Which cities would YOU recommend?

[kangaroo]

Hi all

Going to Oz on LSD trip in July and we are planning to go to Melbourne and Adelaide so far. Was wondering....which cities would you recommend to see on LSD trip?

Obviously time is of the essence - we have +- 10 days in Oz!

Melbourne is our family's 1st choice, that's why it's on the itinerary. Adelaide...we've heard so many good things, that's why it's on the list too.

At the moment we have 6 days in Melbourne and 4 days in Adelaide...would you say we should make each city visit shorter to accommodate other cities as well?

Ahhhh, so many good choices so little time!

[SASydneysider]

Hi kangaroo,

I would think the more of the larger cities you visit (that's if you want to be in the large cities), the better you would be able to get a feel in general for Aus and possibly where you would like to settle.

A visit to Brisbane and Sydney would be a good idea. Where do you come from in SA? What work would you be looking for? What type of weather do you prefer? All of these things and more, are considerations when deciding on which cities to visit.

The more you experience the better you would be able to make an informed decision!

Good luck!

Edited March 9, 2006 by SASydneysider

[Guest Larry]

In my opinion in moving to a new country there are two very important things to consider (after you have decided on the country):-

1. Where can you find work?

2. Can you put up with the climate?

You may find the most beautiful and pleasant place to live, but if you can't find work, forget it!

So let's presume that you can find work anywhere and get onto the next thing, the weather....

Melbourne has a climate very similar Cape Town, in spite of the fact that it is further south.

Adelaide is similar to Melbourne, but a bit warmer.

Perth is similar to Adelaide, but a bit warmer.

Sydney is similar to the south coast of Natal.

Brisbane has a similar climate to Richards Bay.

Australia has no major inland cities. - I don't rate Canberra as a major city!

I spent about 12 years in Melbourne before moving on to the small town of Benalla in north-eastern Victoria and then on to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. I shivered through my first winter in Melbourne (work-related transfer). - It wasn't as cold as Johannesburg, but it was wet! Then I acclimatised and my attitude changed. I am not going to rave on about Melbourne beyond saying that I still think that it is the best city in the world in which to live.

My moves away from Melbourne have been dictated by work commitments. My time in the "Rural City of" Benalla taught me some very interesting things. - Even fairly small towns in Australia are very First World. - OK Schools, good medical facilities, good broadband internet coverage.. all-round good facilities, especially good sporting facilities. Friendly people and a more relaxed lifestyle too. It took me 10 minutes to get in to work in the morning..... on foot!

What I am trying to say is "Don't write off Regional Australia!".

If you have time to visit only one city in Australia, make it Melbourne.

If two, then Melbourne and Sydney.

If three, then Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

If four, then Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Note that I leave out Adelaide. The on-going pace of development in Adelaide is slower than that of the other cities. (Read that as "Slightly Depressed") Consider Adelaide only if you have a good job offer there.

Why do I suggest you visit Perth? - Most of the people that I know (ex-ZA, ex-Zim, Aussie & Kiwi) have at some stage or another considered moving to Perth. The ones that haven't have one criticism. - Too remote! The ones that have reckon that it is the best city in Australia in which to live. Go there and make up your own mind.

Cheers and good luck.

Larry

[kangaroo]

Thanks SO much for the detailed outline, Larry!

Thanks also SASydneysider!

I live in Pretoria and work in the advertising industry as a Copywriter - therefore the bigger cities would be more suitable career-wise, even though I personally would not mind living in a smaller place, as long as it has atmosphere.

My parents (who will join me on the LSD trip) also live in Pretoria. We have no hang-ups about finding a similar climate to Pretoria - all of us actually LOVE the four-seasons-in-one-day weather of Hermanus...I've often heard Hermanus weather being linked to Melbourne's weather so that's good news indeed.

I will give your comments and advice to my parents and together we will decide on the final itinerary....quite a difficult matter, as there seems to be just so much to see and unfortunately not enough time...

[Caroline]

Hi Kangaroo

Hubby lived in Oz for a while-his favourite is Melbourne. When he took me for LSD, he first selected Perth(visited firends), Sydney and Melbourne. But then I mentioned that I would like to visit friends in Queensland as well so we changed Melbourne for Brisbane. I loved Brisbane, it was just instantly a matter of "I could live here" (but remember-I am a 'banana girl').

As a 'first timer' I was left with the folowing feelings:

Perth: 'dry' and sandy. Love the vibe and friendliness. Drove out to Hillary's Harbour-lots of building going on, quite a buzz. Could live there because of the beach-some lovely parks as well. Perth-nice city. Freemantle-very pretty and clean.

Sydney:Huge city-felt completely overwhelmed-too fast for me. Lots to do, amazing buzz 24/7. Outside Sydney some very pretty areas and lovely homes. Went to visit some people and they took me for a drive (remember a view fo the 'blue mountains')it was lovely. Much greener than I expected.

