dwb

Hello all

My husband and I are planning to move to Australia this year. I have been offered a job in Gold Coast recently. Neither of us have been to QLD. We've read a lot about how Gold Coast is tacky and touristy and this really puts us off. But the hinterland looks incredible.

We live in Sheffield at the moment and love the outdoor lifestyle we're able to live here - cycling, running. We also enjoy the local coffee and food culture that has grown in Sheffield in recent years. We would want to keep these up after moving. We have a dog and enjoy walking him.

Are there any brits who have settled in Gold Coast? What's the real experience of the tourism side of things? Could you recommend any places to live that would allow a quieter lifestyle away from the tourism? Somewhere with access to sports and dog walking?

Thanks!

garyp

Which part you working? It is a place for tourists and tacky in parts but there are heaps of places for living.

dwb

Hi Gary
Thanks the reply. I've been offered a position at Griffith Uni Gold Coast campus.

I don't mind a bit of a commute if public transport is easy. Any recommendations welcome.

garyp

Is that the campus in Southport? Others can probably give you a better insight but I will give you my personal views from when I lived there. I lived northern GC but the southern end is nicer if you want coastal. I liked Coolangata & Currumbin area but you will have about 45 to 1hr commute to Southport.
Take a look around Mount Tambourine may be what you are after lots of walks and coffee shops.Cooler climate in summer but bit of a bending drive up to it and commute still bout 45 mins rush hour.

garyp

I also liked the feel of Maudsland and Canungra nice country areas.Not a lot of facilities in either and you would be driving to main shopping

garyp

I wouldn't live around the Southport area too busy and I never visited in the night there or to Surfers Paradise. Probably a no go area in the night that's where you would see tacky lol. However I used to visit in the day usually midweek on my days off. Southport has lots of facilities and lots of shopping nice frontal walks. my thing was to go down to The Spit and visit Peters fish market. Located between the Versace hotel you see on celebrity get me out of here and Sea World.Fresh fish cooked how you want it and the best I have tasted. Drive to the end of the spit great beaches and views and chilled out sat in the sun.If I remember rightly dog walking beach as well. When I look back I wonder why the hell I returned to the UK lol.

moneypenny20

I'm down the south end, the pretty end, the less tourist end, the end that makes it easy to have acreage in the green whilst being five minutes from the gold. I love it. I rarely see the tacky touristy bit unless we want to do dinner in a particular restaurant. Surfers/Broadbeach is great and close enough for our daughters to do nightlife but far away enough to never be bothered by it.

The husband unfortunately works Helensvale way which pisses him off as the motorway needs widening all the way down to the border so commute is a pain coming home, he leaves early enough to have no issues in the morning.

Depending on what hours you'll be doing, the uni is reachable inside half an hour. However more often than not it's about 45 minutes. Mudgeeraba, Worongary are lovely if you want large blocks of green. Pretty much if you want a larger block you'd need to look to the west of the motorway. If you want to be on the water (rivers/canals/lakes/ocean you're looking at smaller blocks and closer neighbours on the east side.

There are masses of sports, stacks of walks/rides, dog beaches, parks. If you have to spend your time in and around Southport/Labrador then yes, it's tacky but the Uni is far enough away from the CBD to not have to worry about it. I certainly wouldn't live in the area but others, mainly 20s singles, love it. I also wouldn't live in Nerang but then the outer areas are lovely.

Keep an open mind. People who don't live here or who may have visited for the beaches see/hear the negatives. Everyone I know who lives here love the peace and beauty and like that the lively and noisy is close enough when they want it. It's also only an hour+ to Brisbane if needed.

Sure, there are shit areas (comparatively), sure there's crime (find me somewhere that doesn't have it), sure there is a drug culture in the really touristy bits and most schools (again find me a high school that says they don't have drugs and I'll prove you wrong) but you live in a first world country, that's life.

Come and have a look, you may hate it, you may love it.

dwb

Thanks Money Penny. That's really helpful. Whereabouts in the south are you? Which areas do you think we should look into around there? You said you love it - what's great about it?

We're planning to visit very soon to check it out. Having some idea beforehand about areas to focus on during our visit would be great.

moneypenny20

We're just in from the border. The climate is perfect for us. Humidity isn't as high as the top of the coast/Brisbane/etc, winter drops to 8 at the lowest but that's middle of the night so who cares. Summer temps rarely go over 35, generally around the 32-34 mark. We're on acreage so surrounded by trees, wallabies and koalas in the garden but a five - ten minute drive takes me to some of the best beaches I've ever seen, miles and miles of creeks for the boat. I see the ocean every day I leave the house. People are nice, not met any two headed people , not a Brit zone, all nationalities around. Just suits us.

However it's no use if you need to commute to Brisbane, the motorway is snarled all the time, a big change in the past few years, now it's a struggle to even get on it during rush hour. They have just got funding to widen another stretch but it will still leave 20 km of nightmare before you hit the border.

As for suggestions, I've never suggested any suburb to someone I don't know, I don't know you or what you want/need/like/come from etc etc. If you want green and a bit of room then as I said before anywhere west of the motorway. Currumbin, Tallebudgera, Mudgeeraba are all quiet green suburbs. Some bits of Currumbin and Talle are on water - creeks and ocean so a tad pricier but lovely. Coolie is great, love it but for me, I would only live there if I had stacks of money and could live in a high rise ocean front and that's not going to happen

Burleigh's nice, Burleigh Waters is nice but a bit pricier. Lots of new houses going up around Reedy Creek but it's not too badly done. Palm Beach is being spruced up, lots more restaurants/cafes/bars opening up so the Highway section is improving, which is making the area more popular. Elanora is lovely, a slightly older suburb so blocks are a decent size.

Honestly, so much choice. Everywhere I've suggested are at most 15 minutes from the beach, most are 5-10. If you want to be closer to the uni then I have no clue as I don't know enough about all the suburbs in the middle block but they are more built up.

If you want to be closer to Uni and aren't fussed about the beach really close then Worongary, Gilston way are more hinterland but still easy to get to the motorway/beach/Southport etc. On a normal day I can drive up to Helensvale in 20-30 minutes so no where is far away. Public transport is shite but 'they're making an effort to extend the tram route in time for the Commonwealth Games next year.

Hope that helps.