About

Cardiffian /Card●iff●i●an/ noun: (pl- Cardiffians) 

    1. Someone who comes from or lives in the city of Cardiff

Welcome to the New Cardiffian!

This blog chronicles my adventures as an Australian moving from London to Cardiff and exploring a new city, country and way of life from early 2017. 

I hope that by sharing these experiences, readers will be motivated to share, explore and try new things, either around Cardiff or wherever they are based.

Also, if you have any suggestions about events, things to do, see, eat, watch or listen to in Cardiff or its surrounds - I would love to hear them! Connect with me on Twitter or Instagram and don't forget to check out #mycardifflist


About me

Hi there - my name is Melanie and I am a very new Cardiffian.

I'm originally from Canberra, Australia - a relatively small but structured city established in a sheep farming valley during the early 1900s as a compromise when Melbourne and Sydney just couldn't agree which city should get to be the National's Capital. 

Growing up, Canberra was not well known for its exciting lifestyle (Lonely Planet once said that "any time in Canberra was time better spent anywhere else"- ouch!!*) and like many Aussies I left in my mid-twenties, for the bright lights of London. I didn't know what I was going to do or how long I would be there for, I just wanted to try something new.

Nine (!) years later I find myself about to undertake another move - perhaps not quite as far as Australia to London, but with the same excitement. I have no doubt I will miss London and many of its charms in the same way I miss many things about Australia, but there are so many things I am looking forward to - Welshcakes everywhere you go; trips to exotic sounding places like The Mumbles and Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia; it being socially acceptable for strangers to talk to each other on public transport; learning the language, not only Cymraeg but even using phrases such as "lush" and "tidy" correctly; and really just finding out what makes the Welsh, well, Welsh.

I started this blog just before moving to Cardiff as my experiences are starting well before I will officially arrive in the city - wanting to capture everything from exploring possible areas to live through to thinking ahead about events and happenings in the Cardiff area in early 2017.


*Canberra is definitely finding its mojo and now well worth a visit, whatever Lonely Planet might have said!!