Help! Which city to settle in?

rightyabe

Ok only about 6 weeks left of our farmwork and we're wondering about were to go when we're finished. We're currentley near Esperance.

We are unsure of what city to look for work in and settle, and what i'm asking basically is what do you like and hate the most about the city you live in and if you could move/start again what city would you choose now and why.

We lived in Perth for 6 weeks and found it a little boring but we're still strongly considering it. Brisbane is another city high on our list along with Melbourne. As for Sydney everyone we talk to says its over rated or too big etc...Darwin is to hot and Adelaide is a no go.

I know i'm not going to get all the same answers and I'll make the decision but I just want good opinions, also another factor why WA is high on our list is I believe State sponsorship is easier (proof of funds is a few grand in QSL I think..) although I could be misguided there as I only really looked at WA immigration site.

We just want a place were there is always things happening as wedidn't come here to be bored and want to have things to do on our days of, and while in Perth nothing seemed to be on apart from the AFL and A-league and there doesn't seem to be many concerts in Perth etc.

Were 23-24, like going out, Sports, work as a Quantity Surveyor/ Contracts Admin and in Childcare. Also we have not ruled out smaller cities/towns like Gearldton, Newcastle etc.

What can the city you live in offer us?

Thanks

Pisco Sour

Melbourne is the best by a long way IMO. There's always something going on. Even just walking down Bourke Street you feel a buzz, something that is lacking in Perth. Federation Square is a great spot for getting out and mingling (if you are the type of person who talks to randommers), and there is usually something going on there during the day.

Melbourne offers so much sport: Too much AFL (so much that you'll probably get sick of it), the Australian Open, which is AWESOME, Formula 1 Grand Prix, Melbourne Cup, lots of Cricket, such as the famous Boxing Day Test and theres always something else now and again, like the World Track Cycling Championships which are on next April, and the Presidents Cup Golf which is on this weekend. The city is obsessed with sport (though a bit too AFL dominant).

Lots of great places with bars and restaurants such as Acland St and Fitzroy St in St Kilda, and Brunswick St in Fitzroy. Melbourne isnt know for it's beaches but check out Brighton Beach. It's stunning.

One thing I dont like is the bar culture. There's too many trendy pretentious bars, and many of them are hidden down laneways in the CBD. You really have to go luck for them, unlike in Dublin where they are everywhere to be seen. I wish there were a few more traditional style pubs here.

My take on the other cities based on just visits:

Sydney - Very nice city. Enjoyed it hugely, but wouldn't live there.
Perth - Most boring place on Earth.
Darwin - 2nd most boring place on Earth.
Alice Springs - Class spot for a few days. Would be tough to live there though I'd imagine.
Adelaide - Gorgeous city and worth a visit, but a bit quiet to live in. Would easily live there ahead of Perth though.
Brisbane - Never been

Hope that helps.

dave3004

Melbourne - that is all.

ok it isn't.

but sports !!!

You have AFL, soccer teams, the grand prix, the tennis open and its a really chilled out city and the working ethos is relaxed and stress free.

Wouldnt swap it for the world !

rightyabe

Cheers great info there, just wondering is there any smaller towns/subarbs on the out skirts of Melbourne that you could live in but still drive to the city at weekends etc? or is a 1 bedroom apartment in the city a better option to live in, how much rent should we expect to pay?

jackbhoy

+1 for Melbourne. Great city with so much to do all year round.

How much rent totally depends on where you live and what kind of place you get. We live in Brunswick and 1 bed apt here costs anywhere from $200-500 p/w and vary hugely in quality/condition. , realestate.com.au or domain.com.au will give you an idea of what you'll get on your budget.
Personally I wouldn't live in outer suburbs unless I had kids and needed the backyard to tie them up in In the inner suburbs you have everything you want to do on your doorstep, I can pretty much walk/cycle anywhere I need to go an have 3 tram lines and a train station within 5 mins walk, can't beat it!

Xavi6

04072511 wrote: »

My take on the other cities based on just visits:

Sydney - Very nice city. Enjoyed it hugely, but wouldn't live there.
Perth - Most boring place on Earth.
Darwin - 2nd most boring place on Earth.
Alice Springs - Class spot for a few days. Would be tough to live there though I'd imagine.
Adelaide - Gorgeous city and worth a visit, but a bit quiet to live in. Would easily live there ahead of Perth though.
Brisbane - Never been

Hope that helps.

