I've lived in:
- Sydney (I was born there!)
- Wagga Wagga (a very large country town halfway-ish between Sydney and Melbourne)
- Melbourne (one of the best cities on the planet)
- a coastal town north of Sydney called Port Macquarie (great place to retire to - you'll live a longer life because nothing EVER F'ING HAPPENS THERE!)
- Gold Coast (good place to party, not so great to live)
- Brisbane (where I am now, and have been for more than a decade).
I'd recommend Brisbane as THE place to live, based on experience; I find it's a good compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, with many of the benefits and a lot fewer of the downsides. You're an hour's drive away from two of the premier beach resorts of Australia, in Surfers Paradise and Noosa (close enough for a night out without having to spring for a motel). Brisbane has a pretty good year round climate, reasonable shopping and some world class restaurants and pubs (the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel for steak cannot be beaten!). There's a vibrant nightlife, Australia Zoo's up the road... excellent schools, heaps of sporting events... U2 played here last night...
Problem with Brisbane is the traffic 😱 Shocking to get around the city. However, Brisbane has some good universities some of the best I think. QUT, UQ
I wouldn't say Brisbane has traffic problems any more extreme than any other large city that has experienced an exponential growth over a decade.
Recent weeks have seen Brisbane experience a major traffic issue - but that was as a result of a just-before-peak hour closing of two major egress points for safety reasons.
I've certainly spent longer in traffic jams in Sydney trying to get across the Harbour Bridge than I have trying to get across Brisbane!
Yeah, Sydney has the competition all sewn up for traffic problems. It's both the oldest and largest city in the country so not only is it poorly planned but it's massively crowded to boot.
Sydney makes getting around Melbourne look positively easy. Not that it isn't, I love going to Melbourne purely for the fact that you can get where you want to quickly and comfortably. Sydney public transport is abominable.
It's his dream mate, he's just getting the info.
One of the greatest reasons for moving to a new country is "Because I want to." Don't begrudge this guy of trying to organise a dream of his in a mature and thoughtful manner.
I don't resent him at all. I'm an expatriate as well. I'm just thoroughly confused at how he can simply do this with such conviction and certitude.