the troubadour

Personly wouldn't pick either place,but that is just me and am speaking without having lived in either place...
Must you decide on one place now? I mean are you perhaps in a position to look around a few places before coming to a decision?
I have a soft spot for Darwin,and enjoyed my time living there and perhaps it is the Australia a lot of Europeans imagine Oz to be.
Melbourne and Sydney also quite good....but find it hard to pick between the two.Only other place that i would rate that i know quite well is Cairns.
In actual fact there are only a few places that i loathe,but with a vengence i suppose you could say,Alice Springs,easily tops that list.(worked there a month and glad to leave)

kate1973

Unfortunatly I am not able to do a reccie and have to enrol a Tafe before I come over, so I am trying to gather as much info as possible before I make the decision where to live Why didn't you rate Brissie and the SSC much Troubadour?

kingsley mellanby

i visited perth in august 03 on holiday ,it seems a bit remote,we drove south past wave rock etc ,lovely scenery,but you have to catch a plane like a taxi, which is about the same price in londonkinger

the troubadour

Know a woman from Denmark,who came to Perth with her husband and two daughters,did a study at Tafe in Community Welfare and after two and a half years or so has completed her studies and is meeting the practical requirements with regards to work,then on her qualification it is enough to allow her husband and family to remain in Australia.
To answer your question i am afraid i am not speaking from personal experience of either Brisbane or SSC so with some justification feel free to ignore as i base my opinion not from experience but friends and contacts,people whom i can relate to,whom have lived there or in a few cases from there and decided when out in the world not to return for similar reasons i give about Perth.
Besides Brisbane being nearer to a few places to alternate to,in my ming the negatives must be no real beaches,And was often known as an over grown country town.....think there is little seperating Perth and Brisbane really..others will i expect put in a few plus points i expect.Sorry got to rush.

the troubadour

Hi Kingsley and welcome.Yes very remote but that can be an attraction for certain people.

Tooterelli

I'm living in Brisbane just now and I find it extremely dull and boring. There is no "soul" to the city. The only place (that I've lived) which has been worse was Dubai.

Kim67

I lived in Brisbane for ten years, the first twelve months I hated it. But I grew to love and it's probably more home to me than Perth. Brisbane's a great city - more opportunities in business and for kids growing up than Perth, but more laid back than Sydney and Melbourne. No to mention great weather.

ShawnMcCrea

I was only in Brissy around a week but I loved what i saw/experienced. It would be a bit of an inconvenience living there with no actual beach right in the city. And although I say if i lived there I would drive to the beach every weekend, i probably wouldnt.

With that said there are a million things to like about Brisbane in my opinion: gorgeous river, botanical gardens, warm, tropical, lots to do/see.

BOTTOM LINE: Everyone in here is going to have a completely different perspective about every different city. You will get completely opposite opinions on the exact same place. I think what it comes down to is your personal opinion and which city in the end will make you happy from a "feeling" perspective based on your account and not others.

Good luck!

caliburn

Hmmmm...... what did you not like about Dubai?

Kim67

In my opinion Brisbane is probably 17,000,000 times better than Dubai. Especially if you have children to educate and fulfill.

Tooterelli

Mmm..where to start!? This is a thread about Brisbane however.

kporte

It is? I need glasses I think

Rosewater

I think the overall feel is that the difference between Perth and Brisbane in terms of culture/social side of things is negligible. Neither in my opinion are ideal places to live if you are a single woman in your 30's without children, however with effort and a positive outlook I'm sure you will make friends and a lovely life for yourself in either place. As Sydney and Melbourne seem to be off your list you might benefit from comparing the pro's of Perth and of Brisbane to see which place has more appeal to you.
Coffee Shops/ Restaurants: Probably much of a muchness....Brisbane does have it's buzzy riverside area with some lovely places to eat. Perth has lots of little beachside cafes and areas like Freo and Subiaco which have lovely coffee shops etc
Beaches: I think Perth wins this one. Great beaches in close proximity to Perth itself...I think you would have to travel a little further afield in Brisbane to find the same quality of beach.
Shopping: I think Brisbane would win....Perth does have some lovely shops however it's not known for it's huge range of choice. I'm not sure how much better Brisbane is but closer proximity to Sydney and Melbourne may mean you have a few extra choices.
Travel: Brisbane would be better if you would like to be able to get to places like Sydney and Melbourne more cheaply for breaks away. Perth would be better if you want to benefit from cheaper deals to places like Broome and Bali.
Isolation factor: Perth is definitely the more isolated of the two cities. Aside from trips down to the wineries and beaches of the South West it really is a looong way to anywhere else.

Maybe it is worth checking with TAFE to see if you can move your course once you have enrolled. Perhaps you could try a year in one place and if it isn't working for you then you could look at moving your course to another area of Australia? At least that way you have made an initial choice and can start looking into all the positives of that area! Also you will be able to move on and start working on all the other things you need to arrange before arrival.
Good luck....it is really hard making these decisions!!

irishbloo

me too.

spartacus

That's a lot . . . !!