Some positive differents

Many aspects of everyday life here in Sydney are simply better than in the old country. Two examples:

Attitude toward dogs
In three words, more laid back. Supadog usually goes on walks without a leash, and no one blinks an eye. Many if not most dogs are walked this way. Technically, there is a leash law, enforced as much as jaywalking.

In parks, this great laid back attitude is institutionalized: most times of the day, dogs are allowed off-leash. There are no segregationist "dog park" fenced-in areas where the dogs are all cordoned off to. They have the run of the whole park. It's so civilized.

Traffic calming
Here in Darlinghurst, just about every residential street has speed humps every few hundred meters. This, and closing off streets and alleys, keep speeding and taking shortcuts through neighborhoods to a minimum.