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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Nickengland on July 28, 2005, at 8:58:49
G'day! :-)
Those of you who have read some of my posts probably know i'm moving to Australia soon. (and cannot wait!) lol
I've read more or less all the lonely planet books I can and a fair few other books and loads of information online..
I've more or less narrowed it down to Perth in Western Australia as to where I think i'd most like to live...Any Australians/New Zealanders been to this city/area before? If so I would really love to hear from you and let me know what you think of it?!
Sydney is my second choice.
Brisbane third.
Any comments welcome on those 2 places or any other places as well! (mostly interested in Perth
though :-) )Many, many thanks to anyone who can offer any help/advice :-)
Warm regards
Nick
Posted by Damos on July 28, 2005, at 16:55:03
In reply to To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz!, posted by Nickengland on July 28, 2005, at 8:58:49
Hey Nick,
Well I've lived in Sydney all my life, but have been to all the other state capitals, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Hobart.
Gotta say that each is quite different and the accent even varies in Adelaide and Perth. Loved Perth while I was there and used to have friends there. The people are great, more relaxed than over here in Sydney. Perth is also an attractive city. The America's Cup was held down the road in Fremantle which has really developed in recent years with lots of cafes and eateries etc. The Margaret River region is not far and is renown for it's surf, wineries and fine produce. Perth has some fine beaches too. Lots of great places to go in Western Australia too. I guess the only real downside of Perth is that it's so far from anywhere else. Could easily see myself living there.
If there's specific stuff you'd like to know give me a shout and I'll see what I can find out for you.
Hope that helps a little. When you coming?
Posted by Nickengland on July 28, 2005, at 17:28:52
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on July 28, 2005, at 16:55:03
Thanks for replying Damos!
You've certainly done quite abit of travelling around Australia by the looks of things then..
Yeah thats the only downside I could manage to find out about Perth what with it being so far from everywhere else...I read that Singapore is nearer to Perth than Sydney is! Also supposed to be the most isolated city in the world. Guess it makes it unique in its own right though.
Good to hear the people are great! Are they really much different from the people of the other states? (forgetting the accents)
Nice to hear its pretty relaxed there too - exactly what i'm looking for :-)
Is there any difference with it being more expensive to live there vs Sydney? (from what I managed to find out Sydney is the most expenisive city to live in?)
How do you rate Brisbane by the way?
Thanks again for replying Damos..and it certainly helps very much so, being able to chat to someone all the way down under :-)
I'll be in Australia definately within 6 months...with abit of luck I hope to make that within 3months.
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Damos on July 28, 2005, at 17:54:08
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Damos, posted by Nickengland on July 28, 2005, at 17:28:52
No worries mate.
Yeah I think Sydney was way up there on the list of the worlds most expensive cities to live in. I'll look it up and post a link if I find one.
I think you're right about Singapore being closer than Sydney. NZ is closer to Sydney than Perth is. As to the people I think they're just generally friendlier. Well I found them to be at least. Sydneysiders and Melbournites tend to be busy 'going places' and 'moving and shaking' and things just move at a faster pace. Probably because they're the more international cities with corporate headquarters and the like.
Brisbane is also nice and Queenslands are again a breed all of their own. Along with Victorians (Melbourne) they'd be the most parochial about their state of origin. Brisbane is much less expensive than Sydney and again there are heaps of things to do in QLD which is a big state. Brisbane is just over an hour by plane from Sydney as is Melbourne, whereas Perth is like 5.5 hrs from Syd. For the record Adelaide and Perth are each in different timezones to the eastern states. It's been a lot of years since I was in Brisbane for any length of time but it's going ahead at a rate of knots.
Best wishes,
Damos
Posted by AuntieMel on July 29, 2005, at 11:56:55
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Damos, posted by Nickengland on July 28, 2005, at 17:28:52
Well, I'm partial to Perth, but I haven't seen much of the rest of the country. An overnight in Sydney is all, though I ended up staying in King's Cross so it was for sure an amusing!! overnight.
Perth is beautiful, with the hills in the back and the bay and the ocean. It's the most blue/green water I've ever seen - pictures can't do it justice.
The people are very friendly. Casual, very easy going and polite.
