BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I have been discussing with a potential new employer a job offer which would mean relocating to Australia either in Brisbane or Perth, and therefore I would like to hear from anyone who has lived in either of the two places about pros and cons in general of living in one or the other, but most importantly which one is the best place to live in from a motorcyclist's point of view!

Born and live in the Brisbane area - sorry, can't give any advice regarding Perth.

If you like riding twisties then the northside of Brisbane has a number of roads that are closest to the city - roads over Mt Mee, Mt Glorious, Mt Nebo, Clearwater Mountain to name a few - these start about 30Km out from the CBD. You can continue on these roads further out to encompass some nice touring rides to make nice day trips into the Brisbane/Sunshine Coast hinterland.
 
On the southside twisties front there are roads around Mt Tamborine, Beechmont, Springbrook, and in the Gold Coast hinterland.
Further south of Brisbane you can get into some nice long rides around the Queensland/Northern New South Wales border ranges area - I live on the south side of Brisbane and these are my favourite roads to ride.

Climate-wise, Brisbane is sub-tropical. Summer (Dec-Feb) daytime temps average about 33°C but some days can get up to high 30's. Summer is also the main time for rain in this area, and it can be very humid sometimes. Having said that, if I get caught on the bike in the rain I prefer warm & wet to cold & wet! IMHO Spring and Autumn are the pick of the seasons in this area - cool mornings leading into warm days. Cool in this case means starting out from about 5-10° in the mornings to mid/high 20's during the day. Winter has minimum night time temps of as low as -2°C but usually around the 5-10°C mark, warming up to around low/mid 20's during the day. 

Beaches - if you like surfing/swimming then you have the Sunshine Coast / Gold Coast both about about an hour from the centre of Brisbane, depending on traffic, which can get busy on the weekends.


Cheers!

My son lives in Brisbane (North Lakes) and he rides his Bike around there. Plenty of mountain/twisties to get more then your fair share of good riding.