People & Places
In search of hidden Victoria
Culture vultures can revel in Federation Square, Surfers go wild on Bell’s Beach, sight seers marvel at the Seven Sisters; but what’s it really like to live in the Garden State?
The sensation of freedom and excitement generally experienced when flying to a new destination starts to wear off on the flight to Australia after about the first 12 hours. From then on it's an endless battle with boredom, cabin fever and the paranoid suspicion you're in the early stages of deep vain thrombosis.
If you're lucky enough to get a window seat, watching the scenery slip by below certainly helps pass the time. When you reach Australia, however, it can get a little tedious. Not to say that the earthy brown ridges and dusty valleys aren't pretty impressive. Give it four and a half hours, though, and they all start to look quite similar. Imagine, then, the lifting, euphoric feeling as you first watch the state of Victoria suddenly sliding over the horizon into view. Seeing the deep greens and tawny yellows from the air is the only real way to grasp just how lush and vibrant Victoria is in comparison to the surrounding territory.
To the first European settlers back in the late 1800s, the rolling fields and wooded hills of Victoria must have seemed achingly more familiar than anywhere else on the new continent. It would be easy to assume that Victoria, even now, is a quaint, semi-rural place with a heavy British influence. But don't be fooled, in reality, the weather is about the only thing vaguely recognisable to Brits living there. Ah, the weather. As Victorians will tell you, if you want the weather to change, all you have to do is wait a minute. The winter months (July–August) are cool, which makes a change from the eternal heat of Sydney or the tropical swelter in Perth, but for most of the rest of the year Victoria sees temperatures in excess of 25 degrees celsius.
Maybe misconceptions about the weather are the reason the state lagged behind New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland in attracting British immigrants in 2005. Only about nine per cent came from the UK last year, despite Victoria attracting the second highest overall number of new residents (30,500) in the country.
The state frequently tops polls and studies as being home to the most liveable cities in the world, most recently by the prestigious Economist Intelligence Unit survey. It's impossible to travel across Victoria and not be a surprised by what's round the next bend. An estate agent might describe Victoria as 'oozing charm', and, for once, you'll be inclined to agree. From the snowy heights of Mount Buller in the North-East, to the character of Melbournian architecture on the south coast, comes the impression that the entire state was put together rather randomly; a mountain range here, miles of golden beach there, fertile vineyard valleys in the middle.
At under 230,000 square kilometres, or roughly the same size as the UK, Victoria is the second smallest state after Tasmania. Most of the state is only several hours drive from Melbourne, where the overwhelming majority of Victorians live. It's worth mentioning here that railway networks anywhere outside Melbourne may be cheap and safe, but they're utterly confusing and unreliable. Much better are the trams that run in Melbourne and the suburbs. They're brilliant for getting in and out of the city centre, or Central Business District (CBD), being cheap, reliable and full of friendly Victorians who don't require any encouragement to start up a conversation.
From an economic perspective, the state is at a cooling off point after years of progressive growth. It's all down to a drop in the property market, which has seen house prices fall unevenly in all regions. The Victorian economy is essentially dependant on property, manufacturing and business industries, unlike other states with big export markets. The resultant buyer's market, in some places, means there are ample opportunities to get a bargain in Victoria. For example, in the Melbourne region, one of the most expensive areas in Victoria, the average property price is now around AUS$580,000 (£247,000). No matter how the market fluctuates, the standard of living has always remained high in Victoria, with crime rates being some of the lowest in Australia and unemployment low, hovering at the 5.4 per cent mark. While Melbournians fancy themselves as the cultural ambassadors of Australia, you will generally find no hint of pretension or snobbery.
Where to live
Being one of the few regions in Oz you don't need a compass and a spare fortnight to travel from one end to the other is definitely an advantage if you want to go and see what Victoria has to offer. If, like most Brits, you aim to settle in Melbourne, you're apparently in good company. The city is one of the happiest places to live in the world, according to the Globalisation and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC).
