Beoz

I couldn't agree with you more Buzzy Bee.

I never really understood the troubles expats had with Queensland until I saw it written all over BE.

After looking closely at the whinging, it nearly always came from Queensland. Rarely ever do you hear it coming out of Melbourne or Sydney. In fact I can't think of an instance where it has.

Perth gets a little bit of it in recent times but I think that comes from those expats on the job heap in the aftermath of the mining boom.

PS. What traffic in Sydney? Oh you mean in the western suburbs. Yeah no one lives out there

ozzieeagle

I've never seen one person in all my time on here complain about a move to Tasmania either. The people that do make the move there are probably better researched and getting far more than they realise when they get there as well.

So re Tasmania, I think they secretly like the fact they are looked down on as it keeps the place from being swamped. They do kick up a bit when left of off publicity/marketing maps of Australia which happens now and again./


Socially Tasmania from my point of view, = Extreme foodies, IE: people that take their quality and style of food very seriously. Grey/Silver cashed up ex mainland retired hippies seeking to live a life where Urban and Country meet in the most convenient way. On the counter the white trash in Tasmania is amongst the worst long term social outcasts in the whole of Australia, hence the Two head view of Taswegians from some, as these people are unmissable..... I think there is an equivalent in the UK on the Isle of Wight.

Beoz

I always have a great time in Tassy. Not sure I could live there. I need a bit of noise and a bit of heat, but none the less, awesome place.

Pollyana

It is, absolutely stunning, and I agree with the foodies comment from Ozzie, the food and drink in Tassie is awesome

OzTennis

Well, speaking as a Victorian I wouldn't take it the way you did - as a climatic difference reference.

We used to refer to Queensland as the 'Deep North' meaning akin to the Deep South in the USA, complete with it's often more right wing leaning views (the chip shop owner and the peanut farmer, Pauline Hansen and Jo Bjelke Petersen spring to mind) and less tolerant towards those of a different race or creed shall we say.

Here's a flavour of Jo - The sayings of Premier Joh - National - www.theage.com.au

Queensland was also often called Redneck Wonderland (although Midnight Oil didn't restrict it geographically to Queensland).

astera

This has nothing to do with Queensland as such. Some complaints are about life here in general compared to living overseas - not compared to other parts of Australia. Actually the very notion of being way down south where the cold bites is enough to enact a sense of gratefulness for being in Queensland where the weather is generally great (several chilly weeks each year do apply though).

Just look at the masses of Aussies who move up here from the cold. Most are from Sydney or Melbourne, and all will curse the climate there as soon as you discuss their reason for moving up to the sunshine state.

All are happy at having made the move. Nobody even wants to contemplate moving back - in fact it's the question you shouldn't even ask: "Will you be moving back to Melbourne/Sydney someday?" Several seconds of quiet and the stare you get can easily be translated into "Why would you even ask such a dumb question?"

Ummmm, No. Not. At. All. Not. Remotely. Even. Close.

Then again there might be those who believe Birmingham has better weather than Barcelona... it's just that their definition of better is much different than that of most people.

Then again don't get me wrong, I live in Queensland, but I'm pretty close to the NSW border which is like 30 mins away. We do have single-digit temperatures at night during cold spells, but luckily we are in 20C+ territory during the days most of the time, and when the sun is out you completely forget that it's in fact winter now...

TravellerMan

More people are currently heading to Victoria than Queensland. In fact, in 2014 more people left Queensland than moved there. It seems the masses are moving away from Queensland.

Australia's population increase from migration continues to slow | World news | The Guardian

Buzzy--Bee

Indeed, Victoria has greater interstate immigration than anywhere else. So the (mainly) retirees that Astera refers to are a small percentage of overall population migration.

The bulk of population, anywhere in the world, will always migrate towards security. This normally means in the western world the greatest opportunity for a good income. Weather means nothing if you can't afford to put food on the table.

This was the reason we chose Melbourne over anywhere else in Australia. Plus the ability to live within commuting distance of the CBD and also walking distance of a beach, which we couldnt achieve in Sydney or Brisbane. We didn't at the time appreciate all the other benefits of living here, they came as extras!

BB

bcworld

Once again it's ALL about the (perceived good) weather for you...hence your musings on Darwin I suppose? Nothing else matters?

We used to (not anymore for a long time for some reason) often get threads on BE titled 'Perth or Brisbane', I guess people started with a climate chart and everything else was incidental?

