Worlds Most Liveable City is NOT Brisbane?

Gosh Kat, you really don’t like Sydney do you? Maybe because it’s full of irregular people like me, eh? 😉

Sydney is expensive, yes, but where isn’t these days? Calcutta? Sao Paolo? Hull? The only reason I can afford to live in the North Shore because I rent. Only a fool would buy property in the current climate and I’m paying the same here as I was paying in London. Melbourne is just as expensive by the way, so don’t get your hopes up too much.

I use the bus most days and find it faster, cleaner and cheaper than London buses. And on the occasions when I use the car, I’m amazed at how much free parking there is. And petrol is so much cheaper than the UK. Also, I don’t understand why you’re moaning about inadequate public transport. You could always do some research before you move somewhere, and move where the public transport links are adequate for your needs. Everywhere’s the same. Public transport is never going to be Virgin Upper Class is it? The London Underground is disgusting, the Paris Metro smells of urine, and the New York Subway is a a toilet. There isn’t any public transport at all in Los Angeles! Do you really think Melbourne’s going to be so much better?

Coffee? There are hundreds of fantastic baristas in Sydney too – and I’m a coffee snob, so let’s not go there. But then again, I live in the North Shore and work near all the cool and trendy places in the Inner West, so lucky me, right?

I hardly ever watch TV anyway – it’s all crap – so apart from two or three channels (which are more than enough), I stick with box-sets and movies – or that new thing that might catch on called the INTERNET!

I also find Sydney MUCH cleaner than London. And I find it a city FULL of love! It’s no good complaining people don’t say “G’day” anymore, unless you say it first. Try it some time – people are lovely. In London, they’d think you’d been let out of the asylum, or they’d pull a knife on you and ask for your iPhone “innit blood.”

When all is said and done, I guess you get out what you put in. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are – if you smile, the world smiles with you. Cities are cities. There will always be rude people and bad infrastructure and graffiti and poverty and homelessness and filth, BUT… you will see what you choose to see, so once again I refer to my four rules – they really do work.

Good luck in Melbourne.

Yes, good points re. the temperature debate. I realise now reading what I wrote that I should have emphasised that I am not a hot weather person and actually prefer winter, or at least I would be very depressed if I lived somewhere that doesn’t have a cold winter. Maybe it is due to having grown up in Canberra where there are defined seasons and crisp, bright, cold winters.

I’ve been to Brissy probably half a dozen times and always found the heat in summer a bit much. Everyone I know who lives there loves it though, so it’s obviously got lots going for it. I just personally couldn’t live somewhere that never gets colder than 15 degrees but I’m sure I’m in the minority with this preference!

Yes that’s my experience of Adelaide summers too, searing dry heat. Very intense but I think I prefer it over humidity. Again, probably because it’s what I got used to growing up.

Following your blog now, it’s fascinating to read about another perspective on Aus – my British husband and I have been back here for two and a half years now and we’re still finding it very difficult not to pine for the UK. Even though I’m an Aussie I feel like the culture in the UK is so much richer and more refined and some of the stuff we’re subjected to by the media here is just hideous, quite frustrating. Still, we’re sticking it out for the moment… 🙂

Being completely objective and unbiased, it might be that Brisbane lacks a few things that Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide can shout about.

A milder climate: Brisbane can get very hot in the summer and has suffered from adverse weather the likes of which, debatably, have not really been seen in the other three cities.

Wine regions: let’s face it – Brisbane’s soil and climate are not terribly wine friendly, while the other cities can boast fantastic wine tourism that Brisbane cannot.

History and Culture: Brisbane is relatively new and just doesn’t ‘feel’ like a city that ticks all the boxes as far as architecture, museums and cultural diversity go. The arts scene is nowhere newer as interesting or prolific as the other cities and the music scene is comparatively lacking also.

Finally, the Gold Coast is an issue. It is a satellite of Brisbane (let’s be honest) and the two seem to merge into one, which isn’t a good thing when one is discussing liveability. Surfer’s Paradise is horrid and the Gold Coast has some of the worst crime in Australia. It’s a cross between Miami and Benidorm and therefore will never score highly in a liveability survey.

However, you’re right – it’s all a load of bunkum – and as long as we are happy where we live, who cares what some journalist thinks?