If there are any readers of this blog still reading, you may noticed I have not posted lately. Not much new has been happening. Just been living in Melbourne and working. I recently returned to Toronto for 3 weeks for a nice vacation at the end of the Canadian summer, but other than that not much has happened over the last 5-6 months or so. A new adventure awaits me as Lauren and I are moving this weekend to a new area of Melbourne – Pascoe Vale South.
We have lived for close to 3 years in the inner-city suburb of Fairfield. Fairfield is located NE of the city and is about 10 kilometres away from the city. I lived on the main street of Fairfield, about 10mins away from a strip of shops that contained restaurants, retailers, services and groceries. Less than 2 kilometres west is the trendy area of Northcote, with the restaurants and music venues of High street.
To the north about 10 kilometres is the Preston market, a market to get all your fruit and veg & fish and meat. The same distance is also the Northland shopping mall which has a cinema. To the south are the areas of Westgarth and Clifton Hill, yet more areas for restaurants, shops and services. I was very spoilt and very lucky to be living in Fairfield. I really enjoyed living in Fairfield, I became comfortable and content. Some weekends it was enough just to wander the neighbourhood.
So when it came time to move the North West area of Melbourne I was not pleased initially. I would no longer have the luxury of a train stop being a 10 minute walk away which would get me into the city in 20 mins. No longer have access to a variety of shops and services, steps away from my door step. I would no longer be living near Northcote, Preston, Westgarth, Clifton Hill and Ivanhoe. Though all of these area’s I rarely visited on a daily basis, it became the neighbourhoods I knew.
In Clifton Hill I would get a facial every so often. I bought my bike in Clifton Hill, but got it serviced and fixed in Ivanhoe. In Northcote I had a travel agent from Flight Centre at the Northcote Plaza. I first came to know Preston for its market, but worked for the City of Darebin in Preston, just across the street from the Preston market. On occasion, usually when in between jobs I would take the bus to Northland shopping centre and go see a movie. When I first moved to Fairfield, I would ride my bike north to Bell Street and buy technology at the Dick Smith’s and check out Harvey Norman and Office Works on pricing.
All I could want were just a bike, bus, train or walk away east, west, north or south of Fairfield.
So it was with great apprehension and not much enthusiasm I looked forward to moving. Why are we moving ? The simple answer is space.
We have lived in an apartment in Fairfield and are moving to a house with a massive backyard. To get that in Fairfield we would have to pay much more than we are paying for it in Pascoe Vale South. In the summer time we did not have the opportunity to do things like host BBQs and have a large amount of people over. Lauren wants me to experience and live the Aussie life by extending the living to the outdoors. Living in an apartment which was next to the driveway meant we could not get lots of light in to apartment without exposing our apartment. In this house, we will have lots of light and nobody walking past our windows.
Over the past week, as the house we are about to move in has been cleaned and painted and personal items have started moving to the house I have become more excited about it. I’m not thinking about what I used to have and how convenient life used to be. This is not Fairfield! As I learned in Thailand, a Tuk Tuk ride is different from a bus/train ride or a taxi. We are moving from an apartment to a house. For me I would have liked it to have been in Fairfield but it’s in Pascoe Vale South. I will have to learn new ways of getting to and from work, where the shops are and learn the surrounding areas. I may have to shop at work, as I work near the Queen Victoria market and bring it home.
This is a new chapter in my Aussie life and though parts of me are still unsure how it will pan out. The only thing I’m really losing is convenience and time. We spend the majority of our time during the week at work. Home is where you come home to relax, unwind and spend time and with family and friends. In our new home hopefully we will be able to have more friends and family over with the addition of an outdoor area. As well as have a more enjoyable time at home by being able to have more sun both inside and outside. It will be nice during the summer to sit outside in the evening and not being confined to just the indoors.
Pascoe Vale South, here we come!
