Yummy mummy 08

Hello, ive been searching the net and reading loads of threads about the best and worst places to live in Australia and im getting so confused...aargh

I'm emigrating with my husband and son from the uk. We're planning on living in Queensland, but want to know where the best place for our lifestyle would be - here goes...

My husbands a mechanical engineer so he needs to be doing that... id eventually be teaching part time in a school. We'd like to live in a decent, safe area, we dont want to be in the middle of no-where, we'd like a community feel yet not over populated, we need to be close to good schools, shops and park(s), within 1/2 hr drive from the beach, and no more than a 40 min drive to Brisbane.

We sound like we want a lot, but any ideas/suggestions would be really appreciated!

Thanks so much, YM8 x

alipally

Why do you want live in QLD? Just wondering?

Broad Shoulders

that's a difficult mix to get.

A lot of people do not realise that Brisbane does not actually have any beaches (natural ones anyway). Wynnum/Manly area is by the sea, but they are hardly classed as "beaches", more mud flats.
Redcliffe I would think would be the closest beach to Brisbane, although that is about 40 mins/kms from Brisbane at the best of times. In peak hour this blows out to about an hour. But Redcliffe's beaches can hardly compare to Surfers or the Sunny Coast beaches, but they are still pleasant and good for kids.

If you based yourself around the Loan City Council area you would be just over 30 mins to the nearest Gold Coast beaches and probably around 40 mins from Brisbane, but these aren't exactly the best areas in the region to bring up kids

OzzieGunner

There are lots of great places to live in Oz the most important consideration is employment. Your husband is a mechanical engineer but in what field? If its automotive design then not much choice in Queensland likewise if its mining he will have plenty of opportunities. Similarly you need to analyse your own employment opportunities, in Australia different states have different requirements and often differing paths to work in your chosen trade or profession These are the fundamental areas you should look at first. Then move onto lifestyle choices, do you like the heat, or are you a lover of the arts etc etc.

asprilla

agreed.


If you or your partner will be working in central Brisbane, then you have to really make a compromise.... its either (a) smaller commute time and a longer drive to the beach, or (b) long commute time and live near the beach.


For what its worth, I reckon that the south side would be your best bet.

Broad Shoulders

...however Southside would put you closer to Gold Coast beaches, which for me are less family orientated than the Sunshine Coast beaches. So if you prefer Sunny Coast beaches you would be better off living Northside

chellebelle

I agree the Sunshine Coast beaches are great, however I have friends and family up that way and they say that the drive to Brisbane is an absolute nightmare and takes them an hour and a half most days.
Work wise they have also experienced problems with work - my cousins wife is a teacher and has found it hard to get a placement on the Sunshine Coast.... though she was not looking in the public system....
If you want to live near the beach then I think the Gold Coast would have more employment opportunities with regards to having the choice of picking up something actually on the Coast, or having to commute to Brisbane. However if you are right near the beach on the Gold Coast then your commute would be at least an hour. If you want somewhere in between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, you'd have to choose more of a "suburbia".
Brisbane is a great city in my opinion. There are some really charming suburbs there as well.
I am personally on the Gold Coast, Broadbeach Waters. I love that I can walk to the beach from my house and all the cafes.
Its so hard choosing isn't it. I lived in Sydney for 5 years...the city life...loved it, but when I had my first child I wanted more space, more family friendly etc.
Of course your decisions will also be made on your budget.... thats a consideration.
Dont know if any of those ramblings were any use at all

Yummy mummy 08

My hubby has family there. Another idea was Perth. Been to both places recently, but just cant make up our minds...

Yummy mummy 08

Thank you for all ramblings! lots to think about. Perth could also be an option... my hubby has family in both Brisbane and Perth, although mostly in Brisbane...

alipally

the most important aspect must be that your partner can get a job... 9 months after arrival here in Adelaide has seen my Engineer hubby flying back to the UK so that he has some work... there's nothing here for him at the moment.

quoll

Yup, wherever you can get a job!

Deancm

There's no such thing as a community feel in Australia. Everybody keeps to themselves.

moneypenny20

Bollox.

Deancm

That all depends what you mean by community feel because if you mean know your next door neighbors and the locals like in the UK then that's just not the case in Oz. Unless you live in some small country town.

moneypenny20

Not the case in your particular area maybe. However, don't assume it's the same everywhere. Australia is a massive place and unless you've spent a lot of time everywhere, there's no way you can be so judgemental and be talking the truth. I'm fairly sure there are areas in the UK that have no community feel to them.