best oz city for outdoor lifestyle?

[Nikey]

Or doesn't have to be a city:smile:

 

let me define outdoors.....good cycle lanes and good access to countryside walks and mountain biking. Tennis. Beach promenade with cafes. Easy access to a clean safe beach where it is ok to swim

[Keith and Linda]

Or doesn't have to be a city:smile:

 

let me define outdoors.....good cycle lanes and good access to countryside walks and mountain biking. Tennis. Beach promenade with cafes. Easy access to a clean safe beach where it is ok to swim

 

Let us know when you wake up:laugh:

[Guest]

Well, Adelaide ticks all those things you list but as to if it's the best city to live or the best outdoor lifestyle, depends whose answering or who has even been to the city to know or compare. I don't like saying one place is better than another. Just know we are happy and where we live suits us.

 

I'd guess the same could be said of a fair few other Aus cities having those things you list. I don't think there is any one 'best' city, it's subjective I think.

 

One thing to consider, rethink the definition of countryside and what you have access to in Aus. Public footpaths across farmland, woods and fields does not exist here (at least where we live). We walk in National Parks which range from small (though still could not get round in a day or two iykwim) to massive, go bush for camping, that sort of thing. It's a very different landscape. The hills around the city provide lots of walking trails and so on but 'countryside' walking it ain't.

[Guest Guest66881]

The best one is the one you're in and making a go of it.

[dmjg]

I think every city will offer these to some extent.

 

I know down here on the Peninsula I could tick all of these off.

 

From us :

 

10 minutes to Frankston for beach/indoor swimming, tennis or cafés, fishing, shopping

15 minutes to Mornington for beach/indoor swimming, tennis or cafés, cycle tracks, fishing, shopping

10 minutes to Hastings for indoor swimming, tennis, cafés, cycle tracks, fishing

1/2 hour to Point Leo for swimming/surfing, 15 minutes more to peninsula back beaches for bigger (and more dangerous) surf.

2 minutes to Somerville for indoor swimming, tennis, cafés, cycle tracks, necessities shopping

Anywhere from 5 minutes to 1/2 hour on the peninsula for national parks for picnic, mountain biking, cafés, vineyards, walks etc.

 

If you want bigger hills the Dandenongs are an hour away, Mt Baw Baw (and snow) 3 hours,

 

4 seasons.(Generally all in one day)

[docboat]

Perth ticks those boxes too.

 

Outdoors life is pretty much what Perth does. Beaches, of course, and they are stunning. But cycle on the paths beside the beaches, stop off in Freo for a coffee, and continue on. Or around the Swan river. Or up in the hills -challenging mountainbike teritory, not so much for the steep falls, which you can get, but for the rugged terrain up and down.

 

Swimming - it is safe everywhere in the surf, but I would not do an unprotected swim much beyond the surf line. We have the annual swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest island - that would be a blast. You have safety troops accompanying you on the swim. Tiger sharks and great whites are out there to be found, so going alone is really not recommended. For family, I can recommend Trigg - pleasant beach, some rocks, reef to explore, nice ambience. Just a bit far north, biut worth a trip. Combine that with a nice lunch at Hillarys, and then the adventure playground.

 

Tennis is everywhere, and it is big. Our kids take part in the pennants, and there is a wide range of social tennis, from relaxed hitting to serious state level league. Just about any amount of sport is good. Kayaking inland lakes or sea, challenging bush walks - the Bibbulman track is one to take a look at. Golf, of course, and some beautiful courses. Well, lots of beautiful courses. Horse riding. Hunting or simply shooting - from people using holsters and six-shooters, to serious rifle competition. Sailing - river or ocean.

 

Heck, you could probably find competitive pogo jumping if you looked hard enough.

[Pumpkin]

Or doesn't have to be a city:smile:

 

let me define outdoors.....good cycle lanes and good access to countryside walks and mountain biking. Tennis. Beach promenade with cafes. Easy access to a clean safe beach where it is ok to swim

 

These things are nearly everywhere. Canberra and Alice Springs don't have the beaches though.

