As far as recruiters, I can't recall a week here without at least one contact, but it sounds like it's even busier in NYC!
I am in Sydney now and yes, if I was already wealthy and lived near the beach and had lots of free time I would have an amazing lifestyle.
But if you are a busy professional, you just won't have the time to really enjoy all of this unless you just don't care about your career much and clock out at 5 on the dot.
My weekdays are an absolute blur. I lose one weekend day to chores / errands. So I have one day to actually enjoy my surroundings and I need the weather to co-operate that day too.
I agree though Adelaide is under utilized. It could be such a great place if it had a strong economy. Unfortunately it's hampered by lack of vision. I also think Darwin has been a complete lost opportunity. They should lease the whole place to the Singaporean government and see what happens ;)
I mean sure it is mostly safe and the economy is doing fine at the moment but those are the bare minimum of survivability. The rest, you are paying a premium for.