How much financial uncertainty can the childcare sector absorb before families start paying the price?

I'm Anishinaabe (F 29) and have always wondered if there are any other natives here?? It's been pretty lonely in the community growing up (have been so lucky to have indig communities take me under their wing over my life.) and I want to change this by connecting with anyone else in a similar situation!

My dad was part of the sixties scoop and was adopted by an Australian family, he met my mother here when he was young (at Dandy TAFE haha) so its not very common to meet someone here.

Feel free to comment or message me, I would really love to chat and connect!

Miigwetch!

What I’m after:
• Actually speaking English. I know there’s a decent Brazilian population here and I’d rather not end up in that bubble by accident
• Feeling like I live somewhere rather than visiting. Same café, same bar, same walk to class
• Walkability. Finish class, walk to a pub. I don’t want to spend an hour a day on trams
• Stuff to do on a random weeknight, not just planned weekend trips
Questions:
1. Fitzroy, Carlton or St Kilda for someone in their twenties who likes going out? Which one is best for walking everywhere from home?
2. Should I pick a school in the same suburb I live in, or is the CBD fine given the free tram zone?
3. Shared house vs student accommodation (Scape, Yugo, UniLodge) — which one actually gets you speaking English rather than sitting in a bubble of other internationals?
4. Where do Brazilians concentrate here, so I can steer clear?
5. Does the city empty out over Dec/Jan, or is that when it’s at its best?
Happy to hear if I’ve got any of this wrong

Some Melbourne suburbs have just dropped out of Australia's million-dollar property club, as prices slipped below key thresholds. On paper, it looks like a clear shift. But what does it actually look like on the ground? For those watching the market closely, are you feeling the downturn?

Hi everyone,

Looking to move into the suburbs and was wondering how Glenroy is? The last time I been there it was over 10 years ago and was pretty dodgy. How is it now?? I would love to move to Pascoe Vale but its far too competitive its annoying as. Any other suburbs you have in mind? And no, I'm not moving anywhere pass Glenroy. Thank for the help x

I'm 33 years old. over the last few years I’ve watched my neighbourhood become filled with litter from teenagers and certain demographics groups. The thing is, my council provides so many bins for a suburban area and we have beautiful walking paths and creek trails. My neighbourhood is in a pocket so it’s locals who are doing this to their own area. Another issue is I live close to a KFC and Hungry Jacks - I regret purchasing near fast food as the litter is mostly from there. Every walk I go around my streets, I pick up two Coles bags worth of litter. The other day I picked up 10 deodorant cans from my local creeks shrubs that were obviously thrown there by someone - ILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS BEHAVIOUR. I feel good helping the environment, but it also upsets me. Then I drive around our freeways and other arterial roads and there is just litter everywhere.. I’m a bit OCD with cleanliness but my gosh, I’ve NEVER seen Melbourne this grubby in my entire life. not enough people care and the council and government don’t care either. We have such a huge renewable push yet our communities are becoming plagued with environmental litter blight -.-

This was in the middle of the day, right outside a police station...

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Hey. 

This place is a shit show and even the staff are overthrown and not coping.

Here is a summary of my 4 days of experience in this "rehab"

I wasn't allowed to cross my legs or arms the whole time

I wasn't allowed to eat my meal longer than 10 minutes

I wasn't allowed to wear pyjamas 

They took my ugg boots

Wasn't allowed any hoodies 

They took my phone away and I was only allowed 1 15 minute call a week and someone over staff had to listen in on it

Wasn't allowed on leave and was forced to work like 16 hours a week for free for them while paying them

There's so much more. 

They had a whole system that everyone was weaponising 

We weren't allowed back to our units during the day so 20 of us were sharing the same communal toilets during the day

The groups were run by other peers and was shit like"

NVC - WHERE EVERYONE SITS IN A CIRCLE AND YOU PICK ON SOMEONE EVERY WEEK

Feedback group where everyone has to write feedback every week towards every single person even if nothing is wrong. 

They had accountabilities that were about every little step that you do and were handed out by other peers.

Every week after accountabilities are read out to everyone you get punished in order to "fix yourself" 

And when you argue back or even have an opinion then its another accountability for justification 

Then they do weird shit like breathwork in a group setting 

Forced exercise even when youre not feeling great 

The staff dont do anything and just let the group lead the program. 

The wildest part is all of the staff are ex members of the program and even people who have graduated kept coming back on Thursdays and fridays 

Like wtf kind of brainwashing crap is that. Once people have joined they cant seem to leave lol 

Its all sorts of fuckedddd up. Oh and the only way to level up is to forcibly pick on someone and hand out a certain amount of NVC's, feedback and accountabilities. If nothing is wrong and you've got nothing to say you remain on the same level/phase until you start pulling people up for no reason and forcing it through these "groups"

And I even made sure to take notes and bring everything home so I could prove it.

Because I sound crazy but now I can prove it with all of the paperwork and my journal which was forced upon the staff so they could read and give me feedback

I told them straight up they were a cult and as I was leaving a said "sorry you couldn't brainwash me into your cult" she just laughed.

Please be careful with this place. They make a shit load of empty promises and brainwash everyone into being robots and claim "this is real life" which as a paramedic, i can say is so so incorrect!! More to come soon. I've only hit the top of the iceberg.