[MARYROSE02]

Most of the big Aussie cities sprawl for miles and miles, so depending on where you live, you could be travelling for hours to get to the beach, or the bush, or both. I'm in the centre of the city, and many of the beaches are no more than 5-7 kilometres, but to go bushwalking in the Blue Mts means over an hour by train or car. Conversely, Someone in Penrith is 5 minutes from the bush, but over an hour from the sea, though they have access to plenty of watersports on the Nepean river.

 

I would not call Sydney 'cycle-friendly', although cycling is increasing in popularity, and more and more cycle routes are being laid down. It's not much fun for a pedestrian in the inner city, dodging cars on the streets and cycles on the pavements.

 

Of course, you are often spending hours each way commuting which cuts into the available time for outdoor pursuits.

 

I'm not sure what the other capital cities are like compared to Sydney? Perth has city beaches like Sydney, but I'm not sure about Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne. I'm talking about surf beaches here. Sydney has both surf and harbour beaches but in some of those cities you may have to travel further for a surf beach?

 

I fancy Canberra might be the best place to combine city life with easy access to bush? Not too much traffic either. No beach but I'm sure there are plenty of pools. Can you swim in that lake in Canberra?

[Guest Guest 47403]

Perth ticks those boxes too.

 

Outdoors life is pretty much what Perth does. Beaches, of course, and they are stunning. But cycle on the paths beside the beaches, stop off in Freo for a coffee, and continue on. Or around the Swan river. Or up in the hills -challenging mountainbike teritory, not so much for the steep falls, which you can get, but for the rugged terrain up and down.

 

Swimming - it is safe everywhere in the surf, but I would not do an unprotected swim much beyond the surf line. We have the annual swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest island - that would be a blast. You have safety troops accompanying you on the swim. Tiger sharks and great whites are out there to be found, so going alone is really not recommended. For family, I can recommend Trigg - pleasant beach, some rocks, reef to explore, nice ambience. Just a bit far north, biut worth a trip. Combine that with a nice lunch at Hillarys, and then the adventure playground.

 

Tennis is everywhere, and it is big. Our kids take part in the pennants, and there is a wide range of social tennis, from relaxed hitting to serious state level league. Just about any amount of sport is good. Kayaking inland lakes or sea, challenging bush walks - the Bibbulman track is one to take a look at. Golf, of course, and some beautiful courses. Well, lots of beautiful courses. Horse riding. Hunting or simply shooting - from people using holsters and six-shooters, to serious rifle competition. Sailing - river or ocean.

 

Heck, you could probably find competitive pogo jumping if you looked hard enough.

 

Not going to say Perth is the best city but as the Doc says it certainly ticks all those boxes the OP has asked for.

 

The provision for cyclists in this city is amazing, from what I have seen a lot of the major roads have an adjacent cycle lanes (that's away from the traffic not a lane on the same tarmac) this morning I drove up the Kwinana freeway and there was a never ending procession of cyclists all the way up to the city, just before the city I turned left and drove along the Swan river the amount of people enjoying outdoor pursuits was just amazing everything from people fishing either on the banks or from kayaks, people kayaking and rowing, folk on jet skis, out on there boats thats as well as those running walking and cycling on the shared lanes and it's the middle of winter the climate here is just perfect for those that enjoy outdoor lesuire time.

 

Strange the Doc mentioned shooting as I was driving to the ranges at Campbell barracks and spent the day playing with guns on the range in near perfect winter weather.

 

Like I said not going to say anywhere is perfect or the best but Perth certainly is a city geared up for those that like the outdoors.

[Nikey]

No queensland places????

 

Thanks for your comments. I didn't know Perth is so good for cycle lanes...it's been over 10 years since I was there! And yes, strangely I have often thought Canberra looks great even though I always thought I should live by a beach - a lake is a great compromise.

 

Are things like tennis pricey? Somebody told me that tennis is free for all kids in France. ...how great is that?

[Guest Guest 47403]

No queensland places????

 

Thanks for your comments. I didn't know Perth is so good for cycle lanes...it's been over 10 years since I was there! And yes, strangely I have often thought Canberra looks great even though I always thought I should live by a beach - a lake is a great compromise.

