Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth or Melbourne? Which place is the best?

paris_hipon

Hi all. Just want to ask for people whos been to the places above, can you please share the difference between the 5 cities? in terms of environment, work, income & lifestyle. I am headed to Sydney in spetember though Ive never been there I chose it since im guessing its one of the fast paced city in australia and I think that fits my preference. I dont want to stay in a laid back place yet.

I recently had a friend who came from vacation from melbourne and sydney. He said he prefers melbourne from the two. He said melbourne was easy to get around, very lively at night and theres lot of historic bldgs around. Nag second thought tuloy ako dikolam kase which is better. So hope you guys can share your experiences in living in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Melbourne. Thanks in advance.

TasBurrfoot

Hi all. Just want to ask for people whos been to the places above, can you please share the difference between the 5 cities? in terms of environment, work, income & lifestyle. I am headed to Sydney in spetember though Ive never been there I chose it since im guessing its one of the fast paced city in australia and I think that fits my preference. I dont want to stay in a laid back place yet.

I recently had a friend who came from vacation from melbourne and sydney. He said he prefers melbourne from the two. He said melbourne was easy to get around, very lively at night and theres lot of historic bldgs around. Nag second thought tuloy ako dikolam kase which is better. So hope you guys can share your experiences in living in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Melbourne. Thanks in advance.

Beggar can never be chosers - I consider myself a beggar for now...

BUT for the sake of answering your question, mas prefer ko cguro Melbourne and Sydney as most of the opportunities for me and my wife are there (investment banking, finance and audit) - However I am biased towards Melbourne as we have been there just recently and we really love the place. Yes your friend is right, it is very easy to get around the city center.

But mind you, it is a very expensive city - even for us who earns Singapore Dollars. As me and my wife are budget travellers always (survived Europe for SGD2500 per pax in a span of our 2wks honeymoon including airfare), we were shocked with the food, accomodation and the price of guided tours. I heard it can be more expensive in Sydney...

We do hope we can be able to reach the AU dream in due time... Just like you, sawang sawa na kami dito sa little red dot.

Metaform

Not considering the job market, here a list of World's Most Livable Cities of 2012, with Melbourne topping it two years in a row.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/08/melbourne-tops-worlds-most-livable-cities-list/

paris_hipon

Good for you tas. I guess i need to bring a lot of pancit canton and chicken noodles when I get there baka mamulubi ako pag lagi akong kumain sa labas haha! Ako naman squatter pagdating dun no home no job hehehe. Bahala na si batman!

Singapore is a good country to live, if yer earning $4t sgd plus. But if not better get yer butt out of it since in the long run, you would realise yer just wasting your time, hard to save money, working long extra hours w/o ot pays, and unstable work passes for foreigners.

Hope theres more people who can share on this thread. It would be great help to new migrants to decide what state should they stay on to.

TasBurrfoot

Good for you tas. I guess i need to bring a lot of pancit canton and chicken noodles when I get there baka mamulubi ako pag lagi akong kumain sa labas haha! Ako naman squatter pagdating dun no home no job hehehe. Bahala na si batman!

Singapore is a good country to live, if yer earning $4t sgd plus. But if not better get yer butt out of it since in the long run, you would realise yer just wasting your time, hard to save money, working long extra hours w/o ot pays, and unstable work passes for foreigners.

Hope theres more people who can share on this thread. It would be great help to new migrants to decide what state should they stay on to.

Yeah, Singapore is a good place to live for some time... We have been lucky enough to live here the past 4 years and we love the cheap food culture here (something nowhere to be found in Australia).

But at the end of the day, no matter if you are earning tons of money here if your future is not stable (no PR for both of us), you simply would want to find a place where you can start building your future.

Heck, even PRs here are already feeling the disadvantage of not being a Singaporean as benefits are being slashed left and right every so often!

Anyway, I am getting out of topic!!

Keep firing away the insights guys...

JClem

We're moving to Melbourne this October and same with you, @paris_hipon, squatter kami ng husband ko. Wala pang house and job. We chose Melbourne kasi andun yung opportunities sa skills namin which is IT. Sa Sydney madami din naman opportunities pero kasi mas laid back sa Melby and lower cost of living. But if ever, may makuha kaming offer before moving to Australia, wherever it is, dun muna kami. God bless!