I lol'd at the hyperbole

Pisco Sour

Xavi6 wrote: »

I lol'd at the hyperbole

Perth = Boring and ugly
Adelaide = Boring and pretty

I know which one of these 2 I would pick if I had to choose one.

mandrake04

Just home after working 6 straight 12 Hr days in Adelaide, have only been once before for a couple of days and was hoping to see a lot more this time. Was staying in a hotel in the CBD so was able to go out for a few beers 3 or 4 nights especially around Rundle street which remind's me of Newtown in Sydney (only a bit cleaner) and I found it a great atmosphere.

I could see the attraction for families its a pretty liveable city and they seem to celebrate Xmas more than the other cities as they had a large Christmas Pageant last Saturday in the CBD, also the city itself is quite flat and would be excellent for cycling.

big bonus with Adelaide is that its a dry heat, was in the mid 30's most of the week and it felt like standing in a hair dryer but there is no humidity. Sat alfresco enjoying beers last night till after 11pm and wasnt sweating my balls off.

Went over to one of my work mates house in West Beach area the other night and to be honest I would be attracted to the lifestyle myself although and I reckon its about on par with Perth. I reckon Adelaide could work for me but not sure if the wife would like it.

It beats Canberra anyway.

Sundy

What do people on here have against perth so much?

Everybody i know who is there love it, but they are all country people. maybe its Irish people from cities dont like it so much?

From what i hear theres plenty to do.. Boating, surfing, kite surfing, cycling, off roading and lots of fields sports.

do some people find perth more suited to out doors type people?

jank

Melbourne is the "cool" place to be at the moment, maybe a little too cool. I do admit though it is a very nice city and one day will give it a go living there. Never been to Brisbane but for me I think it would be too humid. Wasnt really gone on Perth. It is the most isolated city in the world and you can tell. Not a whole lot going on there but if you were thinking of settling down at a place long term there are worse places.
Adelaide seems to be an under dog. My other half went there for a few days and she couldn't stop on on about the place and she definitely doesn't like small and boring. A VERY livable city from what I hear.
Sydney is Sydney, you have to take the good with the bad, yea the people can be arseholes, yea the CBD isn't the nicest but all you have to do is go to the Gap and look out into Jackson bay on a clear day and you know that you are in one the worlds greatest and beautiful cities. Sydney gives you the ****s but it is a great place to live. If you like the beach and nice weather then Sydney >>> Melbourne, but that is a conversation for another day and is as old as the hills!

Pisco Sour

jank wrote: »

If you like the beach and nice weather then Sydney >>> Melbourne, but that is a conversation for another day and is as old as the hills!

Sydney actually gets 3 times as much rain in winter than Melbourne does. Just in Sydney it pores down at once, while in Melbourne it trickles down, Irish style!

Xavi6

Sundy wrote: »

What do people on here have against perth so much?

Everybody i know who is there love it, but they are all country people. maybe its Irish people from cities dont like it so much?

From what i hear theres plenty to do.. Boating, surfing, kite surfing, cycling, off roading and lots of fields sports.

do some people find perth more suited to out doors type people?

Dub here and I love it, there is plenty to do.

Your man probably just got turned down by all the hot birds here and now has an oul chip about it :pac:

jank

04072511 wrote: »

Sydney actually gets 3 times as much rain in winter than Melbourne does. Just in Sydney it pores down at once, while in Melbourne it trickles down, Irish style!

Seriously, if you are trying to argue that Melbourne has better weather than Sydney then you need to take off those blinkers.

Yes it does rain more in Sydney but these are thunderstorms that come and go in a matter of hours. Also being pedantic Sydney gets on average 47.7 inches of rain per year Melbourne gets 25.5, not quite the 3 times you mentioned.

jank

Xavi6 wrote: »

Dub here and I love it, there is plenty to do.

Your man probably just got turned down by all the hot birds here and now has an oul chip about it :pac:

Whatever about him, a lot of people have that opinion about Perth. Reminded me of a bigger, hotter and richer Christchurch without the beautiful scenery and the friendly kiwis. For a young 20 something single person it may not be their cup of tea.

Coileach dearg

Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn.

ellaq

I feel that way about Perth and I have lived here over 10 years. It is grand now......we have kids and it suits our current lifestyle. And in fairness it is a lot more livier now than it was when we first moved here.

hussey

jank wrote: »

Seriously, if you are trying to argue that Melbourne has better weather than Sydney then you need to take off those blinkers.

Yes it does rain more in Sydney but these are thunderstorms that come and go in a matter of hours. Also being pedantic Sydney gets on average 47.7 inches of rain per year Melbourne gets 25.5, not quite the 3 times you mentioned.

