[BostonCard]

My parents lived in Melbourne (Black Rock, to be specific, in case you are wondering kuz), while I was at Stanford.  I agree that just like the US, there are variations in accent (though, at least to my ears, not as noticeable as differences between, say, the South, Midwest, and Northeast in the US).  The strength of the accent varies by region, as well as socioeconomic status and urbanization.  The accent tends to be most noticeable amongst the lower educated, less well-off Australians (and, as per kuz' example, rural Australians).

More cosmopolitan cities (Melbourne and to a lesser extent Sydney) have less noticeable accents.

BC

[BostonCard]

My parents lived in Melbourne (Black Rock, to be specific, in case you are wondering kuz), while I was at Stanford.  I agree that just like the US, there are variations in accent (though, at least to my ears, not as noticeable as differences between, say, the South, Midwest, and Northeast in the US).  The strength of the accent varies by region, as well as socioeconomic status and urbanization.  The accent tends to be most noticeable amongst the lower educated, less well-off Australians (and, as per kuz' example, rural Australians).

More cosmopolitan cities (Melbourne and to a lesser extent Sydney) have less noticeable accents.

BC