LokiJr

Based sa EIU Global Rankings, Melbourne ang pinaka-magandang tirahan sa mundo ngayon...#8 lang ata Sydney hehe...

aldousnow

Melbourne FTW! Hehehe. Pasensya na bias ako. Hehe. Eto short description ko.
Melbourne = half city + half park + more trees.
Sydney = more city + less park
Adelaide = a very laid back place but low cost of living
Perth = medyo mainit compare sa first 3 (i dunno kung laid back place din)
Brisbane = kung gusto mo klimang pinas dito ka pumunta
Canberra = nandito malacanang palace.. At malamig:P yun lang alam ko. Hehe.
Darwin = Mars + Desert :P

TasBurrfoot

So far:

Melbourne - 5
ATR - ZERO!

Keep it coming guys...

TinaR

F!

TasBurrfoot

Hi, to answer your question you need to have a reality check first:

1. gusto mo ba ng tahimik or magimik ka?
2. ano ang klase ng trabaho mo?
3. single ka lang ba or mag-asawa lang kayo or may mga anak ka?
4. saan ang mga relatives mo?
5. mahilig ka ba sa mga outdoor activities or home buddy ka lang?
.... and many others... but the ultimate question is...enough ba ang pera na dala mo at stability ng kikitain mo? You can easily choose saan mang region as long as alam mo ano ang capability mo.

Melbourne - maraming work for IT and hilig ng mga Asians as in ang daming Asians duon, mixed ng laid back and fast paced lalo na kung city living ka. Work wise not sure ano ang influx as of now. Ang QVB dito ay isang market place (palengke).

Sydney - magastos ang city living marami raming Asians but dominated ng mga caucasians, damang dama ang indirect discrimination dahil pag nasabi mo na taga Western suburb ka or basta hindi ka taga Eastern suburb, Northern Beaches, or lower north shore. Work wise as of this writing was na masyado umasa dahil dominated ng mga Brit, Irish, Europeans and Americans kaya medyo yung good positions nawawala sa mga Asians. Ang QVB dito ay isang posh mall (branded boutiques).

Adelaide - kaunti work, unless gusto mo ng mga defense jobs or anything na blue collar. Tahimik na lugar and mura ang mga rental, food plus laid back.

Brisbane - average ang gastos, work are fine, people here love to party always, mas easy going sila but unfortunately nakakatakot lalo na sa area ng Brisbane dahil sa flooding. Although, flooding is everywhere and sanay naman Pinoy.

Perth - dami pera promise. Work here pays more than any other states. Maganda. Enough said.

Darwin - well madaming indigent but sila naman talaga ang first settler dito sa Australia so walang kaso. Ang weather parang Pinas. The good thing here is pwede kang magbalik balikan sa Pinas dahil ang lapit mo na at kalahati ng plane fare ang kaltas compared sa manggaling ka sa Melbourne or Sydney.

Tasmania - Kaunti Pinoy dito. Think about a real laid back na ang hilig mo e sailing and usually kasama mo e caucasians tapos parati kang naghohoneymoon. Weather e mas malamig kesa sa iba. Friendly mga tao.

Canberra - kung ang hilig mo e sa bahay lang, tahimik na kalsada, kaunting tao and of course government jobs but then kung hindi ka PR with number of years na stay dito or Australian citizen mahihirapan ka makakuha ng work dahil kaunti lang ang private companies dito majority nasa Melbourne and Sydney.

Cost of living: rental cheapest sa Adelaide, work for Asians and hindi management positions mas marami sa Brisbane, kung mining ka naman or tractor etc sa Perth ka na, kung gusto mong masira ang savings mo at matagalan ka bago makanap ng work e magSydney ka as of this writing ha not sure in the following quarters.

To be honest, it all boils down kung magkano ang savings mo at ano ang line of work mo dahil lahat naman sila may gimikan din, parehas ng mall hours, parehas naman in terms of policies and procedures ng banks, centrelinks etc. Pagkakaiba lang talaga e yung number of attractions. Anyway, majority naman dito in due time may sasakyan kasi mahirap ang wala so madali na ang pumunta sa ibat ibang lugar. Eversince ang sinusuggest ko dun muna saan ang work dahil pag pinilit nyo kung saan nyo gusto tapos wala naman kayong work e maghihirap kayo.