 

Are things like tennis pricey? Somebody told me that tennis is free for all kids in France. ...how great is that?

 

Our local tennis courts are free to use, but they are just courts with a water fountain, there is a tennis club not far away with club house, changing rooms, social scene etc it's $160 for a family membership the hard and clay courts are free to members during the day, the hard court can be hired for $10 an hour by non members, the clay court is exclusive to members, of an evening members pay $10/hr for the hardcourt and $15/hr for the clay courts.

[Nikey]

Our local tennis courts are free to use, but they are just courts with a water fountain, there is a tennis club not far away with club house, changing rooms, social scene etc it's $160 for a family membership the hard and clay courts are free to members during the day, the hard court can be hired for $10 an hour by non members, the clay court is exclusive to members, of an evening members pay $10/hr for the hardcourt and $15/hr for the clay courts.

That's great to have free courts and it's fair enough to pay for clay because there is so much maintenence. Very reasonable prices

[Guest Guest 47403]

That's great to have free courts and it's fair enough to pay for clay because there is so much maintenence. Very reasonable prices

 

Yeah I think it is especially as you say for clay courts.

[MARYROSE02]

I was just thinking that the best way to find which city has the best lifestyle, if you have the time and money, would be to start off in Perth, spend a couple of weeks there, then start heading east, via Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, then Brisbane, perhaps even carrying on north of Brisbane. (And of course I forgot Hobart! Take the ferry from Melbourne?)

 

I sort of did that myself, but I wasn't so much interested in the lifestyle, as getting a job. So, whilst I LOVED Perth from the moment I arrived at Freemantle, I went on to Adelaide, then Sydney, where I finally got that job, and so stayed in the one place I had never planned to live.

[VERYSTORMY]

Where we live would tick most of your boxes, though we are not in the city. We are in Dawesville which is a suburb of mandurah which is 50 mins south of Perth.

 

Opposite my house is the beach which also has a paved path running along it on the top of the dunes that runs for a fair few km. One of our walks is to walk part along the beach and part along the path. Then turn in and walk back through the national park.

 

A walk from the house is the port bouvard sports club shush has everything from ten is to free boat use (mandurah is a very water based city).

 

A drive inland to Dwellingup and I can be at world class white water kayaking and a mountain bike train that is part of the world championships or a walk through the bush that is one of the longest in the world.

[Guest]

I play tennis in Brisbane. The social night is an hours group coaching plus an hours play after for 18 dollars. You may need to drive a bit for surf beaches, but then you get some of the best around. Get the warmest weather out of the major cities. Always lots of cyclists around too. While you may have to drive a bit to go to the beaches, the water is better temp year round for swimming and there's so many different beaches to choose from.

[grahamffc]

Or doesn't have to be a city:smile:

 

let me define outdoors.....good cycle lanes and good access to countryside walks and mountain biking. Tennis. Beach promenade with cafes. Easy access to a clean safe beach where it is ok to swim

 

You don't ask for much do you! Speaking from experience Melbourne can is great for tennis, I joined Tennis World which give access to the courts used in the Australian Open and has a brilliant indoor centre so you can play all year round. However there are no hills so that rules out mountain biking, very few cycle lanes (although roads are wide enough not to ever worry about them), a great prominade but without cafes along it and the water is only warm enough for swimming between January and March.

 

 

From brief visits to the other capital cities, I would imagine you best bet is probably Perth.

[Guest]

The sunny coast is prob the best for cafes etc along the waterfront. Caloundra and Mooloolaba are great.But jobs at the sunny coast not easy to come by

[Aorange]

So many decent spots across the country to choose from. We live in the Lake Macquarie/Newcastle area and there are plenty of great beaches and lake(s) to cycle,walk and paddle about. Love the area big enough to sustain work and leisure pursuits and Sydney only 2 hours down the road if we need a Big city fix. Plenty of tennis clubs/courts to keep you happy as well.

