Sadly, I have to agree with the beer comments - the bad news is that you can only get lager :( The good news is you get used to it - when it's over 30 degrees even lager is good :) Unfortunately, software development only exists in the rat race so don't imagine you're going to get away from it and still develop software - not here, not anywhere :( Most development is in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in that order with very little anywhere else. I left the UK in 1994 and have lived in Sydney ever since and you're right that in some regards it's just like there only hotter. Sydney/Australia ain't Utopia but there's no way I'm going back to the UK. Like you I was fed up with the naff weather and there's plenty here to satisfy your cravings. Food for thought: Do you know if it's hotter weather or drier weather you really want? Do you like to feel the sun burning your skin or do you simply want to escape the miserable grey wet weather of the UK? Australia is a great place to live but I'm not sure anything is 'all it's cracked up to be' - mainly because we hear good things and we develop a defect free perception. If you accept that fact that there isn't a perfect place on the planet then you must look for a place that most suits your needs. At the end of the day, life is what you make of it. If you arrive in Australia expecting a charmed life just because you are here then you are likely to be disappointed. On the other hand there is great opportunity here just waiting for you to make something of it. Good luck with whatever you choose.