Melbourne Travel Forum

I've got a lot of questions hope you can bear with me.

Do most rental apartments have fly screens on the windows?
Is it common to have A/C in the apartments?
None of the ads I've read mention laundry facilities, do rental apartments usually include washer/dryer in the unit?

And, I've heard that flies is a big problem is Melbourne. Is it really that bad, even in say downtown areas? Many thanks.

I stayed in Melbourne for 2 weeks in March 2006 and didn't experience any problems with flies.

Fly screens would be on all windows, air con usually only present if mentioned in the advertisement, laundry room is there but washers and dryers not normally provided unless flat is described as fully furnished, flies aren,t a big problem, they are more of a nuisance in the outback but I find mosquitoes more annoying than flies.
Normally an advertisement in a newspaper describing a flat or apartment for rent , and I assume you don,t mean holiday apartments, would state what heating and cooling there is, very few places come furnished , but you can always ask what amenities there are when you phone the person letting the flat.
If you ARE meaning Holiday apartments then they should come fully equipped but again you can ask the owner.

Thanks so much. Some people told me that you cannot open your mouth when you laugh or else flies will get into your mouth. I suppose they are referring to the suburbs.

Hard to imagine living without A/C when it's 35C.

"Hard to imagine living without A/C when it's 35C."

Oh you get used to it :))

>Some people told me that you cannot open your mouth when you laugh or
>else flies will get into your mouth.

LOL - and that's coming from someone called Tammy BEE - LOL

We are experiencing a fly plague here (Melbourne) at the moment. Its not quite as bad as in the bush where a white tee shirt instantly becomes black from the flies. If your worried about flies, there are plenty of repelents available - both spray and wipe on.

Thanks again for the advice!

One more question. Do these flies stay outdoor or is it just as bad indoor? And, what about mosquitos? Thanks again.

You really don,t need to worry about the flies, they are about but certainly not bad inside, they are attracted by food smells so if you had a barbecue for example they would appear. It is important to keep food covered or in a refrigerator as you don,t want flies sitting on food. With the mosquitoes, they tend to be prevalent near water such as a lake or creek, they breed in water. In summer they can come inside but only 1 or 2, and even if they bite it is only minor. babies tend to be bitten more and can develop a much larger skin reaction, there are insect repellents to wipe or spray on. The types of mosquitoes in Europe are far worse, I got bitten in Austria and the skin welts were huge and very painful.

>One more question. Do these flies stay outdoor or is it just as bad
>indoor? And, what about mosquitos? Thanks again.

Almost every house is fitted with insect screens, but if you leave a door open there could be a few that sneak in. The little bush flies arnt so bad, but the blow flies are huge. Spray repellent if you need to. I havnt seen or heard too many mossies this year and is probably due to the drought.

Re: Some people told me that you cannot open your mouth when you laugh or else flies will get into your mouth. I suppose they are referring to the suburbs.

I think whoever told you this was joking. The flies have been getting worse over recent years but nowhere in Melbourne (city, suburbs or surrounding countryside) are the flies half as bad as you're concerned about. Don't be afraid to laugh as much and as often as you like :)

Further to: Hard to imagine living without A/C when it's 35C.

Remember Melbourne weather is changeable - it won't be 35C all the time in the summer. There are regular "cool changes"

Probably for every day its 35c or above, there will be 4 or 5 days in the 20s.

Also the heat in Melbourne is usually a "dry heat" - its low humidity - so it doesn't feel as oppressive as 35c in places with high humidity.

By the end of February most of Melbourne's 35c days for the summer will probably be finished anyway.

Good luck,