Seriously fed up of Melbourne (cold, sprawling suburbs, 3 hour commute. I could go on but I wont) and looking to move to Townsville (a place I've visited many times and once lived in as a 20 something) with wife and couple of pre-teen kids. I'm in IT (developer, but looking to diverse). Why Townsville? I like the small city feel, ease of access, beaches, climate, lifestyle etc. I'm interested in hearing from any other expat families in Townsville with regards to schools, jobs/economy and just general experience. How you finding it and how does it compare to anywhere else you have lived in Australia?

Much obliged.

@ectomorph

You don't live in Melbourne though, do you? St Andrews by the looks of it. Or is it travelling into Melbourne that you're fed up with?

I noticed almost 2 years ago you were looking into moving to Brisbane, what stopped you that time from moving to Qld? Would it be an issue this time?

Townsville seems an odd choice. It's mainly industrial and in my opinion quite red neck. I doubt there's much in the way of IT positions but I could be wrong. It's very hot for a big part of the year too - you'll find yourself restricted to aircon not frolicking about on beaches - I'd try further south for a smallish lifestyle town. I hear the Gladstone and Mackay economies are going great guns - both places are a bit minging but may have opportunities for a lifestyle change.

I agree, Townsville wouldn't be high on my list, very redneck bogan. Cairns is better if you can handle the high humidity.

Still in St Andrews, and yes the commute is a pain (3 hours daily) but I wouldnt move anywhere else in victoria, especially to the burbs around melbourne hence thinking interstate. Cairns is way to touristy for my liking. Brisbane is still on the cards I suppose but I dont fancy joining another rat race. Heat and humidity I can put up with (lived in HongKong for several years). Rednecks? Heck, I am a redneck

Hmm, well I'd suggest Townsville is 'orribly humid for 8 months of the year, as well as having very little around. One advantage of Melbourne winters is many of the nasty bugs get killed off - although I agree with you it goes on too long at too cold a temp. Somewhere in between sounds better.

As for 3 hours commute, have you looked at Bacchus Marsh? Same out of towness as you have now, but about 40-45 mins by train into the centre of the city - and about the same by car

I guess it all depends on what work you're in. Probably a distinct lack of certain career paths up there.

Agreed. Sometimes on BE I wonder if I am in a minority that cannot pick any place I like the sound of and go move there. We are completely tied to Sydney for as long as we are of working age (due to Mr BS). So what I am saying to OP, is are you sure that you can practically move from Melbourne to Townsville and pick up work ... if you need to work that is.

Of Melbourne?

With Melbourne

There are only 18 IT jobs on seek.com.au in Townsville & Norhern QLD. I wonder how many of them match the OP's background as there are no software development jobs.

I would hazard a guess that TV has not suffered too badly during or since the GFC. It continues to grow and prosper.

I doubt that it is the centre of the universe in IT terms but there are bound to be jobs supporting the council, armed forces, hospitals, mining and industry.

Redneck? The man has lived there before so knows it's full of delightful and charming locals.

I just found this which supports the fact it is a city doing well:

Townsville, North Queensland.

• A regional economy worth $12 billion, growing at 16.5%.
• $29 Billion worth of mining, construction and infrastructure projects planned or started for Townsville.
• An unemployment rate consistently lower than Qld and Australia, currently sitting at 4.2%.
• Demand for 1425 new homes each year.
• Arrival of 3RAR and 1,500 military personal in early 2012.
• Higher median income than state and national average.
• The largest regional city outside of the south-east corner with a younger population, growing at over 3%.

I'm on Magnetic Island at the moment and I must say - if you can squeeze a living in Townsville and live over here (rent is very cheap comparatively) then it could be a dream - lovely bays, walks, sea eagles and brahminy kites, black parrots, rock wallabies - beautiful. The 20 minute ferry ride is easily manageable.

As for Townsville I think its a bit of a soul-less dump but I understand some like it. Could be career suicide though for an IT pro? Looked at the work in the Townsville Bulletin on saturday and it's virtually all heavy industry or 'tradie' - diesel fitters, mechanics etc Either that or medical as there's always a shortage of doctors and nurses (not surprising considering the enormity of some of the population here!)

If this isn't too daft a reply then why don't you move to the Mornington Peninsula? You could live on St Andrews Beach......

Yes, you'd still have the commute (drive to Frangers and then train) but you'd get the beaches, it's usually a few degrees cooler than the city (great on a 40 degree day) but it's usually milder than some of the suburbs in winter and you could keep your current job.

Some of the places we visit in Oz seem on the face of it nice but I'd probably think twice about living in some of them at the end of the day!

Totally agree Kim. IMHO one of the biggest reasons for emigration failure is mistaking a holiday destination for a great place to live.

BB

Holiday destinations are great as long as you don't have to work, commute ...well everyday life really!

Our friends who emigrated to Spain to live spent a long, long time looking for the right place to live to get it right. One lot of friends has a holiday home in a fantastic location, awesome views etc etc but you wouldn't want to live there on a permanent basis as it's on top of a mountain and you'd need to be a mountain goat to walk back up from the local shop....yes shop not shops! Where my friends are they have shops, bars within walking distance and 5 mins drive to the beach - perfect!

I think deciding where to live in a new huge city is one of the hardest things to do on arrival. We knew very few places in Mellie when we got here, only St Kilda and Watsonia where our friends lived. We knew Watsonia was tooooo far from the beach so we plumped for St Kilda but ended up in Brighton then moved down to the Peninusula which I love but sometimes it can be a bit sleepy so go up to the city for a buzzy busy fix sometimes! Even so give me the Northern Beaches of Sydney in preference..... still! One day when I'm rich I'll get a second home up there best of both worlds!