Australia

[coinlockerbaby]

As a native Aussie who has been out of the country for about seven years now, i am interested to hear peoples' impressions. Those who've been, what did you think? Like, is it just me or has Australia become surprisingly expensive ? It seemed pretty much on par with Europe,and pricier than Japan (for clothes, restaurants..)

What was cool that you would recommend to overseas people visiting? (since hopefully my bf will soon be joining me "down under"...he he he...)

And what wasnt that great? Be brutal peoples....

Like, I love Melbourne. And it seems quite happening these days...but would you fly halfway around the world to go there?

Thoughts..?

[Comma H]

I wouldnt at all recommend Australia as a shopping destination if thats what you are asking. Not saying it is bad, but it is expensive for designer stuff and there isnt the selection that JP, HK or US has.

People come to visit Australia because its a cool, mellow laid-back place. As much as some of us Aussies think we lead a hectic life, we have it pretty easy compared to some countries (Japan for one), have comfortable weather, a good range of food, and nice scenic countryside and beaches.

As much as I may hate to admit it, I miss the Aussie 'larakinism' that just doesnt exist when I'm overseas. I was in Central Station last night and pretty much the whole place was chanting "Melbourne!" at one point after the game. Stuff like that makes Australia great IMO.

[Pandemonium]

hah, i wouldn't say australia changes much - too laid back.

and yeah -- unless you're buying australian designer domestic exclusive, i wouldn't recommend buying stuff here.

[avantster]

Unless you're after the rarely decent Australian designer, shopping is definitely more expensive and less accessbile purely because of the lack of fashion forward boutiques and import costs.

Fine dining however is almost on par with the rest of the world, and comparably lower prices than say, Europe or Asia. If you're after some Sydney suggestions I could certainly give some.

[hayashi_hoshi]

I have to echo the same thing as what other have said in here. Shopping in Australia is really crap, it is expensive and the selections are rather limited. Most of the Australian blokes are also very laid back in their fashion sense, hence the low demand for high fashion.

Dining wise, it is pretty much the same as in the other developed worlds. Given the high currency rates these days, it can be very expensive for overseas visitors, but it is good for us who often buy stuff from overseas.

In terms of tourism, I have to say that despite what we have to offer, it is not for everyone. My parents for one, do not like the idea of flying 3 hours from Melbourne just to see uluru rocks or driving for hours just to touch dolphins in Monkey Mia. It's not like in Europe where in 1 hour of driving you can cross 2 or 3 countries and see different sceneries and cultures.

[Tisswat]

I was in Australia in 2004 and the two main things that stuck with me were the attitudes of the people I met everywhere and the magnificent nature and surroundings. I only spent about a month in Australia, but I could easily enjoy myself there for a year. I had to skip so many interesting destinations along the way that I would love to come back for a longer stay.

I agree with Comma H that it's not your typical superfuture shopping destination. It seems Australia is so much more about being outdoors rather than living the big city life. In Sydney I sometimes missed the gritty feel of a big city and the creative buzz that I am used to in other cities if you will. There seemed to be a lack of eccentrics somehow.. perhaps the culture shock just wasn't big enough for my likings. Nevertheless, Sydney is one of the prettiest cities I've seen. It's very clean and everything looks so well taken care of even the old structures look like they've recently been built. Also, the proximity to Bondi Beach is pretty hard to beat.

Again I must mention that the Australians I've met (not only in Australia) are all so friendly and laid back. Actually they were so friendly and open that it was sometimes awkward. People would often approach me just for the sake of conversation - something I'm not used to. I often caught myself thinking: "what does this person want from me?", only to realise later that he/she was just showing interest in where I was from and where I had been. A little Aussie culture shock after all for this Dutchman.

Sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and diving the Great Barrier Reef were unforgettable experiences. I have seen quite a few scuba spots now, but so far Australia's Great Barrier Reef has probably been one of the most impressive.

