Captains Ricky Ponting and Andrew Strauss were focussing on the positives taken from a fluctuating third Test which ended in a draw on Monday.
Australia started and ended the match strongly but England dominated the middle section and they will go into the fourth match of the series 1-0 ahead.
"We've done most things pretty well," Ponting told a news conference. "We've got off to a great start on the first day and then we came up against a swinging ball which would have made it hard to bat for any team in the world.
"We then bowled well with the swinging ball ourselves and England batted positively to get into a good position but I thought our batsmen were excellent today."
"It is a slight let-down because we got to the ground this morning confident we might be able to force a result," he said.
"But the conditions didn't help us as much as we hoped and, in fairness, the Australians batted well."
Strauss dropped a very difficult catch off Michael Clarke when he had made 38 and the right-hander went on to complete an unbeaten century.
"When I dropped the catch it was last-throw-of-the-dice time," he said. "It may have given us a chance but I'm not sure."
Strauss said the swing bowling of Graham Onions and James Anderson on the second day had been outstanding.
"The way we bowled in their first innings when the ball was swinging around was top rate," he said. "We have a huge number of positives to take out of the game. For three days we were on top of the Australians again."
Ponting played down suggestions that the match was marred by verbal confrontations between opposing players.
"There was nothing too untoward," he said. "It was just good intense test match cricket."
Ponting said Australia were not concerned about trailing in a series, something which they have not experienced many times in recent years.
"We don't mind being in this position," he said. "Generally in adversity we play our best cricket."