Recently I read your story about Sydney, Australia (Savor the ‘Sweet Life’ in Sydney).

Honestly, I'm not sure if the angle of this story is up-to-date. It seems to fall back on old clichés, such as Australia as a sunny, relaxed tourist destination with a bit of passing business. If most Sydney-siders read this story, they’d tell you more about long working hours, long commuting times due to urban sprawl and the exorbitant cost of living. For example, did you know?

-- Sydney ranks as the world's third-most-expensive place to rent retail space after New York and Hong Kong.

-- An average Sydney house is more expensive than its equivalents in London or New York.

-- In fact, real estate is so expensive that the new Australian ambition is to own an apartment. Many people would love a garden, pets and vegetables, but for many this is turning into a distant dream.

As for the image of Australia having shorter working hours, it pretty well falls in the middle of all OECD countries. But it’s not all bad. Apparently, Australians are among the world's happiest people.

Sydney-Sider
Australia

(August 11, 2011)


Problems plague people in Sydney too.

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