WARNING: This article is super-long, but chock-full of great tips. Stay with us!

WHY MELBOURNE?
Whilst Sydney is the largest city in Australia, Melbourne is considered the cultural hub of the nation. No matter what your tastes, there’s something in Melbourne for you. From secret clubs hidden down city laneways to shopping in the biggest designer stores in the Southern Hemisphere, we guarantee that you’ll love Melbourne.

GETTING THERE:
The two most common ways to get to Melbourne are driving and flying. The drive down to Melbourne is a beautiful, scenic coastal route, so if you’re after a road trip then this is the way to go. However this will take you at least two days, if not longer, so it’s faster, safer and cheaper to fly. Both Jetstar and Virgin Blue have flights leaving to Melbourne at multiple times each day.

STAYING THERE – ACCOMODATION:
There are plenty of good quality hostels and guesthouses in Melbourne. Some that we looked at included The Greenhouse Backpacker, the Melbourne Central YHA, or the St. Arnaud guesthouse. However we ended up not taking any of these options, instead finding an excellent deal on a site called lastminute.com. Hotels with rooms available will advertise their rooms secretly on this website at a greatly reduced price. It worked a treat for us, but if you’re not too keen on the secret bit, then the website also has publicly advertised hotels at reduced rates.

WHAT TO DO:

The Markets: Queen Victoria Markets

These markets are so vibrant, fresh and cheap, you’ll never want to eat anywhere else ever again! From fruit and vegetable stalls to bakeries, butchers, delis, cafés and even the occasional chocolate or alcohol retailer, you know you’re getting the freshest food around. I recommend going for breakfast or lunch, buying yourself a bread roll and some cold meats, sitting out in the laneway on the seats provided and taking in the atmosphere.

http://www.qvm.com.au/

The Café: That place

This place is so great that we hardly went to another café the whole time we were there. Located in the heart of the city, this place – which is actually called “That Place” – has basically everything you could ask for, and all at a reasonable price. The coffee is superb, and the milkshakes and iced coffees are among the best I’ve ever tasted. They also offer light snacks, as well as a great range of larger meals – and almost all of these are under $10! That Place is highly recommended. That having been said, there are more amazing cafés in this city than you could poke a stick at, so be adventurous – it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed.

http://www.beanhunter.com/cafes/review/that-place-cafe

The Diner: Bimbo Deluxe

Perhaps the name isn’t too appealing, but you’ll change your mind once you’ve stepped inside and tasted their pizzas. Priced at $4 on Sunday – Thursday from 7-11pm, weekdays 12-4pm, and Saturday 7-9pm, you’d be pretty hard pressed to find a better value pizza anywhere. And the price is no indication of the quality – these pizzas are 100% gourmet. There are also a range of dessert pizzas, multiple drinks on tap (including some boutique beers and ciders), and generally an excellent vibe. And, the cherry on top – it’s located in Melbourne’s chic Brunswick st shopping precinct. A winner all round!

http://www.bimbodeluxe.com.au/

The Shops: Brunswick and Smith sts

If you’re into alternative stores, op-shops and boutiques, look no further than Fitroy strip malls Brunswick st and Smith st. Here you’ll find one off, small chain and exclusive to Melbourne designer boutiques nestled in amongst cheap as chips op shops. Smith st is the cheaper of the two, but has less of the designer stores. For the ladies, I would recommend Kinky Gerlinky and Lion in Love, both on Brunswick st.

Check this out – the streets have their own websites, complete with full, high-res interactive street view!
http://www.brunswickstreet.com.au/
http://www.smithstreet.net.au/

The Culture: Laneways

The city of Melbourne is famous for its laneway culture. The laneways are a series of alleyways and side-streets throughout the city centre which are host to a feast of cafes, restaurants, boutiques and street art. We won’t recommend any specific laneways to you, because it’s so much fun to discover them for yourselves.

