I visited Brisbane in March this year on a shore excursion from Cunard's QM2 (Hong Kong to Sydney). It was the first time I've been to Brisbane in many decades - and I must say that I was really impressed by Brisbane - it's leaps and bounds over how I last remember the city. I'm not sure that I could live there though because I'm not all that keen on humidity which Brisbane has lots of in the warmer months. I'm quite happy here in Melbourne (the most liveable city in the world apparently).
BTW, comparing LA to an Australian city, I think that Perth might be the closest weather-wise to LA (and both are on the west coast), though Perth and LA are completely different in so many other ways.

"...and both are on the west coast..."

But don't the prevailing winds blow opposite down under? In other words, LA has nice air (at least along the coast) because the air has just finished a 5,000 mile fetch over the Pacific. So if the winds blow opposite in Australia, one would conclude that Sydney has a situation similar to LA.

Nah, in Sydney the winds come in from the Pacific over the area where they pump the sewage out to sea. Well, any Melbourne person WOULD say that :-)

Regarding the comparison of Perth and LA, I was taking into account the style of the places as well, Perth is very different in that respect.

Hi Geebax, following your appeal for Aussies to step forward to make up numbers, I'm a Melbournite, happy that we are receiving some rain in spring (now) as like Peter, I tired of 10 years of searing, hot, dry summers when living in Albury.

Perth's hot summers are cooled in the afternoon by a wind that comes in off the Indian Ocean - the wind is termed by locals the 'Fremantle Doctor'.

+1 from Perth:)

Pros for Perth: laidback lifestyle, easy to get around, good climate, fabulous beaches, good standard of living.

Cons: it's a looooong way from anywhere.....

"But don't the prevailing winds blow opposite down under? "

The prevailing winds are due to the rotation of the earth plus a general movement of air from the cold poles to the warm equator and back again, so the wind patterns tend to be mirror images about the equator. There is also a trend for wind to blow from the cooler oceans to the warmer land in daytime and vice versa at night.

actually most of our hot winds emanate from canberra....

>>> winds blow opposite down under<<<

The direction of prevailing winds is strongly influenced by the rotation of the earth, which tends to be the same in both hemispheres. So westerlies prevail here when the wind can't be bothered adjusting to local conditions. Hot land encourages afternoon sea-breezes (near a coast). You're probably thinking of the direction winds circulate around highs and lows -- they are opposite.

In answer to the original post, yes, a Bris Vegan here!

<< The direction of prevailing winds is strongly influenced by the rotation of the earth, which tends to be the same in both hemispheres.>>

I find out here in rural Australia that the prevailing winds are always from the direction required to blow a tree over on to one my fences. They never miss, two in recent weeks.

Geoff