andie

when we travelled around brisbane, and outskirts, we went to the sunshine coast we actually prefered it to the goldcoast, we travelled for a month just visiting different places. we saw the tourist places and also looked at the much quieter places around. bribie island was really nice but a bit too quiet. we are undecided as where to settle. we are thinking maybe ipswich, which had abit of everything and wasnt too far away, from the coast, well far enough, but we could visit at weekends and holidays. we dont want to be too far away from industrial areas because of jobs. anyway ive probably not helped you, eveywhere was lovely, who knows where we will end up. andie.

pommiesheila

Can't comment on Perth (unfortunately) but can give you some honest, personal opinions of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast.

When hubbie decided (yes, he's the reason we're over here...) he wanted to emigrate, I agreed, on the proviso that we could go to Perth. It had an ideal climate (less humid than Brissie), was 2 hours less from UK (I know - what's 2 hours when you're the other side of the world...) and from what I'd heard was very, very nice.

BUT, as The Old Bugger pointed out, Perth is a) the most isolated city in the world and b) the 2nd windiest city in the world. (I hate wind!!!)

Anyway, here we are in the Bayside Suburbs of Brisbane - came over May 2002.

How I find it:-

Positives:

Fantastic weather - the humidity factor doesn't affect us too much as we're nearer the coast than central Brisbane.

Ability to buy house not within shouting distance of the neighbours without robbing a bank.

Clean - despite what others may say, I do think this area (and too many people speak for the whole of Australia in their postings, not the area where they are) is very clean.

Low crime rates - perhaps we've just been lucky so far, but other than occasional hoons (pain in the a***) we've not seen any yobbish behaviour, haven't had bricks thrown through our car windows, tyres let down, bikes stolen from sheds, eggs thrown (and more) at our lounge windows - all regular occurrences in our "nice" area in UK

Ability to plan a day out with the family without wondering whether it'll p**s it down AGAIN.

Loads of places to visit in terms of scenery - coast/countryside.

Free parking most places!


Negatives:

Poor quality of state sector education (not as good as UK - although we were led to believe otherwise before we came)

Poor health service - you really do need to take out private medical cover here.

Lack of history/cultural activities - I miss the heritage UK offers.

Lack of depth in the Queenslander people. They seem (at least the ones we've met so far - perhaps we're mixing with the wrong types???) to be very superficial - very friendly on the surface, but nothing underneath...

So there you go. On balance, pretty even I suppose.

I am actually glad we chose Brisbane area (wouldn't dream of telling the Old Bugger that though) as I believe there is far more to see and do within a day's drive of where we are (and a greater diversity of scenery) than there would have been had we gone to Perth.

debsy

still cant decide where to go!!

Kiwipaul

I have lived in Brisbane for 3 years and I agree with most of the posts about the cleaness of the city, compared to a lot in UK. The council seem to take a pride in keeping the city clean and employ numerous people to do it.

I've only been to Perth once about 12 years ago but found that a nice clean city as well. Price wise I think both cities are about the same for houseing, and both have excellent public transport.

The one BIG disadvantage of Perth is it's isolation, you are nearer to Asian cities than any where else in Australia (3,000 kms to Adelaide). This was really the decider for me picking Brisbane and I've no regrets.

Sydney is only an hours flight away (about $80 one way) and their are loads of other places you can eaisly drive to. Theirs lots more people relative to Perth (but not relative to UK) and so their is a lot more facilities.

It all comes down to personnel choice, but both are excellent so good luck

Stevandiane

Hi pommiesheila

I just had to comment about the health service in Oz.

In the UK in A&E there is the usual hour or four to wait to be seen, then an hour or two for an x-ray, then an hour or so to see the doctor to tell you about your x-ray.........well I'm sure you all know the story and have the t-shirt.

I pulled a ligament, (or some thing like that) in my leg when I was in Perth. I grudgingly went to A&E expecting to be there the rest of the day. I was in, x-rayed and out again before my partner could drive from her work to the hospital!

I'm sure this couldn’t be the case all the time but that's what I call a health SERVICE!

Stevan

jopaulss

Hi Ya All
Plumber we took the kids to the cadburys factory at bournville only lived about half an hour away , i felt sick when i left , ate to much free chocolate !!
There really are some lovely areas around have to say , you need to look around them all.
The medical service we also found good , i had a pain in my left shoulder ( not paul ) i thought i was having a heart attack , went to the doctors who sent me for a xray next door , walked straight in , waited 15 mins got xrays back into doctor , who said we will have to send you for a body scan :scared: well went straight over to duncraig area from hillarys , had this scan done and then back to the doctors , this was all in what 3 hours !!! My mum a nurse in the UK said i would have waited months for a body scan to be done. Anyway im as good as i ever will be , a protruding disc from a car accident 8 yrs ago has started to give me grief!! But yep we find the health service excellent have to say .
Joanne

Rune

Of course, it's a matter of choice, but the Gold Coast has always seemed to me to be a place for tourists and transients. And I must confess that I've been one of the tourists, never having had the inclination to stay for long; I find all those high-rise apartments sterile and off-putting. But if you're young and single, I can imagine the appeal.
Perth, on the other hand, seems more family-oriented. As for those who say it's isolated, I agree in world terms. But surely part of the reason for emigrating is to see and experience things that are completely new to you? And there are so many interesting places to go, things to see, within a day's drive of Perth.
On Saturday, my daughter and I went for a picnic to a park about 40k's south of Perth. It was the site of an open-cast alumina mine, which was completely regenerated about 25 years ago. Now the trees are tall and shady, there's a lake (with ducks!), a childrens' playground and more free barbecues than you can count. And despite the fact that it was a beautiful sunny Saturday, we saw only one other family. But we saw parrots, willy-wagtails, silver-eyes by the dozen (all birds), the wildflowers are just coming into bloom, the grass surrounding the lake is kept shorn by the kangaroos which abound in the surrounding woodlands...... Now if this is the sort of thing which appeals, then Perth is definitely the place to be!

karawara88

Took me 3 months to get a body scan done, then a month to get appointment for results, then another month to get results of a further X-ray. the joys of the NHS.

When I was in Perth found doctors etc. to be very fast and efficent.

Actually when I was in Acapulco the health treatment was better than UK, had an ear infection and it was diganosed and treated and remidied straight away. Had ear infection here, ended up in agony for months and perforated ear drum due to incompetent doctor.