Australia is geographically one of the largest countries in the world – sixth behind Brazil, China, the US, Canada and Russia – so it’s no surprise that the ethos in five of its major cities differs so vastly.
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide are very different in climate and culture, but there’s a set of questions you might recognise if one of these is your home town.
‘Australians are adopting approaches we see in other mega cities where a local rather than a citywide identity emerges,’ social researcher Mark McCrindle said in a recent report.
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide are very different in climate and culture
‘Australia’s capitals are becoming cities of villages or regions where residents live, work and interact in a part of their city.’
Liam Pieper recently moved from Melbourne to Sydney, and said that the first question he was asked was: ‘Where do you live?’, he wrote in Executive Style.
‘In Sydney, status is about where you live and what you wear and what you do for a living,’ Pieper’s friend told him.
‘We’re all too busy to take the time to figure out who our betters are, so it’s easier just to announce it when you meet someone: “Potts Point, Finance”.’
Sydney is home to some of the world’s most famous landmarks, beaches and people, and being the country’s most-populous and global city, its fast-paced lifestyle comes as no surprise.
Further south in Melbourne, priorities are a little different.
Melbourne is known for its ever-changing weather patterns, buzzing nightlife, famously terrifying hook-turns, bustling back streets and its obsession with AFL.
‘In Sydney, status is about where you live and what you wear and what you do for a living’ (Pictured: Bondi Beach, Sydney)
Melbourne (pictured) is known for its ever-changing weather patterns, buzzing nightlife, famously terrifying hook-turns, bustling back streets and its obsession with AFL
A writer for Traveller.com.au said that when he moved to Melbourne, every single person at every single first meeting asked: ‘Who’s your footy team?’
‘If you can’t come up with a good answer you’ll see their eyes glaze over and quickly move on to someone else,’ they wrote.
Jumping over to Western Australia, Perth has a unique question of its own.
Famous for its breathtakingly beautiful beaches, refusal to align with daylight savings and decided lack of interest in AFL compared to Melbourne, if you live in Perth, you might have heard of the next one.
Getting ‘Perthed’ made the Urban List’s report of ’45 things that are so Perth it hurts’.
Getting ‘Perthed’ made the Urban List ‘s report of ’45 things that are so Perth it hurts’
Brisbane (pictured) is marketed as the city where winter never quite arrives, and is known for its laid-back lifestyle
More of a statement than a question, but meeting someone for the first time and realising you know all the same people is a common occurrence in Perth.
And it’s otherwise know as getting ‘Perthed’.
Back over to the eastern seaboard and Brisbane has a different question to ask.
Situated on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane is marketed as the city where winter never quite arrives, and is known for its laid-back lifestyle.
Constantly being asked ‘Where did you go to school?’ near tops the list of ’33 Things That Will Annoy You If You Live In Brisbane’.
And with a population of 2.4million compared to Sydney’s more than 5million, you can see why residents might ask.
Australians are adopting approaches we see in other mega cities where a local rather than a citywide identity emerges,’ social researcher Mark McCrindle said in a recent report
Coincidentally, residents of Adelaide – with a population of 1.3million – also say that upon meeting someone for the first time it often takes less than a minute before someone asks, ‘So which school did you go to?’.
But with the growing population not just in major cities but across the country, it’s not surprising that Australians are holding on to their identities with questions like these.