I made the move from Brisbane to Melbourne and have never looked back, I think in 6.5 years I've set foot back in Brisbane maybe 3 times...just can't find a reason to go! Do enjoy trips to the GC and northern NSW more often though.

Beoz

But the weather in Queensland is generally shite unless of course you like humidity and storms and can put up with 3 months of great weather in winter. If you look at the other extremity Melbourne, for most part of the year, the weather is great. Can get a little hot in summer but comes without the humidity. Winters can get a little chilly. Autumn and Spring are awesome. Do you like 9 months of shite or 3? I like 9

And where does this migration thing to Queensland come from? Some retirees opt to free up a bit of cash, sell up in the classier cities and buy cheap in Queensland, but for the rest of the population, they are going where the work is and right now its not in Queensland.


Not even sure weather should come into this argument. The outdoors is enjoyed all over Australia - isn't that what we want good weather for? Being outdoors. All I know is when I go to Brisbane I want nothing more than to be inside in aircon, beating the humidity and quite frankly because there is not much else to do. What good is weather then?

Where you live should be varied in my view. It should have access to the outdoors on your door step. Not just beaches, but parks, bush, mountains, etc. It should also be about doing stuff that's urban related like restauranting, seeing events whether they be festivals, music, sports, being able to work and for most that needs surrounding population.

There's really only 2 places in Oz that offer it all and that's Melbourne or Sydney. Anywhere else is a compromise.

Beoz

I'm curious. Why did you pick the shitty end? The Sunshine Coast is so much nicer?

astera

I think you've got this one flipped over. The Gold Coast probably has the most good months of all places, so it's very well-balanced if you don't like the cold and do not look forward to cold, murky winters, and then losing 1/2 of spring and autumn too as you would in the deep south.

The weather in Melbourne is quite mediocre by Australian standards, second only to Tasmania but at least the latter is a beautiful and breathtaking place. Let's face it, Melbourne is the southern-most big city in continental Australia, so this is hardly surprising (REMINDER: the Equator is north of Australia). I think you might simply be benchmarking everything here to the UK, so naturally what would be rather lousy by Australian standards might still appeal to you?

They usually follow the climate and head to greener pasutres. Do you see retirees moving up north in the UK? Do you see them sell in Brimingham or Manchester and move to Newcastle? Or are they more likely to look towards Bournemouth or Brighton?

Plus over here it's an added bonus that they can sell even shabby homes in a cold place, where there is a housing bubble, and purchase something much nicer up north where life is more pleasant.

Never been to the Sunshine Coast, but know people who live there and claim it's 10 years behind the Gold Coast. You make it seem like paradise though if the south coast is the 'bad end'... Maybe one of these weekends I'll go over for a short trip...

As you probably figured out in another thread, I can live anywhere I want in Australia - I'm not physically tied down to any location (apart from having all my family in Sydney). So far I haven't seen any place where I would prefer to live in over the Gold Coast, so this is where I am, plain and simple. Sydney bores me and the climate is average (I would never chose anything further south unless it happened to be for professional reasons), Darwin seemed like it would take a lot of adjusting to get used to life there, whereas I hadn't seen Brisbane's South Bank before or I would have possibly given that a try.

Would love to see Perth though, people claim it's the #1 place to be on this continent.

Beoz

Benchmarking to the UK ...... HHHmmmm .... Nope the UK weather is just shite.

Actually its from personal experience. Whenever I go to the Gold Coast it just rains. It's full of old retirees, its run down, full of bogans. Its just shite.

And for what its worth the annual rainfall on the Gold Coast is 1400mm. In Melbourne its 650mm

I have no allegiances to either place. Just saying how it is.

Really. Brummies moving to Brighton for retirement? That's a new one. I have to ask, how do they afford that?

Well you did move to the Gold Coast and that's 20 years behind everywhere else. What's another 10

Well that's a first. Sydney bores me. Usually get complains about traffic but that's a first. Care to substantiate that?

Amazulu

Agree, the Gold Coast is a f**k hole of note - as is Brisbane but I do like the Sunshine Coast and FNQ

BadgeIsBack

Beoz, expect that Brummies don't retire to Bournemouth (a function of house prices) or they have either migrated to Perth in early middle age.

Am I joking? Haven't made up my mind.

I also think Melbourne weather is fine: the real issue for me is any place in temperate latitudes where short days exacerbate the colder season. Winter is short in Melbourne: it lasts 3 months like many other places but 5 months of the year is still below par. But the rest of the year is like a sort of British summer with a glorious British summer! in the summer season itself which spikes to a hot patch for 8 weeks...