Hi there,
We've lived in Sydney nearly 3 years and we're in our 3rd apartment, all of which has reserve cycle air con. Personally for us, we really use the air con on the days over 30 degrees and in this particular apartment used the heating setting through July/August this year as it was cold (nowhere near as cold as the UK so don't worry!).
Renting - Landlord pays council tax and water. Elec/Gas are similar to what we paid in the UK.
We shipped all of our furniture from the UK to here but all of our apartments have had dishwasher/tumble dryer installed.
You will need the following for renting:
proof of income from your employer
history of rent/mortgage payment (even if in the UK/India
an example of utility bills paid in the UK
Real Estate and Domain are the best sites, we have found all our apartment on them.
Hope this helps,
Paula :-)