I wasn't there long enough to get a good grip on things to do other than know if you're outdoorsy you should be happy. Lots of space to breath - an important thing in my book but you are more used to high density living than I am.
I'm seriously thinking of retiring there, and I'm saving my pennies. It takes a lot of US dollars to be allowed to move there.
Posted by Nickengland on July 31, 2005, at 16:20:27
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on July 28, 2005, at 17:54:08
Thanks very much Damos for providing me with that information mate :-)
Many thanks
Nick
Posted by Nickengland on July 31, 2005, at 16:37:56
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz, posted by AuntieMel on July 29, 2005, at 11:56:55
>The people are very friendly. Casual, very easy going and polite.
^^^ I think this is one of the things which attracts me to Perth the most. Equally though, is also because from all the pictures i've seen in books and how people describe it to be such an attractive place. And the weather is a big bonus too coming from England lol.Yeah immigration is pretty strict into Australia using the points system. I guess that has it up side though for the country not letting everyone in if you know what i mean. Still I would love to be able to get a permernant visa out there myself. The visa i'm using firsty will allow me to stay for up to 2 years though so its not too bad.
Thanks for the information Aunt Mel :-)...and good luck with your retirement down-under..
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Damos on July 31, 2005, at 17:32:10
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz, posted by AuntieMel on July 29, 2005, at 11:56:55
We'd be lucky to have you. Hope your retirement dream comes true.
Posted by Declan on August 1, 2005, at 23:15:41
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on July 28, 2005, at 17:54:08
Here's my 2 bob's worth:
Brisbane is too hot, and as a Queenslander I dunno about Queensland. Don't like it.
Sydney is way too big.
Perth I know nothing about really, but places around it sound nice.
But Hobart is beautiful, lovely climate, nice size.
Some of the best places in Australia are not in the big cities. Northern Rivers NSW (AKA Byron Bay) has good points (lovely environment). A very diverse group of people here.
Melbourne sounds better than Sydney or Brisbane to me.
But maybe like some English people you will love the heat.
Declan
Posted by Nickengland on August 4, 2005, at 14:40:25
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz!, posted by Declan on August 1, 2005, at 23:15:41
Hi Declan,
Yeah I've thought about Brisbane alot, alittle while ago this was my first choice but a couple of years ago I lived in the Canary Islands for a year. The climate there is pretty much similar to Brisbane I think (the latitude is exactly the same) the climate was sub-tropical and while I liked it very much through the winter with it being sunny and warm the summer was pretty hot and there wasn't really much variation.
Weather is a pretty main factor with me, but I guess anywhere I go in Australia its going to beat England thats for sure!..I do like the sun, but don't love the heat to the extreams if you know what i mean. For example Darwin would be out of the question lol
Interesting what you say about Hobart....i'm looking for work/job opportunites though too, I wonder if maybe things could be pretty limited there?...like my past work experience is pretty limited if you know what I mean, thats why I'm thinking of the big cities..
>Northern Rivers NSW (AKA Byron Bay) has good points (lovely environment). A very diverse group of people here.
This interests me quite abit, i'm going to have to look into this further. This is the very northern part of New South Wales right?..your almost boardering Queensland i would of thought here? It does indeed sound like a lovely part of Australia. I'm going to have to look into this. As much as its a lovely area I want to move to, it does come down to work opportunies too, i'll have to explore that factor as well.
Many thanks Declan
Nick
Posted by Damos on August 4, 2005, at 16:50:03
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Declan, posted by Nickengland on August 4, 2005, at 14:40:25
The good news weather wise is that the coldest day we've had in Sydney this winter was 13C, the last week and a bit the daily average has been 23c (can you believe it, mid winter). Perth has been only a little cooler. One of the nicest things about Perth and most of the WA coast is that there always seems to be a breeze that takes away the humidity which as Declan says can be a problem in Brisbane and Sydney.
Forget Darwin. There is absolutely nothing to do in the city itself. You can't even swim at the beaches because of the crocs.
