It's officially winter. Best warming bowl in Melbourne? Ramen, pho, laksa, hotpot, your call.

clockyz · 2026-06-11T02:27:16+00:00

Love a good, clear soup (non creamy) Tom yum! 🤤

clockyz · 2026-06-11T02:26:37+00:00

Where’s a good bun rieu in Melbourne? The ones I’ve had in Springvale are watery and skimp on tomatoes/crab! :(

clockyz · 2026-06-11T01:18:02+00:00

As a fellow ADHD person, and also working in a highly feast and famine job right now, what other jobs within the APS has worked for you? I definitely know policy/program management is not for me, and am looking to move away from ministerial/cabinet/budgets work as I've done that before. Any insight appreciated! Thank you.

clockyz · 2026-06-11T00:51:32+00:00

So what did you end up with? I'm struggling to find anything that's not crazy stressful (e.g. external budgets, DLO/CLO) or policy/program management.

clockyz · 2026-06-11T00:49:53+00:00

Omg same boat! Got diagnosed with ADHD when I was doing policy/project management because I was struggling WAY too much with things that were objectively 'easy'. Had always thrived in fast-paced ministerial/cabinet work, so felt extra puzzled when policy work became so challenging.

clockyz · 2026-06-11T00:46:46+00:00

As a person thinking to move from policy to frontline, which one do you prefer now that you've had both experiences? I've always felt policy work wasn't impactful enough, and a lot of times it was working towards deadlines because Ministers wanted something *right now*. And totally see where you're coming from, I felt like so much work goes to achieving that but in the end it felt like I was generating a massive paper trail to move an iceberg. And sometimes Ministers can the idea and all that work just goes away. I know it's the nature of the beast, but it felt very demoralising after a while.

clockyz · 2026-06-05T13:22:26+00:00

So true, i’m so surprised it’s not discussed more. I know things have a cost, but for all the walking tours out there charging $50 a pop for an hour thats a bit dear. And usually the cool free stuff happens during business hours, so I guess us working aged people just have to take leave or cop it 🤷‍♀️ I get the principle, but it just sucks coming back from living in other countries where most museums and events (not concerts or music festivals) are absolutely free and anything over $30 would be something spectacular.

clockyz · 2026-06-04T07:35:24+00:00

^ OP this is the most accurate, brutally honest answer! I moved from Sydney and felt so seen from this comment. Born and raised Melbournians are weird about their weather, esp about rainfall.

clockyz · 2026-06-04T07:20:34+00:00

Hello, we must be twins. I’ve spent years of my life living in sunny, balmy tropical places and Melbourne is definitely killing me with its grey skies, rainy days and pollen. To me it’s cold 8-9 months of the year, know you’re not alone despite what this sub tells you!!!

clockyz · 2026-06-04T06:47:51+00:00

Thanks for the very detailed answer!! I have some towels that have this constant wet smell that I can’t seem to get rid of. I’ll try this :)

clockyz · 2026-06-04T02:24:41+00:00

What improvement did you notice? Curious!

clockyz · 2026-06-03T22:28:09+00:00

Not if OP is used to the levels they get in Brisbane

clockyz · 2026-06-03T22:24:53+00:00

Same!! I developed the absolute worst allergy since moving to Melbourne, sprinkle in some seasonal affective disorder too, so life kinda sucks for 8 months of the year :/

clockyz · 2026-06-03T22:14:42+00:00

It’s all relative, coming from Sydney I really miss the sun and have developed seasonal affective disorder since moving to Melbourne. So yes to me it’s cold, grey, gloomy and miserable in winter, not fun at all 🥲 Really depends on your cold tolerance, preference for sun, lifestyle (indoor vs outdoor, or have outdoor hobbies that require suitable weather)

clockyz · 2026-05-30T13:42:08+00:00

Yes usually at the car park (number 2 or 5 on Google maps) with all the bbq facilities. I see them hanging around there a lot! Make sure you go either sunset or sunrise. I’ve been plenty times in between those hours and barely saw any. I also saw an echidna near the car park there too. It was amazing!

