup of tea was accompanied by some very creative hand cramp.

Anyways, we lived with this kettle throughout the snap lockdown, and probably longer than we had to. In the end, I managed to get a 5-star kettle that has lights. And a filter. And the handle is designed for normal hand function. And the lid has a button. Oh, it also boils water too. So that’s a bonus!

On the night the snap lockdown was announced, Simone and I decided to go into town. After all, they said 5 days, but in truth no one really knew how long it would be. So off we went to see our friends and possibly get one last beer. We met up with Fred and wondered around South Wharf, looking forward an open bar. Alas, none was forthcoming. Eventually we decided to get some from the local bottle-o and head up to his apartment.

We got home that night with about 30 minutes to spare. Luckily we missed the curfew, or Dan Andrew’s would have turned us into pumpkins. And so began our 5 days of apartment bound life…

In all honestly, it wasn’t that bad. I walked around Docklands a lot after work. Since the lockdown rules state we’re allowed 5km’s from our house. I spent some time playing games. And we just spent time not doing much and relaxing. Taking a break from busy city life and organizing things.

Since then, it’s been all go. We’ve gone to the botanical gardens, had some great burgers, gone surfing, seen a beating heart light show, gone to St Kilda, and so many other things. It’s all completely blended into one for some events… I did eat a KF bun though! This KFC chicken but done to a hamburger bun! Melbourne is a city that never stops. And this is something I have to get used to. At least with it never stopping, you never really get FOMO. There’s always something else to do if you miss out.

In other good news, our stuff from New Zealand is about to arrive, and I’ll be reunited with my Xbox Series X. Expect a tech review of that at some stage. We’re also going to get a new TV for it, and honestly, my YouTube feed is just TV reviews. Simone can attest to that. I mean, the last time I bought a new TV was way back in 2012… So, I think it’s about time! Maybe I’ll do the blogger thing and do separate reviews, so I get more hits?

Melbourne is a great city, and the opportunities it provides are mind blowing. Some days I can’t stop grinning, thinking I’m here. I’m in a big city. I remember those nights back at home, sitting with Duan and watching How I Met Your Mother on my 17inch computer screen. Imagining of the day I’d be in a big city.

For now, enjoy some photos of around Melbourne and Docklands.
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With Melbourne being a super happening place, even after the Covid fallout, I am hoping to do more writing about our adventures. Hopefully they aren’t as spaced out as this one was…