Auckland vs Brisbane/Melbourne

[AngryBeaver]

Hi, we emigrated to NZ around 5 years ago (I'm sure some here will remember the threads!)
Well, while we LOVE it here on Waiheke, we find it very restrictive, cost wise.

We decided to move to a suburb of Auckland (Devonport) which I also love.
But, the problem with NZ is its just sooooo horrifically expensive.
We could get a house in Devonport. But it would be a small 3 bed (we have 4 kids) with a tiny garden, and overlooked from most angles! And it will still cost us over a million.

It's not just the houses that are expensive - it's just EVERYTHING.

So, we started to think about Australia.
We started to look at houses in Brisbane and were shocked to see what we could get for the same money.

We wouldn't want to live West Aus, or Sydney.
But, Queensland/Melbourne look nice. I have never been!

We qualify for a visa, so that's no problem.
But, it's another big move for the kids 2,6,8,10.

Can anyone give me any insight into life over there. Someone who has lived both places would be great.
TIA

Melbourne is a big and diverse city with some very expensive areas. Not so many houses with pools. Lots of schooling choices. houses in the catchment areas of the best state schools reflect this in their prices. A million will get you an OK house in an ok area.

4.5 month winters in Melbourne? I think not. Definite seasons, with autumn being the most reliable; warm and equable.

The media, in Melbourne bang on about the winter interminably, but if you've lived in the UK they're better than London, not least because of the preponderance of bright skies in winter.

Melbourne is well up in the culture stakes, always something going on.

Hi AB,

I'm in NZ (but not Auckland) and completely understand your motivation for moving - I'm regularly asked if I'd consider moving to Akl for the job opportunities, but the housing costs are crazy, and the transport system (or lack of) regularly drives me bonkers.

I reckon you need to go on a fact-finding trip, Brisbane and Melbourne are pretty cheap to get to at the moment. The two cities are completely different, have very different vibes and lifestyles.

IME Melbourne has a very European feel, really ethnically and culturally diverse, old buildings, fantastic shopping, eating and drinking. The weather is very variable, which does impact how people spend their time. The suburbs have very different characteristics. I love it, and would happily love there.

The school thing needs more investigation, every family I know in Melbourne send their kids to fee-paying schools for at least secondary level, it just seems to be the norm where their equivalent earning families in NZ wouldn't consider.

Brisbane has a very different feel, to me more like a U.S. City, not nearly as culturally rich or diverse. The lifestyle is very outdoorsy, and very sport/beach based.

(About the sun, we'd been living in NZ for a couple of years and went on holiday to the Sunshine Coast, we were surprised at how less intense the sun felt, a 25 degree day in NZ about 33 degrees in Qld - not v scientific!)

Good luck with your decision making!

Definitely go for a visit. As LuubyLuu says Brisbane and Melbourne offer very different lifestyles. Both are great cities and the choice comes down to what suits you best. Melbourne - culture/shopping/eating, Brisbane - outdoorsy/warm most of the year/laid back.

I moved from the UK to Brisbane. I haven't found the heat/humidity a problem, though I wouldn't want to be without air conditioning at home and if you/your partner has an outside job then it may be hard to adjust to the climate.

Apologies, have had internet issues. The perils of living on an island :-/
So. I love the look of Brisbane. The weather doesn't see, to be as much of problem as I had feared.
Here, in NZ, the temps might be low 20's but it is so very intense that it feels much much hotter.
The city itself seems to offer more than enough (comparably).
It looks great.

Melbourne? Looks fantastic, architecturally a but like NY.
I love the trams/public transport. But, the weather worries me.

It seems to come down to that.

Weather. Either be hot and sweaty, but with a fab house and pool. Or, be knee deep in culture with an "alright house" no pool, and be chilly for several weeks of the year.

I guess it will come down to jobs in the end.

I just know I've had enough of here.

Of the two I preferred Melbourne for the culture, but it is quite a big city. To be honest I love Sydney! Culture, great architecture, less of a boring grid system city centre, great beaches and friendly. Would you consider Adelaide?

My brother lives in Brisbane but spends as much of the summer holidays as he can in NZ to avoid the heat.

Gah! Very torn. We could actually transfer to Sydney tomorrow. But, dh has been and wasn't keen on it.

We have been in brissy for 8 years. Love love love it.
Yes it's hot in summer. Also blissful in winter!
6 weeks it's too cold..6 weeks it's too hot. I can live with that.
Cultural... Depends what you want? There's qpac, powerhouse, lyric, stadiums.. All the big names come to brissy too.
Best value houses are outside of the $$$$ suburbs above. Places like north lakes. You can live 30 mins outside the cbd. Good schools, every shop cinema etc.
we live a bit further up near Bribie island to get iconic white beaches.
Bugs. Yes there are bugs. Not sure death by cockroach is yet to occur? I've seen 3 snake bite victims. Both did stupid things to get bitten.
For me Melbourne was not my favourite city. I like the small feel brissy. Even now it's growing it's still a young city. Melbourne is far more developed and cosmopolitan.
Moving outside the cbd gives you more room and affordability for pools etc. we choose a pool originally and will now add air con. You can live without both.
Lots of sports. Museums, free family friendly activities. More affordable suburbs closer to the cbd would be Kedron Aspley.