I don't think he is though, and he's right sydney lashes down, flash flooding etc

seipeal1

mandrake04 wrote: »

Just home after working 6 straight 12 Hr days in Adelaide, have only been once before for a couple of days and was hoping to see a lot more this time. Was staying in a hotel in the CBD so was able to go out for a few beers 3 or 4 nights especially around Rundle street which remind's me of Newtown in Sydney (only a bit cleaner) and I found it a great atmosphere.

I could see the attraction for families its a pretty liveable city and they seem to celebrate Xmas more than the other cities as they had a large Christmas Pageant last Saturday in the CBD, also the city itself is quite flat and would be excellent for cycling.

big bonus with Adelaide is that its a dry heat, was in the mid 30's most of the week and it felt like standing in a hair dryer but there is no humidity. Sat alfresco enjoying beers last night till after 11pm and wasnt sweating my balls off.

Went over to one of my work mates house in West Beach area the other night and to be honest I would be attracted to the lifestyle myself although and I reckon its about on par with Perth. I reckon Adelaide could work for me but not sure if the wife would like it.

It beats Canberra anyway.

Glad you enjoyed your time in Adelaide. We are here a few years and, to be honest, i am starting to get a little bit concerned lately that some people are warming to Adelaide and even liking it a bit. Adelaide is our little secret and we are very happy with its' 'pretty but boring as hell' tag. If things are not nipped in the bud now, people will start migrating here and relocating from interstate and eventually that might even change the vibe around here and that will not do!
On a serious note, it is a nice place to live. Great for families. Reasonably affordable by Australian standards and it really does have a small town feel. Free flowing traffic, great weather, beautiful parklands surrounding the Central area, great food and wines, festivals every weekend during the summer months, lots of interesting places to see and things to do.
So, lets keep this to ourselves, ok?!!! It is boring as hell, honest. Oh, and can we have our Grand Prix back, please.

Pisco Sour

jank wrote: »

Seriously, if you are trying to argue that Melbourne has better weather than Sydney then you need to take off those blinkers.

Yes it does rain more in Sydney but these are thunderstorms that come and go in a matter of hours. Also being pedantic Sydney gets on average 47.7 inches of rain per year Melbourne gets 25.5, not quite the 3 times you mentioned.

Never said Melbourne had better weather. Just said that it gets less rainfall. And it is 3 times more in WINTER, if you would read what I wrote. You're just trying to argue for the sake of it.

Pisco Sour

Xavi6 wrote: »

Your man probably just got turned down by all the hot birds here and now has an oul chip about it :pac:

:rolleyes:

Ah here lad. If I was to use that as my criteria of what my favourite cities are then places like Stockholm (one of the best cities I've been to) would be at the bottom of the list and there would be some very questionable cities at the top.

Don't be silly. Surely you can defend your city without resorting to rubbish like that? :rolleyes::)

Look its my opinion, which I am entitled to. I have done a lot of travel. Been to 26 countries and have seen a lot of amazing cities in particular Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Cusco, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne, Sydney, Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Barcelona.

Perth IMO offers almost nothing of interest to a tourist. Certainly very little that you cant get somewhere else. It is up there with Darwin, Montevideo, San Diego and Rotterdam as being one of the most uninspiring cities that I have seen. The architecture is ugly, there is absolutely no history, the place is quiet, and shuts down Monday to Friday, and there is just no buzz about the place.

Oh and the bouncers are total kn0bs, even by Australian standards. Having to show passport and get a photo taken to get into a bar at noon on a Sunday in order to have a mixed grill? (Have never bought my passport out in Melbourne. Not once has my Garda ID been rejected. And have never had to pose for a photo here upon entering a bar). Its little things like that that leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Id only advise somebody to visit Perth if they are planning on starting a trip up the West Coast from there.

Lu Tze

04072511 wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Ah here lad. If I was to use that as my criteria of what my favourite cities are then places like Stockholm (one of the best cities I've been to) would be at the bottom of the list and there would be some very questionable cities at the top.

Don't be silly. Surely you can defend your city without resorting to rubbish like that? :rolleyes::)

Look its my opinion, which I am entitled to. I have done a lot of travel. Been to 26 countries and have seen a lot of amazing cities in particular Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Cusco, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne, Sydney, Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Barcelona.

Perth IMO offers almost nothing of interest to a tourist. Certainly very little that you cant get somewhere else. It is up there with Darwin, Montevideo, San Diego and Rotterdam as being one of the most uninspiring cities that I have seen. The architecture is ugly, there is absolutely no history, the place is quiet, and shuts down Monday to Friday, and there is just no buzz about the place.

Oh and the bouncers are total kn0bs, even by Australian standards. Having to show passport and get a photo taken to get into a bar at noon on a Sunday in order to have a mixed grill? (Have never bought my passport out in Melbourne. Not once has my Garda ID been rejected. And have never had to pose for a photo here upon entering a bar). Its little things like that that leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Id only advise somebody to visit Perth if they are planning on starting a trip up the West Coast from there.