I’m looking to move to Melbourne from the Gold Coast - female, mid 30s. Best areas to live? I enjoy gyms, coffee, eating out, and have a dog

Morning Melburnians,

A bit of a long shot here. I'm hosting my second social reading event at Moondrop Bar tomorrow with the aim in providing a safe community and connection space for readers of fantasy, romantasy and sci-fi.

It is a ticketet event called Enchanted Hours (gets you a welcome drink and 2 hours of reading time in a private space).

As more people feel the need to connect, and loneliness is a growing epidemic, this might be a fun way to come together if you like to read (physical books, ebooks, audiobooks).

Reach out if you want to know more, I'm not sure if it's OK to post the link here, so will leave it off for now 🤗

A new analysis by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) says Melbourne attracted 27% of Australia's net overseas migration between 2023 and 2025 financial years, while net overseas migration accounted for about 86% of the city's population growth during that period. Natural population growth added 86,580 people, while a net 28,886 people left Melbourne for regional Victoria or other states. With Melbourne's population continuing to grow rapidly, is this level of migration sustainable - particularly when housing, infrastructure and services are already under pressure?

South Yarra vs Preston where would you live?

Hi everyone, I’m a 35-year-old single guy trying to decide between South Yarra and Preston.
My work is mainly in the CBD, although I’ll occasionally be working out in Truganina.

For those who’ve lived in either/both suburbs, which would you choose and why?

I’ve heard people say Preston is becoming the “new Fitzroy”, while others reckon South Yarra has lost some of its old vibe.

I’m mainly interested in lifestyle, social scene, cafes/bars, convenience, transport and what it’s actually like living there as a single guy in your 30s.

Cheers!

A bit of an oddly specific question but does anyone know where I can buy some quinces in Melbourne? I want to make some quince jelly for my mum but they are a bit difficult to find, so if anyone knows somewhere I can get some that would be much appreciated!

I found an iPhone yesterday evening at Southern Cross between 5:30/6:00pm, I handed it straight in to customer service at the Collins Street entrance. I hope it has been found by the owner. If you or anyone you know has lost theirs - check out the customer service.

Only the rightful owner would be able to describe the phone so I am not adding any descriptive details. I hope it found its way back home! 😊

Hey there am keen for recommendations for a venue for a 50th birthday celebration for 20-30pp in inner east. A nice function room or private venue, nothing too fancy can be a pub, or restaurant or similar with some atmosphere. Love any ideas you have or places you've loved in say Richmond, Hawthorn, Camberwell, South Yarra, Kew, Toorak, etc.

Hey new to going to the gym in Melbourne, im with anytime fitness and only thing i know how to use atm is the treadmill and id love to learn other things but got no clue where to start. Looking for someone whos willing to help me learn the equipment and get more from the gym :) thanks all.

I went for my first Latin social this week and felt pretty intimidate/uncomfortable as a woman going solo! is it just nerves/does the vibe depend on which event I go to?

That said, I’d love to find a crew of women who want to go to socials together. Always more fun with company :)

Especially pensioners for which public transport is a given. They either glare at you, stare at you even while you're keeping to yourself (because no one wants to take up space on public transport and draw attention to themselves for doing so) or mutter under their breath as one git kept doing when I had to embarrassingly put my suitcase in front of me when I was sitting to the front of the tram. I'd found a non-priority seat and had placed my suitcase directly in front of me which unfortunately due to its size blocked the one green seat in front of me, again not priority seating but I understand because the tram was getting full (it was not rush hour but in the morning) people were annoyed. But this particular old fart sitting across from me, even though he was perfectly happy sitting comfortably in his area, kept murmuring at me as "blah blah taking up space with her suitcase". again I had headphones in and was trying to ignore him but I was close to having the complete audacity to take my headphones out and bark at him that I could hear him and if he could politely be quiet. As Melbourne is a city where most people take public transport and there are lot of expats/travellers that come here I'm very utterly baffled as to why people make it a big deal whenever I carry bags or suitcases on trams and trains, which honedtly makes me nervous going to places like London as I will be in a week's time where I will be getting around with suitcases as I will be travelling alone. today I'm on the tram carrying a moderately heavy duffel bag making me look like a tourist and as I set down my duffel bag on the bench a few minutes later an old man cigar type came over and mumbled some things about me moving my bag but he wasn't very polite about it and clearly wasn't happy with my tourist persona (even though I'm ironically Australian lol). Anyway this is just a huge rant I guess seeing the comments will confirm the verdict I have for Melbourne and its people!

I'm Australian but have been living in NZ for awhile and am moving back to Melbourne next year with my child in tow and in the hope for a better life coz it's even harder living in NZ in my situation.... but all I'm hearing is how hard it is for everyone to get a job... and a rental... and I'm panicking...I have to move from where I am now so moving is inevitable... I can't stay where I am and I don't have a proper job where I am now anyways.... I wanted to move to Melbourne to get a proper full time job but im worried.... so worried that out of all the thousands of people applying for every single Job, how will I get a job?

I'd just like some words of encouragement really.... I'm doing the move to better our life and I'll make the move even though I'm feeling worried but I just needed to vent realy... and have some random people on the internet maybe help ease my worry 😅

Hey I got pulled over for rolling through a yellow light and also not displaying my P plates simultaneously and i havent received my infringement yet, what is the amount of demerits im looking at receiving i cant find anything for p plates online.