Gunbot wrote:The biggest difference your going to find challenging is the shear number of people here in the states. We probably have more illegal aliens here than the whole population of Australia. Multiply the crowds you've seen in Sydney times 2 or 3. We have alot of things going on here because we have a lot of of people of different ethnic groups and we try to cater to them all. I've been to over three dozen different countries and I still consider America the best. We aren't under any crown or part of any common wealth which gives a huge sense of pride. Everyone here can be successful, whether it be an illegal who swam across the Rio Grand or a kid growing up parentless in Compton. Of course you can say the same thing about Australia but everything here is bigger, brighter, chaotic, exciting, dangerous and exotic at a higher level than other countries. We have our backwaters (Alice Springs type places) but our cities hold millions and you'll get to meet every culture you can think of in San Francisco. Many developed countries love to send their children here as some of our schools are second to none. We fight with each and curse and spit occasionally but we are all extremely proud to be American. Even the nuts at Berkley who don't mind buning the flag would be the first ones to quote from our constitiution, if we chided them, because they know no other country would give them the freedoms we get here.
Ok, I get all of that, but like I said, those sorts of things aren't a big selling point for me, because I have those things to a greater or lesser degree here (well, not the huge population, of course, but I used to live in the UK and spent a lot of time on the Continent - dense populations are things I am familiar with.)
Maybe this will help - if someone was coming to Australia, and said they were going to be staying in Melbourne for a year, I'd tell them:
Melbourne has a great cafe culture, but their coffee can be a bit on the ho-hum side. If you want the cosmopolitan thing, try to get a place near the inner suburbs, preferably north-west; that's where all the different waves of immigrants settle, so it's the place for great food, great music and lots of fun.
Get out and make the drive west along the Great Ocean Road; it's got some of the best scenery we have to offer, with the sea on one side and temperate rain forest on the other for half the way, and then amazing limestone cliffs and saltbush country for the second half of the trip if you go all the way to Adelaide. A lot of tourist buses do that route, and they are slow, so although you can do it in a day, it's less frustrating to take two days.
Things you have to try - tim tam and mint slice biscuits, kangaroo mettwurst (you may have to come to SA to get that), kangaroo steak, obviously, quandong jam, milo, pie floaters (the ultimate test of Aussie culinary experience) and fresh crayfish - but it has to be
fresh. Sydney oysters are good too.
For around Melbourne - go to Port Phillip Island to see the penguins, and although it's not the greatest amusement park in the world, go to Luna Park for a day of historic fun.
To travel - for food and wine, South Australia is the way to go. For 'yes I went to Australia' go to Sydney - spend at least a weekend there. Canberra is worth at least four days, if you are into museums, art and architecture. Everyone talks about the Great Barrier Reef, but for really good diving, go to Broome on the West Coast for tropical diving, and the south coast anywhere from the Bite to Melbourne for temperate diving. Cairns/the Gold Coast is pretty and tropical, but touristy as all hell, and very expensive. If you want the tropics, go north to the Daintree for rainforest experience, or skip Queensland and go to Darwin, and from there to Kakadoo. BTW - when there are signs telling you not to swim because of crocodiles, we mean it. For sheer wilderness experience, especially if you don't deal too well with the heat, Tasmania is the way to go, especially the Franklin river system.
Things that are worth doing in Australia if you can:
feed a kangaroo (do it in a wildlife park where they are tame, with the feed they sell)
ride a camel
drink the local beer, in every place you go to. Ask the barman/maid what they recommend as being the best of the local brews.
swim with a dolphin
Take a ride on the Ghan (a train)
Go to the outback away from the light pollution and sleep out under the stars, especially around the second and third week of November, if you can, so you can see the Leonid meteor showers as well as the stars.
Get to Coober Pedy if you can. Just to see what hell on earth looks like (and so you can buy decent opal without having to sell a kidney first)
Go to an Aussie Rules football match. Don't try to understand the rules, just pick a team and yell a lot.
The Melbourne Comedy festival is in April every year, and internationally is ranked just after the Edinburgh festival in terms of number and quality of acts.
The Adelaide Arts Festival is held every even-numbered year, and is one of the most prestigious in the world. The Adelaide Fringe festival is held every year in late February/early March...
You get the idea.
Why treat life as a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive & well-preserved body? Get there by skidding in sideways, a glass of wine in one hand, chocolate in the other, body totally worn out, screaming WOOHOO! What a ride!
I swear if I (LOL and probably BJG too
And when you're finished, allow me to blast a fart in your face. 
