Beoz

Hmmmm. Tell me one good thing about Canberra? Its stadium? No that's Brisbane. I know, its 2 hours from the snow.

Kooky.

Horses for courses but I suspect anyone who thinks Sydney is boring doesn't spend much time at the theatre, gigs, dance productions, art galleries, etc. We're already booking up 2018 with events. And yes the airport is very handy - we're 2 stops away on the train and 15 minutes by car (although the airport roads are getting more and more ridiculous at peak times).

I've only been to Brisbane once, had a weekend there with a local friend after checking out a conference venue near Ipswich. I liked it and suspect the climate would suit me but we couldn't live there at the moment, there's just not the work we need. (Not sure it has so much for our leisure time though?)

quoll - I love Canberra for a weekend if there's an exhibition I want to see but I couldn't imagine living there. I don't know the surrounding areas so only commenting on the city itself.

bcworld

...the dictionary definition of plasticky blandness!

Beoz

Melbourne has a Southbank.

sr71

How long ago were you in Auckland? There is a motorway all the way to the airport. Additionally the new government will be building light rail to the airport.

Lack of culture probably reflects more on yourself. It gets pretty much all the same concerts as Mebourne & Sydney, multiple orchestras and opera groups, a vibrant music scene, good museums and galleries, as well as various festivals. E.g. Auckland Comedy festival runs after the Melbourne one with many of the same comedians - luckily missing out on most of the Australian crap like Dave Hughes and Judith Lucy

Beoz

A few years. Not in a hurry at all to get back. Whenever work has an Auckland requirement, I go on leave. Well at least now we don't need to sit in suburban traffic looking at ugly weatherboard shacks.


Wow. I am not impressed.

dave99

I'm in Perth now and considering a move to Sydney, can anyone give me some advice or their experience with Sydney?

I lived in Melbourne for a year and although it was fun the weather was depressing all year round. There was two weeks of summer which everyone complained through saying it was too hot. Other than that it was grey all year round.
So I thought to myself, what's the point of being in Melb when it's just like the UK.
What's Sydney like?

carcajou

Australian big cities remind me a lot of mid-level US cities. I remember having lunch in Sydney a few years ago with my wife and looking out the window at the streetscape, and saying that if I didn't know I was in Sydney, you could have easily convinced me I was in Denver or Seattle.

All of which are perfectly pleasant and have high qualities-of-life. But cities like that are Sydney's peer group, not New York or London.

I was in Canberra a year ago, and it had improved over when I was first there 15 years ago and thought it was the dullest place on the continent. Specifically, the dining scene is a lot better, and I think they are doing a better job of promoting some of the natural attractions around the area. I still think it is a stretch for most people to aspire to live there. It's still an artificial regional town and there are much nicer regional areas, not least of which are in WA.

Didn't Bill Bryson famously call Perth "Minneapolis Down Under?"

Moses2013

Don't know about Sydney but compared to Perth probably just more streets, more expensive housing and more people. Just depends what one wants in life and can have in that location. Regarding the what's the point of being in Melbourne when it's just like the UK, I think there are a lot more factors to consider than cloudy days. You could say the same about Sydney and what's the point of being in Sydney when it's just like Alicante.

ozzieeagle

Sydney is better located inasmuch as there are more varied places to see within vehicle driving range. Whereas Melbourne, if one likes cities, is a damn hard act to follow. You'll be hard placed to find a place that feels as good and is as comfortable for the majority of people that live there.

I don't really buy into the Melbourne V Sydney thing, as I'm sure I'd be just about as happy in Inner urban Sydney as I am here in Inner Melbourne. I know that personally speaking, when I leave Melbourne especially for overseas, every time I get back, I'm more and more relieved and find I miss more about the place with every visit outside of Australia that I take.

As for the weather, almost an irrelevant factor from my own point of view. Although I do dislike the really hot days when we get them occasionally in Melbourne. I would possibly prefer a slightly cooler climate for my own comfort I guess. Not exactly loving the current batch of sticky warmer than average weather we are having, especially having woken me up tonight and not being able to sleep comfortably, guess I should turn the air con on. The ceiling Fans aren't doing it for me.

Beoz

Dave did you read the thread? There's a fair bit of info on Sydney in this one.

