If we move, I probably won't even bring skis. I've got a friend who owns a shop in NZ, should the urge arise.
I'm really interested in learning to surf, so that would probably be the focus of my outdoor adventures. Thanks for the suggestions Stinky... I'll look into it! _________________ "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin
The Gold Coast is a different issue again. My parents live in the hills behind the Coast and I have a love hate relationship with the place. It has a real "bling" culture which I do not enjoy. You could compare it in many ways to Boca Raton. Lots of retirees with skin like hand bag leather wearing gold chains and linnen shirts.
However the access to the ocean is brilliant and certainly far better than Brisbane, which is on the Brisbane River which feeds into Morton Bay. To surf from Brisbane you would drive south to the Gold Coast or north to Maroochydore (the Sunshine Coast). The Gold Coast is much closer to Frog Buttress for some climbing and the hills in the hinterland and the nearby Border Ranges have some great walking and mountain biking.
If you are that flexible and want a real life style experience why not go 50 minutes further south to the Byron Bay area. Great surfing and an evolved hippy culture so a long way from SLC. There is a brilliant long board break at Wategos Beach which would be one of the best places in Australia to learn how to surf. Very different from the Coast, McDonalds has tried to open there for years but the locals all kick up a stink and they can never get approval.
You keep calling Sydney and Melbourne "big cities". They aren't
I agree. Their populations make them look big - Sydney is north of 4M I think - but they way they have developed makes them feel much more human-scaled. I find SLC overwhelming - the sprawl, and highways and big malls. Very impersonal. All but the central business district of downtown Sydney feels like a community.
Thats my view as well. Sydney doesn't have the sprawl of the wasatch front and has the amenities (good food, airport, services) one associates with big cities without the disadvantages of big american cities
My uncle lived in Australia for probably 20 plus years and loved it. More laid back than the US and the people are more fun.
Heck, if my wife could get a good job that would support us and I could be a stay at home dad/surf bum I would do it in a heart beat.
I would tell her "Honey, I want you to reach your potential so I am willing to move for you."
My bags would be packed in no time and I would be looking for surfboards and spots.
The only thing that creeps me out about Australia is all the poisonous critters. _________________ Every day you wake up able bodied is a gift to be cherished and made the most of.
Much of my childhood was in NSW, spent part of grad school in Sydney. Go back when I can to visit my family.
Brisbane doesn't do it for me. Flat, humid, pretty sleepy. Sydney is a great city with lots going on. Cost of living in Sydney is fvcked up compared to other cities in oz. Traffic when trying to get to the mountains on a weekend is heinous in the greater Sydney area. But head a bit south on the coast and it's spectacular country.
Factoring in everything, if I had to live again down there I'd try Melbourne. Bit wet and grey at times but has a lot of plusses. _________________ "Now is not the time for sound-bites" - David Cameron
Joined: 08 Dec 2004 Posts: 84 Location: Offshore Suriname
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:54 am Post subject:
I had a 'yacht' in Australia from 1997 to 2006. I bought the boat in Cairns and based out of Cooktown (end of the road on the Cape York Peninsula) for the first two years then slowly sailed my way south (against the Southeastery trade winds) ending up in the Whitsunday Islands where I sold the boat....I sailed over half the length of the Great Barrier Reef single handed (didn't set any speed records).
They call it the "Great Barrier Reef" for a reason. The reef is a wonderland of awesome magnitude not to be compared to any other reef system in the world. Thousands of square miles of individual reefs that are undisturbed and a true 'wilderness' all it's own, particularly in the north (Cooktown on north).
The 'Aussies' are great people and very laid back as a general rule. I must admit that I only spent a few days in Brisbane/Sydney and that was flying through back and forth to the Queensland Coast and the boat, so I can't really speak for the rest of Australia other than the reef. However, I did a three-week trip over to New Zealand and if you have a hankering to do some skiing/mountaineering you can't beat the South Island (that's where Sir Edmund Hillary learned to climb), Mt. Cook National Park, and the "Southern Alps". Think the Pacific Northwest with great trout fishing as well.
Yo, go for it. Down-undah is a great life-style and I am planning in the next few years to go back and buy a 10-meter catamaran and sail off into the sunset for the rest of my days..... _________________ "O God, thy sea is so vast, my boat so small." - Sailor's prayer
Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Posts: 1060 Location: Somewhere in the land of Oz
Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:51 am Post subject:
ghostofcarl wrote:
You keep calling Sydney and Melbourne "big cities". They aren't
Maybe not compared to Delhi, population wise, but very spread out. It takes a loooong time to get out of Sydney, and trust me, you will want to do so.
