hindon

Can anyone give us any info on whether the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast would be better for us?
We (2 adults, 2 children 10 + 15) thought it would be the Sunshine Coast but just beginning to realise how far it is between the 2.
Priority's would be Employment, Wages, House prices, Good schools, Music tuition and most importantly family lifestyle. (not too busy but not too quiet)
Oh and of course the one with the best weather.

Any help from those all ready out there would be very gratefully received.

jad n rich

Not understanding what you mean, how far it is between the 2,

If your talking distance, you can get from one coast to the other in 2 hours, well unless you decide to go in rush hour then it could take 4

Best weather, well being 2 hours apart not much difference, fantastic winters warm mid 20's, good all year really only dodgy bit it summer, can be hot with humidity due to summer being the rainy season, absolutely nothing like the humidity of far north qld tho.

Jobs, what do you do, both are huge population growth areas with tourism brisbanes in the middle of the two for the city type and a huge amount of people commute from both coasts.

thebears

Avoid surfers paradise

hindon

Hi, i will do anything in school hours and my Husband is a Vehicle Painter / Sprayer. where do you consider being the best place for job prospects?

karenjc

Hi, i,m a car sprayer and live on the Gold Coast and have found that work down here is plentiful and places always looking for the right person. Quill.

bloofox

After many years visiting both we preffered the Sushine Coast when it came down to buying a house and schooling the kids...The Gold coast is busier,and so there's probably more work but for us it was more important that we lived in a place we liked...and Coolum Beach is pretty hard to fault..

With teenagers to concider I'd say spend a bit of time on both coasts and see what each of you prefer...I bet the teenagers like The Gold Coast more.

As for paint-spraying work, well, they wreck just as many cars up here as they do on the Gold Coast, with the laughable way cars are driven over here there's no shortage of repair work....

check out www.domain.com.au , for house prices..just don't believe the estate agents descriptions, they're outrageous liars..."Walk to Beach" ? 9 times out of 10 it is possible, but no one would....it might give you a few ideas though....

Have fun looking for the new home, wherever you end up you'll love it...

MD09

Hmm this question must come up atleast once a week. But anyway, here are my thoughts…

The humidity in and around the Goldy or Sunny Coast isn’t that bad, as you get sea breezes. Living in the Brisbane basin can be punishing though.

The Goldy has more of a surfie chav culture. Drugs in schools are very common, especially on the southern end around Miami and also in & around Southport.

Teenage pregnancies are as common as the people. The Gold Coast region also has the highest incidence of child abuse in the nation.

Crime is very high – especially burglaries, so get home contents insurance.

The drivers are mad I’ll tell you. They’re all in a hurry to get to their spot on the beach or to find that free BBQ. Parking can be hard to find on a nice day at some beaches, and don’t even think about venturing into Surfers/Broadbeach during the school holidays – there are rude, obnoxious Sydney and Melbourne tourists everywhere!

I won’t even go into “Schoolies” month that takes place one a year.

Now the sunny Coast, aaaaah this is as closest to heaven you will find in oz - You can keep your Manly’s, Coogees and Bondis, nowhere can match the beautiful Sunshine coast of QLD, or anywhere north of Brisbane for that matter.

sherie_in_oz

Don't listen to this rubbish theres more to the Gold coast than this....it can be very damaging reading what people write on BExpats.
It depends what you like, there are good and bad things everywhere, but its definitely nowhere near as bad as this makes out, or i wouldn't be here!
As i've said before why are so many people are moving to the GC if its so bad??
We think the Gold coast gives us the best life in Australia and a LOT of people on the Gold coast feel the same

The hardest thing about coming here is getting a good rental because so many new people are coming to live here all the time.

Our kids aged 16, 13 and 11 are all very happy and sensible, and definitely NOT into drugs!!! Our 16 (soon to be 17)year old loves going to the beach, works part time, when hes not at school and has very sensible friends....despite us living in the southern part of the GC!!
I know lots of poms and aussies wanting to come and live here, they want the good weather and beaches but they also want lots to do, so come for a visit and have a look a few km inland at the residential suburbs and you'll see a very different gold coast to surfers

MD09

Typical, some of these problems won’t be seen or accepted by your typical naive middle class 40 something. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re there and a real problem.

