Hi
We are moving to Australia the end of the year but haven't decided on the best city for us
I have looked at Melbourne or the gold coast as two areas to live as I visited these whilst playing rugby there in 1995. My lasting memory of surfers is a party town and quite lively whereas Melbourne was more city orientated
We have looked at southport gold coast as a possible area, but I'm wondering how suitable it would be for children ? Is it as lively as surfers as I dont want to settle in the party capital of gold coast
If it is very busy, can anyone recommend a suitable Coastal town on the gold coast please ?
I'm a construction project manager and my wife is a nurse so we should be ok with the area for work
We have been told Melbourne is ideal however the winters aren't very mild ?
Kind regards
Jason
Cardiff south Wales UK

Hi there Jason,
We moved to the GC last August from the UK. We live in Upper Coomera not far from Movie World and the area is fantastic, if you are renting then there is an abundance of family rentals for around $380 pw. You are 5 mins from the M1 and 20 mins to the centre of Surfers and about 20 mins to Mt Tamborine and on a good run 40 mins to Brissie. You have a few beaches around the Hope Island Area which is 10 mins down the road, so great for kids, or for an evening stroll to watch the sun set!
Work wise, I think is tight on the GC but for yourself and your wife you really shouldn't have a problem.

Hope this helps.

That 'good run' to the CBD will be around 3am on a Sunday morning avoiding the hoons in the Skylines on the M1

You have to say on a typical commute you can add double that once you consider you have a park somewhere and get to work?

Unless the commute has eased considerably since I did it 6 months ago ...

Well heading to Michelton all in all takes an hour and that is not leaving a ludicrous o'clock....

Upper Coomera to Michelton, door to door in an hour during the morning peak?

Maybe my memory is a little hazy but I am struggling to think of a route that will do that without invoking visions of The Jetsons.

Seems a lot of people on here travel by helicopter......or time machine

a bit like bayside to the city in 40 minutes in rush hour

I'm all for extolling the virtues of moving to Brisbane (I know, you have a different perspective) but commute times from the sticks isn't one of them.

To give some context I have 6 years experience of commuting from out Beenleigh way (roughly) and the time it takes to get into the city, get parked, get to work is the main reason I am sitting here looking for jobs closer to home.

If I lived closer to a train station (20 minute drive to the nearest) then this would be the go but the benefits of semi-rural living have to have a price or every bugger would be out here

You're moving your family to Australia because you visited on a Rugby trip, years ago. Of course, why wouldn't you? The Gold Coast will be perfect for your family. There are lots of building sites for you, hospitals for your wife and great prospects for your children. When I lived there, briefly, with mine, I only ever saw one drug deal going down, only ever had to warn my toddler not to step on one syringe and was continually impressed by the number of interesting itinerants. Oh, and by the way... Coomera is where a lot of newbies end up. It isn't exactly by the sea... but it is VERY handy to the M1 motorway and in some parts you can hear Dreamworld from there... everyday.

Who cares!

Year round warmth is not the be all and end all!

Hi

to the OP.

We live on the Broadwater in Labrador which is close to southport. Southport itself is up and coming and they have spent a fair amount on the shopping area.

Its by the spit and sea world and it is pretty nice around there. I also own some land in Coomera Waters which is very quiet and one of the safest places on the "coast" to live. Its on the canal system and is pretty remote, upper coomera is just over the M1 and helensvale and pac pines are just a little further down.

Pac pines and upper coomera have loads of rentals available and they are ok areas to live, loads of expats on pac pines so it would be like living back in england lol.

Your best off driving up and down the coast, dont base everywhere on surfers back in 1995, its a shocker on a fri/sat night, but ok to walk around in the day time. Broadbeach and Tedder Avenue appeal to me more these days, maybe cos of my age.

Some areas are rife with drugs as well so try and stay clear of Frank Street (back of where I live lol) unless you look for a secure/body corp type property. We overlook the sea and have a secure car park and lift to our unit, its awesome, but if I wanted to score, i reckon I could in between the My Kitchen Rules ad break lol.

sean

I've been here over five years. As yet I've not seen a syringe nor a drug deal going down. Have seen a few 'tramps' but they didn't bother me and I didn't bother them. Fewer than in London that's for sure. Not commenting on Coomera, I don't live there but it seems an ideal spot for many who want to live on the Gold Coast who need to commute to Brissie. We came without having been here before, it worked for us.

You should get out more MP. There are entire police forces, filled with members, devoted to the non-dealing of drugs on the Gold Coast. Just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist.

I get out quite enough. My point was that just because you saw it happen doesn't mean it happens all the time and across the whole coast. It's no better or worse than any other city in the developed world today.