Melbourne is indeed an expensive city to live in. I assume you'll be attending the University of Melbourne. It's unlikely that you'll be able to find a nice 1br/studio close to uni for $1k/month. If you'd like to live close to uni then your best bet would be to share a place with housemates. I have a friend who lives 5 minutes walk from uni and shares a place with two other housemates. He's paying $720/month with water and gas included. If you're happy to do something similar then it might be best to find short term accommodation in Melbourne and look for a place with housemates once you get here. People are often looking for a housemate to fill a vacancy, gumtree is a great place to start searching. If you really don't want to live with housemates then consider living further away from uni. Most students don't live close to campus and instead travel to uni using public transport, by catching a train to the city and then hopping on a tram which will take you straight to university.
Melbourne's a vibrant large city with a very multicultural population open to people of all races. There's always a lot to do and see, and there's a wide variety of restaurants with food from many different cultures. Although the weather can be chaotic (Melbourne's known for having all 4 seasons of weather in a single day), we get mild winters (never snows) and moderate summers (although there are often a few days a year when it gets very hot). Melbourne's a truly fantastic city to live in, and I think you'll enjoy your time here immensely!