So to answer coinlockerbaby's question - yes, I would definitely fly halfway around the world to visit Australia. And I would definitely recommend a longer stay.

[rama9791]

As a native Aussie who has been out of the country for about seven years now, i am interested to hear peoples' impressions. Those who've been, what did you think? Like, is it just me or has Australia become surprisingly expensive ? It seemed pretty much on par with Europe,and pricier than Japan (for clothes, restaurants..)

What was cool that you would recommend to overseas people visiting? (since hopefully my bf will soon be joining me "down under"...he he he...)

And what wasnt that great? Be brutal peoples....

Like, I love Melbourne. And it seems quite happening these days...but would you fly halfway around the world to go there?

Thoughts..?

melbourne is great! i love staying out till late in melbourne's little laneways, with people or even alone. The live music in Block arcade or Hardware lane, the coffee in degraves st, and then there's centreway. it's something that i always miss during my annual 2 month trip to Jakarta.

And again, i agree with the shopping bit. Were always behind, prices tend to get kicked up (APC new cures for $200+ ?? HELLOO ?? ). Sometimes i can't believe asian cities like Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur have stores that melbourne and sydney don't like Topshop/Topman, Zara (some people, me included, cant spend $500+ on a Claude Maus peacoat while knowing that it costs $180 in Topman) and it's easier to find April 77 and Superfine jeans in Jakarta! Cmon now..

[jcotteri]

Yes i will agree with everyone else that has so far commented. I will only add that Sydney isnt the most impressive city. I would say that Melbourne is much nicer, much more friendly and well the music scene is the best in Australia. I can't wait to get down there again in December.

In answer to your question though, i would definately fly from anywhere Australia. Just because its such a beautiful different country:)

[Pandemonium]

And again, i agree with the shopping bit. Were always behind, prices tend to get kicked up (APC new cures for $200+ ?? HELLOO ?? )

265 aud.

1010101010

[benboy86]

i live in sydney.. but i also agree melbourne has a better music scene and clubs/pubs

Sydney has awesome beaches!! Bondi Beach is under renovations tho

great weather at the moment its going to be a really really hot summer its gonna be 32degrees tommorow and its the start of SPRING!!!

But that being said when i was in Los Angeles for a week i felt at home cause it was like sydney.

[Pandemonium]

red light district's still around st kilda, but you might not be interested in that.

then there's nobu at crown(?) which apparently is the best food in melbourne... don't know much about it though.

[spillargroove]

Melbourne is a greater than Sydney overall in terms of what it can offer culturally and musically. The fashion sense and in particular the younger kids are in more intelligent when it comes to music and fashion. But if you have lived in Sydney or Melbourne all your life, there isn't many things that would make you change I mean for for its worth, the disadvantages are there but you live and deal with it. I've been living in Sydney for my entire life - since we're Supertalk members the fashion in Sydney is very expensive. You would most likely get to know the guys who own a boutique store in Sydney or Melbourne really well but not to hurt them, most of the things they try and bring over would already been available overseas and if you plan to buy something you really like, you probably could get it online from the States and save up $50-$100. I think that is money worth saving.

There isn't such a high demand for original innovative fashion but it is gradually coming in because the store owners travel and find what they like and bring it back but yes, the good example is the APC's. Costs $250 in Sydney but I got mine on sale and my size for $98 US which is about $120. That is less than a pair of Lee's and they're APC's which is the icing on the cake.

I think for what its worth, if you want to get away from a very busy and events city where its a hectic environment, Sydney or Melbourne has the freedom where you feel you can go wherever you like without having to do or go somewhere and have tp dress up. It's not as vibrant or extremely busy like NYC or Berlin for example but both cities have great nightlife and restaurants and there is still really good art/culture scenes.

The best idea personally to find a place to stay in London and work there for a while and use that as a basis to travel around Europe with ease. This way, you have British Pounds which beats all other currencies.

