[Ziggy]

Bruce and jclyde, yes; find the person or team working in the patch you want to study in and see of they've got the capacity to supervise you. His/her/their international standing will affect more of your later 'market value' than the particular Uni. There are some small Unis here with hi rep research concentrations in particular fields.

For a PhD it's pretty much 3 years max (full time enrolment) and there's pressure to get candidates through. Expect to write about 90,000 to 100,000 words in the dissertation. Not many of our Unis use vivas as well.

I've examined PhD theses from a number of Aus and Asian universities using similar models and standards; the variation in quality comes via the candidate and supervisor.

[volkerH]

Have been living in Brisbane, Australia for the last 9 years, will soon be moving back to Germany. Also lived in Salt Lake City for a year but that was last millenium before a lot of the new infrastructure came in so I know where you're coming from.

In terms of climate and outdoor pursuits I prefer SLC, but I never quite warmed up to the culture there - much more agreeable in Australia IMO.

Depending on what your priorities are there's different places.
If you like bushwalking, climbing, skiing, MTB riding, road biking Canberra is great. The ANU is also a fantastic and highly ranked university - worth considering if you want to pursue a PhD. You can easily commute anywhere in Canberra by bike. The town itself is a bit bland and boring but if you only need your occasional city-fix, Sydney is just a 2.5 h drive or a very short (and often cheap) flight away. The spectacular south coast is also within an easy drive (a bit more than 2 hours). If you live in Sydney it can take you almost as long to get to the beach because traffic can be horrendous.

The Blue Mountains are spectacular and one of my favourite places in Australia. They are almost equally well accessible from Canberra as they are from Sydney. If it doesn't matter where you live and you only need to go into Sydney occasionally I would have a look at living at the edge of the Blue Mtns, maybe Blackheath or Katoomba. There is a railway line that goes down to Sydney so you can get some work done on the commute.
If you want a beach-side suburb ... Manly is very nice but very expensive and crowded. A relatively cheap beach suburb would be Maroubra - I liked it there.

Also have a look at Wollongong - not far from Sydney. It has it's own University (which is not among the highest ranking but probably has some good programs). More affordable than Syndey.