Sun... and any other Aussies

ScarletGem · November 2009

There's a good chance that I'll be offered a 2-year job in Brisbane, and DH and I are weighing the pros and cons of moving there. My bank teller (an Australian who moved here 5 years ago) says that Brisbane is all backwards and completely not worth moving to, but she's also very proud of Sydney so I kind of take her comments with a grain of salt. What do you know about life in Brisbane? What's the good, bad, and ugly about the place?Thanks!

thesuninherhead · November 2009

I live in Brisbane! And Sydney and Brisbane are basically very much the same, although Brisbane has warmer weather and Sydney is perhaps a little bigger in terms of work opportunities etc. Well, it's hard to answer your question without comparing Brisbane to another city. I went to San Fran earlier this year, have you been there before? Brisbane is like San Fran, but the city itself is much smaller, and there's far less poverty and homelessness. Brisbane is nice if you like the warm weather. We have gorgeous beaches on either side (Sunshine Coast on the north about an hour, and Gold Coast to the south an hour). Many people who work in Brisbane live a little outside of the city, and spend their weekends at the beach or out exploring. The weather is usually nice, which is why so many people from Sydney and Melbourne move up here. Personally, I prefer Melbourne out of all of the Australian cities, because of the arts culture there, the cool weather (well, usually, aside from their random 40 degree C heatwave) and the general vibe. I'm not a fan of Sydney- not because of the competition thing that seems to be going on with your teller, but more because it just seems dirty and a bit trashy when I've been there. What sort of things do you like doing? I would never say that Brisbane is a horrible place to live or is backwards. It's funny how two cities that are relatively the same can be perceived so differently by those who live here!

ScarletGem · November 2009

Awesome, thanks! We love to SCUBA dive, so living in Australia has been looking like a fantastic idea in general. :-) And we briefly visited San Fran a few years ago, loved it, and keep talking about how we would love to go back, so it makes me really happy to hear that comparison. The bank teller must just be crazy. She spent a lot of time making fun of how Queensland doesn't do daylight savings time, and about how I should make sure not to interact with the locals in Brisbane. So unfortunately it sounds like a GTG is just out of the question. ;-)

kthame · November 2009

Ugh, I'm so jealous. I just came back from Melbourne at the end of May after living there (for work), for 9 months. As I said, I lived in Melbourne, but Australia as a whole - a FANTASTIC place to live!!!Brisbane is FANTASTIC!!! I agree w/pp that Sydney is sort-of dirty; it doesn't have the bells and whistles that (imo) melbourne and brisbane have! Brisbane has the fabulous weather!! I was fortunate enough to go there for a weekend and loved every minute of it. Good luck with whatever you choose - you certainly wouldn't go wrong moving there. It's such an amazing life-changing experience. Instead of a bucket of beers at lunch, buckets of wine!

ScarletGem · November 2009

Buckets of wine?!? I'm in! :-D

sucrets4 · November 2009

The weather is usually nice, which is why so many people from Sydney and Melbourne move up here.You crazy southern hemisphere-ians.

ScarletGem · November 2009

Sucrets, have you seen the Australia-centered world map? When I was a kid I thought all Aussies were nuts simply because of this map: [img]http://i34.tinypic.com/4hpn2e.jpg[/img]

thesuninherhead · November 2009

Well, we had friends who came from the UK for our wedding. They LOVED brisbane/gold coast and raved about it, said they wanted to move here if it weren't for their dog. But then, it is very chilly in the UK and lots of blue sky here! To me, Brisbane is just a city, like Sydney or San Fran (but much smaller than San Fran, obviously!). There's nightlife in the Valley (which is a suburb over from the city) as well as lots of pubs and restaurants in the city/on the water near the city. There's some arts stuff (not as much as melbourne, but we do have a new modern art gallery which is good), and there's the beach so close by. If you like scuba diving, there is lots of that further north, so being based in Brisbane would be good for you getting up there for weekends etc. Is there any chance of you coming to visit before you accept the job?

thesuninherhead · November 2009

haha well on that map, they'd be moving south, not north! I have never seen that before. But on this map, Brisbane is North of Sydney/Melbourne: [img]http://www.mapsofindia.com/worldmap/world-map.gif[/img]

ScarletGem · November 2009

Sun, you're getting me more and more excited about the possibility of moving there! It sounds like a really vibrant city, with lots of opportunities to get out and meet the locals (despite any warnings from the teller). I wouldn't actually get the job until I finish my PhD in 2011, and we're just starting to plan for me to visit around this time next year, so it will be a while.

ScarletGem · November 2009

Wait, you don't actually use the Australia-centered map? My elementary school social studies teacher lied to me! I feel so cheated!

ScarletGem · November 2009

Oh! And sorry for suddenly being a PW, but your new siggy pic is awesome, Sun! I've loved all the photos I've seen from your wedding, though, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised I'm in love with this one, too. :-)

thesuninherhead · November 2009

hahaha no, I have never seen that thing before in my life- and it's upside down! I did, however, use a map like this for my presentation at that conference in Wyoming. I was explaining where I conducted the study and I introduced it by saying, 'this map confirms suspicions that we've long held in my country; Australia is indeed the center of the world'. [img]http://museumvictoria.com.au/journeys/images/world_map.gif[/img] But usually we just use the map as per the previous one I posted!

