u/AppropriateLet8131

Hello. I've either lived in or visited Australia off and on during the last 12 years.

To summarize, I've found FNQ to overwhelmingly be the friendliest area of the country, at least among the areas I've been to. Brisbane is the friendliest major city. Sydneysiders are really just a muted version of Londoners, New Yorkers, or Hong Kongers; very few have ever been particularly rude to me there. Wollongong was friendly enough. Newcastle and Gold Coast were middle-of-the-road. Melbourne was quite unfriendly. Perth was exceptionally nasty, easily in my top 2-3 rudest cities on the planet (although interestingly Fremantle was friendly enough).

In fact, my most recent experience was in Perth and I was ecstatic to leave. But I also don't want to give up in Australia yet.

Which areas do you like best from a personality and cultural perspective? I'm thinking it has to be someplace rural...

TIA.

My pick, based on my most recent trip, is Perth.

For such a stunning setting, the overall feel of the city was very beige, and the urban planning was extremely spread out (at least London and LA are spread out yet dense). The most expensive city I've ever visited, too.

Above all, the people absolutely SUCKED, aloof to the point of rudeness. Even kinda mean. Some of the worst I've met anywhere on the planet.

Melbourne wasn't much better.

My experiences in Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong, and Cairns have been better, but I'm increasingly thinking that Australia (and New Zealand) just isn't my "jam," no matter how much I want it to be. My trip to Perth made me appreciate what I have in the USA, despite our country's very obvious problems.

What say you?

I'll start -

Pleasant surprise: Bern, Switzerland. Stunning natural environment and architecture, polite and kind locals, professional customer service, brilliantly preserved history, a small city that knows what it is.

Runner up: Bucharest, Romania. Felt oddly like Berlin without all the attitude (and I like Berlin).

Surprising disappointment: Perth, Australia. They seem to market themselves as being a giant country town, and that's fine (and I thought it'd be part of the appeal). But honestly, the locals were extremely aloof to the point of rudeness, simple greetings were rarely reciprocated, and customer service was almost universally terrible.

(Dis)honorable mention: San Diego, USA. "Bland Diego" is more expensive than LA and SF with far less to do, and can't acknowledge that it's a large city instead of a giant small town. Locals are worse than Perth's. Its saving grace is its proximity to LA and Baja.