Bris, Syd or Melb? Where should we emigrate?
17 July 2006 by danielbowenMy husband and I are emigrating next year. I was born in sydney but have been in England for years. we have friends in sydney, melbourne and queensland all who say that that is the best place to live. where is the best place do live? – Laura
Firstly I must apologise to Laura. She first asked this question in September 2004, and I’m only just getting around to answering it. Pretty slack, I know, and it’s probably ancient history by now, but this question floated to the top, so I’ll have a go at it.
It probably depends which of these friends you like the most. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (Queensland) are all about 10-12 hours by road/rail from each other (or an hour by plane), so you may not get to visit them all very frequently once you arrive.
The climates vary a fair bit… Brisbane generally warmest, Sydney somewhere in the middle, Melbourne cooler (but by no means never hot). All three are pretty big cities with probably most of the attractions you might want in a city. Considerations might include the type of work one or both of you are doing, and where the best job opportunities are. Or if you’re studying, which prospective institutions cover your chosen field best.
Perhaps the best thing to do when pondering various places to settle is to schedule an initial holiday spending at least a week (minimum) in each, then decide.
Since you grew up there, maybe Sydney, though it may be a long distant memory. It’s in the middle, after all, so all your friends can visit you relatively easily.
If Laura’s still reading, I’d be interested to know where she and her husband ended up, and why.
July 18th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Actually Perth is realy nice. Great weather, wide roads, moderate traffic, cheap real estate. Sydney costs a fortune and is packed. Adelaide has just the best food in the known universe though. You know, if you eat you should try Adelaide. Yummie. Best food in Oz. Brizzie sucks if you ask me. Melboring is boring, cold (at the moment) and stupid people (like me) live there and will talk to you in the pub. But not on the train usually. In Brisbane everybody talks to everbody else on the bus etc. But the weather? I was in a taxi just south of there once and the driver commented on what a nice day it was. I looked out, thinking I had hardly even seen a cloud in the last three months. The driver told me (when I asked) “yesterday was windy”.
Windy? OK then South Queensland is right out. There was no wind last time I was in Perth. OK I was only there for 4 days. Maybe they have wind at other times. They have wind in Adelaide but usually I am to busy trying out the fab food I don’t notice. Actually the food was really good in Perth as well.
Melbourne, HA HA HA HA HA. It’s freezing at the moment, later in the year it will be seriously HOT. The food quality is crap. It’s not cheap either. But then I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I’m just sick, I know.
Sydney? Oh just nuke it. Best thing to do. Hopfully the toxic (custard?) stuff will just blow out over the ocean.
Lex
November 18th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Brisbane definatley…It is the fastes growing by far, every1 wants to be there, if u go to syd or melb ull probably end up moving there anyways…It will be bigger than melbourne in the next few years and eventually bigger than sydney…
November 21st, 2006 at 10:11 am
Brisbane: loved it and SE Queensland in general. Would be a good place to retire to
Sydney: naah. Too big, too crowded
Melbourne: Very nice, actually. Had a very civilised, cultural, European feel to it. Not bad at all
November 26th, 2006 at 9:24 am
I’ve lived in Sydney & Brisbane and have visited most of our states, excepting Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Out of all of them I have preferred Sydney the most. It has a great cosmopolitan atmosphere, and a true multicultural feel. It’s not cheap, especially the north shore, but I love it. There’s always something to do and somewhere to go
September 27th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I maintain that living in Alice Springs is worst than death. Same applies to Adelaide.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Hi
I must admit, I’m not qualified to provide suggestions about where to retire in Australia.
But my wife and I came up with a strategy for how to decide on ‘where to retire’ that we used successfully when we retired to Lake Chapala, Mexico.
Step 1
Create a list of possible places to retire based upon research and recommendations.
Step 2
Plan to visit each location for a week to 14 days. The goal is to eliminate places from your list.
You are looking at each of these locations with a critical eye and saying No o the idea of a second visit.
Step 3 (and most important)
Simulate you retirement. Stay in a vacation rental home. Shop locally as if you were living there. Do things that you would do if you were living there. This is NOT a vacation, so don’t treat it like one. You are actively evaluating this place with the idea of living there. So live there and use a rental home to accomplish this.
Signed Lovin Life in Ajijic, Mexico
Joel Smith
http://www.CasaPreciosaAjijic.com
Lake Chapala Vacation Rental Home
October 30th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Once you have decided which state you would like to live in, a useful tool you can use to search for property is the Buy My Place website. Not only does it provide tools for buyers, it also offers homeowners a place to present their own home for direct sale, where everything you need to know to sell your own property is provided.
Buy My Place also provides private real estate tips and information for people wanting to buy a home.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
We have written books on retiring in Australia. “Where To Retire In Australia’.
Please make sure you do the research carefully!
July 14th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
AH! This is the sort of thing I have been looking for. Great article. Doing some research for an article. You should add buttons to the bottom of your posts to social bookmarking sitest.