It's also the most culturally diverse, over 180 languages are spoken there, and is regarded as the sporting capital of the nation. Aussie Rules Football, World Cup rugby, Formula One grand prix, the Melbourne Cup, all have a natural home in the city. If it's Rembrandt, not rugby, you prefer, Melbourne is without doubt the arts and culture hub of Australia. In everyday life, it's easy to see how the city has absorbed a host of ethnic influences, from Greek to Maltese to Indonesian.
The whole place is a patchwork of ethnicity and history, as skyscrapers are cheek to jowl with Victorian period churches and Mediterranean-style villas. The city itself sits on the Yarra river and is cris-crossed by a rumbling tram network that stops the city becoming too faceless and cold. Melbourne is also densely populated, giving it a busy, noisy pulse you're less likely to find in regions like Adelaide or Perth. Tourists make a beeline for Victoria market, Crown Casino and Federation Square, but Victorians themselves prefer to hang out in the bohemian atmosphere of beachfront St Kilda, the Italian stronghold of Lygon street in Carlton or the trendy South Yarra area.
Places like Brighton and Richmond, as well as the CBD itself, are in the pricier districts. The sleek modern townhouses and mansions around here can go for upwards of AUS$2 million (£850,000), and are popular areas with the city's elite. For a slower pace of life, the Yarra valley and Dandenong region is worth a look in. This are is a real nature haven, with national parks, mountain ash forests and numerous health retreats taking up a majority of the space. It's about an hours drive from Melbourne, and for many Melbournites it's home for the weekend. Also famous, bizarrely, for Devonshire cream tea, the area is full of towns that look as though the 21st century is rolling on without them.
For wine connoisseurs this region is quite an assault on the senses. The valleys are famous for the perfect conditions, and some of Australia's best wine has come from Yarra's scattered vineyards. The main towns in the region are Belgrave and Wharburton, where you can buy a typically spacious three-bedroom house with land for about AUS$ 250,000–AUS$ 350,000 (approximately £106,000–£148,500).
Further East, the Gipsland is a continuation of the intense colour palette that makes up the South-East. It's famous for Ninety Mile beach, the Bush trails of Wilson's Promenatory, lakeside restaurants and a world biosphere reserve. The main towns here are Sale, Traralgon and Bairnsdale., all about two and a half hours from Melbourne. Traralgon, with a population of 70,000, is the largest in the Gipsland.
On the other side of Victoria, in West Victoria, the Central Highlands Wimmera is one of the many regions with the hallmarks of the early goldrush settlers indelibly marked on it. While the region is more popular with the hiking and heritage crowd than sunbathers and loungers, it is slowly realising that the agriculture industry alone won't support the region's economy. The Grampians National park is an amazing way to spend a day if you get the chance and Arrat, one of the only town to be founded by Chinese in the 1850s, is a good place to start.
To live, the most prominent town is Ballarat, as it's much closer to Melbourne and has more to offer its 85,000 residents than other towns in the west. Houses in Ballarat are cheap, possibly because it has fallen out of favour with younger Victorians, who want to be much closer than an hour and a half drive from the city. Normal prices are around AUS$90,000–AUS$150,000 (£38,000–£106,000).
The real gem in regional Australia, yet to be truly discovered by emigrants has got to be the Barwon-Western region in the South-West. It has the beach culture atmosphere, and some of the larger towns are relatively close to Melbourne. The region's airport, Avalon, is small and has domestic flights, but it means travelling into Melbourne isn't necessary to fly to other parts of Australia. A drive down Great Ocean road is absolutely compulsory for anyone new to Victoria, it has got to be one of the most spectacular seascapes on the planet. Being so close to Bell's beach, surf culture has also permeated the coastal towns that resonate with mellow vibes and a sporty outdoors lifestyle.
Geelong, in the north of the region is Victoria's second largest city. Houses can be good value for money, though they range anywhere between AUS$200,000–AUS$800,000 (£85,000–£340,000). This area has got to be the up-and-coming contender for emigrants looking for the perfect Aussie lifestyle.
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