Be wise and practical saka na sumunod ang saan kaya ako titira dapat saan kaya ang maraming work sa parehas ko then build your dream from there. Maraming Pilipino ang nahihirapan dahil inuuna nila yung ay gusto ko dito ako titira kasi sabi ni ganito maganda dito, unahin nyo yung saan kaya may trabaho na papabor sa akin. Dahil madali ng lumipat sa gusto mong lugar kung nakaestablish ka na ng work experience mo dito. Hindi counted dito ang international work experience kahit sa Italy, Spain or SIngapore pa yan. Pang Brit, Europeans and Americans lang nagwowork yan dito so please be mindful dahil maraming false hope.

It is nice to live here in Australia but you have to be practical din hindi yung excited dahil nakaalis na ng Pinas. Maraming doctor na nagiging nurse or worst taga extract lang ng dugo, mga managers na pumapatol bilang cleaners or blue collar which is not bad dahil mas malaki pa nga sahod nila, mga magaganda ang work status sa Pinas pagdating dito unemployed. Kung di ka practical magugutom ka. And this is applicable kahit saang bansa ka lilipat. Look for work first then dream.

I hope hindi ko sinira ang pangarap but please samahan nyo ng makatotohanan ang pangarap.

"Maraming nagutom dahil sa pangarap pero walang naghirap sa taong praktical"

Ta.

Sobrang seryoso naman ito Ms TinraR but yeah good insights here!

dreambig

@TinaR Thanks for sharing that TinaR

TinaR

Hi, to answer your question you need to have a reality check first:

1. gusto mo ba ng tahimik or magimik ka?
2. ano ang klase ng trabaho mo?
3. single ka lang ba or mag-asawa lang kayo or may mga anak ka?
4. saan ang mga relatives mo?
5. mahilig ka ba sa mga outdoor activities or home buddy ka lang?
.... and many others... but the ultimate question is...enough ba ang pera na dala mo at stability ng kikitain mo? You can easily choose saan mang region as long as alam mo ano ang capability mo.

Melbourne - maraming work for IT and hilig ng mga Asians as in ang daming Asians duon, mixed ng laid back and fast paced lalo na kung city living ka. Work wise not sure ano ang influx as of now. Ang QVB dito ay isang market place (palengke).

Sydney - magastos ang city living marami raming Asians but dominated ng mga caucasians, damang dama ang indirect discrimination dahil pag nasabi mo na taga Western suburb ka or basta hindi ka taga Eastern suburb, Northern Beaches, or lower north shore. Work wise as of this writing was na masyado umasa dahil dominated ng mga Brit, Irish, Europeans and Americans kaya medyo yung good positions nawawala sa mga Asians. Ang QVB dito ay isang posh mall (branded boutiques).

Adelaide - kaunti work, unless gusto mo ng mga defense jobs or anything na blue collar. Tahimik na lugar and mura ang mga rental, food plus laid back.

Brisbane - average ang gastos, work are fine, people here love to party always, mas easy going sila but unfortunately nakakatakot lalo na sa area ng Brisbane dahil sa flooding. Although, flooding is everywhere and sanay naman Pinoy.

Perth - dami pera promise. Work here pays more than any other states. Maganda. Enough said.

Darwin - well madaming indigent but sila naman talaga ang first settler dito sa Australia so walang kaso. Ang weather parang Pinas. The good thing here is pwede kang magbalik balikan sa Pinas dahil ang lapit mo na at kalahati ng plane fare ang kaltas compared sa manggaling ka sa Melbourne or Sydney.

Tasmania - Kaunti Pinoy dito. Think about a real laid back na ang hilig mo e sailing and usually kasama mo e caucasians tapos parati kang naghohoneymoon. Weather e mas malamig kesa sa iba. Friendly mga tao.