Someone said earlier its blessed geographically. Its a good way of putting it. Aside from being just a city, the city is wedged between the sea, national parks, and mountains, with waterways extending through it. And on top of that it has the most even all year round climate of all the cities. For this reason it has the largest fan base, and the largest population.

ozzieeagle

One thing I didn't realise is that Sydney's population includes the Central Coast and Melbournes doesn't include Geelong. That's despite Geelong being closer to Melbourne than Gosford is to Sydney.

Apparently based on this, Melbourne arguably became Australias biggest city in 2015.

This is from a Sydney newspaper article in September this year.

Is Melbourne already bigger than Sydney?

Kooky.

I certainly don't think of Sydney as a big city. It's a big town.

Still Game

I've got to say, I wouldn't choose (and didn't) Melbourne or Sydney. Found both to be 'cold' - not talking about weather but the general feeling and vibe of each place. Ok to visit, once, and see the sights but that's done, and if I didn't have some family near Sydney I wouldn't want to visit again. Found people to be a bit cold too - and Sydney was ridiculously about prestige, bettering your neighbour and having it all. Just a personal experience - I did not meet every Sydneysider (funnily enough).

OP there are other places than just those two cities! I've heard good things recently about Newcastle (can't speak from experience). Why does it have to be Mel or Syd?

+1 for Brisbane. Not sure about mining employment however granted. So far we've found Brisbane to be lively, vibrant, small enough to feel like a big town but large enough to not feel like everyone knows your business. Great culture (museum, theatre), lovely south bank area and a lot on each weekend. The big thing that sucks however is lack of beach. Dire. Built on a river however so there you go, not sure the town planners have any plans to move it anytime soon. Also, warm weather is nice, albeit it humid already. If you don't like humidity, don't move here! Although we did arrive in July and the following months were gorgeous. We have found a lovely bay (Shorncliffe) where you can swim (and kids too) which is only 30 mins drive from where we live. Visited a few weeks ago, lovely! Our child also loves South Bank. Fab pools you can play in (not just a pool to swim, but dodge fountains etc) and loads of places to eat there and very nearby. The Arbor walk is lovely, enjoyed the shade from the trees. There were free dance lessons (variety of styles) on for a month recently, was great fun!

Wirral_girl

I have lived in all four places: Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney. Perth was the first place I came to 35 years ago. I was extremely shocked when I found out the distance from any other city and never came to terms with it. When you live in the Eastern states, Perth doesn't exist. I have lived in Brisbane for 20 years, not really from choice. Brisbane takes a long time to get used to. It is NOT near any beaches, you have to drive to the Gold Coast, or the Sunshine Coast. I don't like the Gold Coast, it has no atmosphere in my opinion. I think there should be more cafes facing the beach and promenading, like the South of France but the hotels have all been built right on the beach and there are no cafes. Brisbane is a sub-tropical climate so very hot and humid in summer. It goes dark at 6pm all year round give or take an hour or so. There is no daylight saving. I have never been able to work out what Brisbane people live on. For career development, it is better to live in Sydney or Melbourne, depending on your industry. I live in Melbourne for 5 years which I really loved but found the weather a shock after Brisbane. I found I was more active in Melbourne, walking and so forth. However I wouldn't swim in Port Phillip Bay although some people do, it is better to go down the Morningside Peninsula. If you like France and Europe, you will like Melbourne. It has loads of style and character. However Melbourne people are not as friendly as Brisbane. Sydney is great fun. Somebody said if you like LA you will love Sydney. I haven't been to LA so can't say. The weather is lovely in Sydney, it is not as humid as Brisbane IMO and is always a few degrees cooler. The problem in Sydney is the traffic. There are no straight roads to drive anywhere an it takes ages to get anywhere. If you don't live by the beach, it can take hours to get there. There is no train to the airport for some unknown reason, you have to drive. I could never work out where the airport was and always got a taxi. I found the cost of living in Sydney to be cheaper than Melbourne and Brisbane except for RENT. I won't cover the cost of housing in Melbourne and Sydney. Brisbane is however cheaper. If I had my time over I would have come to Sydney first off and bought a house near to the beach but my ex was from Perth and thought it was gods-own. Sydney is still a desirable lifestyle which I wouldn't mind a bit.