Re where to live, this really depends on what you like. IME, people in Melbourne are friendlier than here in Sydney, plus there is a lot more happeneing there culturally, and a bigger music scene. Victoria has a lot more to see and do within range of Melbourne than there is near Sydney. Sydney also sucks really badly for cycling - Melbourne is vastly better in that respect, from the points of terrain, driver behaviour, etc. Melbourne public transort is also considerably better and cheaper.
I'm not keen on Brisvegas as it's further from the snow and hotter in summer, but Canberra has its good points. i.e., closer to the snow, excellent mountain biking in close, good road surfaces for cycling, can get to Sydney in a few hours if there's a need.
Elsewhere on the east coast there's not so much work. Don't necessarily believe that there's low unemployment; the government have changed the way the statistics are reported over the years so that someone working 1-2 hours/week is now counted as being employed. Work visas must be arranged before you get here.
Rent is stupidly expen$ive in Sydney, and we had the honour of being named one of the top three cities in the world expen$e wise earlier this year.
If it was me, I'd move to Melbourne, Canberra or somewhere rural - and intend to do so ASAP! _________________ Nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango
Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Posts: 1060 Location: Somewhere in the land of Oz
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 4:54 am Post subject:
^^ Re TP's comment: A parody?!? That's so not true! Everyone I know in Sydney is like that...
Canberra only siucks if you don't like it. Several friends of mine have chosen to move there over the years and none have shown any signs of leaving. Now, if you're only going to be in Oz for a short time and want to hang around with the hordes of drunken UK backpackers, then Sydney or Cairns will be a better choice. Still, those with interests in other things might well be happier in Canberra. (Except carl, who probably wouldn't be happy anywhere.) _________________ Nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango
clearly you speak with knowledge of me and my love of poms, particularly drunken ones
fwiw the Australian War Museum and the National Gallery are well worth a visit. The entirety of Canberra is odd. I can think of a number of towns in rural NSW or Vic that I'd be quite happy. My gf likes Melbourne, alas. And has family "inland"
Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Posts: 1060 Location: Somewhere in the land of Oz
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:05 am Post subject:
Touche!
Really, everywhere is odd, the only difference is in what way(s).
Myself, I don't like cities at all, and somehwere like Mt Beauty is looking better all the time. If I had to live in an Oz city though it would be Canberra or Melbourne by preference - not Sydney! _________________ Nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango
So it looks like this is back on. My wife has some great opportunities down there. To get around visa issues, I'm going to get a masters or Phd so we can get a student visa and insurance. Plus there are tons of scholarships available to offset the costs.
Right now we are looking at Univ of Melbourne and Univ of Sydney. I won't need to be on campus much, as I will be getting a research degree. Both offer the opportunity that I am looking for and my wife's work is super flexible (i.e. she can work from anywhere).
So, where would you go Sydney or Melbourne? _________________ "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin
Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Posts: 1060 Location: Somewhere in the land of Oz
Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:38 pm Post subject:
Melbourne: Much better music scene and more cultural things of every kind I can think of, vastly more cycle friendly, better public transport system with fairer ticketing, friendlier people generally, many more small interesting towns close by than with Sydney, closer to Tasmania, shorter drive to skiing but still not close except to Lake Mountain for XC. Cons are tyically more unstable and colder weather, but this last several months it's rained most days in Sydney.
Sydney: Has the famous bridge and Opera House, worse traffic and much nastier drivers, fewer live music venues, everyone more money hungry, normally warmer and less rainy days than Melbourne (but not for the last several months), crappy public transport by comparison, closest snow = 500km each way. Also larger and more spread out and not so easy to escape.
Whch is better? Really depends on what you value, so only you can decide. Most Australian Unis are reputable and Sydney is certanly right at the top - Melbourne might be too but I've never had any reason to find out; still, this really depends on your specialisation and who is doing the relevant research where. FWIW, I can personally recommend Macquarie Uni in Sydney, but others may or may not have more relevant programs for you.
At present I basically have to stay in Sydney, but will be leaving permanently ASAP. YMMV. _________________ Nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango
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clearly you speak with knowledge of me and my love of poms, particularly drunken ones