Hi AB

Waves to all from the old thread!

We've had the same thoughts a few times since we moved to NZ but the reality has always put us off. When we've looked at where we could afford to live and it always involved a much greater commute - closer to an hour. I recommend going for a visit and driving round some prospective areas Wanted Down Under style.

Devonport does look nice but even the commute from there is greater than 15 mins. Lake Road is basically a car park at times and it is the only road in and out. 15 minutes really means Parnell, Grey Lynn or the CBD these days. If I were looking in Auckland now with a million, I'd look out West or at the North Shore. Birkenhead gets good reviews and somewhere like Browns Bay would keep you near a beach and the High Schools up there sound allright.

The is all so helpful.
My friend messaged this to me yesterday though"But those suburbs like north lakes etc are just like big gated communities with cookie cutter houses and they ain't got no soul sista!! You gots to be closer to the CBD"
That's part of what I disliked about the uk. Are there any areas that are a bit more spaced out with a bit of identity, still within reasonable commute to the city??

Also, so very torn. Spent a blissful day in Auckland yesterday. Theatre, lunch at the Wynyard Quarter. I do love it. When it's good, it's very very good.

If the commute is the most important thing I would not recommend Melbourne. It is a big spread out city and traffic gets more congested by the week while the train and tram system are not quite coping, IMO. There are lots of big roadwoarks projects at the moment which is good in the long term but makes it all worse in the short term.I live about 10 ks from the CBD next to , but not in a fashionable suburb. At peak time it can be 45-60 mins in or out of the CBD, whatever way you go. A very plain 70s house sold across the road for 1.3 million this weekend which they said was land value.

I only know some of the South side of Bris but I would check out these suburbs which are all fairly close to the CBD:

Bulimba....extremely yummy mummy, lovely park, by the river, city cat stop, gorgeous cafes etc, great school..v v v pricey

Morningside - basically the poor sister of Bulimba, better chance of securing a decent sized plot, still fairly expensive but so close to Bulimba that you can enjoy all its advantages

Cannon Hill - up and coming, still relatively affordable, massive new retail precinct being built which will affect prices - named one of 'the' areas to buy for investors as it still represents good value for money, close to CBD but is definitely changing for the better

Norman Park - small leafy and hilly area, expensive (not on bulimba scale, about same as Morningside) with a highly sought after primary school - v close the CBD with train station

Seven Hills and Camp Hill - great schools, more spaced out than all the others above and still some not overly expensive streets - you could get a doer upper for $580k on a decent sized plot. Not as handy for the city but still close enough with bus routes

HTH

Why don't you go over to Australia and check out the places you have in mind? Not like it's far or expensive to fly from Auckland.

For Brisbane, both your friend's list (Bardon, Ashgrove etc) and the list by ifink would be a good place to start looking... noting that most of those are more expensive areas in Brissie, so if you're willing to look a little further out you may be able to find a place that still has character but more space. Maybe have a good schmooze around www.realestate.com.au to get an idea of what's available.

Our place is 45minute commute.. Very well spaced out .. 5 acres of space.

And sorry, hi tooth fairy :)

Ifink.... That is exactly the type of info I'm after! Brilliant, thank you.

And I will get over there. It's $400 return on special. A bus crashed into my car, my dishwasher dies, my dog needs de-bollocking,, I had to. Pay immigration $1000.
Oh,and I have four kids.
So, it's not "expensive" but, it is. Any information gracefully received

you are welcome OP, I remember it well moving to Brisbane and not having a clue.
Also look at Carina - next suburb on from Seven Hills, lots of people were buying there last year as it is still near the CBD, not as expensive as some of the other areas and you still find old queenslanders on 800m2 blocks - that is the real issue with looking near the CBD that so many of the blocks have been subdivided and getting more than 400m2 can be hard to come by.

My mate bought in Seven Hills last year and paid 620K AUD for 800m2 - a doer upper but I think she has struck gold given the space she has and the ability to put a pool in.

Some places to think about in Melbourne and check out on domain.com.au

Yarraville- formerly industrial, now up and coming. www.domain.com.au/124-gamon-street-yarraville-vic-3013-2012716346

Brighton, full of rich expats, sea views.www.domain.com.au/14-lynch-street-brighton-vic-3186-2012713111

Carlton- lovely area near the university, museum ; parks, cafes, near the city. www.domain.com.au/106-canning-street-carlton-vic-3053-2012775318

Balwyn- leafy and in the catchment for great state schoool www.domain.com.au/9-5-boston-road-balwyn-vic-3103-2012791907

Blackburn - further out from CBD but lots of parks and a lake www.domain.com.au/156-central-road-nunawading-vic-3131-2012794362

I've lived in Auckland (14 years), Melbourne for a year, and have just moved to Sydney five months ago.
I absolutely loved Auckland, but definitely wouldn't have coped with living over on Waiheke. I need the city buzz, and the commute would have killed me! I have a friend who lives over there and is the opposite, she needs to escape the city each night and loves her solitary weekends.
I lived in Grey Lynn and then Westmere, which may suit you as an Auckland location. It has a great villagey feel to it - couple of nice cafes, dairy, bakery, excellent butchers. Huge parks and on the harbour, so great views from most streets. Also a short walk up to Herne Bay beach for swimming, or a quick jaunt over the bridge by car to any of the north shore beaches. (Takapuna is only 10 mins away.)

