There’s no better way to get to know Melbourne than by sampling its restaurant scene. Google where to eat in the city and you’ll be bombarded with “best of” lists that have 30, 40, or even 50 restaurants on them. Luckily, at Leading Out because we’re busy making travel guides, getting teachers work overseas, and generally hustling, we’re always hungry.
Eating in new countries is one of the great pleasures that teaching and travelling abroad offers. You can have your senses swept up and immersed in tastes and smells you’ve never experienced. You might discover a deep connection with a place that serves up familiar flavours—a taste of home.
Down Melbourne’s graffitied alleys and up narrow staircases, you’ll find whimsical decor, and unique world-class dining experiences.
Here are four of our restaurant picks for your next dinner out on the town.
Chin Chin
Turn down the right alley and you might find this hip, bustling gem of a restaurant. DJs spin beats in the evening, and even though the place is usually packed come dinnertime, seats are well worth the wait.
Chin Chin is proudly Australian, and serves up South East Asian fare—curries, noodle dishes, and even a little BBQ. There’s something for everyone. With items like Chilli Salt Chicken Wings and Twice Cooked Pork Ribs with Crispy Rice Salad, even reading their menu will make your mouth water.
Mamasita
Hidden above your local 7-11 (yeah you read that right), Mamasita serves up incredible Mexican-inspired dishes. They’re well-finessed and you’ll want to try one of everything. As a bonus, if you’re a tequila lover, you’ll love talking to their in-house Mezcalier. Everyone will love the chargrilled corn which comes in the bowl or on the cob, served with queso, lime, and chipotle mayo. Call the restaurant ahead of time to make reservations, or be prepared to wait!
Naked For Satan
This restaurant is definitely Not Safe For Work—but a great place to head for happy hour afterwards! Serving up tapas and amazing cocktails featuring custom infused vodkas with flavours like Opium & Rose or Fig, this restaurant’s delicious bites will tickle your palate and your fancy.
Come here on a warm night when you’re ready to be mingle. You’ll be up and moving around to sample their unique delights. Another fun detail? NFS runs on an honour system. You choose the bites of food you want, save your toothpicks, and pay at the end. There’s also an outdoor deck with an amazing view of the city. Also, don’t let the name fool you—you’re allowed to leave your clothes on.
Movida Next Door
Save your next celebration dinner for Movida Next Door. This adventurous tapas restaurant is on the more expensive side, but believe us, it’s worth every bite. These sophisticated, elegant dishes are one-of-a-kind.
All we’re going to say to you is Chorizo-Filled Catalan Potato Bomb with a Spicy Sauce. Okay, and Spicy Chicken Escabeche on Crouton… AND Chargrilled Ox Tongue with Anchovy Salsa Verde. We’re done. We made ourselves hungry and need to go eat.
Have you visited any of these amazing restos? Have a favourite place in Melbourne to recommend? Share in the comments below!
There are plenty of books and online materials to walk you through the steps of writing a winning resume. Since we cannot possibly cram it all in here, consider the following do’s and don’ts when writing your resume to be helpful and simple reminders to help your resume stand out. If you have crafted a resume and consider it an inspiring piece of art, that’s great! Remember, it’s never a waste of time to keep it fresh in your mind and revisit it from time to time. Keep it current and recheck for those sneaky grammatical and spelling errors. These mistakes happen to all of us if we are not careful.
Edt! eidt! Edit!
It is not enough to read it over yourself. A second and third set of eyes will be invaluable to catching errors that you may have overlooked. Read it out loud. This is the best way to see how it will read to someone else.
Design
Be consistent with the format you use and how you list your information. Choose one and stick with it. Be mindful that you are not changing the format from one section to the other (spacing and margin alignment).
ridemcowboy_69@
When including your personal contact information, be sure to include the most up to date and appropriate data. Your contact phone numbers should have voice mail, preferably a message that does not include “what up” or ” leave a message okie dokie!” Stating your name is always helpful.
If you have not already created a separate professional email address, may we suggest you do it. While hotpants or cuppycake may be a well earned and fun nickname, this is not the best way to set you apart from the rest of the candidates. A simple combination of first initial and last name will do and look far more professional!
