Hoyo

Looking at my lonely planet guide - Cairns seems great. It sort of sounds what iam after : tropical rainforests, beaches etc...

What is the work sit like there?

Although I have contacts in Brisbane which makes my plan to go there much easier I am interested to hear from people who have been to both places...


Also, is there anywhere else I should look at?? Cheers!!!

Enrique

SarahJane2007

Loved both...but I think cairns maybe too hot to live so we chose Brisbane.
Cairns is beautiful and very relaxed, outskirts of Brisbane are nice too but dont have to rainforests and reef.

Hoyo

thanks. what is a good area to live in Brisbane if you are single? I am into my running, so somewhere close to the bush would be ideal. Also, when I arrive I will be carless for a while - will that be a problem?

snappy

What work are you after?

We live just South of Cairns and love it Preferred up North with it's greenery and the more tropical aspect. Each to their own really. Brisbane is a large city Cairns a lot smaller but still offers everything you will need. Do a search on Cairns or Brisbane and there is some interesting threads with pictures that you can look at but personally get here yourself and check out both as what suits me may not suit you and visa versa.

It would take you a couple of days solid driving to get from Cairns to Brisbane so there is a lot in between all of which offers some great options. Think of it like living in London and driving to the the tip of Africa and you will be close to the distance between the two places and how varied that would make them both...making it hard to compare them.

wardy2

WE had the same dilemma and threw Perth in to add to the confusion. As much as we love Brisbane, Cairns is for us cheaper housing than some parts of Brisbane especially the south where we were interested in living and loads of work for trades.

We were told by many expats living there to ignore the heat factor as you acclimatisem, living there and holidaying are not the same.

I want the relaxed lifestyle that Cairns seems to offer the smaller commute into town from the suburbs, great clubs for the kids and closeness to the beach which is a bit harder to find in Brisbane unless you head to the Sunshine or Gold Coast there are some small beaches that are dotted around within Brisbane but not what I was wanting.

Its a difficult decision and it has really stressed me out since we are near the end of the application and want to be there in January.

Good luck in deciding

Kaye

Lisa_Mick

We're in the same dilema - Brisbane or Cairns. OH is chippy so wondering where best for his trade, but so far it appears there is a demand for work all over. Visiting Queensland this November for a reccy so hopefully we will have a better idea on what suits us work and accommodation wise by the time we get back. Then its just waiting and waiting for our 136 visa to be granted.......... Lisa

kevinbloomfield

Why Brisbane or Cairns? what about the 1600KM between the 2. That's like saying shall we live in London or Madrid forgetting about all the places between those 2.

fin

Yeah but there isn't anything inbetween worth considering really lol

joncoll90

Brisbane!

kevinbloomfield

I suppose it all depends on whether you want the city or not - if you do then Brisbane is your only choice as Cairns is a small place mainly catering for backpackers and tourists doing the reef thing. I may be biased but I reckon the Sunshine Coast is a better choice (if not looking for the city life) with more work choices as it's a bigger area than Cairns.

themerlin

townsville is bigger then cairns, so that maybe also be an option.

kevinbloomfield

If Townsville is a choice I reckon the OP should get onto Carsales and look for a Toyota Landcruiser (trayback UTE of course) or a Nissan Patrol (again trayback UTE) cos that's Okker country :-)

themerlin

I didn't think it was that bad, Rockhamton on the other hand , worse pint of Guinness I have had in mu life !

kevinbloomfield

Guinness?? you're in Australia now mate and you should be drinking XXXX or VB :-)

themerlin

There are some good Aussie Beers, VB is not one of them.