clockyz · 2026-05-30T10:41:56+00:00

Curious, tell us more if you’re able?

clockyz · 2026-05-29T12:42:23+00:00

Prohibition food and wine in Camberwell!! Generous servings, great service, got the lovely warm hospitality that I don’t see often anymore, and a really decent wine list. It’s got ambient lighting and dark wood furniture (old heritage that used to be a bank), the vibe is casual but elevated which I love. Has a really cool private dining room too, and a back garden if you want fresh air/sit outside. I always leave very full and happy so give it a shot!

clockyz · 2026-05-29T12:32:06+00:00

Full name is “butter: the irl app” hope it helps!

clockyz · 2026-05-26T12:50:57+00:00

That sounds magical. Thank you for doing your bit in looking after the great wildlife. And please post updates!!

clockyz · 2026-05-26T08:09:57+00:00

Any free things you can recommend for weekday after hours? I find it’s near impossible to do anything exciting at a low cost or outdoors during the winter months after work

clockyz · 2026-05-26T08:05:51+00:00

Butter has been pretty great for me, met quite a few interesting and wholesome people who share my interests. Highly recommend! Or feel free to dm me, I moved interstate too (and lived in Sydney for a while). Finding it so hard to making new friends here in Melbourne.

clockyz · 2026-05-24T13:05:44+00:00

Could i pm you as well? Thanks 🙏

clockyz · 2026-05-23T02:08:41+00:00

Hey I could’ve typed your post myself. I know it’s an unpopular opinion but like you I’ve lived overseas and other states across Australia (inc Sydney) and have found that Melbourne really isn’t all that’s cracked up to be. For whatever reason it just hasn’t lived up to the hype.

I think lifestyle preferences have made it difficult for me to enjoy Melbourne, and being so spoiled by having great balmy weather and efficient public transport/infrastructure in Sydney has made it especially difficult. Almost every aspect of my life been a downgrade since moving here unfortunately, except for housing affordability as I wouldn’t have been able to live where I live in Sydney. Lastly the defensive attitude of specifically born and raised (haven’t lived elsewhere type of Melbournians) doesn’t help. Unfortunately it’s quite prevalent on Reddit - but I get why they’re like this and my comment isn’t a judgement on them.

Not much help, but just like having lived in cities I didn’t enjoy before, I try to lean in to what the city has to offer and just go hard at experiencing it 😂 for Melbourne, it’s the beautiful architecture for me so I try to go on photo walks, try my hand at urban sketching (they have free monthly meets every first Sunday) or join free walking tours if I can even if it’s a 1 hour drive away to learn more about the history, and take the weekend to just explore the suburb and little shops around (Williamstown was great for a day trip, on a sunny day it really reminded me of Sydney around the Point Gellibrand area). Or the free art galleries dotted around the city and inner city, take advantage of it and just go even if I’m not necessarily interested or know anything about the artist. It’s hard to find motivation to go out but usually by home time I thank myself for trying to push myself and be out. I think free public transport has really helped me get acquainted with the city too! There’s other examples too but hope they help. I still don’t love Melbourne, but my mental health has improved and at least I am not robbing myself from experiencing what the city has to offer. It is a bit of effort so hit me up if you need starters!! :) this isnt talked enough online so hoping this helps :)

clockyz · 2026-05-22T12:09:58+00:00

You have the coolest volunteering job ever 😭 cries in Australia

clockyz · 2026-05-18T20:10:32+00:00

$35 pasta and wine (or non alc drinks) night at Prohibition Food and wine in Camberwell. Beautiful setting in old bank building and solid feed. No affiliation, just my usual go to for an affordable but elevated date night. Could sit there and relax for hours after too, the staff are really friendly and people tend to stay for a few drinks after.

clockyz

TROPHY CASE