Is Australia a nice place to live? What cities do you recommend?

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Batako

G'day,

I am an immigrant and have been living in Melbourne for 16 years and never regret the move at all. I do not have Anglo-Saxon appearance, I speak English with an accent and I still feel like I am born in this country all along. My neighbors are combinations of immigrants and true blue Aussies and we are getting along very well. Racism will always be there in any country, but I definitely do not feel it here.

Now... this is what I can say about Melbourne:
1. First of all... some people do not like the weather in Melbourne (you can have 4 seasons in one day). However, if you read the first article from The Age newspaper, you will find out that the weather is still more preferable than the other cities. Sure you can have 42C day in summer, but almost immediately you'll get a much cooler weather pretty soon afterwards. It is very rarely that you got 2 or 3 consecutive days of hot weathers (unlike Sydney, Brisbane or Perth).
2. Melbourne is a city of diversity. If you are a newcomer, and you do not look 'Anglo-Saxon', you do not feel like an 'alien', since you can find almost every race in the world walking in the city. They are both immigrants and overseas students.
3. THE FOOD!! Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, All-you-can-eat, African, Lebanese, Mexican, Sea Food... anything else? All available and lots of them in a very-very-very affordable price
4. Pretty good public transport system. With one ticket, you can switch from train, tram and bus. They do not always come on-time, but still reliable and improving (www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au).
5. SHOPPING!!! Original branded clothing sold very cheap. There are even shopping tour, where the participants are taken to retails outlets just for shopping. Big temptations for ladies.
6. Crime rates... just read the second article on the bottom.
7. Cost of Living... I'll say it's second most expensive city after Sydney. Altho I have to say that some cities in Queensland can be more expensive to live.
8. Tourist attraction. This is the area that I think Sydney is better than Melbourne, since it has most of it's attraction within its suburbs. Most Melbourne attraction are pretty much out of Melbourne, such as the gold mines in the cities of Bendigo and Ballarat, The Great Ocean Road, Lakes Entrance, Grampians, skiing in Mt. Buller etc.

In regards to schools there are 3 choices: Public/Government, Christian/Catholic and Private. Public schools have pretty much the same standard wherever you go and they are the cheapest alternative. You usually just enrolled to the one closer to where you live. Private are the most expensive, since on top of the tuition fee, you will still have to buy books, uniform, etc.

I certainly hope this helps. Yes, there will be some time needed for adjustments, but there will be helps and supports along the way since Australia is built by immigrants (yes, this include the Caucasians and the Aborigines, so I was told).

Welcome to Australia and enjoy.

I agree with Aussie chick, I traveled ALL over Australia and it was WA that I liked best. It has it all - beautiful reefs nearby, forests, sun and sand combined with all the amenities of the city, wonderful culture, theater, restaurants, good transportation system - even an island getaway! (like there's so much to get away from)

Ken E

Depends what you want. Melbourne is supposed to be one of the most livable cities on the planet, I personally don't care much for Sydney but it definitely has it's good points, Brisbane is sub-topical and is a smaller version of Sydney but perhaps a little more relaxed and some things seem to work better there.

Some of the larger provincial cities are OK too. You get most of the benefits of city life with a lot less of the hassles. Ballarat, tropical Townsville, cooler Toowoomba, even Armidale or Bathurst might suit you.

Canberra runs to about 300,000 people and is easy to get about in if you have a car. Parking can be a minor problem though. At present, housing is relatively expensive for a place the size. It has the biggest concentration of people with university degrees in the country. Cool, dry climate.

blahhboo

I plan to lived there too in a couple of years too but i am also not sure how it is, all i know is its really beautiful there.

West Aussie Chick

I prefer country towns to cities...although I currently live in Perth Western Australia which is the capital city of WA. It's a nice smaller city with bushland close by so I still feel like I am in the country sometimes.

I have only been out of WA once and when I did I went to Sydney and Brisbane. Queensland was gorgeous and northern NSW was just as nice. Sydney was a bit overwhelming for me (but I was only 14!)

Personally I love all of Western Australia...especially Margaret River down south where there are abundant forests, wineries and world class surf at the best beaches around. I also lived in Exmouth Wa for the last 15 years and although it is a small town in the hottest part of WA, the Ningaloo Reef is right there and as it's the worlds largest fringe reef a LOT of people visit every year with more and more deciding to stay. We get whalesharks every winter and they draw a lot of tourists as well.

madlion924

When I visited Australia the cities that I enjoyed most were Sydney, Cairns, and Alice Springs. If you want to live in the Outback then Alice Springs would be the best choice. Somewhere tropical then Cairns. But I have heard Brisbane is nice too and thats also tropical. If you want a metropolitian then go for Sydney. To me it looked like New York from the movies just a whole lot cleaner. Melbourne sounded nice too.

Mrs. Jeter (I LOVE Derek Jeter)

I have never lived there but I know that alot of people like Sydney.

Have you ever been there (for vacation)? If you did not, I suggest that you do because then you can see if YOU like it and if you fall in love with it then you can move there.

But Why??

Broken Hill and Meekatharra mate. Best place.
Beers are cold, and all that.

Aquaadventure

Australia is a very decent country to live. Good weather and friendly people. The government gives social security and also medical benifits. The crime rate too is low in comparison to USA.The best place to live I would recommend is the Gold Coast. It is just besides the Pacific ocean with beautiful views.The nearest metropolitan city Brisbane is just an hours drive.

mmm0987

Australia is not very different from US to live. The cities I feel are really fun to live in are sydney and melbourne.

justine dela cruz

nice in city but not in forest and seashore due deadly species

Lil rae

I've lived in Australia pretty much all my life. I live in Brisbane, Queensland and i love it, like everyone is nice here and its a really beautiful place and isn't too busy either but I'd have to say i like Sydney better. I think Sydney's one of the best places to live in Australia but my 2nd choice would be Brisbane.

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