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I have lived in Brisbane off and on for the last 20 years. Originally from Perth, Traditionally I've lived in the inner South Eastern suburbs of Brisbane, but due to a marriage breakdown and some other factors, now live in the Western Suburbs near Westlake. I used to think the Western suburbs were in the sticks but living near the Centenary Freeway, the Ipswich and Logan motorways make an easy trip to almost anywhere you want to go. Western suburbs are quiet and family friendly and for me much more affordable than living where I was before my separation. My kids still go to school on the other side of the city at Kelvin Grove, but their bus goes through the new tunnel and they are at school in about 20 to 30 minutes door to door.

Some people hate Brisbane and it's weather. I love it, I find it very mild and even the little bit of humidity we get suits me. A lot of people find it boring and lacking culture. But our family can pretty much always find things to do. It's a short drive to Northern NSW for a quick couple of days break to beaches that in my opinion, are some of the best in Australia.

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Thank you so much for that. That's really informative and just the type of thing I was after.
Can anyone tell me anything about the,let's say , wildlfe?!! Is there anything you can do to spider /snake proof your homes?

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I have lived in Brisbane for 18 months and apart from the odd few days in Jan/Feb when it is really hot and humid at the same time, don't find the weather too hot. There are certainly days when you won't feel like doing anything too energetic but live nearer the coast where the temperature is consistently 2C below Brisbane city on average and where there are also the Bay breezes rather than more inland.

We ran our aircon for maybe a total of 2 weeks this summer (spread out over various particularly hot & humid days). We moved from northern suburbs down to Bayside recently and find that the temperature is cooler and the breezes more noticeable.

You can get your home sprayed inside and out for repelling insects/spiders etc and this costs very little money really and they usually "guarantee" its efficacy for 9-12 months. In reality we have had 2 Huntsman spiders in the Queenslander house we were in that had no screens but nothing so far in the new place which has screens throughout.

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I like Melbourne. Lived her over a decade and despite living about 40 m from a nature reserve when apparently snakes are prolific, I have yet to see one (well I have but in the zoo).

I have not lived in other Aus cities but have visited all. Melbourne gets 4 seasons (often in a single day) but not really cold enough for frost/snow...although we did get some last year and it was a major talking point.
Always lots going on and its a fairly easy place to live.

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Melbourne like many cities has it's good and bad parts and agree with the seasons. Regarding snakes you are probably right that it's not a real issue, but then there's always those lucky people who get bitten on the first day they arrive:fingerscrossed:. My real concern would be if Melbourne can really offer the OP more for their money when it comes to housing. You still have to commute to find affordable housing that's not really overlooked.

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Beware though! This was probably the least typical Brisbane summer I have known - less days in the high 30s, less humid by a long way. Almost pleasant :eek: which coming from me is a scary statement. If the next one is more like normal you will see many more days/weeks or high temps and humidity, though being on the bay will be a bit of protection for you :)

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Yes this summer was less hot/humid than our first one but we were told by so many people that one was a lot hotter/more humid than usual so this summer everyone seemed to just say more like the norm but little rain/storms which is usually what makes the humidity rise. But even last year's summer didn't seem too bad in our opinion, and the remaining 9 months of the year are wonderful so the odd few days/ even weeks in January/February is an acceptable trade-off for us :-)

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I do worry about how we will cope with the heat. I've told my husband I will only move if there is aircon and a pool! I was lyi awake last night worrying about what I would do if I were in Australia and I heard a hissing noise 😱😱 or if there was a snake under one of the children's beds.
I know this is unlikely, but!
Was also reading another thread on here about cost of living oz vs NZ. I was left unclear as to what the answer was!
My kiwi friend who lives here but has a house in "brizzy" seems think NZ is a lot more expensive.

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I would not worry about snakes. You would be lucky? to see one, and I actively look for them. Hoping for a good photo. If you are in the middle of a suburb somewhere especially. If there is no food for them, generally rats/mice then they will not come looking. So think twice about a compost bin and don't feed the birds.
We had a roof full of Red backs when we viewed the house but the agent got it dusted for Us as an electrical issue needed sorted which they paid for. Not seen anything nasty up there since. We did have rats(wish we had a snake up there) but some bait and an ultrasonic thingy put pay to them. Redbacks in the garden I leave alone, boys are old enough not to touch. But a litre of spray from Coles will do the trick if you want rid. I heard NZ was expensive but then Australia is to. If you earn enough like we find ourselves we are quite comfortable. We are 50kms South of Brizzy. The heat can be horrendous but I would say only about 10 days a year we found we stayed in because of it. Its the Summer rain gets me down sometimes. One Dec/Jan prob 2011 of course I think it rained heavy for about 5 weeks through the kids hols. Not much fun. Or you have a fine week at work and Friday arvo it starts and stops Sunday night.