I think the “quality” actually goes down as you get newer. They are better sealed and insulated yes but…not quality - especially project homes. I own an old house (1890s) and the craftsmanship of the original portion of the house is spectacular. The 80s extensions are horrible though.
Why did you move to Australia? You must be out of your mind. Kidding, just wondering.
I moved for work is the simple answer. Came to find pretty quickly life in Melb is pretty great, possibly one of the greatest places to live.
Thankfully two or three years ago, we signed up for amber.com.au which will give you real time pricing and alerts so we can be thoughtful about usage in peak demand.
I've been tracking usage via their API for ~two years
https://flatgithub.com/dalanmiller/electricity?filename=3121...