Facts on Australian Cities

[Johan Venter]

I know people that stay in Brisbane, very humid at times (like Richards Bay and more north). Very green and tropical. Apparently a very nice place to stay. People that stays on the East Coast don't want to live in the west.

I stay in Perth (like Cape Town). Not very cold in the winter (rainy season), no humidity to talk about. Very good weather in the summer, very hot at times 42deg and more. Nice swimming beaches, cold to swim in the mid winter. See

http://www.migrate360.com/ and http://www.weatherzone.com.au/wa/perth/perth

[Emille]

This is my (subjective) opinion (my response to a PM enquiry about my opinion but i thought it may have some use to other people):

Of all Australian cities I prefer Sydney:

My choice of Sydney:

Internationally, Sydney really is the iconic Aussie city, the most exciting and it really is the unofficial 'capital of the southern hemisphere'. Sydney is my city of choice. I love cities, I am a 'city' person and the bigger the city the better - I like being 'where the things are happening' - and I don’t think I (or anyone) will tire of Sydney. I fell in love with the city - its beautiful, the people are sophisticated and friendly, it reminds me a lot of Cape Town (even the sea smells like CT's sea) - and importantly its got easy and cheaper access to South Africa (direct flights as opposed to the current Rockhampton - Brisbane - Sydney/Perth - Jhb - CT). I think career wise its also a good move - my point is to be in a place where I have access to a wide range of job opportunities over my career without me having to move house (so I can live in the same house but apply for higher/better positions in the same city). The weather in Sydney is also the most similar to CT. And once I move to Sydney I also don’t want to move again to another city - the next house that I will be living in will be for the rest of my life - I consider Sydney to be the place that will afford me the opportunities and variety in life and where I would have the least 'need' to move somewhere else.

The downside to Sydney is of course it’s the most expensive in terms of property (especially coming over from SA where one is effectively again a first-time-buyer)- but that is not only a negative as once you actually own a house/flat in the long-term it will be to your benefit as your property will increase the most in terms of value etc. One will most probably also have to travel longer to work etc but this is typical of a big city.

Other cities:

Having said all that - it also differs from person to person. Interestingly amongst Aussies there was a survey on their 'fav aussie city' and Melbourne won. Some people wont live anywhere than in Brisbane, others wont live anywhere else than in Melbourne and the same for the other cities. Some people don’t want to live in Sydney at all and to them it’s the worse possible city - 'its too big'. As you know, the major Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth) are all very sophisticated, cosmopolitan and international cities. They are all very similar in the sense that they all have what is generally needed - the extent of what each one has it just varies. I 'can live' and my family and I would be able to live and be happy in any of these three cities - they all have their pro's and cons. For instance, Brisbane is 'more manageable' and cheaper (but have more limited opportunities in the longterm), Sydney is what I mentioned above, Melbourne has crap weather but is cosmopolitan, has 'café culture' and has a lot of work etc. etc. I havent to Adelaide and Perth but I suppose the same is true for them although Perth is too isolated for me and Adelaide would probably be too small and 'un-dynamic'.

Brisbane:

As you know Brisbane is a perfectly nice city - it is if you will a 'small' Sydney. It has everything one needs, its more affordable than Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, it has many job opportunities. But I love the sea and the beach and Brisbane is for all practical reasons not by the sea. It does however as you know have access to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast and it has a pretty hinterland. I don’t like Queenlandes (the houses not the people), I also think that I would 'outgrow' Brisbane and get bored with it relatively soon. Brisbane used to be a big country town but in the past 10 years has transformed itself into a very dynamic city (for its size). As I said above Brisbane is more manageable - you don’t have to travel too far to get to places and its still cosmopolitan with a 'city' atmosphere. What I don’t like however, is Queensland's weather extremes - the most scary being 'cyclones' - we had a scare of a cyclone here last year and Ive never been so scared in my life ever. Brisbane had a freak storm in the 'Gap' area last year, and then there are frequent floods and things. Down south just seem to be have more 'average' wheather. This isnt brisbane, but anywhere north of the Sunshine coast the beaches are 'ugly', and the bayside suburbs of Brisbane are really more like suburbs next to a lake than next to 'the sea'. But 1000 people move into Queensland per week, most of these into Brisbane and the Southeast - so obviously Brissie has its advantages and reasons why people want to be there. I think a lot of younger people are now moving to Brisbane to the more affordable lifestyle compared to Melbourne and Sydney (and probably to escape the Melbourne weather). The old adage is that Queenslanders 'are more backward / less sophisticated / more conservative-narrow-minded' but I don’t know if this is still true although its probably also a legacy of the past before the 'new wave' of people moving into the city'. For me it lacks the 'oomph' of Sydney.

The reality:

Also most importantly - at the end of the day one has to go where you can get the best job. There is some extent to which one can compromise on the type of work and/or the salary in order to be in the city of your choice, but this is also limited (for instance I would rather go for a lower salary and live in a smaller property in Sydney, then to have a higher salary and bigger house in Brisbane) - one need to think about what you really want (some people will always stay in a less desirable place in order to get more money than to move to a more desirable place for less money). One obviously has to survive, and also have a reasonable level of lifestyle etc. I may not get a good job in Sydney and thus my dream of living there would not be fulfilled - for me there are more jobs in Brisbane and Melbourne as well - but at the end of the day also you only need 'one' job, not 10 or 20.

E

Edited January 11, 2010 by Emille

[Fish]

Just a little note about Emille's post above for those doing research...while a very good post I think with the reference to extremes and cyclones Emille might be getting Brisbane's weather confused with further north in queensland...easy mistake when you don't live here.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Fish

[Olgam]

Wow I love this site...