I didn't enjoy Melbourne - the weather was instrumental in that, along with really crappy housing options. If you think Auckland housing is bad, Melbourne is worse. More expensive, smaller, and way more crammed together. I was in St Kilda, so close to the beach, excellent tram links into the city - but as crowded as a London tube train and if you weren't on at the first couple of stops you'd be standing all the way into the CBD in rush hour.
Last winter was cold. Really cold. And wet. I perhaps wasn't as prepared as I would be for a NZ winter, as I had a house in NZ that had adequate heating. My rental in Melbourne had a heat pump, but it was hopelessly cold. I was so miserable there for what felt like months on end.
I did love the bigger city vibe of Melbourne - the exhibitions and theatre were great. I just didn't love them enough to want to stay there long term.

Earlier this year I moved up to Sydney, which has been brilliant. Finding a place to live was a challenge - making a choice from beachside, or harbourside, or city. I love so many suburbs for different reasons, and may well move again in a few months to try another one out. I fancy being closer to the beach for the summer. I found work here really easily, and am loving all the city has to offer. It's a great place for families in my opinion, so I'd really recommend Sydney over Melbourne.

We live 45 mins from the cbd.. In Brisbane.
10 mins to white sand beaches..
We have place

We've been in Melbourne for 8 months now and ready to buy a house. But the prices!!! $1 million for just an ordinary house. (We're renting in the north east) The foreign interest here has driven up the house prices so so much, it's ridiculous!! They are interested in the good education system here in Melbourne, but I don't think it's so bad in Brisbane.

The dc don't want to move schools or city, but we're sick of the up and down weather (and the wind!!), the lack of proper heating in our rental house and the traffic. Yes there's the cultural side, but to be honest, with dc, they'd rather go to the park than to the museums and art galleries, and actually Brisbane isn't so bad for this either.

We've been looking at the prices of the houses in Brisbane and we're pretty much convinced that we'll make the move. We're looking at suburbs like Sinnamon Park and Kenmore. The people in Brisbane are so much friendlier and I just want to be warm! It does get humid and too hot in the 3 months of summer, but I think that's a price I'm willing to pay!!!

Good luck with your decision!!

I remember your original threads AngryBeaver. I'm in Auckland, moved over from UK 30 years ago.
I've lived in Albany, Browns Bay, Murrays Bay, Mairangi Bay, very good primary/high schools around here.
Having been to Brisbane/Gold Coast in January I don't know how anyone can say that "it feels just as hot here (NZ) in the late 20's as oz does in the late 30's". That is so not true, I would never go back to Brisbane in the summer, unless you really like high temps and high humidity, I found it absolutely hideous.
There are huge numbers of NZers returning from oz now, which says a lot I think.
You would also want to check out where you stand re social security benefits/healthcare access if you move to oz.

Thank you so much for the replies, guys. Really appreciate it. And am enjoying reading through.
I've really been put off Melbourne by your comments regarding the weather in Melbourne! It's just starting to get colder here (we are in for wind and rain from tomorrow, we will probably lose power on the island which really gets on my nerves!) I like being warm!
I'm over being in houses without adequate heating, I really am.

I think we have definitely decided that we really want to move to Brisbane.
But, it will hang on jobs. I'll be gutted if we get an offer in Melbourne and not Brisbane!

I really like the sound of swim where with character and more space.
I don't want a lifestyle section or anything, I'm just not keen on row after row of the same /similar houses and neighbours kids looking over the fence! I really disliked that about the UK, actually.

We have our house on the market for $1.1 here. I'm not exactly sure how that translates over there, yet.

Prices in Auckland are ridiculous - parents house valuation came in last year while I was home, and I fell over laughing as I wouldn't pay that much for Dads house!
I lived in most of NZ, and aside from earthquakes, loved Christchurch and Hamilton. OH would move to Hamilton in a moment except my mother lives there and has a high local public profile, so we are in Ireland instead. Grey Lynn and Ponsonby were lovely but probably well outside your budget.
I'd echo what the others said about Melbourne - weathers patchy, food and culture scene is exciting, commuting is worse than Auckland. Brisbane only been twice, and had family at the Lakes who recently moved back to Sydney. It's hotter than NZ, the locals are 'coarse' and quick to share an opinion (PC isn't an accepted concept, nor is self censureship), but generally not bad. There's a large NZ community, plus Brits. Just watch out for flooding - I remember those photos and hearing what I hope we're fairytales of crocodiles and snakes floating into the bottom of flooded properties.
Get on the plane and go have a look

(PS never been there, but Adelaide looks not bad on various TV shows like House Rules)