I grew up in the country, and it was remote. So I know the downsides as well as the upsides.
If you've never lived in a big city you won't really appreciate what I'm talking about with the upsides. There are benefits and downsides to both.
I'm pretty adaptable, and as I said how you view a place will be determined largely by your circumstances.
Canberra and Perth are great places to bring up children, hands down the best. Culturally, Melbourne is the place for me. It's diverse, it's friendlier than Sydney by and large. But both cities basically are a series of villages, as it takes a long time to get around, people live in an area and engage with that. St Kilda has a special flavour, so does Fitzroy, the hills etc. Sydney can be very friendly. It's about how you approach people too. They respond very well to humour in Sydney. But it is very corporate.
Yes I noted the points about snobs, and that's why I made the point nobody had asked me those questions.
The point is my circumstances are changing and I'm thinking of making a move. The isolation of Perth did get to me as did the insularity. Like Canberra though, which used to be a country town ruled by government workers, now it's more diverse. It's too bluddy cold for me though.
