Hi, I'm Australian and work as a software developer in Brisbane for a medium sized company (around 800 employees nationwide) and there are not many IT job opportunities available on the Gold Coast and as previously mentioned, IT developer jobs are predominantly centralised around the capital cities. Brisbane has a great climate - very mild winters by comparison, is close to the Gold and Sunshine coasts (about an hour drive either south or north) - however it is growing quite a lot with many people moving to the area. Problems include over-crowded (at peak times) and sometimes unreliable public transport, traffic congestion, public health system etc..the government is slowly putting the infrastructure in place to handle the increasing population but still a way to go. Housing affordability is also an issue but you may not find it a problem coming from England with the currency exchange advantage. Sydney and Melbourne would have more IT jobs and higher salaries but both are likely to have higher costs of living compared to Brisbane (although this is changing). I can't really comment on what it's like to live in these two cities as I've never lived in either long term. If you're craving a warm climate, outdoor life and great beaches along with a range of software development opportunities I reckon Brisbane would definitely be a place to consider. Cheers, James.