Know Yourself Don’t shy away from the great qualities you have to share. As you already know, this is the point of a resume, and it doesn’t hurt to add more and or refresh some of your strengths. Spending one-on-one time with your resume and rewording it also helps you keep the language fresh in your mind. You want to be able to recall your assets and strengths during the interview. Your work ethic, quiet confidence, sense of humour, flexibility, adaptability, positive outlook, initiative, leadership qualities, efficiency, open-mindedness, resourcefulness etc. will shine through.
Helpful Tip: Applying for a teaching position overseas suggests that you have an adventurous spirit and that is half the battle. Experienced and inexperienced travelers are prone to encountering some “culture shock” and it doesn’t hurt to read how others worked through it. Our article on culture shock in Australia may help you generate a few qualities to include in your resume. Qualities that highlight your willingness to learn from a new culture and share your own. These will go a long way.
Think of your resume as your introduction and first impression. Take the time to review and revise. We already know you are awesome teachers, let your resume reflect that.
It’s that time of year again in Canada; students are back at school, the days are getting shorter and you are remembering those summer strolls on the beach, camping or hanging on a patio. If you are not currently a Leading Out teacher and kicking back in Australia, this might tempt you to join our southern hemisphere teachers who are now gearing up for spring. Trust us, they are not looking for winter jacket sales and de-icer for their locks.
There’s no time like the present to start picturing yourself living abroad, meeting new and interesting people, and building on your skills in a new classroom environment. If you are already well seasoned traveler teaching abroad, or a new educator, here are a few reasons why you should consider Melbourne. For the first time in nearly 10 years Vancouver has been bumped from the number one spot as the top city to live. By a two point lead Melbourne has taken over and come out on top. A recent article by the Economist has ranked cities according to their live-ability which is defined by a number of factors. Check it out: at http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2011/08/liveability-ranking.
If you are looking for variety, unique experiences and immersing yourself in a laid back culture start the search for a teaching job or travel experience that Leading Out can offer! For those who have recently arrived, don’t forget the city of Melbourne’s public transportation makes it easy for you to visit new metropolitan destinations. Before planning an adventure, visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au to make transit simple and hassle free. There’s plenty to discover. For the most recent happenings in Melbourne we suggest visiting the City of Melbourne web page to read up on dining and nightlife, festivals, art and culture etc. It’s easy to see why Melbourne is the new number one city to live!
We did talk quite a bit about how to find furniture in Melbourne in past posts, but what about when you leave Melbourne and want to sell all of your stuff.
Many people just give everything to an Opt Shop or worse, throw it all away! It is environmental to try and pass on all of your items to someone else. That way, they don’t have to buy everything brand new, but it also doesn’t fill up the landfill sites (and bonus, you can make a bit of money back!).
So how do you find people who would actually want your used couches, bed, fridge, kitchen utensils, desk, etc. Well we all know Ebay and for individual items, this works well but the best option for used items, we have found is Gumtree.
Gumtree Melbourne is fantastic to buy or sell the small things (utensils, plates, etc.), to bigger things (fridge, bed, desk), and you can even sell/buy cars for under $5000. Did you know you can look for work here too or a place to rent (just be careful for people who are scamming you)!
We have found, if you have the time, it is well worth visiting other countries when you are on your way to teach in Australia from Canada or the UK. You have to fly across anyway, so why not stop?!
But where should you stop?
1) China – Beijing (will be discussed in detailed in our next post)
3) Moonlight Cinema in Royal Botanical Gardens. A fantastic way to watch movie under the stars. You can even rent beanbag chairs! Starts Dec 16th.
4) Rooftop Cinema in the City. Starts Dec 1st right in the heart of Melbourne.
Are you spending Christmas in Melbourne?
Well don’t miss the beautifully decorated Crown Casino where they come alive every half an hour in the evenings over December. They also have a Christmas Choir that usually sings two times each night.
Christmas activities are always going on at Federation Square and the Docklands. Also don’t forget the famous Myer’s Christmas Display. Go to What’s on Melbourne for more details.
There is nothing like going to the market to pick up your fresh veggies, fruit, meat, etc. and all of us who are from the Northern Hemisphere, we don’t get to do this for about 4 months of the year.
Melbourne’s markets are open all year long!
Not only are the open all year, but there are markets across the city. Many people go to the touristy and very popular Queen Victoria Market, but have you gone somewhere more convenient to you? White Hat is a great website that gives details, addresses, etc. for all Markets in Melbourne and across Australia.
