Baz

Hi All,

Its been about six years since i last posted in BE(!) In that time we moved to Cairns, have had lots fun, some challenges, ‘ups and down’s,’ and have had two wonderful kids.

Anyway, we are thinking its time for a change. We love Cairns, and have some good friends here, but the lifestyle down on the Sunshine Coast does look nice with the surfing, clear water, and crocodile and stinger free beaches(!) We would also like to be somewhere where there is a bit more going on for the kids, because Cairns is fairly small, inevitably it means it is somewhat limited in terms of what it has to offer. My wife has family in Brisbane too, so it would be nice for her to be a bit closer to them.

So we are thinking of moving down to the Sunshine Coast, i can potentially get work in Maroochydore, if i can’t get a job in Maroochydore, Caboolture could be another option assuming it is commutable from the Sunshine Coast.

So i was just wondering if anyone could give me their thoughts on what its like living in the area, any information would be appreciated, but particularly :

What experiences people have had finding property to rent, is it hard to get a rental? (When we were in Brisbane back in 2007 it was quite a competitive process, anyone would have thought we were going for a job interview(!) Obviously we would have to rent initially, probably for around a year before we buy.

What its like buying property down there? In Cairns we have a new build style four bedroomed, two bathroomed house, on a, 850 square meter block, the house is 250 square meters, with a pool, in a reasonably nice area, near the beach. We can probably expect to get about 550K for it. I understand property is more expensive on the Sunshine Coast, i don’t mind having a smaller block (i’m sick of having to mow the lawn every week(!) But we would like a similar sized house. We would probably like to build, maybe get a house and land package or something. Is there anyway of getting a bit more ‘bang for your buck’ down there as far as property goes? Most likely scenario would be that i would be working in Maroochdore, we don’t have to live in Maroochydore itself as i appreciate this is probably expensive, are there any areas commutable from Maroochydore where you get more in terms of value for money? We probably don’t want to spend more than 500K, even at 500K we feel like slaves to our mortgage.

My wife is a nurse, can anyone advise what the job situation is like down there in terms of finding employment in nursing?

I was also wondering what the general situation is with day-care / school? We have one - one year old, and a three year old. Up here it isn’t really a problem finding a place in daycare or school, is it a similar situation in the Sunshine Coast, or do you have to put your kids names down years in advance. Any recommendations on daycares or schools?

Do you think if i were to get a job in Caboolture, it would be realistic to commute from the Sunshine Coast?

I think our prospective move is one of these scenarios where we appreciate we are going to have to make some sacrifices, probably in terms of what we can expect to get property-wise compared to what we have up here, and commuting times. But obviously there are going to be some positives from moving south too.

Any information would be appreciated.

Cheers - Baz

jad n rich

Commute to caboolture easy, the traffic probs are closer to Brisbane. 30/40 mins from coast. Huge hospital opening this year kawana way. Easy as to get a newish house close to beach around 500. Childcare renting similar to elsewhere. In demand basically. Loads of brand new houses in maroochydore to rent lookedvrecently as our rental in Alexandra headland was vacant. That was 3 beds old house but Reno went for 480, but roll outta bed into surf so rents quickly. my kids moved to melb for uni but big new uni on coast too. Never got bored in school years plenty to do. Definately nicer climate than cairns.

astera

Have you looked at the Gold Coast? This is paradise for kids (or adults as well though mainly on a loud, short stretch in the centre of Surfers) and there's virtually unlimited options for them all across the GC. Plus you get all the theme parks where $99/pp (annually) nets you unlimited access to a whole range of places (like Sea World + Movie World + Wet & Wild all on the same annual pass) so you can take them there whenever you find time.

I'm not sure what industry you're in so no idea what the job market would be like, but from your wife's side you have nearby Southport which seems to be a medical hub for the area. The tram system here is fantastic and connects all the important areas from Broadbeach right through Surfers, Southport and beyond.

Baz

Thanks for the replies, I think we like the Sunshine Voast because it seemed quite laid back, the Gold Coast has everything there but it reminded me a little of Sydney, and seemed quite hectic. Also looking on Realestate.com there wasn't much in the way of property in the 450 & 500K range, it seemed quite expensive. I'm in the police, so that's the other issue, they seemed to get smashed down the Gold Coast. If we were to move to the Gold Coast where would you recommend? We would be looking for somewhere which isn't too busy.

astera

I chose the Gold Coast simply because of the myriad of options that were missing even in a city like Sydney, which is where a large chunk of my family (including my grandma) still live. The GC seems to have everything, especially for a family with kids. Before this we spent 6 great years in Singapore and loved it, and if not for the Gold Coast we would probably have skipped Australia altogether and headed elsewhere instead.

