by Laura Howard

Created on: August 02, 2009

If you knew how many times I have moved back and forth from the country to the city you'd think my middle name was 'Yo-Yo'. The saying "the grass is always greener on the other side" would be quite fitting, except for the fact that concrete isn't usually green. And, in Australia, the grass isn't usually green, anyway. What is better, the ability to go out to a restaurant with friends at 4am in the morning, or waking up to the sound of Parrots flocking on the wide open grass fields outside your window? Before I pack my bags once again, I thought I'd best write this opinion oriented article to help me make a decision.

Let's get this straight before I go on. I live in Australia, so the move from country to city is not one that should be taken lightly. It's not a leisurely two hour drive from the rolling fields to the bustle of the city. It's a 6 hour mission through the numbingly straight roads of the outback, with air conditioning that barely makes a dent in the stifling summer months. And yet people do it. Often.

In Australia at least, the differences between the city and the country are startling. Let's start with the only city I've ever lived in.

Sydney, the biggest city in Australia. One of the most beautiful cities in the world. At the last Census in 2001, the population of Sydney was put at 4 million; a number which in 8 years will have surely swelled. Sydney has everything you could imagine a city to have, and more. Where else could you walk from the centre of this metropolis and in fifteen minutes be standing on beautiful beaches, in peaceful park-lands, or on the shores of a beautiful harbour, with two of the most recognisable landmarks in the world; The Harbour Bridge and the Opera House? As if that wasn't enough, Australia's coastal weather is nothing short of glorious all year round. In the city, there's so much variety of people, food, and cultures that it makes you wonder how it all gets crammed in. Sydney has a thriving finance and business district, which occupies most of the CBD. If you take a stroll through the CBD you'll find sky scrapers that make you feel queasy, posh bars, boutique shopping, and some of the sharpest dressed people in Australia. Take the underground train one or two stations east, and you're in eclectic King's Cross. Some of Australia's best night life does business here. It's also home to Australia's largest gay and lesbian community. Go further east still, and you'll find the most famous beach suburb in the world;

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