Declan is also correct that Hobart and Tassy generally are beautiful. It's only about 2.5 hrs from Hobart to Devonport the major city in the north of the island. The roads are pretty good and there are just no cars. Peak hour in Hobart lasts about 10 minutes and 10 or 12 cars signifies a traffic jam. Pretty much drive 10 minutes in any direction and you're in the country. The Cradle Mountain National Park is awesome (though we don't have any real mountains like the US or Europe). Had 5 acres there a very long time ago but had to sell as I couldn't find work around the time I wanted to 'opt out' of Sydney. These days you can get the car ferry to Tassy from both Sydney and Melbourne as well as fly.
Byron Bay is beautiful, but basically a tourist destination and haven of the 'beautiful people', and the 'alternatives'. Declan is right that the whole Northern Rivers region is great, just not much in the way of work (other than hospitality). Depending on what you do you may be able to telecommute. Pretty sure there are direct flights between Byron and Sydney/Brisbane these days.
Hope that helps.
Posted by Declan on August 6, 2005, at 4:45:06
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on August 4, 2005, at 16:50:03
Damos
I'm overwhelmed.....you had 5 acres of land at Cradle Mountain????? Well I'm sure you know why I feel the way I do about that place.
Declan
Posted by Nickengland on August 6, 2005, at 12:47:29
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on August 4, 2005, at 16:50:03
Hello Damos,
23 degrees in mid winter - now that is what I call comfortable...thats kind of "just right" for me at least. 13 degress in the evening sounds refreshing too. (compare that to mid winter here, you'd be looking at perhaps a daily of 5 degrees and minus 2 degress in the evening - and I live in the hottest, dryest part of England!) - not forgetting all the cloud..man this country has depressing weather.
Ahhh...so its true about the "Fremantle Doctor" -The coastal breeze in Perth....sounds refreshing.
>Peak hour in Hobart lasts about 10 minutes and 10 or 12 cars signifies a traffic jam.
Oh man, that sounds like heaven! This is an extream example but compare this to an expriment recently done in London, on an anverage week day morning, one man on foot and one man in a car set out on a 26 mile race (the route of the london marathon) You guessed it, the guy on foot *running* beat the man in the car *driving* even though they went the same distance using the same route of 26miles! Talk about traffic jam...Rush hours where I live seem to average half a day...its madness mate, too many cars, too many people, too little of an island lol
So Perth and Sydney during the winter...the average temps are pretty much the same give or take afew degrees here or there?
How would you say Sydney and Perth compare to each other during the hottest summer months, comparing the average daily temparatures?...Whats more comfortable?
Always a great help mate :-)
Nick
Posted by Damos on August 7, 2005, at 16:45:12
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Damos, posted by Nickengland on August 6, 2005, at 12:47:29
Yeah, this winter has been pretty mild. Nightly lows in the low single digits at worst except in the outer suburbs where they've had a couple of minus nights. You'r right Sydney and Perth are pretty similar temp wise, both can get into the 40's in summer but are relatively mild in winter (doubt there's even been a minus night in Perth). From memory Perth was more comfortable during the heat as the breeze is more noticeable there and takes the humidity away, whereas it can can hang over Sydney like a damp blanket sometimes.
Posted by Nickengland on August 7, 2005, at 18:12:57
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Nickengland, posted by Damos on August 7, 2005, at 16:45:12
Thanks Damos, Great help :-)
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by damos on August 7, 2005, at 22:32:12
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz!, posted by Declan on August 6, 2005, at 4:45:06
Bad phrasing on my part. The land was about 500m from the Great Lake. Middle of absolutley nowhere. But yeah, the place is real special.
Posted by Declan on August 8, 2005, at 16:08:40
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » Declan, posted by damos on August 7, 2005, at 22:32:12
Hi Damos
Well I had extremely high hopes for the Great Lake, I drove past a sign pointing to it, and it was high and snowing, but I became familiar with it later and have not gone back. But once at Cradle Mountain I did see land for sale, and thought it would have been nice to live there 50 years ago when it was really isolated. I dunno what I would have done for food though, apart from eating wombats.
Declan
Posted by Damos on August 8, 2005, at 17:23:57
In reply to Re: To the Australians...or anyone whos been to Oz! » damos, posted by Declan on August 8, 2005, at 16:08:40
Try a grand an acre. Gosh that was 21 years ago now.
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