ScarletGem · November 2009

I bet that comment got a laugh from the audience. :-) The second map you posted actually makes more sense than the first one you put up, since it doesn't cut off that upper tip Russia.

thesuninherhead · November 2009

Well, true about that. I just stole these from google! but our layout of the map is generally the same as the first one (but including everything, lol).

kdcwedding · November 2009

Jumping on the Aussie bandwagon - we leave for Sydney in less than 2 weeks! Sun - any input on Cairns? We have the most "down time" there versus Sydney.

thesuninherhead · November 2009

and PS: thanks for the compliment! I totally wasn't sure if I would be keeping that one as my sig, but I guess it can stay for awhile seeing as people love it!

thesuninherhead · November 2009

I'm afraid I haven't been to Cairns yet (well, I did fly in and change over flights there once, but that doesn't count! It looked gorgeous from the plane, though, but I do know it can be very hot and humid). aMrs and her H were going to live in Cairns eventually, so might be worth asking her as she's been there before, I believe. How long are you here for? I hope you have fun!

ggmae · November 2009

I'm not an Aussie, but I studied abroad in Australia for 6 months and Brisbane was my favorite place. I visited Melbourne (actually lived there for the 6 months), Sydney, Cairns, the Whitsundays, Tasmania, and Brisbane. There was just something about it that I loved and it made me want to go back.

thesuninherhead · November 2009

Maybe that's because I lived there and your subconscious recognised the awesomeness that was me, gg? ;P

ScarletGem · November 2009

That's awesome, gg. You must have had an awesome semester! I love when I visit a place and just want to go back - that's got to be a good sign! Actually, my study abroad time in Germany and Costa Rica makes me want to go back to both of those places, but unfortunately I don't have any colleagues in either of those countries, so it would be a lot harder to find a job there.

ggmae · November 2009

Kdc - I really enjoyed Cairns. I was only there for 4 days, but it's small enough where you can just roam around for an entire day and find yourself back at your hotel/hostel at the end of the day. I loved going in the shops and to the Cairns Zoo. There was a casino that we hung out in for a while and The Stumbling Goat was a nice restaurant/bar. We were supposed to take a tour of the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, but the winds were bad that day and we never got to do.

ggmae · November 2009

Maybe that's because I lived there and your subconscious recognised the awesomeness that was me, gg? ;P This could very well be! :)Scarlet - DH and I have actually thrown around the idea of moving to Oz one day. We loved it that much. Plus, I have family there and it'd be nice to live near them for a while.

ScarletGem · November 2009

GG, it sounds like it would be a real treat for you to get to live near that part of the family! The sad thing about us moving would be that all of our family and friends would be on another continent. But, it's only a 2-year position and we really want to live abroad for a while, and while we're young (and haven't started a family yet) seems to be the time to do it.

kdcwedding · November 2009

Thanks for the tips GG! Sun, we are in Sydney for 4 days, Cairns for 5 - we leave a week from Friday for the loooong flight - 6 hours to the west coast of the US, and then that long flight out to Sydney. Luckily the flight is at 10:30 at night, so I figure 2 nice glasses of Aussie red wine and I should be out by midnight! We picked up all our stuff and got our visas this weekend - I cannot wait!

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · November 2009

Scarlet, would you be doing a post-doc appointment? My FI did a post-doc (just for 12 months) in NZ - Christchurch, to be exact. He loved it. He got to travel to Australia 3-4 times as well.

ScarletGem · November 2009

Yeah, it's a postdoc. I've heard awesome things about Christchurch - some of my co-workers do work in Antarctica, and they always take a few days in Christchurch on the way to and from the ice. Actually, when I visit Brisbane next year, it will be because I'm going to Christchurch to visit my boss while he's there on sabbatical, and I'm making an extra trip up to Brisbane to visit the colleague I would be working with.

thesuninherhead · November 2009

Awesome- sounds like you'll have fun! And scarlet, where in Germany did you live? H's father and his extended family live near Munich. We adored Germany when we went to visit, and some of H's workmates have moved over (one last year, and now another) working for the same company in Dusseldorf. They've said they're able to get H a job, if he'd like one. Initially, we'd planned to go and live in Germany this year or next, but then with us buying the house our plans changed as we have to cover the mortgage. The pay from this position being discussed is high enough to cover our mortgage and living expenses in Germany, so... I have my fingers crossed H will want to move towards the end of next year, when I'm in the final stages of writing my PhD thesis so I can do that whilst H works and we enjoy Germany/Europe.

thesuninherhead · November 2009

(and if not, I'll be doing post-docs somewhere else and will be dragging H with me!). Which uni/institution are you looking at for post doc? What is your research area?

ggmae · November 2009

Scarlet - If you are given the opportunity, take it. I doubt you'd regret it.Kdc - That flight IS sooooo long. I slept nearly the whole way there, but coming back was a nightmare. I had a migraine (I had given my Advil to DH who had left a week before me 0 DUMB) and the whole falling behind 14-15 hours really threw me off!

thesuninherhead · November 2009

I found going to the US earlier this year a hideous flight. We went direct from Brisbane to LA, but then had to change twice (LA to salt lake, and salt lake to Jackson Hole). I then had to present at a conference at 9 am the next morning.

Sun... and any other Aussies

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