Thanks everyone for the phenomenal responses.

I've visited Melbourne on business and pleasure several times over the last couple of years and in varying seasons. I like the variation in the weather and as one person said earlier, I can always hop up to Brisbane if I need a serious dose of sun and warmth.

I am definitely not a house person. The last thing any neighbor needs is me living next door given my skills in the garden. Anyway, I've lived in flats for the last 20 years or so. It is also important for me that there is a real sense of community and a village centre within easy walking distance. I truly dislike feeling disconnected from local shops, cafes, and drinking establishments. Strangely enough though, I would considering a semi-attached that is a part of a structured community. Lastly, I would be renting for the foreseeable future.

Living in the CBD could be an option, but honestly, I didn't get the feeling that it is an integrated business / residential area. Unless you generally consider places like "The Melbournian" part of the CBD, I'd say it is a little too sterile and inhumane after work hours.

My base office would be in Southgate, but alas the consultants life should keep me out of the office more often than not. It's not clear yet whether I would be primarily responsible for the MEL area or possibly covering SE Asia from an Australian base. I'm a realist also when it comes to needing a car. I know that it will be more of a necessity in MEL than in ZRH. I just don't want to have to use it for every last little errand or social activity.

As far as the social thing is concerned, when I said 'mature woman' in my original post, suffice it to say that Friends and Sex and the City are a generation younger than me. Thirty Something was, well, relevant at that time and place. (sorry for the American TV references)