Canberra - kung ang hilig mo e sa bahay lang, tahimik na kalsada, kaunting tao and of course government jobs but then kung hindi ka PR with number of years na stay dito or Australian citizen mahihirapan ka makakuha ng work dahil kaunti lang ang private companies dito majority nasa Melbourne and Sydney.

Cost of living: rental cheapest sa Adelaide, work for Asians and hindi management positions mas marami sa Brisbane, kung mining ka naman or tractor etc sa Perth ka na, kung gusto mong masira ang savings mo at matagalan ka bago makanap ng work e magSydney ka as of this writing ha not sure in the following quarters.

To be honest, it all boils down kung magkano ang savings mo at ano ang line of work mo dahil lahat naman sila may gimikan din, parehas ng mall hours, parehas naman in terms of policies and procedures ng banks, centrelinks etc. Pagkakaiba lang talaga e yung number of attractions. Anyway, majority naman dito in due time may sasakyan kasi mahirap ang wala so madali na ang pumunta sa ibat ibang lugar. Eversince ang sinusuggest ko dun muna saan ang work dahil pag pinilit nyo kung saan nyo gusto tapos wala naman kayong work e maghihirap kayo.

Be wise and practical saka na sumunod ang saan kaya ako titira dapat saan kaya ang maraming work sa parehas ko then build your dream from there. Maraming Pilipino ang nahihirapan dahil inuuna nila yung ay gusto ko dito ako titira kasi sabi ni ganito maganda dito, unahin nyo yung saan kaya may trabaho na papabor sa akin. Dahil madali ng lumipat sa gusto mong lugar kung nakaestablish ka na ng work experience mo dito. Hindi counted dito ang international work experience kahit sa Italy, Spain or SIngapore pa yan. Pang Brit, Europeans and Americans lang nagwowork yan dito so please be mindful dahil maraming false hope.

It is nice to live here in Australia but you have to be practical din hindi yung excited dahil nakaalis na ng Pinas. Maraming doctor na nagiging nurse or worst taga extract lang ng dugo, mga managers na pumapatol bilang cleaners or blue collar which is not bad dahil mas malaki pa nga sahod nila, mga magaganda ang work status sa Pinas pagdating dito unemployed. Kung di ka practical magugutom ka. And this is applicable kahit saang bansa ka lilipat. Look for work first then dream.

I hope hindi ko sinira ang pangarap but please samahan nyo ng makatotohanan ang pangarap.

"Maraming nagutom dahil sa pangarap pero walang naghirap sa taong praktical"

Ta.

Sobrang seryoso naman ito Ms TinraR but yeah good insights here!

Ganun ba hehehe sige baguhin ko sagot ko... kindly google na lang po ano difference.

LokiJr

I honestly believe that if you are just starting out your life in Australia, you need to establish a stable job in places like Sydney or Melbourne first (exception would be if you're an engineer or a miner...then Perth would be a perfect starting place)

Pag malaki laki na naiipon niyo at may solid Aussie work experience na kayo then maybe the less populated states like Adelaide would be a practical alternative

paris_hipon

@TinaR Thanks po Tina for sharing this. I know being an ofw doesnt mean working overseas doesnt always make u a successful person. You can be overseas but you eat instant noodles most of the days and barely save enough from yer salary. I can relate to that cuz im like that lolz cuz i give in easily to shopping whenever I see discount sales in the mall and here in sg, shopping malls are just everywhere!

I am also thinking what others would mostly do in moving in aus, find a work first in the city and move somewhere laid back after some time. Currently im not yet ready to live a laid back life at the moment i find it boring thats why im settling first in sydney. If I save enough money and maybe after I get older Ill move somewhere quiter maybe in Adelaide or tasmania lol.

mandand

hi paris-hipon, noticed na meron ka state sponsorship. ok lang ba mag-work sa ibang state?

TasBurrfoot

@mandand

my thoughts exactly...

it may be okey for the meantime like in the longrun, should you need to apply for citizenship or extension of PR (is this the right term?) - they might not grant your request as a result of not fulfilling state sponsorship obligation.

paris_hipon

it is ok. Read the conditions on how to apply citizenship. It states there that you should live and work in australia for 4 years. It never stated that you should follow which state sponsored you. You are only morally ohbligated to fulfill the state sponsorship, it is not against the law not to follow it.

