After a year living near Melbourne, Sam Mac says he has embraced the city’s coffee culture and a quieter family life — but there is one local habit he refuses to adopt: the Melbourne accent.
Mac and his partner Bec moved from Sydney with their three children in search of more space and greater proximity to the grandparents. Their new home near the Yarra Valley has given the family a larger backyard and a markedly different pace of life.
The move has even turned Mac into a coffee drinker, despite having previously consumed it only in espresso martinis. His regular order is now a strong flat white, although an attempt to make a “Sam Macchiato” failed because he did not enjoy the taste.
He said he drinks one coffee a day and was keen to stress that his comments were not an invitation for people to send him free drinks.
Another milestone has been the purchase of a ride-on mower, although Mac admitted it has so far featured more prominently in Instagram photographs than in serious lawn maintenance.
The children have also been given their own cubby house, while the family’s expanded garden has attracted kangaroos, kookaburras, lizards, ducks and, occasionally, a cow.
A neighbour suggested the animals might be choosing the garden because Mac does not mow the lawns. He took the remark positively, joking that his laziness was helping to feed the local wildlife.
Mac said the family had found the quieter surroundings a welcome contrast after busy weeks travelling with Sunrise. The calm of nature, he added, helped him relax and reset before the children woke up.
However, he has drawn the line at adopting what he regards as the Melbourne accent. Mac claims some residents switch the sounds of “e” and “a” in words, turning “Albo hurt his elbow” into “Elbo hurt his Albow”.
He has labelled the pronunciation the “Mal-bourne accent” and joked that its most frustrating feature is that people who use it cannot hear it themselves. His verdict was summed up with another pun: “Uh-oh, I think I’m going to hall (hell).”
