Where to live
While the top firms have offices in most of the big cities, the majority of jobs for foreign lawyers are based either in Sydney or Melbourne, by far the largest legal centres in Australia. However, jobs can be found in the other major centres – Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth – on a fairly regular basis.
Further information:
Sydney
The public face of Australia, Sydney considers itself the de facto capital of the county, much to the chagrin of its main rival Melbourne. Sydney does have the edge in population terms, being home to 4 million people compared with Melbourne’s 3.7million, while the iconic opera house and harbour have a natural drama its Victorian rival can't match. Sydney is also the home of the equally iconic Bondi Beach and in recent decades has become a very multi-cultural city, with sterling benefits for its restaurant and cultural scene. It was voted Best Foreign City in 2004 by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine for the 4th year running and the World’s Friendliest City by the Sunday Times UK.
Away from the waterfront, Sydney has some fine Victorian buildings at its centre. It is then surrounded by districts boasting some attractive period housing before, like all big Australian cities, sprawling out in waves of suburbs into the bush. London manages to contain its 7 million people in 650 square miles, Paris's 7 million have just 300 square miles between them, yet Sydney's 4 million residents are spread out across more than 800 square miles...
Despite its apparent abundance of space, Sydney has been at the forefront of Australia's house price boom in the past decade and, although prices peaked in 2003 and have been sliding gently southwards since, is still the most expensive city in Australia, with the average house costing A$520,000 (£220,000) in the metropolitan area. This may sound quite reasonable to English ears, but in the more up-market areas in northern Sydney, such as Mosman, Balmoral and Neutral Bay, harbour-side apartments start at A$500,000 (£210,000) and keep going. In more family-orientated up-market areas such as St Ives and Pymble, large detached houses start at around A$900,000 and can stretch to A$3m (£1.32m), although you get a lot of house and land for that money. North Shore rentals start at A$1800 (£810) per month for a 2 bed apartment through to A$4000 (£1800) for a 4 bed house.
For the more budget conscious, some formerly run-down central areas, such as Surry Hills, have a variety of Victorian housing and modern developments from A$500,000-A$1m (£220,000-£450,000) to buy or to rent from between A$1500 and A$3000 (£675-£1350), while the gentrified Rocks area, immediately to the south of the Harbour Bridge, has studio and one bed apartments starting at A$250,000 and A$300,000 (£112,000-£135,000) respectively, with rentals from between A$250 and A$500 per week (£112-£225).
Melbourne
While Sydney gets the lion's share of the international plaudits, cosmopolitan Melbourne has some claim to be the true cultural capital of Australia as home to many of the country's best theatres and concert halls, ballet and opera companies and orchestras.
The city is nearing the end of a comprehensive spring clean in preparation for hosting the Commonwealth Games this year. Sydney may have hosted the 2000 Olympics, but Melbourne can boast an edge in sport as home of the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground (also undergoing a renovation ahead of the games) as well as hosting Australia's Formula One Grand Prix and the Australian Open grand slam tennis tournament.
Melbourne is known for its restaurants, the range of which reflects its long history of attracting immigrants first from the Mediterranean and more recently from Asia with Melbourne having the largest Chinatown in Australia. Melbourne's other great draw card is its shopping opportunities, whether at the major department stores or at boutiques located in the city's beautiful Victorian shopping arcades.
Melbourne is often described as being the most 'livable' city in Australia, thanks to its compact town centre and comprehensive public transport system, which includes Australia's last extensive network of tram routes. The climate is more comfortable than Sydney in the summer, with temperatures rarely exceeding 35C, but can be downright English in winter compared with other major centres enjoying relatively warm winters.
House prices are on average a little lower than Sydney, with the more desirable residential districts, such as Doncaster, Hawthorn and Kew, being found to the north and east of the city, while the CBD and nearby docklands have seen the development of modern apartment blocks aimed at young professionals. In the plusher suburbs, 3 bed houses start at A$400,000 (£180,000) to buy and around A$1800 (£810) per month to rent, while more central locations see rents and prices starting at A$1500 (£675) and A$300,000-A$700,000 (£135,000-£315,000) respectively.
Perth
Currently Australia's boom town, as the rocketing price of minerals has brought serious prosperity to Western Australia, where many of the most valuable deposits are to be found. This new-found wealth has contributed to the development of an obviously prosperous but isolated city although it has also attracted a greater diversity of population to what was once considered to be the most 'English' of Australia's big cities. It has also had a dynamic impact on house prices, which rose by 17% in 2005 while the rest of Australia's property market was flat-lining.