I think this is a loophole in the state sponsorship, they have a certain job sponsorships for you but that job is not even in demand for that state. I think they do this just to expand the kind of workfieds they have, but in reality that job is really not in demand in that state.

I have also asked 2 migration agents here they said the same thing, your just morally obligated and its not illegal. I do feel guilty that I wont be staying in the state that sponsored me but at the end of the day as much as I want to stay there, I need to be practical and settle at a state where my job is in demand. Notice also now that the 190 visa (previously the 176 visa) is a state sponsored visa but they no longer require you to stay there for 2 years. Why cuz I think some people dont follow it anymore.

hi paris-hipon, noticed na meron ka state sponsorship. ok lang ba mag-work sa ibang state?

mandand

on state sponsorship approval, nag-sign ka ba ng anything?

TasBurrfoot

on state sponsorship approval, nag-sign ka ba ng anything?

As far as I know there is a committment letter document...

Forgive me @paris_hipon for playing devil's advocate but these so-called loopholes kasi pwede kang balikan nito eh... When you apply for citizenship, definitely the AU government will have a record of your visa. When they will see that you did not fulfill your committment, they may put that against you.

Just a friendly advise, ask your gut feel again if you are very comfortable with what you are doing. If you are okey, then all the best to you!

But yeah, thanks for sharing re: opinions of 2 migration agents...

A quick question though, why did you not apply then sa NSW if you really want Sydney?

TinaR

Hi,

Sabi ng kakilala namin na state sponsored (pinakilala sa amin Pinoy galing sa ibang bansa), wala silang nakuhang work sa Melbourne but they were fortunate to get jobs sa Sydney. So from Melbourne they flew in here in Sydney. The migration agent gave them a mail, as usual liaison or coordinator lang si agent, they were asked by immi to gave them an explanation. They gave their reply but they were given few months to do so. So ngayon work sila but they are looking for work in Melbourne para magbalik.

Kung citizenship na iniisip nyo may wizard para dyan sa immi website. Legitimate TR & PR lang. Check nyo yung nakastamp sa visa nyo kung PR or TR. Mababasa nyo naman explicitly kung ang state sponsored e under TR. Nagbabago bago ang mga rules. Before 2 years na PR lang , apply tapos aussie na but now 4 years residency yung last year 90 days max lang labas mo or wag na at dapat PR ka more than 1 year yun tapos apply, exam tapos pledge. Sa gusto ng dual citizenship apply sa consulate or embassy ng Pinas.

Ta.

Metaform

@mandand in my case, I signed a form called Victorian State Declaration. As you know, anything on black and white can and will be used against you in the court of law. Lol.

paris_hipon

i didnt receive any form. Maybe it depends on every state. Even if theres a black and white, but read the conditions when you apply for citizenship, not fulfilling your state sponsorship was never included in the conditions. But you have the option to tell your state sponsored that you didnt get any job in their state, I read in pomsinoz some people did that and there was no problems about it and you can move to other state.

They emailed me the conditions I think it just states there that you are required to sta there for 2 years. It never said that you are required to stay there the first 2 years upon arrival in australia. People also asked this many times if its ok not to stay in the state that sponsored you sabe nila ok lang naman un lang your just not fulfilling your moral obligations. Their rules is quite straightforward naman e, anything not in the conditions cant be used against you.

Ung 2 agencies that I enquire about this are even aussies they said its fine naman.

To add up I didnt apply nsw sponsorship since my work is not on their state sponsorship list. Only south Australia have my occupation pero I check mo sa seek.com 3 job vacancies lang open for interior designer in South aus. If millionaire ako fine ill stay in Adelaide but im not, I need to get a job fast and for me I dont mind doing other jobs but as much as I want to I want to get a job related to my field para ma practice kopaden ung field ko.

on state sponsorship approval, nag-sign ka ba ng anything?

As far as I know there is a committment letter document...

Forgive me @paris_hipon for playing devil's advocate but these so-called loopholes kasi pwede kang balikan nito eh... When you apply for citizenship, definitely the AU government will have a record of your visa. When they will see that you did not fulfill your committment, they may put that against you.

