Moving to Australia – Guide to the top Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide

 If you are thinking of relocating to Australia, a life of sunshine, fresh air and opportunities await you. Australia's cities are vibrant, sophisticated and very safe. They offer an excellent quality of life, good job prospects, high quality schools and universities and plenty of fun and leisure activities.  Some of the best places to move to in the country include; Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. All these cities are located on Australia’s coast, giving their lucky inhabitants the perfect combination of sunshine and sea, harbour or bay outlooks and thriving business and commercial centres.

Read on for our guide to the top Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Sydney

Consistently rated as one of the world's best and most liveable cities, Sydney offers good weather with a temperate climate, a great safety record with a low to medium crime rate, very high standards of education and healthcare and some fabulous leisure time activities.
The oldest and largest city in Australia, its founders had their pick of location and chose well.  Set on a stunning harbour which itself is home to two of the nations most well known icons, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it is within easy reach of sandy beaches and national parks, Sydney offers everything you’d expect of a first class city; world-class theatres, great shopping, museums and art galleries and restaurants.

Melbourne

Melbourne brings you great events and a fabulous arts scene. Stylish and vibrant, the city offers a continuous programme of festivals, major art exhibitions and musical theatre. The locals enjoy fine dining in cosy restaurants and bars, shopping in fabulous boutiques and a host of sporting spectacles as well as award-winning stage shows and luxurious day spas.

Melbourne’s Chinatown is up there with the best of them. Here you can enjoy all your favourite Szechuan dishes as well as other oriental foods from all over China and the far east. The laneways are a gastronomes delight too; here you’ll find European, Indian, Mexican, American and Australian eateries, all of very high quality.

Brisbane

Australia’s third largest city is a cauldron of cultural diversity with over a quarter of its population hailing from other parts of the world. The most commonly spoken languages aside from English are Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Italian and Samoan. Unsurprisingly, along Brisbane’s high streets and in its shopping malls, you’ll come across restaurants and shops with all of these influences.

No mention of Queensland’s capital would be complete without at least touching on the areas of North Stradbroke Island, locally known as Straddie and the West End. On Straddie you can watch as dolphins catch the waves or manta rays and turtles glide beneath the surface of the water. The West End is remarkable too, but for entirely different reasons. Here you can shop till you drop and party until your money or your energy runs out. This lively mix of cultures is located just a short walk from Brisbane’s Central Business District and features a diverse range of eateries from a la carte restaurants to take-aways and coffee shops as well as a generous selection of night clubs and bars.

Perth

Perth’s warm Mediterranean climate and burgeoning economy have pushed it high up the list of preferred destinations amongst British migrants to Australia. Its one and three-quarter million people live in one of most relaxed, beautifully clean and spacious if somewhat isolated cities in the world. Perth has the highest number of restaurants per head of population in the world so finding something tasty to eat, day or night need never be a problem. It is also a vibrant entertainment and shopping centre offering a vast range of consumer goods, appealing to both Eastern and Western cultures.

Perth is a high-income city with much of its wealth the result of Chinese investment in metal ores and coal. The booming Asian economies are sourcing many of their raw materials from Western Australia, resulting in high economic growth for the state and providing Perth’s residents with some of the highest incomes in Australia. 

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital of South Australia. The city centre is arranged in a grid system made up of wide streets and squares all within the space of a single square mile. Running the length of that mile, from north to south, dissecting Victoria Square in the heart of the city, is King William Street, home to the cities town hall and the GPO building. The city centre is surrounded by 2298 acres of green belt parkland and the Torrens River also runs through the city centre, but on the horizontal axis, splitting Adelaide in two.

Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate brings with it hot, dry summers and cool, mild winters and its proximity to the sea also makes it a popular holiday destination as people flock to one of its many beaches. Henley beach, West Beach and the beach at Glenelg are probably the favourites but there are a number of others that are close at hand. Adelaide’s Central Business District is ideal for shoppers and The Rundle Street Mall is the place to head for if you’re after some retail therapy. It is Adelaide's largest shopping precinct, with over 500 retail outlets in 13 arcades. Look out for the Silver Balls permanent art installation but don’t look to closely, it is also the site of the Rundle Street webcam.

Whatever your reasons for moving to Australia; whether its for a change of scenery or lifestyle, whether its for a job relocation or to be closer to family, get a removals quote from Moving Partnership Ltd.

At Moving Partnership we offer international removals to Australia at the most competitive rates. Our extensive knowledge of the industry and our partnerships with removal companies worldwide, mean we can provide high quality removals at greatly discounted rates.  Most of the firms we partner with are either members of the British Associated of Removers or FAIM accredited, ensuring a reliable, professional service every time.

MPL can offer international removals to all parts of Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Canberra, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Hobart Geelong, Townsville, Cairns and Launceston.

Relocating to Australia – MPL’s Guide to Down Under

Often referred to as "Down Under", the continent of Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, to the north west of New Zealand and north of the great white continent of Antarctica. Australia is surrounded by numerous oceans and seas; to the west is the Indian Ocean and to the east lies the Pacific. Australia's southern coastline looks out over the Southern Ocean and to the north of the island you’ll find the Timor and Arafura Seas. The Tasman Sea is to the south east and north east is the Coral Sea.