Half-an-hour away, an attractive alternative to the modernity of Perth is Fremantle, a 19th century port town with a wealth of historic architecture and an abundance of restaurants, bars and cultural venues. The southern suburbs railway extension, due to open in 2007, will connect some of the pleasant coastal towns to Perth's excellent local railway system.
Perth is the world's most remote city – its nearest large neighbour, Adelaide is 1350 miles away and Sydney more than 2700 miles – and one of the major attractions of Perth is the ability to get away from it all. The south part of Western Australia has some of Australia's most verdant scenery, particularly around Margaret River which also plays host to competitions in the international surfing arena. Closer to home is the excellent Rottnest Island, home to the last colony of Quokkas, rat-like hopping marsupials which have to be seen to be believed.
Despite the rise in house prices, Perth is a still a relatively inexpensive place to live. The most desirable areas are the western and coastal suburbs and South Perth, where a 3 bed house can be bought for between A$400,000 and $700,000 (£180,000-£315,000) or rented for around A$1800 (£810) per month. Apartments in the city centre can run to A$2m (£900,000), although A$300,000-A$500,000 (£135,000-£225,000) is more typical, with rents around A$1500 (£675) per month. A 3 bed house in Fremantle will set you back around A$1200 (£540) per month in rent or from A$450,000 (£202,000) to buy.
Brisbane
Like Perth, another boom town driven by the rise in mineral prices, Brisbane is growing fast, attracting 50,000 new residents a year to its 1.6m population and shedding its rather lightweight and laid-back reputation (its nickname is Bris Vegas due to its climate and nightlife) as it becomes a more viable business centre.
The most northerly, and therefore the warmest, of Australia's big cities, Brisbane's lifestyle is very largely about the outdoors, whether that be the beaches on the Gold Coast, taking advantage of the many parks in and around the city, or simply enjoying the weather by your own pool. Its cultural offering has also improved in recent years, with a growing number of theatres and frequent music festivals. Nevertheless, the nightlife remains a major draw – or turn-off, depending on your point of view – and anyone looking for a quiet life should probably avoid moving to Fortitude Valley, the epicentre of the pub and club scene.
Fortunately, Brisbane's efficient public transport system makes the suburbs a viable option, the best of which are Ascot and Hamilton, to the north of the city centre, where 3 bed 'Queenslander' Stilt-houses sell for $300,000+ (£135,000) and more conventional buildings cost anything from A$350,000 to A$1,500,000 (£157,000-£675,000). Typical rentals are in the region of $2,400 (£1,080) per month. For those who want to be at the centre of the action, city centre apartments start at A$230,000 (£103,000) and keep going up to the A$1,500,000 (£675,000) mark.
Adelaide
Arguably Australia's best-designed city, with elegant English-style Victorian architecture surrounded by a belt of parkland, Adelaide is rather less frenetic than other Australian cities and offers the opportunity to live by the sea for a fraction of the cost of doing so in Sydney.
The city's puritanical roots meant that at one time churches outnumbered the city's pubs, although the balance has since been redressed somewhat by the conversion of many of the former to the latter. South Australia is also Australia's premier wine producing area, with the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Coonawarra - home to some of Australia's best known branded wines such as Jacob's Creek and Wolf Blass as well as many independent wine labels - all within easy driving distance of Adelaide.
Culturally, Adelaide has a lot more to offer than its relatively small size (1.6m residents) and remoteness might suggest. South Australia's self-adopted tagline is 'The Festival State', and the range of events that take place in and around the city is staggering. The annual arts festival comprises theatre, dance, classical music, opera and film. While other regular events include the Adelaide Fringe Festival held, like its Edinburgh counterpart, alongside the official event, the Womadelaide world music festival and the Adelaide Cup Carnival, South Australia's answer to Royal Ascot.
Adelaide, unfortunately, has arguably the worst public transport system in Australia. So perhaps unsurprisingly, the most desirable districts are either central or on the city's sole tram line. The best-heeled location is North Adelaide, a mile or so outside the CBD, where houses start at around A$600,000 (£270,000) and run into the millions, while rentals average around A$2,500 (£1,125) a month. Living in the city centre itself has become popular and new developments have sprung up to cater for the demand, with buying prices ranging from A$250,000 to A$500,000 (£112,000-£225,000) or renting for around $300 (£135) per week.
For those who like to be by the seaside, the top spot is Glenelg, while those prone to a touch of homesickness can opt for the suburb of Brighton – or, indeed, its neighbouring suburb of Hove.
Apartments start at A$250,000 (£112,000) and houses at A$400,000 (£180,000) although a sea view will attract a heavy premium.
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