Sean,
London doesn't have anything approaching Royal Melbourne, no matter its other delights. I'd also venture that Kingston Heath tops any of the London heathland clubs.
Most of the heathland courses are very nice, but, aside from Swinley, Sunningdale Old and St George's Hill, all of a fairly similar standard - about the level of Victoria/Woodlands, and none of those three are the equal of our best two!
Of course, if Commonwealth restored it's old 1st and 7th holes and cut down a crap load of trees, the Sandbelt would be NO CONTEST.
George,
We MIGHT have better weather, but that's a big if. Last Autumn - March/May - was terrible here, as was Spring, yet London, when I was there in August, was very hot.
This year, conversely, we have had a gorgeous Autumn, which is the best time of the year. Spring - Sept/Nov - is very iffy here, the archetypal four seasons in five minutes variety. Summer, depending on your liking for heat, is generally very to extremely hot, and can be uncomfortable playing golf, unless that's just my advancing years...
And let's not forget the terrifying spectre of our vicious indigenous wildlife, our armed-to-the-teeth border control, adn the possibility you may mistakenly catch the Logies telecast.