You could be right on not offering much to a tourist, but as somewhere to live i think it offers alot to those who get out and about.

It gets some top quality gigs and events despite being so isolated (last night they had kings of leon, and eddie izzard, made it to neither unfortunately).

There was a winter arts festival on with all manner classical music, interspersed with jazz festival and other events not to mention the theatre.

During the summer the outdoor lifestyle is very prominent, with an abundance of sport, wet and dry.

Only a few places for weekend trips admittedly, but the likes of albany and and margaret river definitely require return visits.

Lots of camping spots, bike trails through forest, walking trails.

If none of the appeals, then yes, settle else where. You will get a lot out of living here if you enjoy an active lifestyle

Pisco Sour

Lu Tze wrote: »

You could be right on not offering much to a tourist, but as somewhere to live i think it offers alot to those who get out and about.

It gets some top quality gigs and events despite being so isolated (last night they had kings of leon, and eddie izzard, made it to neither unfortunately).

There was a winter arts festival on with all manner classical music, interspersed with jazz festival and other events not to mention the theatre.

During the summer the outdoor lifestyle is very prominent, with an abundance of sport, wet and dry.

Only a few places for weekend trips admittedly, but the likes of albany and and margaret river definitely require return visits.

Lots of camping spots, bike trails through forest, walking trails.

If none of the appeals, then yes, settle else where. You will get a lot out of living here if you enjoy an active lifestyle

Not a lot of what you've said there that cant be found in Melbourne (with the exception of good beaches) and Sydney though.

Every big city gets gigs. Theres camping spots etc near every big city in Australia. Every big city in Australia has an active lifestyle (just a part of Australian culture in general I think).

Obviously I am biased, but Melbourne offers so much more. Firstly the city is far more beautiful. And there is so much going on. Federation Square is a great spot. Today they had a Polish Festival on with lots of Polish music, dance, food, crafts etc. Next Sunday it is Greece's turn.

Theres just a general buzz about Swanston Street, Bourke Street, Fed Square etc, that was painfully lacking in Perth when I was there being honest.

Lu Tze

04072511 wrote: »

Not a lot of what you've said there that cant be found in Melbourne (with the exception of good beaches) and Sydney though.

Every big city gets gigs. Theres camping spots etc near every big city in Australia. Every big city in Australia has an active lifestyle (just a part of Australian culture in general I think).

Obviously I am biased, but Melbourne offers so much more. Firstly the city is far more beautiful. And there is so much going on. Federation Square is a great spot. Today they had a Polish Festival on with lots of Polish music, dance, food, crafts etc. Next Sunday it is Greece's turn.

Theres just a general buzz about Swanston Street, Bourke Street, Fed Square etc, that was painfully lacking in Perth when I was there being honest.

I have visited melbourne, and it is class i must say. I was just pointing out Perth offers more than the nothing that was being depicted. Plus it has a big brothel town within driving distance if i want to point out something it has over melbourne!
I like that perth is relaxed (probably because im not 21 anymore), but really enjoyed the buzz in melbourne, Morocco was the last place ive been that was as good for people watching while sat in the city centre drinking a coffee

globalwarrior

I have done a lot of travel. Been to 26 countries and have seen a lot of amazing cities in particular Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Cusco, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne, Sydney, Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Barcelona.[/QUOTE]

THat's a very impressiv list you got there - its good to see the garda are getting out and about!

However, after years of living in sydney I would say get out of the cities and meet some real aussies

I now live in the mid north coast and its bliss...

seclueded beaches, big smiles and laid back !!!!

gotta love Australia ))))

Pisco Sour

THat's a very impressiv list you got there - its good to see the garda are getting out and about!

However, after years of living in sydney I would say get out of the cities and meet some real aussies

I now live in the mid north coast and its bliss...

seclueded beaches, big smiles and laid back !!!!

gotta love Australia ))))[/QUOTE]



I'm starting my final week of 3 months regional work. Have worked in Dunkeld, Alexandra, Broadford, and now Glenrowan. Sick of the "real aussies" at this stage.

For travelling, I agree, getting out of the cities is the way to go, and the best bits of Australia are usually in the most remote places (Bungle Bungles being a particular example).

