Melbourne has everything! Culture, cuisine, Sport, leisure, attractions, museums, great nightlife, beach, mountsains, and except for every now and then, four seasons in one day! Absolutely everything!
Go there... When your're missing family, book a holiday or have them come visit and then just enjoy life in the most liveable city in the world!!
Aussie Rose
I enjoy Zurich much more this time around but I would go back to Melbourne in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity
Another poster previously suggested trying Melbourne before coming back to Europe? I think that's a good idea. Also gives you the opportunity to see if you'll like living through 4 seasons again, Melbourne winters are like Europe!
From my point of view, Victoria is a great state, there is even one mountain Koszciusko The people are friendly, lots of outdoor opportunities, and Australia is just an amazing country to travel in.
Good luck with your decision!
wow! I didn ́t expect this thread to be resuscitated after 1.5 years! Thanks for all your replies, I really appreciate your opinions.
Meanwhile, things have changed indeed, here ́s the update:
I haven ́t actually been living in Brisbane for about a year now. According to the saying "Life ́s happening to you when you make other plans", I slightly had to change the plans I had in mind.
Back then, I made the decision to go back to Germany. At that time, I really didn ́t know where I would end up, all I knew was that I wanted to spend some time closer to home as a few family issues had come up. I just felt that I needed to be there - at least, for a while, and I think, I made the right decision.
The other reason was a slight change in my career and I had looked at various study options. Since study fees are ridiculously expensive in Australia, I decided to enroll in a Masters course in Germany which I was quite interested in (Master of Health Economics) - mostly via distance study but the course still requires occasional trips to a German city so staying in Australia was not an option.
Here ́s my current situation: I live with a family member near Stuttgart, work part-time for my former employer and plan to be finished with my degree by the end of 2014. What happens then? I have no idea...
Depends if my current job offers me more opportunity and more pay...
I like Stuttgart but what I really miss is a cosmopolitan feeling. I have to admit that I also struggle to make new friends - I found it much easier as a newcomer in Australia to connect with others.
I do enjoy living in Germany/Europe. But yes, of course, I do miss certain aspects of Australia. Like one of you guys said: You can ́t look at both sides of the coin at the same time. And BTW: yes, Melbourne is warmer than Germany - but the houses are freezing in winter due to lack of insulation and proper heating systems. Everybody in Brisbane laughed at me when I told them that I have never been so cold in my life - inside!
Sydney is great and I certainly would take it into consideration - just the crazy rents put me off a bit...
I have given myself another year to re-evaluate my situation: Depends where I will be going job-wise, etc. I wouldn ́t be opposed of giving Melbourne a try - even though I know that moving to Melbourne from Germany is a much harder task than moving within Australia.
Given my degree, my ideal situation in the future would be working for an international company with frequent trips to Germany/Australia - well, it ́s nice to dream big
Once again, thanks for all your input!
+ 41°C / 106 F in Melbourne today
Even compared to EU summers, it's still very warm. You have to go to southern Spain to have such warm summers.
For the rest I agree with you