Brisbane: instantly felt 'at home'. Caught the river ferry every time just because it was more 'fun' than the buss. So much to do just couldn't get enough. Drove out to 'Cleveland' which reminded me of Umhlanga just prettier and cleaner. Pretty beaches and islands. Went mad about the 'Gold coast'. Visited friends inland (Toowoomba) and hubby got locked in the bedroom with a snake (surprised he still wants to move there ). And to our surprise found this lovely town with everything that we were looking for. Brisbane itself is too hot and humid for hubby (just as Durb's is ) so we decided on Twb because of slightly cooler climate, lots of schools, hospitals and convenience for our particular situation.

If I had to do it over again I would do Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Edited March 13, 2006 by Caroline

[Riekie]

No visit to Aus is complete without touching the Opera House .......

[Guest Larry]

...or without kissing the hallowed turf of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)!

[Janine]

I personally absolutely LOVED Melbourne!

I found Sydney too busy and congested (and also expensive) for my liking.

Adelaide was a bit boring.

Perth: nice vibe, but too many flies!

Janine.

[NZHigh]

The whole Perth thing is always interesting from a South African in Aus/ NZ point of view. Many SA's reason it is halfway closer to SA (and family) than here despite the fact that it is so 'isolated'.

[kangaroo]

Thanks so much for everyone's feedback!

Looks like we'll have to do half of Oz now and the other half next time!

Great to hear so many passionate replies about the cities/towns of Oz... we only have two weeks, so will HAVE to choose some places and leave out others.

BTW: have heard of many snake encounters like Caroline's hubby's; are snakes in Oz really such a problem? Are they everywhere or more likely to be living in certain areas within Oz? Am a little afraid, you see....I don't deal very well with gogga's!

Thanks again for everyone's input, much appreciated!

[Leon]

Kangaroo,

You would have to include Perth in your trip in my humble opinion. When we came out in 2004 we also had only 2 weeks and only spend 3 days of it in Perth on our way back (5 in Adelaide and 5 in Melbourne). We would have spent more time in Perth if we knew how great it was prior to coming. After the first day in Perth we knew this is where we want to be and we never looked back. We arrived with 5 suitcases but very well prepared and we found jobs with our first interviews and never looked back since.

The resources sector is booming and that is driving the economy way ahead of any other Oz state. Just include Perth , you will not be sorry.

Regards

Leon

[Bob]

Kangaroo!

I had to chuckle at the reply you gave about snakes here in Australia.

You're far too big to be on their menu, so just give them time to slither away and you'll be fine.

Australian snakes may be the deadliest, but also the shiest. They would sooner get away than face a human being any day.

It's only when people play with the damn things that they get bitten.

Just leave them alone to do their own thing in the bush and they will leave you alone. You'll find them the least of your worries camping in the bush in Australia.

The biggest problem I have in the bush, here in Australia, is flies and mozzies . . . . so bring some bug spray.

Also, Australia is a BIG country.

Just check out as many cities or big country centres that you like. Some will "grab" you . . . others won't . . . but Australia is big enough and free enough to accomodate 99.8% of the world's people in their likes and dislikes.

Just come here . . . . relax . . . . and enjoy!

[chatterbug]

Well said Bob!

Kangaroo, I'm sure you are now thoroughly confused! Anyway I think you would have to take some time to consider what you really want in a new place! Big City vs Rural vs small city; Cold vs moderate vs hot and dry vs tropical, etc etc etc. What helped me was to think about it in this way, All things being equal - What city/area would you choose to move to in RSA and for what reasons? Remember this is only a paper exercise!

For us we chose Durban - for various resons - but in general because of the weather, we like a more sub tropical feel and I can cope with Durban's humidity in summer as a trade off for amazing temperate winters. I liked the pace of Durban compared to JHB/Pta where we lived before coming over and the outdoorsy type of lifestyle that one could enjoy there ( we love the sea/beaches and water activities of all types). Durban was also big enough to provide enough "industry" and business to support my career prospects, without giving up too much in the way of quality of life.

When we were able to identify these elements and the other important issues it was easier for us to choose LSD destinations. I did some internet research beforehand and Brisbane looked like the place for us! I was however trying to be very objective and with every new city we visited, we went through a mental tick list to see if this city would fit in with our main criteria + plus a more subjective "feel good/looks good" factor.

We visited Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, QLD country - drove from Surfer's paradise to Cairns, with some stopover on the Whitsunday islands, and lastly Sydney.

The only two cities that made the final list, for us, was Perth and Brisbane - according to our criteria. However we chose Brisbane for its similarity in climate to Durban, and it's proximity to the Qld holiday hotspots (reef, islands, tropics, etc) other eastern seaboard cities, Pacific islands, New zealand Asia and generally its more laid back pace. We did not want more of the same that we had in JHB - and this was a major factor in our "lifestyle change"

After all these objective reasons Brisbane and surrounds just felt right for us too, comfortable like an old shoe! Don't disregard this factor, and try to enjoy your LSD too.

We are very happy in Brisbane and we currently live in the Cleveland area right on the water just as we dreamt about some years ago. I will not exchange our lives here for anything else!

I hope for you that you choose the right thing!

cheers

Good luck!

Edited March 29, 2006 by chatterbug