I think the overall thing Europeans would say they want to just get away from everything that is European and just be able to relax the Australian way.

[TheBrokeDJ]

^^ i'm surprised to hear you say melbourne tops sydney in terms of culture, music, and fashion, especially since you're from sydney. although it's funny when i was hanging out in melbourne two years ago, my friends were saying it was the "fashion capital" of australia, but the current trend at the time seemed to be graffiti writing all over everyone's clothes. of course there were many well dressed people, but walking around in the city, it was just a sea of von dutch, skater shoes, graffiti writing on hats, shirts, and pants, especially among the younger crowd.

I was born in Melbourne and moved to NYC when I was 4, leaving my accent behind unfortunately. I've visited sporadically, since almost my entire family is still there. I've expressed interest in moving back to Melbourne after college, but my parents say, as a person whose spent most of his life in NYC I'd probably have much more fun in Sydney--hence why I'm surprised by your statement, spillargroove. Then again, I haven't been to sydney in over 11 years. But from what I remember, it was very clean, lots of cool places, and the monorail impressed the shit out of me. In fact, it was when i was visiting sydney that my parents tell me that I decided I didn't want to return to the states, despite being on vacation. Apparently I was depressed for three months after returning back to the states when I was 10.

Anyway, having spent my last trip in melbourne, I think the first thing I really noticed was just how much longer the days seemed. We still have a house in the suburbs that my grandparents live in, and compared to the contstant hustle of NYC, time just seemed to pass more slowly, even in the city area.

As for what I like about the place. The people are incredibly nice. No heroin addicts threatening to shank you on public transportation like here...just everyone saying, ''no worries'' ''hello love" "thanks gorgeous," all these terms of endearment that would probably garner weird looks if used in manhattan.

The dilemma lies in the cost of living. Like the rest of you, I found clothes to be severely overpriced. I remember seeing some designer clothes for 3 or 4 times the price they'd be in the states. Food at some places was also rather overpriced at times. i remember paying around $3 US for a small bottle of sprite when i got thirsty in a mall. On the bright side, real estate is significantly cheaper. After going house hunting with my parents we found huge houses in extremely nice country clubs cheaper than the price of a shitty studio here in the city.

As for nightlife and entertainment, the nightclubs by the Docks are pretty fun, and the backdrop of the waterfront looks great at night. Also, make sure to catch a game of footy. I went to one game, had no idea what the rules were, but enjoyed it much more than american football.

Thinking about it now, I don't think going to melbourne after college would be the right move for me, as I do enjoy the busy-ness, eccentricity, and comfort of living in NYC, and having easy access to anything I want via quick train ride. Things just seemed too remote in Melbourne. Although, it does seem like an ideal place to live, when i'm older--not a day goes by when my parents don't mention retiring and moving back to Melbourne. So anyway, maybe some of you who've been to sydney can shed more light on the lifestyle there, how it compares to the big cities, etc.

Sorry for writing so much. but you guys might be interested in learning that melbourne and sydney are frequently listed among the top five ciites in the world.

[homme.homme]

I've never understood the the big difference between Sydney and Melbourne. I've been based in Sydney all my life but have spent time i lots of other cities of the world and the contrast between Sydney and Melbourne seems so minimal compared to other countries and their cities.

One weird thing is if I am spending time in Melbourne I get home sick of Sydney and usually can't wait to get home after a week or so but anywhere else going back to Sydney is the last thing I want to do.

[jf30]

Melbourne culturally is a better city than Sydney, however sydney has other factors which i find make it a better city.

i never really understood why when people refer to Sydney beaches its usually in reference to bondi (is it the history?), i find that bondi is totally over rated, i really hate the crowds there, in my opinion, the northern beaches such as curl curl and avalon are so much better. also last time i checked apc's went for 210 or 220, during sales it was down to 160

[jcotteri]

Seems to have been a little melbourne vs sydney...

don't forget about darwin, perth, canberra, hobart, adelaide and brisbane..

as for sydneys beaches, there arnt many spectacular ones surfing wise .. but yeh curl curl is great and the nulla can be good as well. For good surf you need to go down south to the south coast or go up north to the central coast...oven further

[Pandemonium]

it's always been melbourne vs sydney.