To suggest there isn’t a drug problem on the Goldy is ludicrous and plain out misleading. At one stage even taxis/limo drivers were selling it to passengers on a large, organised scale.

I won’t even “go there” regarding the Russian mafia which has set-up on the Gold Coast in recent years and its expansion, or the numerous bikie groups opening chapters in a suburb near you, so to speak. These mafia like bikie groups have dealers of all ages- in schools, nightclubs, shopping malls, and theme parks – everywhere 12 to 25 y/o’s associate!

I’m not completely dissing the Goldy. I’m merely advising that it has quite a few social problems, all of which are on a lot smaller scale on the Sunny Coast (heaven on earth ). If one can find work on the Sunny Coast he would be crazy not to settle there with kids.

sherie_in_oz

I for one will definitely not be posting anymore with people like this on here who wants to go the sunshine coast.....

MD09

What a baby.

gedge

no playground antics please

sherie_in_oz

No the truth is very different from the way you see it, there are many people with different lives in both places....grow up this is the real world!

sbond

Hi hindon,

The culture of both the coasts couldn't be more different. Unemployment rates at both are quite high compared to Brisbane. You will find good schools in both, and not great schools in both. Wages depend on what you do, with the Gold Coast probably providing more tourist-trade service employment. Music tuition will be equally good in both. I'll try and give you a concise rundown:

Gold Coast
The "Goldy" is about 40 mins by car to Brisbane, which is handy if you end up finding work in Brisbane. My American friends equate the Gold Coast to Miami; glitzy, high-rises, major casino, urban, tourist-oriented (Japanese street signs!) with so much to do; but also has the more seedy side to it that comes with this environment. Every year the school-leavers of Queensland descend upon the Gold Coast the week that they leave school in early December for a week or revelry (and the debauchery that goes with it). The surf is incredible, and the multitude of theme parks provide lots of entertainment for kids. You can live further inland (towards beautiful Tambourine Mountain, or Harbour Town), be a short distance from the beach, but avoid the craziness of the Coast. You can also live a little further south towards Tweed Heads, and be only an hour to gorgeous Byron Bay. There is also Bond University, a private university.

Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast is almost at the opposite end of the cultural spectrum. There are very few high rises, the beaches are more spread apart, and the overall age level of residents is much higher. The Sunshine Coast is generally where people go to retire. It's about 2 hours drive from Brisbane, which means you are more likely to have to find work in the area, and the lifestyle is much much quieter. The biggest "action" is in Noosa, and pockets of Maroochydore and Mooloolaba, mainly from backpackers. People live both close to the beach, and in the popular hinterland (including the folk-artsy towns of Montville and Maleny). The surfing is also great, but not quite as legendary as "Surfers Paradise". There is a strong food culture with people flocking to the Eumundi Markets for organic food; and Noosa's world-class restaurants.

You can find something not-too-busy, but not-too-quiet either on the Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, or Noosa area; or alternatively in the Gold Coast hinterland, where you are away from the craziness, but can get to it if you want it. Or you could live in Brisbane which is very beautiful with a great lifestyle, and drive to the beaches either north or south on weekends.

If you are looking on the Sunshine Coast, I posted an ad in the classifieds section today for or family home - http://britishexpats.com/classifieds...cat=500&page=1

Good luck and keep researching.
Best wishes,
steph

neil&momo

What people clearly forget or don't understand is that the Gold Coast is not JUST Surfers Paradise!!
The Gold Coast starts south of Beenleigh and ends at the boarder of NSW.
there are lot's of suburbs and schools and everything else inbetween.
We live in Helensvale, we really love it here couldn't have picked a better choice if I tried. Apparently the schools here are very good.
We HATE surfers and very rarely go there unless we have rels over who of course want to see it. But we are 25-30mins from there. So far enough away not to be part of the problems associated with it.
So please don't judge the GC by Surfers and Southport it's NOT.
We also love the sunshine coast for a holiday though!
It's too quiet for us, if I'm right in most towns the only place you can get a drink late is the RSL club! It's a beautiful place the beaches are fantastic but at the end of the day we can go up and spend every weekend there if we really wanted it's only 2 hours away. But I really would be very bored if I lived there, Personal preference at the end of the day.
Marie