scottdan

Hi Everyone
We are new to the site and this is our 1st post, so be gentle!
Can anyone recommend a decent suburb to rent, in the brisbane area?

we are currently in the uk, but with a job offer in the brisbane area.

Broad Shoulders

Brisbane has a very large sprawl geographically. Your question is akin to asking what area of London you should live in because you have job there. For instance, if your job was in Romford (East) you probably wouldn't choose to live in Twikenham (West). I know Brisbane doesn't have anywhere near the same urban sprawl as London does, but it does have a terrible public transport infrastructure and road network that connects the East to West and North to South, therefore the commute can be similar in time spent.

So the best way to get a good response from people on here would be to tell us where abouts in Brisbane the job is, that way we can recommend some good suburbs that won't mean you are spending half of your day commuting too and from. After all, I assume you are moving over here for a better lifestyle, so over an hour of commuting each way probably wouldn't go down too well

scottdan

Hi there

My partner is still waiting to hear where abouts in brisbane the post is, but i have acquired a interview in capalaba, so probabaly a good starting point
would be around that area.

sassie

It might be best if you can let us know where your husband's post is when he finds out as Capalaba is quite a way out from Brisbane CBD, and as someone else has mentined, Brisbaneitself covers quite a large area.

Tramps_mate

When I have been looking the suberbs stretch 40km north, 40 west and 30 south I think roughly..

fish.01

It is a very hard question. There are roughly 450 suburbs in Brisbane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brisbane_suburbs) and knowing what might suit you really comes down to your interests/tastes/budget/priorities etc. I could give you areas that suit my taste but you may think they are totally unsuitable.

Most Brisbane suburbs are family friendly. If this helps some things that may help you/us decide are:

Budget

Brisbane is a very suburban family friendly city so even close to the city it has some very nice family suburbs. Because these suburbs contain character homes (generally timber with tin roofs pre WWII) in leafy established suburbs close to the CBD, the best schools, most active parks and inner city cafes/shops etc these suburbs tend to be the most sought after and therefore the most expensive. Of course some demand is based on prestige as well so can be happily ignored if that is not to your liking.

As you go further out, roughly 6km/7km, the homes sometimes change to more modest post war timber and tile homes built for soldiers returning from WWII which while many are renovated and very nice don't demand the same prices but are still fairly well situated for facilities and transport. Around 9-12km out the houses turn to 1970's era brick and tile homes and then 1980's and so on in an ever widening circle further away from the city.

People who want a fairly modern brick and tile house 2000's+ will find they can pay top dollar around 10-15km from town (often considered the better located of the modern areas) or move further and further away to bring the price down. eg Springfield Lakes (30km from CBD). Some people even commute daily from the northern Gold Coast suburbs.

All this is generalising of course and there are many exceptions with some inner areas having back fill new estates and some older outer areas having character homes.

House Style

Some love character homes with historic features while other prefer ultra modern while others prefer older modern so they can get a bigger block. These choices help narrow the suburbs a lot.

Job Location

People in a job that is tied to the central business district (CBD) obviously must pay more attention to transport options as Brisbane has very expensive CBD parking and public transport is often the better option. If not a CBD worker then the more distant areas like Springfield Lakes, Cleveland and North Lakes become more feasible.

Lifestyle

Some like to be in more walkable urban areas where they can walk to a bunch of cafe's for Sunday breakfast etc while others prefer the outer suburban life. Some people want to live near the bay for fishing while others like to live in green, hilly areas with mountains in the background. Some want acreage, some want beach, some want village/community feel, some want a nearby shopping mall, some want low maintenance and good facilities in the surrounding area. These sort of choices help narrow down the suburbs that might suit.


All a bit of a ramble and sometimes stating the obvious but hope this helps.

spadgersdad

We are located in Cleveland which is 5 to 10 minutes to Capalaba, which is on the Bayside in the Redlands (www.more2redlands.com.au). Depending where your husbands job will be located then Cleveland is the final stop on the train line, If travelling to the CBD then it takes on average just over an hour. Check out www.whereisit.com.au this will help you with times and travelling distance etc also if you want more information about the bayside please dont hesitate to contact us, also another helpful website for the area is www.redland.qld.gov.au

BigChris

Hi, try realestate.com.au and look at Birkdale, Ormiston, Wellington Point, Alexandra Hills, Cleveland and Victoria Point. All close to Capalaba and nice areas.

bingobob777

New Farm.

scottdan

Hi Everyone

Thanks for the response, all very helpful and at least we can start on some research. we are looking for somewhere we wont be isolated and not too far from cafes, restaurants, shops, parks or beach. Not asking for much are we!

asprilla

Go for the city, or new farm, or south bank. Beach is 1hr 15mins drive to gold coast or sunshine coast.

James516

They're similar sizes. It depends of course on how you define 'Brisbane' and 'London' but for comparison's sake, it's 37km from Bellbowrie to Cleveland and 66km from North Lakes to Beenleigh (which I think is a reasonable limit on suburbs to still be called 'Brisbane') and by comparison it's 42km from Potter's Bar to Sutton and 58km form Uxbridge to Dartford.

The M25 is bigger but includes a lot of areas no-one would sensibly call London (e.g. Epsom, Caterham).

KJCherokee

Brisbane is actually the only Australian city which can be accurately defined, as there is a single city council covering the entire metropolitan area - so places like Beenleigh and North Lakes are definitely not Brisbane. London is just the city, and Greater London is (was - things have changed since I left in '83!) more like a county than a city.

Brisbane's urban sprawl is actually in the surrounding council areas of Redlands, Logan, Ipswich and Moreton.

fish.01

Depending on the context Beenleigh and North Lakes definitely are Brisbane

Apart from the size of the Brisbane City Council it is no different from other cities in that it only covers part of the city.

The Brisbane City Council area is a council division only, not a metro division, and officially for most purposes, including the count of Brisbane's 2million population, the Brisbane Statistical Division is used (just like all other Australian cities).

Brisbane includes the council areas of Brisbane City Council, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Logan City and Redland City (and a part of the scenic rim).