First Impressions of Melbourne

It was pre-dawn when I was picked up at the airport and driven to my apartment hotel. Even so, there was plenty of traffic as we headed through the suburban sprawl towards the Central Business District (aka CBD). I looked at the road signs, the skyscrapers in the distance. This reminds me of the US, I thought. Except they drive on same side of the road as we do in the UK here.

And then it struck me - when was the last time I had stayed in a city for any length of time? Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) - 9 years, Binfield Village (Berkshire) - 7 years, Addlestone (Surrey) - 2 years. Yes it 1987 when I moved south from Whitley Bay (Tyne&Wear) that I last lived in a real city. Well I did spend a week in Bern in January this year, I suppose, but this was going to be different.

I set out for the office to meet some people I will be working with. The skies were grey and there was a bit of a chill in the air. People had overcoats on. This was a bit of a shock to the system - I've been wearing shorts virtually all the time for the last 3 months.

I arrived at the office. They weren't expecting me until Monday but I was warmly greeted and people interrupted what they were doing to meet me. Friendly and cheerful, I thought. I'm going to enjoy working with these guys. And sympathetic to the effects of jetlag too. I was definitely beginning to fade! But my driver from the airport had confirmed what I'd heard about how best to beat it - try and keep going until a normal bedtime in the new timezone. "Just Keep Swimming", I thought to myself. And I did have a number of things to sort out....

I needed an Australian bank account, or else I couldn't get paid. At home I bank with Barclays, but they don't operate in Australia. They do have an alliance with Westpac. So I walked into their Collins St branch and said I'd like to open an account. No problem. Within minutes I had a transaction and savings account with Internet banking, courtesy of a friendly young man called Emeka. The sun had come out now and I was beginning to warm to Melbourne.

Armed with my bank account details I set off to meet my contact James at Paxus. They are the agency who are employing me as an independent contractor to work for CSC Australia. We needed to get a contract signed and some forms filled in before I could start work. James is a scotsman who has been in Australia for about 8 years, but he was just like what I was beginning to recognise as characteristically Melburnian - cheerful, helpful and direct. Within an hour we were sorted. My Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (aka
Type 457)had been approved, so I was free to start work on Monday.

Just Keep Swimming... I needed a new camera, but first, something to eat. I wandered into a shopping mall with some fast food outlets. What a choice! Here was something else I was beginning to recognise - Melbourne is pretty multi-cultural. I settled on a kebab. Yes that was tasty.

Swimming on, I visited camera shops and chose to replace my lost 4-y-o Fuji Finepix 6900Z with another from the current range. I got a Finepix S9500 for $699 (about £280 at current exchange rate). Cool. Some of my first shots are below. I met up with some new workmates for a beer on the South Bank. The place was buzzing. I got a takeaway from a restaurant in Chinatown which I washed down with some lovely Aussie wine. And then I fell asleep before I could get into my pyjamas.

It's Spring! Here are some azaleas.

There's quite a mix of architectures. Here's Flinders St Station.

I rather liked this reflection of skyscraper in skyscraper.

Yet there are old-fashioned horses and carriages.

And there are multiple cultures evident. Here is Little Bourke St.

You can see more of my photos here on Flickr.

But to sum up my first impressions...
Nice people - friendly, direct, helpful and cheerful. A buzzing city with an intriguing blend of old fashioned and modern, ex-colonial british and many other cultures. Great shopping, eating and drinking. And some lovely early spring sunshine.

I think I'm going to like it here.