If you want more information though, go here: included is a full list of Melbourne’s laneways:
http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=9408

The attraction: Tim Burton exhibition

Running until October 10th, this prolific exhibition celebrates the macabre world of Tim Burton’s creations. Included in the gallery exhibition are costumes, set pieces and props from some of his films; as well as storyboards, incidental sketches and even letters and stories he wrote in his youth. If you go at the right times, you can also catch a screening of one of his films, other films which inspired him, or documentaries and other examinations of Burton’s work.

http://www.acmi.net.au/timburton.aspx

The secret club: The Croft Institute

We found this club by accident, and it was a terrifically fun adventure. You’ll almost certainly need to google it in order to find it. To get there, you have to go down a graffiti-covered alley that twists and turns around until you’re hardly sure which direction you came from. Down this rabbit hole you’ll find a venue that is the perfect mix of cool and simple. There is a downstairs area which is a bit more chilled, usually host to some cracking hip-hop beats, and an upstairs area open on weekends, playing host to some fresh house, electro and dance DJs. This blurb doesn’t do the place justice, so check out the website to get a better idea of the vibe!

http://thecroftinstitute.net/

The live music venue: Yah Yah’s

If you’re willing to go for a bit of a risk, Yah Yah’s is the place it’s likely to pay off. Here you’ll find all kinds of live music – the website boasts “rock, soul, garage, surf, exotica, 60s, 70s and more.” All acts are likely to be independent and/or unsigned, but there’s still a huge amount of quality. Drinks are cheap and the vibe is cool. A warning, though – ear plugs are available for sale at $2 a pop at the bar, and you’ll need them!

http://www.yahyahs.com.au/

Phew! What a marathon article! But the fact is that these tips are just the tip of the iceberg. Part of the beauty of Melbourne is that there’s so much to be discovered. So whether you’re going on your own, with friends, or with your partner, you’re guaranteed to have a ball. If you go, let us know what you did and how you found it!

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We’ve got two shiny new guesthouses – number 5 and number 7, Oatley road, Paddington – on the market! Have a look at this neat little walk-through of number 5:

Enjoy!

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Our Sydney student accommodation is available in all the major student suburbs, such as Annandale, Bondi Beach, Coogee, Darlinghurst, Edgecliff, Glebe, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Surry Hills, Newtown, and of course – Sydney City. Live right in the heart of Sydney’s hottest locations – in an environment of other likeminded individuals – while you further your education.

Furnished Property offers various types of short-term apartments that work as student accommodation options in Sydney, but for the total experience, our Sydney guest houses are the best value. Our guest houses provide private living spaces (singles, doubles or triples) with common living areas that are perfect for socialising and making new friends from all over the world.

With Furnished Property, you can view and book a property online, on our website, and you’re good as gold when you arrive.

Or, you can come into the office and request a tour of our currently available properties! If you like it, you can sign and move in literally the next day! How easy is that?!

But – It gets EASIER! As our name suggests, our properties are fully furnished! That means you get the beds, the tv’s, the tables, the chairs, the dishes and the cups all included! Now that definitely makes getting a student apartment or room in Sydney truly simple.

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Just at 5:59, you were fast asleep in your cosy little bed, dreaming wonderful dreams without the slightest bit of stress or drama to worry your head. Now, however, its 6am and you’re woken up by the sound of a screaming alarm clock, but it’s not yours… it’s your roommate’s!

photo credit: stuartpilbrow

Oh, the joys of living in the same room as someone else. Sure, you get to share the rent, but that cost could come with a lot of other drama that will leave you screaming, “I need a Single Room in Sydney!” Thankfully, you’ve come to the right place because Furnished Property understands that having a single room in Sydney is better than sharing for many reasons, and here’s why:

Privacy! Privacy can cost quite a bit in some cities. Having a single room in Sydney can allow you to do what you want, and when you want it, without annoying your roommate.

