Tincx

Hi Everyone

This is my first post on the Lifestyle Forum. I finally got my PR Visa and was planning for my partner and I to settle on the Gold Coast. I have been before (in holiday mode) but wondered what its like from other peoples perspective to live there.

We have no kids and in our late twenties but will be starting a family out there.

Any advice, Is it the right place to be or is it too touristy to ever feel like its your home?

All comments, good or bad welcome.

Cheers Tincx

swissfabs

Hi Tincx,

I spent last year on the Gold Coast, working and going to uni. Its a great area to live, the weather is fantastic but it is quite touristy in Surfers Paradise. I lived in Main Beach and in Broadbeach (next suburbs north and south of Surfers respectively) and they are tourist-free (almost) areas and really nice communities by the beach.

The gold coast is the 6th biggest city in australia and therefore has almost everything you need (i say that because it doesnt have a monster bookshop and i was looking for specific books and could never find it.)

I would definitly say: give it a go because its a great compromise between a large town where it takes ages to get everywhere and a tiny place where u cant find anything.

The gold coast has 2 unis, heaps of entertainment, u are 1 hour from brisbane and 1 hour from sydney on the plane. I loved it and thats where i am going back.

Debsy is there right now, i suggest u to ask her too, or just pm me for more details!!!!

Take care and have a great sunday!

fabie

Tincx

Thanks Fabie

Thats the kinda encouragement i am after, I stayed in Broadbeach (near Pac Fair) and really liked it, just was not sure about long term living. I suppose the only way to find out is to do it

I have been reading threads from Debsy, I think she is in Varsity Lakes which is not far from Broadbeach (I think).

Anyone else got any experiences? What about Crime? It it high in comparison to other large cities in Oz?

Cheers Tincx

HiddenPaw

I also think RobertD is on the Gold Coast (not sure where tho) - they have posted up lots of stuff about how they find it (both the good and the bad) - always good to get arguments/points from all sides.

Sue from Manchester

Hi
My parents live in Broadbeach and absolutely love it. Their house backs onto a canal and they can sit outside on their deck watching the boats putter up and down. They find the local doctor very helpful. They can afford to eat out 3 times a week and have regular restaurants they go to where all the staff known them and they are only a short taxi ride away. I would say it's added at least 10 years to their life (they are in mid to late 70s). But really it's like an extended holiday as they are retired. I don't know what the job market is like there, I would guess it's mostly tourism or service industry. When I have visited I thought it was great. They feed a tame pelican with corned beef from their back garden - how cool is that?

wombat42

[QUOTE=swissfabs]Hi Tincx,

I spent last year on the Gold Coast, working and going to uni. Its a great area to live, the weather is fantastic but it is quite touristy in Surfers Paradise. I lived in Main Beach and in Broadbeach (next suburbs north and south of Surfers respectively) and they are tourist-free (almost) areas and really nice communities by the beach.

The gold coast is the 6th biggest city in australia and therefore has almost everything you need (i say that because it doesnt have a monster bookshop and i was looking for specific books and could never find it.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's because most people on the gold coast can't read
They are mainly high school drop out, surfers on the dole ,dumb blond meter maids who are either part time models or hookers and the mad drunk schoolies
that riot and demolish the place every year and criminal shark property developers rip off people by selling them Units at a price 5 times more then what they are worth.

debsy

Hi Tincx
I am on the Gold Coast but I have only been here for 4 weeks.

Louisa might be able to hlep you as she has been here for ages (robertd) there are also other members that live in Helensvale and Hope Island.

I like it here so far. Then again I have lived in touristy areas for a long time.
What sort of job do your and your partner do? I would checkout the job situation first in the area.

There are some really lovely areas to live here - robina and varisty are nice areas with lots of new housing and shops, schools etc.

There are new places sprining up all of the time.

regards
debs

robertd

Hi Tincx,
Its Louisa here. Been living in Varsity for 15 months now and love it. Made lots of new friends (Debsy is one). There are 1000 new people moving to South East Queensland every week, so hurry if you want a space here!!!!! Robina and Varsity Lakes are very popular with families because the schools are so good. Varsity school has been open for just over two years and is excellant. There seems to be quite alot of us brits around this part of the coast. The housing market is still going strong with 500,5000(five hundred and fifty thousand) houses being built over the next 5 years. I sound like ABC diamond with all these facts and figures. It is a lovely place to live, sometimes the houses seem a little squashed in, but that seems to be most places around here unless you live on acreage. Hope I have been some help, let me know if you need to know anything else, take care Louisa

Tincx

Hi Louisa, Debsy

Thanks for your warm wlecome and we are not there yet! Varisty does sound good for family life, so thats somewhere we will be looking at when we arrive (Feb 2005). Going to be in Sydney for the 1st Month as our dog is going to be in quarantine there. We cant wait to get out there

What are the key dates for stuff going on there?
Indi
Schoolies
When does the rainy season start and end and is it good weather anyway?

Thanks Guys

Tincx

robertd

Dear Tincx,
We have just had Indy last weekend, next big thing is schoolies. Starts mid November for about two/three weeks I think. Not too gend up on that I am afraid. It is getting alot warmer now, some days it is up to mid thirties. The rains comes in the summer months and boy does it rain. We get the most fantastic lighning and thunder storms too. You will soon be here to see for yourselves, take care Louisa

Dicko

HI Tincx,
Thats were we are headed as soon as we sell our house, we have our visa's and cant wait to get there.
We have friends who live in Helensvale, they have been there 4 years now and love it.
It's a 45-60 min drive into Brissy but, you are also close to loads of nice beaches without living on top of them.

We are really looking forward to settling there, the only thing is house price have really shot up over the last 18 months, dont know how long that will last though, hopefully not too long and they will settle down ready for our move next year. I think the reason for the prices shooting up, is the fact a lot of migrants are heading there, even Aussies moving from other parts.

Good luck and see you there next year

This is a good book if you can get your hands on it, it is written by a lady who settled there a short while ago.

Tincx

Hey Dicko

Where abouts are you thinking of settling? Helensvale? It that where the main train link to Brissy is?

Im liking the idea of Broadbeach Waters, near Pacific Fair, but if it gets too busy, we can move around a bit (Robina, Varisty, Helensvale etc..)

We will be renting to start with to seek out the best spot then go for buying. after maybe a year.

We will definatley be contacting all you guys when we arrive and see if you want to meet up for some beers

See you all when we get out there (Feb Time 2005)

Tincx

funkybuddah

High everyone, we also are not to sure excactly where we''l be going, and don't really know where we want to settle. We know we want to head near gold coast area, and feel happy that we've read this thread, and would love to meet uo with anyone as we shall be out there april/may ime.

Tincx

Hi Funky

That would be great, I see there is a Gold Coast Meeting in the pipeline for now, which we cant attend, but wish we could (Not long now) so maybe we can all meet up next year when we are all out and settled in?

Cheers

Tincx

funkybuddah

Definatley. Roll on 2005!!