Pearl&Wal

Hi All,

After long hours looking at this site in the UK, it's time to take the plunge and see who's actually out there.

We have been here for 6 weeks now and are living in leafy Buderim. We are Brit Thirtysomethings with 2 kids (9 & 7) and already love the area, life and weather but we're finding it hard to meet people in our situation. Is it just us we wonder?? God we hope not!

We would love to meet up soon with any friendly expats or Aussies for a beer, BBQ etc (except a cup of Australian Tea ).

How do you go about this though? as it's quite a daunting thought as at the moment the kids have a better social life than we do - so whats that about!!

Someone please tell us we are not mad for doing this!!

selina

hi there, and welcome to the forum. glad to see you like Buderim as it was one of the areas i have earmarked for WHEN i get my visa. there are quite a few expats on this forum who live around that area. hopefully you will get some replies from them later. kids always seem to make friends quicker cause they meet so many people at school. hang on in there as i'm sure you will meet some likeminded people soon. take care selina xxx

Pearl&Wal

Hi Selina!
Thanks so much for the encouraging reply, we feel better already!
Buderim is indeed a beautiful place to live and we are really happy here, as i'm sure you will be too.
It's early days and we are getting out and about as much as we can so things are good.
If you need any info on Buderim, we will always be happy to help.
Thanks
Becks (pearl!) xxx

wezzies

hi. welcome, I'm sure you will get lots of replies from the forum.
i would love some info. on the area , we too are looking into the sunshine coast and there seems to be lots of positives about Buderim. could you give us some idea of what the property is like and approx. prices for example are there any new builds going on or starting soon ( 4 bedroom). schools ( we have 6 & 8 yr old), open areas( parks,places to go for walks e.t.c.), is the area close to the beach. sorry for so many questions but u get a better more honest answer from someone who is actually there than any real estate websites.
unfortunately we are only looking to come out sept time but IF we get visa would love to meet up.
wezzies

kevinbloomfield

Hi there

As soon as we sell our house we will be over in Buderim or Mountain Creek and would love to meet up for a drink or 2
I'll let you know when we are over


BTW I am 40, wife is 39 and we have a 16 year old son

artep

we've been in Buderim for almost a year now (crikey where DOES the time go?) with our 3 sprogs, (almost)16, 13 and 10. The kids have settled fab...eldest 2 go to Mt Creek High, youngest Buderim Mtn SS. Hubby has work...although he hates it, but that's another story ....I finally have work and we're happy. So far so good. We're about to transfer our dough over to take the plunge and buy our piece of Australia...I can't bear to rent a moment longer and fund someone else's retirement!

If anyone wants to get together or ask any questions, fire away & I'll do the best I can.

sarahge

Hello
We are in Mountain Creek - been here nearly two and half years. We also have two kids but older than yours - 13 & 9.
We've been there with the kids actually having a social life and us sitting at home like Billy no mates
I'll send you a PM so you can get in touch if you want to meet up for a
Sarah

happy chappy

We are a couple of thirty somethings with two kids 7 and 9 looking to come out to mooloolaba/buderim this year. Is there much choice of schools in the area and what has been you impression of them? What are the employment prospects like, I am a fitter by trade but fancy a change if it's required.

We will be in the same position as you oneday and we all have to go through a transition period where we don't know many people but that is half the fun.

Are there any clubs you could join etc.
I know there are lots of people from that area on here so you shouldn't have too much trouble meeting people.

Good luck and maybe we will meet when we get out there this year.
Dave

innocent bystander

Hello there

We will be arriving in Buderim on 20th April 2006 and hope to be able to sort out a rental as soon as possible. We would really like to meet up with folk when we arrive and would be happy to join all who are able for a drink or ten.
We are him (35) her (31) and them (7 and 3) and love to barbie.

Pearl&Wal

Yeah, new people are arriving soon . You'll love it here, Buderim is so beautiful. Take our details and send us a PM once you get here. We'll happilly help you settle in and guide you through the best Aussie beers and Wines 9we are currently emersed in a rigerous testing programme)

artep

You're arriving about the same time we did last year....I warn ya..it'll bucket down the minute you land...it did to us

Pearl&Wal

Hi Dave,

Great to hear you might be out here at some stage this year.

There seem lots of good Schools in this area. We looked at a few prior to moving some state and some private (we found fees are A LOT cheaper for Private education here than the UK). All seem good though but the private ones do have better facilities and smaller class sizes (I suppose that's what your'e paying for).

Mountain Creek near Buderim/Mooloolaba has a good reputation and is a State School but you have to live within it's School Zone area which can be a problem if moving from the UK. realestate.com.au usually gives School Zone advice with it's rental properties.

There seem a lot of Lutheran Schools around here and although we looked at a few we decided they wern't the right environment for our two.

Matthew Flinders also comes highly recommended though is quite pricey.

In the end we sent our kids to Caloundra City School which is 20 mins away by car but is brand new and although Private very affordable (no way we could have afforded this in the UK). The facilities are excellent the Class sizes are 10-12 per class and the teachers are enthusiastic and highly professional. The kids actually enjoy going to School now (our 9 year old hated School in England) and are more confident and active so we are very happy

Most Schools have websites if you do a search for them.

Employment-wise you should have no problems as a fitter (depending what type) but i's say as Skills/Trades are in so much demand across Australia the same applies here (it's a growing area too).

Let us know if we can help you any more and send us a message when you arrive.

Good Luck.

Pearl&Wal

Hi Wezzies,

We are renting for the first 12 months to get our bearings before we buy. You can get really good 4 bedroom places starting from $350 per week and upwards with $450 p/week getting you spacious house, 2 bathrooms, pool, views, tropical gardens, etc.

In my opinion Buderim is great because it's got that village feel, (although has a population of 35,000), is 10 mins from Mooloolaba beach, is surrounded by beautiful Countryside (Sunshine Coeast Hinterland) , is very Central for everything (Bruce Highway, Ocean, Sunshine Plaza Shopping Centre) but has tons of character (which some other places lack a little).

There are loads of residential developments all over the coast so you'll have your choice.

I've posted a reply on your education question further up so take a look at that for guidence.

Let us know when you get here, if you need anymore info just shout.

Good Luck with everything.

artep

...if you're earning $ then it's not quite so cheap

We found a lot of agents here didn't know what the catchment areas were (we were specifically looking for Mt Creek high catchment) It pays to just take the lists of rentals the agents have, getting a map of the catchment area from the school and checking for yourself.

happy chappy

Thanks for the info, it's nice to hear positive things from people who actually live in the area we are thinking of moving to.

I know there are regular expat meets on the Sunshine Coast so you should have your social life back soon

My eldest daughter is nervous about making friends, how have yours got on?