The country is divided into six states; New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA) and two major mainland territories, the Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Most of the 22 million + population live along the south-east coast in the cities of Sydney, (NSW) with 3,832.000 and Melbourne (VIC) with 3,730,000, but other densely populated cities include Brisbane (QLD) with 958,500, Perth (WA) with 1,446,700 and Adelaide (SA) with 1,074,150. In the Northern Territory (NT), the most populated city is Darwin with just over 93,000 people.

Some of Australia’s most famous natural landmarks include;

1. Mount Augustus national park in Western Australia, which features the world's biggest monolith
2. The iconic Uluru or Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory
3. The Great Barrier Reef on Australia’s north-eastern coast
4. Shark Bay on the extreme western coast of Australia, which is famed for its large dugong population as well as dolphins, humpback whales, turtles and sharks.
5. The Horizontal Falls, near Talbot in Western Australia which have been described by David Attenborough as, "one of the greatest natural wonders of the world".
6. The Twelve Apostles in Victoria which are a group of natural Limestone and Volcanic rock formations, the tallest of which stands around 45 metres high. Due to the forces of erosion however, only 8 of the original 12 remain standing today. 
7. Lake Eyre, in South Australia; Australia's largest salt lake. It is dry through lack of precipitation and its bed glistens with salt deposits. The lake is famed as the site for various land speed record breaking attempts, most notably by Donald Campbell in his Bluebird Proteus CN7 jet car.
8. The Three Sisters, a rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Legend has it that three sisters called Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo were turned to stone by the village Elder to prevent them from marrying outside of their tribe. Later, when the Elder died, it was realised that no one had the power to turn them back again.

Some of Australia’s most famous man made landmarks include;

1. The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge (NSW).
2. The Q1 building (QLD), which is the second tallest residential building in the world.
3. The Eureka Tower in Melbourne (VIC) which if you measure to its roof is the tallest building in Australia.
4. The Swan Bells in Perth (WA); a set of eighteen bells hung in a purpose built 82.5 metre high copper and glass campanile.
5. Port Arthur; a penal colony within a penal colony. It was to here that repeat offenders were sent with very little hope of escape. Bounded on 3 sides by shark infested waters, its 4th side was a 30m wide isthmus known as Eaglehawk Neck which was criss-crossed by fences and guarded by prison guards and dogs. It became the final resting place for many a would-be escapee.
6. The Telstra Tower in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Perched on top of Black Mountain in Canberra, it is a telecom tower which is open to the public with fabulous views and a revolving restaurant.
7. The Anzac Bridge which is the longest cable bridge in Australia. The bridge spans Johnstons Bay and links Pymont and Rozelle (NSW). It has eight lanes for traffic as well as a pedestrian path and cycle lane.
8. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (VIC) is the largest sports stadium in the country accommodating up to 100,000 visitors. All sorts of sports and events are held here including Aussie-rules football, rugby, and concerts. Madonna once labelled the place “The G Spot” a term that has since stuck.
9. The Golden Guitar in Tamworth (NSW) was constructed in homage to Australia’s country music scene. Forty feet tall and built of steel, fibreglass and wood, it is a replica of the trophy awarded each year to the winners of Country Music Awards of Australia.

The Australian Lifestyle and Culture

Many choose to move to Australia because of the hot sunny weather and the great Australian lifestyle. With water on all sides it is not surprising that sailing, surfing and water sports in general, play a large part in the spare time activities enjoyed by the locals, as does swimming, sunbathing and all aspects of the outdoors lifestyle. One of the biggest draws to the waters of Australia is the great natural wonder that is the Great Barrier Reef.

The reef, which lies off to the north east of the island between the town of Cairns and Cape York is one of Australia's most remarkable natural sites. Comprising of over 3000 individual reef systems, it is home to an abundance of marine life and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the world’s most beautiful golden beaches. Three of those islands have been highlighted here as must sees, if you’re in the area and are fortunate enough to be allocated “guest” status. Haggerstone Island, Heron Island and Bedarra Island are very special places indeed. These private islands deliver the ultimate in secluded hideaway luxury, in the middle of what is, arguably, one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Back on the mainland and the Australians love their sport. They love sports of all kinds including cricket and rugby as well as their own, Aussie rules football, a curious mix of football and rugby, played in an outfit that would not look out of place in a basketball arena. Up and down and all across the country from Sydney to Melbourne and from Brisbane to Perth and Adelaide, sport of one kind or another is encouraged, not just in the young at schools and colleges, but in the population as a whole.

Food is also a big part of Australian culture. Famous for their barbecues and excellent seafood, they also benefit from their proximity to Asia with all of the spices and exotic foods the Orientals bring to the table. Their restaurant menus are laden with mouth-watering goodies from all four corners of the globe and they have a wine list choc full of New World delights.

About Moving Partnership

At Moving Partnership we offer international removals to Australia and all other European and International destinations at the most competitive rates. Our extensive knowledge of the industry and our partnerships with removal companies across the world, mean we can demand greatly reduced prices for international removals to Australia, and pass those savings directly on to you the customer. Most of the firms we partner with are either members of the British Associated of Removers or FAIM accredited, enabling us to provide a high quality, reliable removals service every time.

MPL can offer international removals to all parts of Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Canberra, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Hobart Geelong, Townsville, Cairns and Launceston.