vanessandave

We recently got back from 3 fabulous weeks in the Brisbane, Sunny Coast and Gold Coast area, here are our random observations/opinions.....

1) The hinterland behind the SC and GC is stunning!!!!
2) Beware of the left hand lane when driving....it might just disappear!
3) I found driving in Oz far more relaxing than the UK, and generally very easy to navigate
4) We got an Oz map for our Tomtom satnav and it was priceless, saving us lots of time and probably a few arguments!!
5) Eating out was generally expensive compared to the UK, but I did find the quality better - especially the steaks! However we were tourists so I imagine some of the places we visited were priced accordingly.
6) Dogs - there seems to be a different attitude to dog ownership in that we walk our dogs off lead pretty much everywhere in the UK, but in Oz you need to find a designated area. Speaking to people these areas are quite common but we didnt see any. This is understandable with the wildlife that is being protected.
7) Crime/Vandalism - didn't see any.
8) Loving the free BBQ's scattered around the coast and parkland
9) The locals seemed genuinely pleasant and interested in who you are
10) Blatant 'adult' shops and lap dancing clubs
11) Public transport was clean and punctual
12) Lots of Thai restaurants
13) Much more of a North American feel to the country in terms of the sense of space, strip malls, wide roads and fast food restaurants everywhere
14) Petrol 60p a litre
15) Cost of grocery shopping in Woolworths and Coles was astronomical!
16) Hotels/B&B's very clean and reasonably priced
17) Smoking banned inside public places
18) Lots of wireless internet hot spots (we took our laptop which also proved to be invaluable)
19) Cheap sim card for our UK mobile from Crazy John's
20) There is SO much more to the Gold Coast than Surfers Paradise
21) We spoke to several estate agents and visited a number of open house viewings - the consensus was that house prices in most areas of the GC have started to come down, and vendors are being forced to accept offers below the asking price if they want to sell.
22) Building your own house appears to be so much easier than the UK. We hadn't really considered building our own until we saw the show homes at Jacobs Ridge. They looked perfect (I know they are show homes!) and a lot less expensive than I anticipated.
23) Never really liked beaches until I saw the ones in Oz, stunning.
24) Wildlife is fabulous, colourful birds, crazy looking furry things, massive bats...unfortunately never saw any snakes though.
25) Wear sunscreen all the time!
26) Jet lag really sucks!!!!
27) There are some great people using this site - you know who you are!!!

Before we went I (Dave) was the driving force, now we both can't wait to get there and start our new life as soon as possible.

Good luck to everyone waiting for your visa!

TeresaG

Thanks very much for that, its very imformative.

Racht70

Great post thanks for that

Whats the hinterland?

mad city fan

thanks for sharing your reccie experience good read

johnknight001

good effort, always good to see an opinion of aus.

sheli0508

We go on Monday to validate... can't wait.

We are taking a laptop and I googled 'hot spots' and there didn't seem to be many - any recommendations would be gratefully received.....

asprilla

Great post !! once you have been living here for a while, you will start to forget about things that seemed odd at first... I enjoyed reading your post.

vanessandave

The hinterland is basically a wide strip of rainforesty mountainous land, with lots of waterfalls, walking trails and wildlife. Really worth packing a few sarnies, water and swimming gear and exploring

vanessandave

I am jealous! I'm sure you will have a fabulous time. Not sure if you have been before, if not, I would recommend going with an open mind and expect your preconceptions to be challenged (in a good way!) If possible try and visit some places you may have discounted because it might not be what you expect. For example we thought the Sunshine Coast would suit us best but we ended up preferring the Gold Coast - can't really put my finger on why, just a feeling I guess.

We used a website called www.quickbeds.com to find accomodation and chose places which included free wireless internet. I noticed McDonalds often had free wireless internet. At one point we even drove into an urban area, did a search and 'borrowed' somebodies unsecured network

Have a great time!!

lossiepickle

great post!! glad you had a ball

Mairead

Excellent post!! Nice tip about the left hand lane. Must admit am nervous at the thought of driving over there!!!

mark 'n' joe

Great post, yes we noticed the lane disappears too Thanks for sharing. Have you seen anywhere you would like to settle in?

Jx

vanessandave

Thanks! we've narrowed it down to the Mudgereeba/Robina/Bonogin area which is about half way down the Gold Coast. We initially wanted to be really near the coast but the houses are too expensive, especially as we need a big garden because we have 3 dogs. But at the end of the day it will probably come down to where we can get jobs.

I notice you are from Newcastle.....I was born and raised in Trentham and my sister lives in the Westlands!!!! where are you planning on moving to?

Dave

Simo429

thank you for that

you seemed to tick all the right boxes for me

and didnt really cross off many either, i really hope we can get our own reccee done in the summer

mark 'n' joe

Small world. I was born and raised in Stoke, Marks from Norton. Where are you now? We are heading to Queensland but not sure where yet.

Joex