Living here I think it's best to keep as many daily options open as possible, so not just relying on a car but also being within walking distance of interesting places, as well as fairly near to the new tram system that works like a charm.

Starting from the southern side, I certainly would not choose to reside any further south than Broadbeach. Broadbeach itself is a beautiful place and has practically everything, from wonderful playgrounds for the kids right next to the beach to lots of great places to eat or have a drink. It's probably the best place to spend an evening in a civilised environment. There's even a Woolies there, and just a 10 minute walk away across Gold Coast Hwy you have a major shopping mall, Pacific Fair. Plus Jupiters Casino is right there too for going out to see some great footie action (EPL naturally, not Aussie rules human ping-pong).

Going north you head into Surfers though between Broadbeach and Surfers you have some calmer and pleasant areas worth considering. Once you get to the Q1 I would skip everything north from there until you get to Surfers Paradise North tram station as it's tourists galore. As a resident stores that sell souvenirs/beach stuff/tours/condos in new developments are going to be of little use to you, and most of the people you see are only there short term.

Surfers North is a small area, because heading up you have a park and then there's Main Beach, which is a very nice and calm area to live in (more upscale in terms of residents, hotels here are strict too and don't cater to party goers) and the last place (northwards) where you have access to great beaches within a few minutes' walk. The great thing is that you are close to everything here, from Surfers (15 minutes walk, 5 mins by car) to Southport across the bridge. And also Sea World is a 3 minute drive away, so if you have an annual pass then you can pop in there every weekend or even after school.

Heading further north you actually tilt north-west and head into Southport. This is an up-and-coming place, very international with lots of Asians which is quite good (they don't tend to cause any trouble). It's actually regarded as the CBD (offices, medical hub, main courthouse for the area, etc.) of the Gold Coast and has lots of hi-rises planned. I like the vibe and pop in there every day as it's on the way to our girls' school. There's a great park there, the Broadwater Parklands, with loads of things for kids from splash pools for the little ones to a full-on bouncy-castle-type obstacle course in the water, not to mention playgrounds and lots of greenery and walking/bicycle paths.

From here the tram heads westwards so you are going away from the water and the last stop is Gold Coast University Hospital.

Of course there are many other interesting places that are not along the tram line, and one place that stands out as value is the area around Runaway Bay. They even have a lovely shopping mall there with all the major supermarkets and dept. stores where the foodcourt actually has an outdoor area so you can enjoy your food by the waterside as one of the major canals runs right next to it. That's another plus of living there, you can have a house with a street in front of it and water access from the rear, so you could have your own boat, jet-ski, etc. and enjoy a wonderful lifestyle there. Of course further north from Runaway Bay you'll find the ultra-expensive Sovereign Islands, but I still think Runaway Bay is a great way to enjoy a fantastic lifestyle without the ridiculous price-tag of the before-mentioned islands.

From a Police perspective I think the Gold Coast has learned its lesson from some time back and has sent a message to potential trouble makers that armed response personnel are available in large numbers round the clock if need be, after being undermanned when a bikie situation developed in Broadbeach in 2013. That's when they decided that they need to have the capability of reacting to such situations in the future and the appropriate changes were implemented.

Having lived in Singapore for 6 years I could not hope for a more crime-free environment than over there, but I must admit that things are very, very good over here as well. In fact most GC residents would regard the place as ultra safe compared to Sydney or Melbourne, which people here are wary of.

I have never felt endangered in any way, in any place here, nor have I witnessed anything bad happen apart from one event when an extended family turned on each-other during some wedding-related (not sure whether it was before/after the event) incident with them all trying to knock each other out on the street. Tourists... too much alcohol... turning on each other. I normally wouldn't call the cops unless there was a psycho with an axe outside my door, but in this case I did pick up the phone as it was right outside our balcony (at the time we lived at the Mantra Crown Towers in Surfers whilst looking for more permanent accommodation) at 2am and the scenes were like from Kabul, with the injured sprawled all over the street and fighting still ensuing. It took 8-9 minutes for the police to arrive, but once the first squad car came there were subsequent ones arriving at the scene literally every 30 seconds for the next couple of minutes. It was like a scene from a movie and I was surprised at how they could muster what looked like around 10-12 cars, coming in from all sides as if this was a Hollywood production. Gold Coast Police are top class imo.

