Where are the best cities to work in Australia for a life work balance?

Question

I work in IT in England as an IT Manager, Id like to look at doing a similar job is OZ only i dont know much about which city to choose? Perth, Melbourne, Sydney etc.

Im into outdoor activities so near the beach would be good.

Can anyone help?



Thanks

I intend to take a holiday in OZ first as well!

Answer 1

G'day

Melbourne!!! Wellll... where should I start?
1. First of all... some people do not like the weather in Melbourne (you can have 4 seasons in one day). However, if you read the first article from The Age newspaper, you will find out that the weather is still more preferable than the other cities. Sure you can have 42C day like last month, but almost immediately you'll get a much cooler weather pretty soon afterwards. It is very rarely that you got 2 or 3 consecutive days of hot weathers (unlike Sydney, Brisbane or Perth). However I don't think the cold weather is anything close to England's.
2. Melbourne is a city of diversity. If you are a newcomer, and you do not look 'Anglo-Saxon', you do not feel like an 'alien', since you can find almost every race in the world walking in the city. They are both immigrants and overseas students.
3. THE FOOD!! Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, All-you-can-eat, African, Lebanese, Mexican, Sea Food... anything else? All available and lots of them in a very-very-very affordable price
4. Pretty good public transport system. With one ticket, you can switch from train, tram and bus. They do not always come on-time, but still reliable and improving (www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au).
5. SHOPPING!!! Original branded clothing sold very cheap. There are even shopping tour, where the participants are taken to retails outlets just for shopping. Big temptations for ladies.
6. Crime rates... just read the second article on the bottom.
7. Cost of Living... I'll say it's second most expensive city after Sydney. Altho I have to say that some cities in Queensland can be more expensive to live.
8. Night Life... hmmmm... I'll say the centre of nite activities will be Crown Casino and Docklands. Altho there are still plenty of cafe's and clubs scattered around the suburbs as well.
9. Tourist attraction. This is the area that I think Sydney is better than Melbourne, since it has most of it's attraction within its suburbs. Most Melbourne attraction are pretty much out of Melbourne, such as the gold mines in the cities of Bendigo and Ballarat, The Great Ocean Road, Lakes Entrance, Grampians, skiing in Mt. Buller etc.
10. IT jobs: Hmmm hard to say. I have been in the IT business for almost 10yrs in Melbourne and it has its ups and downs, just like anywhere else in the world I suppose. If you are an IT manager for quite sometime, maybe you are eligible to apply for the membership of Australia Computing Society (ACS) to boost your qualifications. I am listing ACS' website and some job websites for your perusal.

Living closer to the beach will be the suburbs of Altona, Port Melbourne, Williamstown, St. Kilda, Elwood and Brighton to mention some that are pretty close to CBD. You can cross reference with some real-estate websites to know the rental costs (www.realestate.com.au or www.domain.com.au).

Running out of ideas, but I hope that I can at least give you some more informations that have been provided by the answerers before me.

Good luck and welcome to Melbourne. I've been living in Melbourne for 16 years, visited some other capital cities in Australia and still giving Melbourne 10/10 for the best city.

Answer 2

Hi. I'm an Australian IT guy who now lives in Europe. I grew up in Perth, lived in Melbourne for 9 years and Sydney for 2.

So, this is very much subject to personal biases of course, but for me Melbourne is the #1 city in Australia. The vibe, the lack of parochiality, the sport, the food, is all the best. Coming from England, you won't be limited by the slightly colder weather there for general outdoor activities!

However, for the beach Melbourne is not great and I would consider Perth #1, followed by Sydney. Perth is less crowded, less stormy in summer and has beach almost the whole length of the city.

You will find many of your compatriots there too. That may be a good or bad thing for you.

Sydney has a very large share of the good IT jobs though, maybe 60%, with Melbourne with most of the rest.

So there you go, pros and cons for them all. (I wouldn't bother with the other Oz cities based on what you've written).

Answer 3

Having spent some time in both countries, I can only say that I enjoyed both places for different reasons. Australia is a beautiful place and does have nice beaches and lots of remote places to explore if you want to. They can get some fierce weather at times there though with droughts and forest fires. I think Sydney is over-rated once you look beyond the bridge and the beaches though. New Zealand is the place I would choose to live given the choice between the two, but by a narrow margin. The most memorable thing about NZ I think is how incredibly freindly the people are. The country is also spectacular and the roads outside the big cities are vitually empty. It is a very cheap place to live too.

Answer 4

Affectionately named "Marvellous Melbourne" during the gold dash of the 1850s, the title remains used today for Australia's next greatest town Melbourne, an area as you are able to visited with hotelbye . Located on the banks of the Yarra River, close to the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne is a contemporary area steeped in history. With substantial wealth generated from the regional goldfields, regal structures were built throughout the city. Many of these buildings still stand nowadays, and Melbourne is regarded as having more samples of Victorian structure than any city in Australia. One place you cannot skip in your visit to Melbourne may be the Southbank and Arts Centre Melbourne. Located on the banks of the Yarra River that area is really a culturally wealthy interest for visitors. Southbank promenade is filled up with indoor/outdoor cafés, restaurants, and stay entertainment. Quickly identifiable by its spire, the Arts Centre incorporates a selection of theaters and spaces like the State Theatre, Playhouse, Fairfax Theatre, and Hamer Hall, the premier efficiency space for the respected Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Answer 5

If you earn reasonable money you can afford to live close to work and achieve work/life balance in any city here, and all our state capitals are by the water. If you want to surf before or after work then it's between Sydney or Perth, with their CBDs 10-15km from ocean beaches. Melbourne has beaches close to town but they're on a bay, which is fine for sailing/kite-surfing or just cooling off. Adelaide also has beaches close to town (I don't think there's much surf but don't quote me on that) but work prospects are likely to be better in the other three (Perth is growing rapidly due its resources-based economy).

Answer 6

I would guess Sydney. It does depend on your personal preferences, but I would go there because it is the biggest city in Australia, so would have the biggest coice of IT jobs. Sydney also has the abundance and energy of a truly world class city and there are plenty of things to do there.

In spite of this though, it also has a kind of easy-going charm and agreeable climate, so it would make for a very decent lifestyle.

There are many outdoorsy things to do; Sydney is surrounded by masses of intact bushland, mountains, glorious beaches, the ocean and a stunning harbour. Plenty for you do do in your free time, and plenty of friendly, life-affirming people to do them with.

Answer 7

Definitely Melbourne - the most livable city on earth! Sydney is great for the beaches tho... and Perth for the weather.... tough decision!

Answer 8

Brisbane in Queensland has a slower lifestyle if you can find work in the IT. Take not too much notice of the Sydney/Melbourne answers - Queensland has the fastest growing population in terms of refugees from Victoria and NSW!

Answer 9

sydney...imho.