You can decorate the walls the way you want, get up as late or as early as you want, listen to whatever music you want, wear as much or as little clothing as you want, and smell as bad or as good as you want.

Yep, you can clean as little or as often as you want, talk on the phone as loudly or softly as you want, and let’s face it – bring whoever or whatever back home with you.

With a single room in Sydney, you can have the privacy to be as calm or wild as you want (BUT within reason if you want to get the bond back) – without disturbing the life of a roommate.

Finding a Single Room in Sydney

Don’t worry! Even though finding a single room in Sydney is difficult, you’ve come to the right spot! The Furnished Property Group has a number of fantastic, and fully furnished, single rooms in Sydney, ready for you to rent right now!

Choose from studios, one bedrooms, or single rooms in shared accommodation (guesthouses). Just give us a call, and we’ll put you in a single room in Sydney, ASAP!

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This week I’m putting out an idea that could have solved my problem, and possibly help others in the same situation. This solution would be taking advantage of the short-term contracts available in the guest houses of The Furnished Property Group. That’s right – The minimum stay is only a month, so why not go for it and have a great – temporary if needed – home while you are looking for that job?!

Because it is only a month minimum stay, you won’t be “stuck” somewhere for long if you happen to find a job that is far away. There’s no true commitment involved which allows you to rest your worried head and not fret when you should job hunting and having fun.

Furthermore, all the places with The Furnished Property Group are fully furnished, meaning you won’t have to spend a dime in order to get your day-to-day living under way.

Not bad, eh? Short-term contracts are definitely a great thing, especially for those coming to Sydney on a Working Holiday Visa.

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photo credit: SOCIALisBETTER

The decision was a difficult one for me to make, even after weighing all the options. If I decided to find a job first, I would then be able to find a place closer to it and have a better idea of the budget I was working with. This could mean the difference between living in a dive, or living in comfort during my time in Sydney. It could also spare the cost of certain travel expenses in the future.

On the other hand, I found it was just too difficult to look for a job while living in a hostel. There’s a certain amount of preparation that goes into getting interviews, as well as looking the part, and living out of a backpack was just not cutting it. Just finding a quiet place to talk on the phone to potential employers was difficult, not to mention the fact that internet use was limited. Some nights, I didn’t quite get the sleep I was in dire need of because of the sounds from my other roommates. Also, getting ready for the interview itself seemed to take me twice as long as it would otherwise.

Because the stress of needing to find a job was breathing down my neck, I cracked one Sunday and decided that I needed to find a place first so that all efforts could be focused towards the job. I hurriedly made appointments to view whatever I could for the cheapest I could. But, what did I know? I barely knew the area, or the market.

I ended up taking something that day, and later regretted the decision immensely. I won’t get into the details just yet, but I’m sure they will come up in future posts. Overall, I do think getting my own place first was the way to go because my ability to look for jobs was significantly improved, but really it should have been done in another way.

What do you guys think? Find a place, or a job, first? Take our poll below, or share your own experiences by leaving a comment.

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I have put together a poll with some simple responses: Location, Size, Price, Amenities, and Number of people.

Let’s go ahead and break it down a bit.

Location: Location is very important, at least to travellers and people working in a big city. No one likes to communte an hour each way every day, or drive in congested city streets, so choosing the location might be number one on most people’s lists.

Size: Perhaps you spend loads of free time at home, or you like to entertain. In that case, size might be the deciding factor.

Price: If money matters, price is key. Maybe the commute doesn’t seem so overwhelming if the price is right.

Amenities: Dish washers, laundry rooms, and free Wi-Fi draw some in. How important are these little bits to making the final decision?

Number of people: Maybe you are concerned about it being too loud, or maybe not loud enough? If too many people live in the same flat, disorder and messiness might be issues to deal with.

We’re very interested to see the outcome of the poll. Feel free to leave a comment letting us know why you chose what you did at the bottom of this post. Thanks!

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