Red_V_Roger

We made the move from Sydney to north end of Sunny Coast 2 years ago and for most part love it. If you are already used to the frustrations of living outside a major city you be fine. BUT make sure to have work lined up before you come here, the general job situation is dire. My wife who worked for major insurance companies in Sydney CBD tried for over a year here (15 applications a week) and only got 3 interviews. She ended up setting up her own business. BUT don't come here with the expectation that you will just walk in to a job.

Bix

We lived in Cairns for 9 years and moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2014. It stacks up very favourably compared to Cairns. Plenty to do, good shopping close vicinity for travel to Brisbane / Gold Coast and a very attractive hinterland not dissimilar to the Atherton Tablelands.

It is becoming a lot busier and will continue to do so. There is more development dollars hitting the SC than any other part of Australia.

Brand new hospital at Birtinya is due to open late 2016.
Airport runway is being extended.
New town centre and complex to be built at Birtinya area when hospital is finished.
Maroochydore shopping centre has purchased the golf course across the road and will extend into that area over the coming years.
Residential housing developments along the length of the Coast.

Let's hope the infrastructure is built to cope with it all.

As a nurse I would have thought the wife would be able to obtain employment in the new hospital when it opens (if not before).

There are lots of potential destinations for you to live but a lot will depend how close you want to be to a beach. There are several walkable beach side suburbs but equally a number of inland suburbs that are within a very short drive.

Your place of work makes a difference too of course. If you really fancy commuting to Caboolture you would want to be based at the very South end of the SC.

Baz

Thanks for the replies, its definitely given us something to think about.

I have an application in for a job in Maroochydore, obviously if i get that job the decision in terms of where to move is made for us, but if i don't we will definitely look at the Gold Coast as another option.

Thanks again.

joeyballantyne

hi Baz

What experiences people have had finding property to rent, is it hard to get a rental? yes competitive, so get your ducks lined up before you inspect a place - get all of your documents, forms etc ready so that if you really like a place you're straight onto the agent making an application, don't hesitate or blink cos someone else will beat you to it.

My wife is a nurse, can anyone advise what the job situation is like down there in terms of finding employment in nursing? there's a nursing forum in the job section on here - I can only add that there's plenty of places for nurses to work around the sunny coast, and I know some commute from sunny coast to Caboolture hospital too.

Do you think if i were to get a job in Caboolture, it would be realistic to commute from the Sunshine Coast?
definitely, i do it nearly every day, 45 minutes easy drive from pelican waters - so it will be about the same for you from maroochydore as it takes 15 minutes for me to get on the bruce highway.

hope that helps.

Baz

Thanks mate 👍

Baz

Question : does anyone know what the commute time would be between Buderim and Caboolture?

joeyballantyne

I would say 50mins - it takes me 40 mins from caloundra - so add another 10 as you'll be coming from the next junction.

Baz

Thanks. Is traffic much of an issue? Just trying to weigh up whether the commute is 'do-able.' We have been spoilt here in Cairns, I would give myself a leisurely half an hour to get to work, from what your saying it sounds like if we lived anywhere between Caliundra and Buderim it's between 40-50 mins, therefore you'd pretty much be leaving an hour or so before you start work, which as a return journey equates to two hours of the day. Is this your take on it? I was also wondering what was happening to that road between Caloundra and the Bruce Highway they were supposed to be building to reduce the commute time?

joeyballantyne

Only if there's an accident, in which case take something to pee in and a book to read - you could also cut onto steve irwin way and go past beerwah, glasshouse and beerburrum through the sticks, that will add about another 10 mins. I very rarely have trouble with traffic between Caloundra and Cabo so it doesnt feel like a slog - but yes factor in about 50 mins commute each way. Not sure about the new road supposedly reducing the commute time, they're building the road from the new Caloundra south 'Aura' onto the main Caloundra road near the racetrack, i'm assuming the other end of it will come out around bells creek, but if there's going to be around 50k inhabitants of Aura i'm not sure it will be a 'shortcut'!

Baz

Cheers, i thought there was a road being built from the Beerwah turnoff (?) to somewhere around the Pelican Waters Estate, which presumably would shave off about 15 mins, and make Caloundra a much more viable option to live in than Buderim. There is some info on it on the internet, its alluded to in a few forums with people asking the same question, but nothing more. You would think with the increase in the population of Caloundra courtesy of new housing estates, it would be justified, but i get the impression the Sunshine Coast suffers from the same funding issues as Cairns (we always seem to come last in the que).

I guess it will just come down to how long i am prepared to sit in the car every day, thinking about it, a 50 min car ride is about 15 mins more than i currently have. Its not ideal but do-able.