[Marisawright]

 

let me define outdoors.....good cycle lanes and good access to countryside walks and mountain biking. Tennis. Beach promenade with cafes. Easy access to a clean safe beach where it is ok to swim

 

As Snifter says, there are no countryside walks here. The bush is very different to British countryside, and you'll have to go to the National Parks if you want to bushwalk. The other thing to be aware of is that you have to adjust your activities to suit the weather - you'll probably go walking in the winter here, because it's too hot in the summer (not to mention the danger of walking into bushfires). The exception would be if you go to Tasmania.

 

It also depends what you mean by "safe beaches". Many of the beaches have surf - Aussies will tell you that's perfectly safe but you do need to know what you're doing, e.g. what to do if you're caught in a rip, swim between the flags etc. My personal definition of a safe beach is no surf, because I'm not a strong swimmer.

 

In tropical areas (e.g. Queensland north of Gladstone, Northern Territory), you can't swim in the sea from November to May/June due to marine stingers, unless you wear a full-length stinger suit or swim in stinger-netted areas. The Northern Territory also has salt water crocodiles. Of course sharks are the obvious concern - however shark attacks on swimmers aren't all that common. I'd be more worried if I was a surfer.

 

I guess that's really telling you where to avoid rather than where to go!

[Alaska]

Brisbane is great for an outdoor lifestyle - lots of great stuff to do within a hour or so.

We love camping, bush walking, body boarding etc.

Up here, though, you have to adjust your activity for the weather - we spend lots of time at the beach/higher altitudes in the summer as it can be too hot to do everything you mention. The coast almost always has a lovely breeze which makes it feel lovely in the summer.

There are some good cycle paths up Redcliffe way.

[starlight7]

Brisbane.

[Kapri]

Newcastle, NSW ticks all those boxes.

I imagine any of the coastal cities would though.

[PityTheFool]

I think based on your description the only people that can comment on the 'best' city are those that have lived in all of the major cities, all other opinions will be from people who love the city they live in making their response very subjective.

 

I have only lived in Melbourne and in my opinion it cannot offer what you describe based solely on the weather! We had a similar check list and are now considering Brisbane. One of the major reasons for us to move was for the outdoor lifestyle, if you don't mind doing stuff in the cold and the rain under grey skies then great come to Melbourne. Although aside from a nice couple of months in summer you'll spend your weekends looking out the window thinking WTF!!

 

On the plus side Melbourne is awesome for mountain biking! Within an hour there are probably 8 places with decent single track trails; lysterfield, you yangs, Buxton, lake mountain, officer and beaconsfield scout camps, etc, etc. - but again not great when it's pissing it down!!

[Paul1Perth]

No queensland places????

 

Thanks for your comments. I didn't know Perth is so good for cycle lanes...it's been over 10 years since I was there! And yes, strangely I have often thought Canberra looks great even though I always thought I should live by a beach - a lake is a great compromise.

 

Are things like tennis pricey? Somebody told me that tennis is free for all kids in France. ...how great is that?

 

Tennis is cheap. There are courts all over the place and we have a park within 5 minutes walk that has floodlit courts, maintained by the council. The key is kept at a private house in the letter box. The address is on the gate of the courts, which is usually open anyway. If by chance it's closed and you have to get the key there is a $5 charge (supposed to be per hour but it's not busy and generally you can stay as long as you want). The key is in the letterbox of the house and their is an envelope where you put the money.:cool: No one checks whether you have paid though but I generally do as I think $5 isn't out of the way for a game of tennis. If you want to play at night you can just switch on the floodlights too, at no extra cost.

 

If you want to go a bit more upmarket their is a tennis club very close and you can play as a guest there any time it's open. Me and the eldest son had a walk over there last summer just to see if we could play and asked how much it would be. The guys playing didn't seem to know and just said chuck something in the box by the door of the clubhouse. They have a nice bar too, for after match drinks and socialising. We were asked if we were interested in playing club tennis.:cool:

 

Perth has everything you are looking for and has great beaches very close to the City. If you want to you can live by the beach and work in the City. You would need a lot more money in Sydney to be able to do that, Melbourne doesn't have great beaches close by and the weather isn't as good, Brisbane beaches are a long way from the City.

 

There are lots of smaller places that have what you are looking for, thousands of them, but it might be harder to find a job and have the infrastructure you have for cycling etc.