Best place to live in Australia?

Adelaide is kind of like Perth but smaller and quieter, it doesn't sound like your thing. It has lovely beaches but with no real surf. It hasn't been called the seven minute city for a long time though, it has been called the 20 minute city for quite a while, but even that's been given up on now with most trips taking more like 30-45 minutes minimum in peak times. It's still a lot easier to get around than Sydney or even Brisbane. There are some interesting trips to do from Adelaide (eg Kangaroo Island, Flinders Ranges, Mt Gambier, loads of wine districts, Coober Pedy, Riverland, Adelaide hills) but I don't think that's really a reason to move here. You can just take an extended holiday in SA at some stage. Adelaide is a great city to raise a family, it's more of a low stress, affordable city. The weather in Melbourne can be very dreary in winter, nowhere near as nice as in Brisbane, but in summer it's hotter and sunnier than Brisbane (longer days) and less humid. It's a very groovy, arty city with a more European feel and a strong cafe culture. It's interesting that you find Sydney more Americanised, I find Brisbane and especially the Gold Coast to be more American in style, with all the big takeaway food places and giant billboards everywhere. Sydney is huge, so different parts of Sydney can be completely different in feel to other areas. It sounds like you should either stay in Brisbane or check out Melbourne. Can I just add, you've picked up the Aussie way of speaking and writing very fast, your question sounds just like an Aussie wrote it (Brissie, Tassie, Oz, Aussie, 's' in Americanised) :)

Melbourne :) South Australia's very nice, but not as nice as SE Queensland :)

The country. Very relaxed and peaceful. The cities have a lot of problems.

Along the Great Barrier Reef in a little seaside cottage with a hammock and a shade tree for my dog.....

Given what you've said I'd say that SE QLD is one of the best but you may also try somewhere like WOllongong or just south of there. Short drive to Sydney and Melbourne is not too far away. Awesome beaches and Wollongong is kinda similar to Brisbane in a lot of ways. WA is a great place to live. Better beaches, the sun sets over them and Perth is definitely a lovely city. Like you said though, the downside is the expense to get to the rest of Australia. Adelaide is known to be very boring. It is a well managed city but just boring.

i'd say melbourne would be the best major city but like you said the weather isn't too great, I'm from perth myself and we have awesome weather, lovely beaches but not exactly the greatest city life and not a whole lot to do. judging from what you said about brisbane and the gold coast that sounds like the best city for you, i love the gold coast!

No where the spiders there are massive!!!! :o

I'm really not sure where everybody gets this idea that Melbourne has horrible weather. We have cold winters, as winter is meant to be. But our summers are far better than any other cities along the Eastern Coast as we don't have the humidity, nor tropical flooding. Personally, I absolutely love Melbourne and I agree with your thought that Sydney is very Americanised. I've not spent a lot of time in Brisbane to judge but it seems like a very nice place as well. In terms of sunshine, you'll have no shortage of that in Perth nor Adelaide. Byron Bay is also a beautiful place but if you're wanting "city-life" as well as the sunshine, I would recommend staying where you are or copping the cold Melbourne winters in return for the hot, dry summers it offers. Perth is lovely but I was extremely bored when I was there. I don't think it's a great place to be if you're looking for city living... I was in the CBD one day and literally saw about 20-30 people. Adelaide isn't really what you're looking for either. I have friends from Adelaide who plan specific weekend trips to Melbourne just to get some decent shopping done. Melbourne offers tons of sporting events, great theatre and art, shopping, food and a fantastic nightlife. Plus the Victorian coast has the major surfing tournaments! I think that's what gives it the edge for me. It really just depends on what suits your lifestyle. I don't think I would live anywhere else in Australia, personally. Good luck!

I've visited every major city in Australia and also lived and travelled overseas, but I always love coming back to my hometown, Melbourne. I do know that some people probably would prefer a more beachy, warmer climate like in Brisbane but Melbourne is a truly stunning place to live. I can't see myself living anywhere else! Hope this article helps, you should give it a read: http://www.cnngo.com/sydney/visit/reasons-melbourne-liveable-257261 :)