Where is the best place to live in oz with a family?

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Batako

G'day,

Melbourne!!! Wellll... where should I start?
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 like last month, 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. Night Life... hmmmm... I'll say the centre of nite activities will be Crown Casino and Docklands. Altho there are still plenty of cafe's and clubs scattered around the suburbs as well.
9. 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.

Running out of ideas, but I hope that I can at least give you some more informations that have been provided by the answerers before me.

Good luck. I've been living in Melbourne for 16 years, visited some other capital cities in Australia and still giving Melbourne 10/10 for the best city in Oz.

=42

Perth - boom town, with all that goes with that. Great for the adventurous of spirit. Can be a bit "small town" when your kids are older.
Melbourne - good mix, no water, becoming less pleasant for lots of reasons. Still the best middle class choice.
Sydney - expensive, hectic. If you are rich, it's the best place.
Adelaide - like Melbourne, only quieter and a little cheaper, nice surrounds. A bit "funny" in parts. Great if you have a job.
Canberra - can be the best place, can be the worst place, depends on your circumstances. Lots of young professionals, not much to do on the weekend if you are too lazy to investigate options(as opposed to Melb/Sydney where it is all layed out for you).
Tasmania - within 50 years, the only place to live comfortably in Australia. Maybe less than 50 years. If you are worried about your grand-kids future, get yourself a stakehold here before it is too late. Wish I did 10 years ago. bit small now, unless you like quiet. Fewer job opportunities.
Queensland Coast - whenever I visit all I see is healthy, happy people. Unfortunately can have an unsavoury youth surf culture. Still, great lifestyle if you like to be casual & by the beach.
Northern Territory - only if you want "different" . Bit rough around the edges. Horrific summer, oh , the Humidity. Lots of deadly critters so you can't swim in the ocean, or the rivers. Get a pool.
Country districts - these are the same all over Australia. If You like country lifestyle, just pick one not in a drought reqion.

darrenls66

I live in Sydney and love it but have been tempted by the quality of life in the Northern Rivers area of NSW, you might have heard of Byron Bay. Work is the big issue with a family, Perth is nice. Sydney is diverse with some great family oriented areas like the Northern Beaches,The Hills District (also known as the Bible Belt) and the Sutherland Shire.

Ozies living in France.

Perth is an easy city to live in with kids. Choose a nice suberb with easy public transport to the beaches. The beaches go on forever both North and South.

If you have concerns about visiting relatives from the East coast there are times of the year when airlines have specials, but not at Christmas.

The weather in Perth is hot and dry in the summer and cool and wet in winter. If you like flying or yachting you can experience beautiful blue skys even in winter.

If you prefer the weather a little cooler then you can migrate to Mandurah, Bunbury or Busselton. At these locations the fishing is also fantastic for kids.

Minerva

brisbane/sunshine coast area is best with a family. i have lived in north qld, se qld, brisbane, and sydney. whilst my fav is north qld, i reckon with a family it would be best to be a little closer to brisbane for when they are older etc and want to go to uni, get a decent job etc. it is smaller than other cities like sydney and melbourne and much more relaxed and friendly.

Serena

Perth is pretty nice,but I wouldn't recommend living in Sydney.Don't restricy yourself the the main cities,regional and rural Australia ( eg New England,the Hunter Valley) I think is by far the best.

ljjahn

I hope it's Melbourne. I have a wife and two kids and I'm moving there in a few months.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Melbourne

yahwhoon

Perth or Brisbane.

TonyB

Perth is lovely.

It's a 4 hour flight to the East coast....hardly a long way away

debbiecats35

I think that Melbourne is the best place to live with a family as we have many sporting events held here. I would say that Melbourne would be the best place to live the only downfall is the cold weather, if you like the warmer climate then I would suggest Queensland although it is rather Humid at times.

elfinnic

I live in Brisbane in Queensland. I haven't been to Perth, but have spent quite a bit of time in both Melbourne and Sydney. I prefer Brisbane because it is not as crowded as Melbourne and Sydney. Great for a family. And its not as expensive as Melbourne or Sydney. Get yourself a place to live that has airconditioning, or buy yourself a portable one and you'll get through our maximum of 4 weeks of pretty hot and sticky weather over December/January. Dont be fooled by moving south for a cooler climate...Melbourne known for its cold weather is currently having a heat wave with temperatures up to 38 degrees celcius!! Use public transport to get to work in the City or get a job outside the city and you will love Brisbane!

PS - Brisbane doesnt get all the biggest sporting games, but it gets its fair share. Besides you can get sale flights from $79 to Sydney for a weekend away. If you live in Perth, to fly anywhere is quite expensive.

infobrokernate

Live near the emarald city, but steer clear of the flying monkeys.

Stay out of the haunted wood and oil the tin man every once in a while because he gets rusty.

If you ever need bail money, talk to glenda the good witch, she'll help you out.

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