Hi

For those people heading to/living in these destinations, I was just wondering why this was your choice.

I think I'm 90% sure that we're gonna be heading for Sydney, (OH is 100% sure). We have visited both and overall do prefer Sydney over Melbourne.

Think my main issue with Sydney is that I know I'd get more house for my money in Melbourne. We do intend to live out in the Sydney suburbs which would make it easier. Melbourne was great but flies were a real nuisance. Work would be fine in both cities as OH works in IT.

Just wondering if any of you had the same dilemma as to which city to choose and the reasons for your choice.

Thanks

We lived in Melbourne for a year a while back and loved it. When we came over this time however we chose Sydney as our base and have no regrets whatsoever. We love the place.

Main reason was that we are scuba divers and the opportunity for diving is better in Syd than Mel. Even if we didn't dive we would have definitely made the right choice (for us!).

Melbourne is great however.

Graham

OH is also in IT and there are far more opportunities in his area here in Sydney than there would have been in Melbourne. We met in Sydney many years ago so didn't even consider anywhere else when we were (finally) coming back. I don't know Melbourne, but Sydney is a truly beautiful, amazing place to live.

My OH is in IT and a diver. We visited both Sydney and Melbourne before making the move and we opted for Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. We have a preschool age child and Melbourne just felt right for us and ticked all of our boxes. We wanted an affordable house near the sea and city. The sea was important to us as we are keen to improve our sailng skills. I'ld also like to get back to diving sometime in the future. We've been here over 18 months now and know we've chosen the right place for us.

We went to Sydney for Australia Day earlier in the year and stayed in Cremorne which I really liked but I hear it's pricey. It would be a great commute on the ferry across the harbour. We actually met a Melbourne couple who decided to up sticks and move to Sydney for work reasons and a change while we were there.

Good luck and hope you enjoy which ever place you decide to go.
Caroline

OH half is in IT, I'm a diver (well, I will be when I get the gear out & get it wet) We moved to Syd 1.5yrs ago. The companies that OH could work for are all based in Syd, but some do have bases in Melbourne too, which means he goes to Melbourne fairly regularly.
Thus job most important, other factors, climate, diving (for me), going to more expensive place would make it easier to move to cheaper city, love the city & surrounding area (if I gave it chance prob could say the same for Melb too).
Rmember that apart from the CBD, Chatswood, Nth Sydney and Nth Ryde are other major business area you could find IT in depending on your field/type of company you would work for.

Yes housing is expensive, you will have to look at real estate & Domain for a guide on what you can get, but also look at what stuff actually sold for. Remember it can look more appealing on the web as they fail to show the other shoody rms, or the major rd it is on etc

Plus Melbourne is soooo cold. Much better up in Sydney.

Yeah its so cold down here we wear wetsuits in our swimming pools

And dont come if you like sport


















Your wife will never see you

You still working for Melbourne tourist board. ?

OK, I'll bite - it's NOT much colder in Melbourne!! I grew up in Melbourne, and lived in Sydney the past 5 years. It rains MUCH more in Syd than Mel, it's super expensive to live, and I find the people less friendly.

Then again, Sydney is spectacularly beautiful and it's impossible to explain how gorgeous it is for sailing, biking, etc, and how convenient to get to the CBD quickly.

Hi Just wondering how long it takes you to get to Melbourne centre from Mornington Penisula? It sounds ideal to be near the water, me and my OH love the sea but my family are in Narre Warren area?

Thanks Jodie

Can't comment re. commute times at rush-hour, but it took us a good 1.75 hours to get from the CBD to Rye (with nothing on the roads).

Rye is nearly as far down the peninsula as you can get right enough.

I have never been to either and look forward to seeing them both but I thought I would mention the best analogy I have heard from Aussie bloke so far is -

"Sydney is the stunning, expensive, high maintenance girl you go out with at college for a few years, and Melbourne is the down to earth, friendly multi-talented girl you marry and spend the rest of your life with"

Just thought I would throw that into the mix!

Fab analogy, I'm off to Melbourne (hopefully).
TA

In a similar frame of mind as you, when I visited Sydney and Melbourne whilst I backpacker around (i saw a disterbing documentory about the backpacker killer last night and then realised it was happening when I was backpacking and hitchhiking around Australia, well freeked out), I loved Sydney and Melbourne but now I have to choose, because those are really only the two real choices for us, Im about 80% Sydney OH doesnt care as long as theres beer and I can get him Arsenal matches on the PC hes happy.

I have my doubts though after all Sydney is a big city (as is Melbourne) but Sydney seems a big bigger and more scary a place for families, Melbourne seems more family based? I have friends in Sydney that could help me get set up but still i have a nagging doubt about taking my kids to Sydney.

At the end of the day, its up to you and go with your gut, I'll probably end up in Sydney Ive always said its my second home.

I lived in Sydney for a couple of years in my early 20s. Loved it, and eventually managed to persuade the family to give it a go. So we applied, but my wife was quite sure that Sydney was not for her - much more likely that we would go for Melbourne.

And then when spent a couple of weeks in each on our validation trip earlier in the year. Wife now absolutely loves Sydney. Has got over the "big city" thing - sees it for what it is: yes, its got a large CBD, but it also has a number of autonomous suburbs with their own feel and character.

Some what bizarrely, I actually quite liked Melbourne on this trip! It's great to have the feeling that you could do either one of the cities.

I can see where the analogy earlier in the thread comes from - and I do think that your context changes when you are travelling with a family - but Sydney is not just about the CBD.