Stop going to the Grocery Store (Supermarket) in Australia!
As teachers in Australia, we are always looking to save money. Stop shopping at the expensive grocery stores and go to the market. Not only are you buying local produce and supporting small businesses, but it is cheaper! My favourite is Footscray Market. The fish, seafood, and meat are by far the cheapest I have found. Also it is surrounded by Vietnamese stores and restaurants so if you want a good feed, this is the place for you!
But how about Dandenong Market, South Melbourne Market, Prahran, St.Andrew’s etc… The list is never ending so there’s nothing stopping you from getting fresh produce for a fraction of the price.
If you haven’t used Skype before, then you are missing out especially if you are overseas. We made the conscious decision to start using Skype with Canadian teachers interested in teaching in Australia (and UK and USA teachers) before they arrived, so that they learned about this tool early.
In one of our most recent blog articles, Homesickness while in Australia, we talk about how hard the first 3-months are, but then don’t give you many solutions to deal with this. Well one is Skype! It is FREE for you and for your family, friends, partner, etc. This means that even while teaching in Australia, you don’t have to worry about the expensive overseas calling rates, and can just use Skype. It will become your best friend and to make it even better, you can SEE them too! All you need is a webcam, or perhaps your laptop has a built in one, so it makes it feel like they are right beside you.
My suggestion is, sign up for an account now, and you will be surprised how many people are actually on it, even if you are not overseas yet. This way, when you are already on your computer, you can have a quick chat with someone too!
Ten years ago when I first travelling to Melbourne, Australia, Skype didn’t exist, or Facebook, and I was lucky to even have my family using internet regularly. Now back in Melbourne, having skype to quickly call my friends and family in Canada, makes such a difference to my enjoyment and love for living in Australia.
The leaves that once strewn the sidewalks have now been kicked to the gutter! Or have they?
That’s the Melbourne winter difference—the leaves get to stick around.
After Autumn, the weather doesn’t change that much. The roses will still be in bloom and lemons will be growing on backyard trees.
It is dark now around 5 p.m., light at 7:20 a.m. But the shortest day of the year is June 21st (right around the corner) and it will start to get lighter.
The coldest day I’ve had didn’t last past noon, because once that sun comes up it really warms (to 18 degrees Celsius usually).
What Clothing Do you Need?
But still, morning and evening temperatures of 4 and 9 deg. cels. are cold enough to make you want light gloves and a “beanie” (“toque”).
A good scarf is the perfect addition to any outfit as it really heads off that ‘damp cold’ that surrounds you before the sun’s high.
Melbournians walk nearly everywhere; never change their shoes for winter (yep–some Aussies will still be wearing thongs!); and keep an umbrella close at hand in the winter.
But you don’t have to shovel the driveway before work–ever. Oh, and the footy’s on 🙂
As we all know (and you’ll soon learn) Melbournians love their food. And even if you’re not a “foodie” (DEFINITION: Aussie slang for “someone who loves food”), you’ll soon become one.
Although I was eventually Kitchen Manager at my summer camp in Ontario, my largely-known secret is that I have never been that knowledgable about food. (Admittedly, I was most famous at Camp for seasoning all food with hundreds of cloves of garlic…good times!!!) :p
But soon wow’ed by the dinner parties of my Aussie friends, I know own 13 food magazines, a recipe scrapbook, and one fully-bound recipe book.
I still can’t cook. But here’s hoping you might fare better!
The Best Part of Grocery Shopping in Melbourne–Buying Fresh!
Although you can get Fruit and Veggies at the grocery stores, the most wonderful part of really realising you live in Australia (and the most environmental) is to shop for your produce at the markets.
This is one of my favourite weekend morning or afternoon events in Melbouren as everyone loads up their wheelie carts and heads off to patronise their regular Fruit shop. (more…)
Don’t shy away from the great qualities you have to share. As you already know, this is the point of a resume, and it doesn’t hurt to add more and or refresh some of your strengths. Spending one-on-one time with your resume and rewording it also helps you keep the language fresh in your mind. You want to be able to recall your assets and strengths during the interview. Your work ethic, quiet confidence, sense of humour, flexibility, adaptability, positive outlook, initiative, leadership qualities, efficiency, open-mindedness, resourcefulness etc. will shine through.
As teachers in Australia, we are always looking to save money. Stop 
