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A wide range of housing options are available throughout Australia's major cities. From some of the older housing styles like detached or semi-detached houses, to apartments/flats, townhouses and villas, all are available depending on your preference. Modern tower blocks are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in inner city locations, and with young professionals who prefer to live closer to the city.

Generally, Australians aspire to live in their own house and have a bit of land. Renting is popular with newly arrived migrants, but also with young Australians. This allows you to live in an area and experience the lifestyle before making a more permanent commitment. It is common for a small group of young people to share accommodation.

The majority of Australians live in suburbs surrounding major capitals. This style of living is comfortable for families, particularly if one of the parents stays at home and takes primary responsibility for the children. In most cases the working parent will have up to an hour to travel to the city centre to work. The quality of houses in Australia is lower than in Europe, however, that could be partly due to a warmer climate. Basements and double-glazed windows are not essential and many homes do not have either heating or cooling for every room.

Every suburb has plenty of parks and playgrounds, with almost every suburb having a shopping village, kindergarten and primary school. Big shopping centres are also not far from populated areas.

Country towns and regional cities are much smaller and further apart than in many other countries. Living in regional areas offers a more relaxed and less expensive lifestyle, with relatively good work opportunities for migrants. With the latest skills shortage the Government introduced policies encouraging people to move to regional areas. Check out the Regional Opportunities on http://www.immi.gov.au/migration/regional and also the Australian Government's Regional Entry Point website http://www.regionalaustralia.gov.au

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Information courtesy of Sue Ellson, Founder of Newcomers Network and Dina Zavrski-Makaric, Sydney Representative of Newcomers Network and Personal Coach and Counsellor of Challenging Directions.

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