Information about Melbourne - Defence Housing Australia

Welcome to Melbourne including Frankston

Area Code: 03
Time Zone: EST
Population: 3.5 Million

Introduction

Australia's second largest city is a place of contradictions and hidden charms. Situated on the Yarra River, it is cosmopolitan, cultivated and football crazy. Residents experience excellent shopping, markets, restaurants, nightlife and an unsurpassed sporting calendar.

Climate

Melbourne experiences four distinct seasons and has a reputation for being wet, windy, unpredictable and liable to extremes - very hot or very cold and often both on the same day! On the plus side, Melbourne's multitude of parks makes it a beautiful place to witness the changing seasons and it is rarely unbearably cold. The mercury rises above 35 C during summer and falls below 6 C in winter. Due to the wide variance of climate, you will need heavy coats and flannelette sheets in winter and light clothes and bedding for summer.

Things to do and places to see

Sports fans will be constantly amazed at the variety of sporting events held in Melbourne, from the cricket at the MCG, to the Australian Open tennis, the Australian Grand Prix, the Spring Racing Carnival, some rugby and more AFL games than you could ever fit into a winter weekend.

Outdoor pursuits such as sailing, fishing and canoeing can be experienced on Melbourne's Yarra River or in Port Phillip Bay. The best swimming beaches are at the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas and the ski fields are within a two to five hour drive. Also close are the Mountains where hiking and mountain bike riding is a favourite.

Those preferring something a little different may enjoy the Summer Music Festival, the Comedy Festival, Melbourne's Moomba Festival aimed at families, the Food and Wine Festival and much more.

The broad numbers of cultures within Melbourne means residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to coffee, cakes and eating out. Lygon Street and Brunswick Street are known as probably the best restaurant strips in the city but St Kilda by the beach is also a favourite.

Education

Students in Melbourne and Frankston have access to good quality public and private primary and secondary schools. Pre-school for children under five is optional. Instead of kindergarten, the Victorian system has a pre-primary school year called prep. Children can start prep if they turn five before April 30. Primary school covers prep and Year 1 to 6.

High School encompasses Year 7 to 12. Students wishing to continue their education at a university will need to sit the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

There are a number of tertiary institutions in Melbourne including the University of Melbourne, Monash and Deakin Universities and the Victorian University of Technology.

Melbourne services

Melbourne provides all of the infrastructure and services that you would expect to be found in a large capital city. There is an excellent health and community services system, with a mix of public and private hospitals. A wide range of community groups exist for support, social and sporting activities. To find out about community services specific to your area, contact your local council or try the Municipal Association of Victoria website. www.mav.asn.au

Due to the size of Melbourne, the public transport system is well developed to encourage the usage of buses, trains and trams. Melbourne is notoriously flat, but this lack of definition makes it an easy city to get around. The city's airport, Tullamarine, is 22km north west of the city centre. The interstate train station (Spencer Street) and the main metropolitan station (Flinders Street) are both in the city centre, while the bus station is just to the centre's north. Spencer Street station also have services available to country stations.

When driving in Melbourne it is important to have some knowledge of the Victorian concept of 'hook turns'. At some intersections in central Melbourne where trams operate, a hook turn must be performed in order to turn right. Drivers must turn right from the left lane by waiting until the traffic lights on the road they are entering into turn green before they make the turn. Drivers are only permitted to do a hook turn when a sign indicates right turn from left only. Signs can be found either hanging from tram wires overhead, or on the side of the road. You are encouraged to seek further information from the Victorian Roads website.

It is also important to note that some Melbourne freeways use an e-tag toll system. This is an electronic video system which allows for traffic to flow freely. E-Tags can be purchased over the internet or phone, two days before or two days after you travel. For more information regarding this topic visit the Victorian Roads website. www.vicroads.vic.gov.au

Housing

DHA manages over 1,500 properties in Melbourne and Frankston combined, with some properties located on-base, and more recently, inner city. Houses in Melbourne are a mix of freestanding houses, townhouses, duplexes and units. Houses tend to be on small blocks and have compact backyards. This is in response to requests to have low maintenance gardens to make it easier for those who are often away.

Pets can be an issue as some of the properties that are leased to DHA state that no pets are allowed. Equally, adequate space for pets is a consideration due to DHA's limited capacity to place people in freestanding homes. Local councils are the registering body for pets.

DHA has homes to the north in Yallambie and McLeod, west to Point Cook, to the east in Laverton, Hoppers Crossing, Blackburn and Croydon and some closer to the city in Richmond and Glen Iris. Housing areas have been chosen for their proximity to public transport, schools and shopping centres and for their distance to Defence establishments.

All homes provided by DHA have heating supplied. If you have fans or heaters, it is recommended to bring them with you to give you cooling and heating flexibility.

Melbourne HMC

The Melbourne HMC is located in St Kilda at Level 5, 181 Fitzroy Street, ST KILDA, VIC 3182 (near St Kilda Road intersection). There are two main trams to get to Fitzroy Street, 16 (stop 131) and 96 (stop 132). Alternatively, if traveling from the city via St Kilda Road it is also possible to catch the 3, 5, 64 or 67 and get off at St Kilda Junction which is then a short walk into Fitzroy Street. There is also metered parking in the street outside the office.

Melbourne HMC also has outposts in Sale, Puckapunyal, HMAS Cerberus and Hobart. They are your point of contact for all relocation and housing services including housing allocations, rental assistance and house maintenance.

Defence locations

There are a large number of Defence establishments in and around Melbourne. They include HMAS Cerberus in Westernport, RAAF Base Williams in Laverton and Point Cook, as well as nine Army bases.

The Army locations are Simpson Barracks in Macleod, Oakleigh Barracks in Oakleigh, Chapel St Barracks in St Kilda, 5/6 RVR in Burwood, Maygar Barracks in Broadmeadows, Ringwood Depot in Ringwood, Victoria Barracks in Southbank, Monash University Regt in Mt Waverley and the Melbourne University Regt in Carlton.

Within the region are the Ranger Barracks in Ballarat, the Passchendale Barracks in Bendigo, as well as Bandiana and Bonegilla in Wodonga.

Area Descriptions

Frankston

Just one hour drive from the centre of Melbourne is the seaside city of Frankston. With a population of over 112,000 people, the city is growing rapidly and is the regional centre of the south-east region of metropolitan Melbourne. Frankston is built on the southern reaches of Port Phillip Bay and is near the Mornington Peninsula.