[JayPee]

Melb has the culture. Restaurants, shopping, the arts etc.

Sydney has the beaches, close proximity to beautiful bushwalks, blue mountains and wineries (as does melb)..

But everyone should check out whats inbetween the cities.

Great ocean rd connecting Syd and Melb and also other routes between main cities are where you find the great characters and many untouched wonders of Australia..

Every Australian city has something different to offer, thats the beauty

[Cameland]

Yeah I would say Melb and Sydney are pretty similar, the rest of Australia outside of melb and sydney that is wayyyy different, adelaide and brisbane come to mind....

[seksu!]

australiaa is big.

serious. take you abajillion hours just to get OUT of the damn place.

[cmo]

Spent a year in Australia doing the backpacker thing back in 2003. Lived in Darling Harbour, Sydney and loved every minute of it.... Shopping I would agree wasn't great but as I was poor at the time it didn't matter to me.

Hung out in Melbourne for about 6 weeks staying in Collins St, shopping here I thought was better and nightlife was slightly more underground.

Spent some time in Perth... jeeez it was like going back in time from the rest of Australia, however, fantastic weather, best beaches and pretty nice beer!!

Plus the Aussie girls countrywide were up for anything ha!!

[home]

Sorry to bump, but..

Melbourne > Sydney.

[ak]

what is with all the sydney and melbourne talk? perth (on the west coast) is easily the most enjoyable city to live in.

[jf30]

^ you're crazy

[Pandemonium]

perth?

that's like saying adelaide is good.

the only places to live are sydney and melbourne and maybe brisbane but brisbane is pretty beach culture so people wouldn't really go on here often.

thus there's talk about melbourne and sydney.

[Guest Goose25]

oz is a good place - family is there and so is wayne! living in France for a few years now and am interested to see what happens with the new PM and Oz dollar being higher than the US dollar.

One thing I do wish is aussies would stop going to live in London and come back saying they lived in europe... erk LOAD OF CRAP!!! london is just a colder, greyer more miserable extension of oz.

Another thing i would like is to see oz do better in the rugby next time - agony

have a look at this vid if you think the aussies lack culture:

http://www.drambuieresearch.com/

I want a jambooie too

[chantheman]

bringing this back from the dead instead of starting a new thread

im traveling to Australia in Sept and wanted to check out the Great Barrier Reef. Were flying into Sydney and flying to Cairns

I was wondering how many days I should stay in Cairns and what else there is to do there other than see the reef?

not really looking to do much shopping as im backpacking this trip so id rather be out looking at stuff, taking pics and seeing the sights of the country

[conqueror]

i lived in the UK until i was 8, since then i've been in adelaide apart from a short stint in tokyo. i consider myself australian now.

personally (i know i'm definitely in the minority, especially on here) i like living in adelaide and surprisingly it has got alot better in the last 2-3 years.

saying that, if i had to leave i'd choose melbourne or perth in a heartbeat. don't like sydney at all.

[jcotteri]

chan take a boat from Port Douglas (North of Cairns), yo can get a bus from any backpackers in Cairns, spend a little extra so you are not stuck on a boat where all they are interested in is getting as many people in and out of the water as they can, plus it's more personal, make sure the boat has a marine biologist on board as well.

if you dive then check out Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), it's far superior imo.

don't stay i cairns to long it's pretty lame :/ check out cape tribulation and the daintree if you have time

p.s melb>syd

[chantheman]

thanks my friends that im going with just want to do a overnight dive in the barrier reef. i guess if thats all there is to do there then we wont make the trip very long

sydney has the special deal to fly into so were headed to sydney. maybe melb on another trip