Despite the address being on the website, I travelled 4 hours to get a copy of my marriage…read morecertificate to find the office closed. Another business in the building advised the office is permanently closed and all business is conducted online or via phone! To say I was angry was an understatement. When I phoned BDM the next day all the employee could say was oops sorry.

I wish there was a no star option. What a dissapointing experience…read more I was trying to register a relationship. I had downloaded the right forms. Completed their check list for information and documentation required. Double checked it on there web site. And even triple checked it with there 'specialist' on the phone. But when we got there they informed us they actually require different information and documentation. When I pointed out I had all that was required on the forms. He said the forms on there web site were wrong and he didn't write them so it was our bad luck.i guess it is usual for a government department but it turned what should have been a special day for us into more stress and paperwork. And now another trip back to BDM.

Recently Renewed passport and wanted to get it connect to my active visa…read more The website was not very up to date. Found out that I "can" actually submit my request online, however, the online service was no longer there. So I printed Form 929: Change of address and/or passport details (The link to the form: https://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents/929.pdf) and submitted it to the office. Service was very friendly and fast. Went there during weekday. queue a bit. After few weeks, contacted them via office phone number, however, for some reason, it's always busy. Tried to connect almost one whole day but still can't connect to any of the staff. In the end, gave the office other visit to ask about my revised visa. Again, very friendly staff. This time, no queue (weekday as well). We can check our own visa by visiting this website: https://www.border.gov.au/Busi/Visa Overall: Horrible phone customer service, but good office staffs. Tips: So if you need anything, just stop by their office and they will help you.

I went to VicRoads to have my Kiwi licence converted for use in Victoria. I called and made an…read moreappointment - the closest appointment was 2 weeks from the date of my phone call, so obviously it's a pretty popular place. On the phone they listed off a bunch of paperwork to bring and told me that I absolutely could not be late or terrible things would happen (ie I would be turned away and have to rebook my appointment). The building is pretty well marked and I was easily able to find my way to the correct waiting room for my appointment. Upon arriving upstairs a nice lady checked my name on her form and confirmed that I did actually have an appointment, before giving me a form to fill out and guiding me over to a chair. After about five minutes of waiting my name was called (right on time!) and I was greeted by a cheerful man who seemed to know what was going on. After providing the correct paperwork and identification I was asked to sign a few things, pay for the licence, and have my picture taken. The whole thing probably took under 15 minutes and I walked away with a temporary licence, a real one to come in the mail in 10 days time. After making an appointment, arriving on time and bringing the right paperwork, my experience with VicRoads Carlton was nothing but positive. I have a feeling that if you don't have an appointment, are late, or don't bring the right stuff, you're going to be in for a frustrating time.

I have been putting off my licence renewal for longer than legally recommended, its boring, its $$…read moreand .......I needed a new photo. Which means foregoing the convenience of online payment and visiting the bureaucratic nightmare that is Vic Roads. Take a number, take a seat, wait, fill this out, wait, wrong queue, fix this, wait, pay, wait, leave. I suggest going with a friend for morale support. I recently went with a friend who also had to pay her registration and the experience was better than anticipated. Our staff member Stacey was actually super helpful and we didn't have to wait longer than 10 minutes to be seen. There was a complication that was dealt with cooly and we were out of there in around 30 minutes total. HOWEVER...as we were leaving we realised we had just beaten the lunch/afternoon rush and people were queuing 10 deep stretching back to the stairs. Like roadworks a visit to Vic Roads is unavoidable, don't go if you need to be somewhere in a rush and bring a book.

On the day we went there was only 1 tour offered at 4pm. We showed up at 3:20pm and there were…read morealready 10 people in line. There is a 25 person maximum for each tour and they are very strict about this. By 3:35pm 25 people arrived in line and they shut down the line. Anyone else that arrived after that was turned away. First, you have to go through a screening, and then you get to go inside the main area. The building is amazing with tons of gold, statues, and portraits. I liked the green and red themes of their houses, very similar to the British Parliament or Canada. The tour is 45 minutes and you get to go into both houses and the library. Pictures are totally ok.

P-funk of Victoria! This is the head of government for the…read moreAustralian state of Victoria. You can get a free tour if you stop by at the right times! It's a beautiful Victorian building, with columns and all, located right next to some gardens. I took the free tour, which took about an hour. I was lined up on the steps, and given a very thorough security screening process. No flashlights! No pickles! No laser pointers! Our guide was a very funny docent through the historic halls of power. She led us through the galleries and cracked jokes about the previous leaders and their selection for posing for portraits. We went through the library, and learned about this history of the government and got to see where all that tax money is going! The actual chambers of parliament were the coolest, where we got to sit in the seats that lawmakers sit in, and take in the cool architecture, artwork and amazing attention to detail and symbolism behind every item in there. The guide made good-natured jokes about the government, about how the symbolic mace keeps getting stolen, along with chandeliers and other items. The tour was so worth it! I really had a great time getting a crash course in Aussie government, and seeing the protesters out on the steps was a good way to see what's really going on in Victoria!