Just a friendly advise, ask your gut feel again if you are very comfortable with what you are doing. If you are okey, then all the best to you!

But yeah, thanks for sharing re: opinions of 2 migration agents...

A quick question though, why did you not apply then sa NSW if you really want Sydney?

TasBurrfoot

i didnt receive any form. Maybe it depends on every state. Even if theres a black and white, but read the conditions when you apply for citizenship, not fulfilling your state sponsorship was never included in the conditions. But you have the option to tell your state sponsored that you didnt get any job in their state, I read in pomsinoz some people did that and there was no problems about it.

They emailed me the conditions I think it just states there that you are required to sta there for 2 years. It never said that you are required to stay there the first 2 years upon arrival in australia. People also asked this many times if its ok not to stay in the state that sponsored you sabe nila ok lang naman un lang your just not fulfilling your moral obligations. Their rules is quite straightforward naman e, anything not in the conditions cant be used against you.

Ung 2 agencies that I enquire about this are even aussies they said its fine naman.

To add up I didnt apply nsw sponsorship since my work is not on their state sponsorship list. Only south Australia have my occupation pero I check mo sa seek.com 3 job vacancies lang open for interior designer in South aus. If millionaire ako fine ill stay in Adelaide but im not, I need to get a job fast and for me I dont mind doing other jobs but as much as I want to I want to get a job related to my field para ma practice kopaden ung field ko.

on state sponsorship approval, nag-sign ka ba ng anything?

As far as I know there is a committment letter document...

Forgive me @paris_hipon for playing devil's advocate but these so-called loopholes kasi pwede kang balikan nito eh... When you apply for citizenship, definitely the AU government will have a record of your visa. When they will see that you did not fulfill your committment, they may put that against you.

Just a friendly advise, ask your gut feel again if you are very comfortable with what you are doing. If you are okey, then all the best to you!

But yeah, thanks for sharing re: opinions of 2 migration agents...

A quick question though, why did you not apply then sa NSW if you really want Sydney?

All the best to you then Paris I hope you didn't take offense in our comments above - it is just that we see some potential problem of what are about to do... Since ideally magtutulungan tayo lahat dito, we just pointed it out but of course at the end of the day, it will still be a personal decision

Cheers mate! Enjoy your remaining days in Singapore...

paris_hipon

thanks tazz! pratice nako ng accent haha panoorin kona nga harry potter part 1-6 hahaha lolz

ok lang willing ako maging guinea pig cge balitaan ko kayu if nasa sydney nako mg ask din ako ng mga taga dun if me kilala silang d nagfulfil ng state sponsorship if nasa kulungan naba or d na pinayagan mag apply ng citisenship. If me ganun punta nako agad Adelaide hehehe sabihin ko nagvacation lang ako sa sydney hehe

mandand

paris_hilton update us kung ganun, coz plan din namin mag-apply ng state sponsorship para mapabilis ang proseso. thanks

paris_hipon

ah you can apply state sponsor now wala na silang condition as far as I remember nabasa ko sa diac website recently toh about some months ago na you need to live and work for 2 years in the state who sponsored you. Also basta nasa sol2 po ung occupation mo automatic state sponsored ka.

paris_hilton update us kung ganun, coz plan din namin mag-apply ng state sponsorship para mapabilis ang proseso. thanks

LokiJr

I think this has been discussed before in previous threads...Pagka-alala ko hindi ka naman obligado na magstay sa state ng x years basta magpaalam ka sa DIAC na balak mo umalis.

The requirements for the SS visa is strict as it is so I think they will be lenient with you once you've been granted a visa hehe

TasBurrfoot

Pwede ito buhayin?

For the benefit of those still contemplating on where to move in Australia; kami we are leaning towards Melbourne. We have been to this place last June and we totally loved it despite being at the start of winter.

issa

Last time na nagpost si paris_hipon nasa Sydney sya. Sis, musta ka na?

qgnd

@paris_hipon

Hello po.

OK lng po ba ang ung main applicant ang mag-fulfill ng 2yrs moral obligation habang ang spouse ay mgtatrabaho at maninirahan sa ibang state?