But thought we were just discussing cities here?

susy

Haha right you are seipeal1 - the less people that discover the secret of Adelaide the better! I've only been here a couple of months - and to be fair I haven't gotten to Sydney or Melbourne yet but Adelaide is right up there with some of the cities I've loved living in the most. I don't think it has a lot to offer tourists - besides wine touring it's relatively tourist attractionless. However as a place to live it's pretty great - small enough city to walk around, parks with stuff happening all over the place (since moving into my place I've seen 3 festivals and an international horse show from my balcony) and nothing too far away - only 20 minutes drive between a beautiful beach and the city, and the hills 20 mins to the other side. The foodie stuff is fantastic - the Central Market is wonderful, I've discovered many lovely coffee spots, many great bars and really yummy and varied restaurants. On scale I think it's around Dublin size - so making friends is pretty easy since you tend to bump into people around and about.

But all these things depend on what you like! If you want more Adelaide info let me know

globalwarrior

[/QUOTE] I'm starting my final week of 3 months regional work. Have worked in Dunkeld, Alexandra, Broadford, and now Glenrowan. Sick of the "real aussies" at this stage.

For travelling, I agree, getting out of the cities is the way to go, and the best bits of Australia are usually in the most remote places (Bungle Bungles being a particular example).

But thought we were just discussing cities here?[/QUOTE]

I can't figure out the quote thingy...

Indeed, three months regional work - that sounds way too aussie

jackbhoy

04072511 wrote:

:rolleyes:

Ah here lad. If I was to use that as my criteria of what my favourite cities are then places like Stockholm (one of the best cities I've been to) would be at the bottom of the list and there would be some very questionable cities at the top.

Don't be silly. Surely you can defend your city without resorting to rubbish like that? :rolleyes::)

Look its my opinion, which I am entitled to. I have done a lot of travel. Been to 26 countries and have seen a lot of amazing cities in particular Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Cusco, Tokyo, Seoul, Melbourne, Sydney, Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Barcelona.

Perth IMO offers almost nothing of interest to a tourist. Certainly very little that you cant get somewhere else. It is up there with Darwin, Montevideo, San Diego and Rotterdam as being one of the most uninspiring cities that I have seen. The architecture is ugly, there is absolutely no history, the place is quiet, and shuts down Monday to Friday, and there is just no buzz about the place.

Oh and the bouncers are total kn0bs, even by Australian standards. Having to show passport and get a photo taken to get into a bar at noon on a Sunday in order to have a mixed grill? (Have never bought my passport out in Melbourne. Not once has my Garda ID been rejected. And have never had to pose for a photo here upon entering a bar). Its little things like that that leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Id only advise somebody to visit Perth if they are planning on starting a trip up the West Coast from there.

I think the issue is you called it the "most boring city in the world", which by any reasonable estimation is harsh and untrue and will obviously get the hackles up from Perth based boardies. In fairness, a selection of cities across 26 countries means you have still only seen a very small cross section of the world, imo there are a lot more boring places than Perth out there...

Xavi6

04072511 wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Ah here lad. If I was to use that as my criteria of what my favourite cities are then places like Stockholm (one of the best cities I've been to) would be at the bottom of the list and there would be some very questionable cities at the top.

Don't be silly. Surely you can defend your city without resorting to rubbish like that? :rolleyes::)

It was a joke, hence the smiley :rolleyes:

Look its my opinion, which I am entitled to.

Just as entitled as I am to say you're talking bollox when you say it's the most boring place in the world (hence my use of the word hyperbole).

Pisco Sour

Xavi6 wrote: »

It was a joke, hence the smiley :rolleyes:



Just as entitled as I am to say you're talking bollox when you say it's the most boring place in the world (hence my use of the word hyperbole).

I know it was a joke, hence my smiley in return.

What I should have said was that it is the most boring city in the world THAT I HAVE SEEN. I'm sure there are cities in Somalia and the like that offer far less than Perth, but I will never be in such barbaric places

DirkVoodoo

Just back from 5 days in Melbourne. Sitting here in Newtown and I'm just trying to find the quickest way back!

Agree with previous comments: Melbourne is a nice size, it's very easy to get around by bike or by tram and it's nowhere near as noisy as Sydney (seriously, why does everyone here have a lead boot when they drive?). It's not much cheaper, but to me it is far more liveable. Plenty to see and do, great for sports too.

Sydney is a nice city and has plenty of iconic sights. But I don't want to live here. Take away the harbour bridge and the opera house and it could be any number of other cities around the globe. Sure, it has great beaches, but again beaches are a holiday luxury for me, I would tire of living beside one.

As for the weather? I cycled home from Paddington in torrential rain today. Still warm, but it does rain here. Melbourne is certainly very Irish in terms of weather: rain, sun, hot, cold...all in one day. But to me that just makes it feel even more like home and I like my four seasons too, beaches and hot weather all year round sounds great, but the novelty would wear off for me.