Originally Posted by 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

Originally Posted by egghead4

great post
I have just had a quick look at the website you mentioned and it seems okay.
so what grabbed you about the GC then?
we are doing a rekkie in june and really like the look of the SC, but who can tell where we will eventually settle.
what were the main differences between the SC and GC for you?
lots of questions I know, but any feedback will be great

thanks
becky

Originally Posted by vanessandave

Hi Becky, for me the main difference between them is that the Sunshine Coast is currently less developed, its made up of lots of smaller communities, each with their own centre, whereas the Gold Coast also has lots of seperate 'towns' but they virtually roll into one. But thats not to say the Gold Coast is one big metropolis, because its not, it also has lots of beautiful greenery, scenery and coastline. The Gold Coast is also closer to Brisbane which is a bonus for us, and we are more likely to get work there (Vanessa is a Vet, and I'm a mortgage adviser). We are in our early 30's and I would say the average age of the people in the Sunshine Coast is probably older than the GC, and the pace of life seemed to be a bit slower there.

At the end of the day, they are both beautiful, we just got a better vibe about the GC.

Have a great time in June!!

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

If you dont mind me asking, how much was the holiday? Me and my girlfriend want to go on a reccie, but to start off on the gold coast, go down to melbourne then across to perth and home. Im working like a trooper at the moment to save for it, but im wondering... how much should i save for accomodation, flights, inbound flights, food and car hire?

but yeh, great post, very insightful

Originally Posted by vanessandave

We're in Tamworth now, only just submitted our application, so we'll be stuck here for a while yet! have you narrowed it down to any particular area? when are you going?

Originally Posted by 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!

Originally Posted by peppi

Im glad you put the cost of shopping (Coles Woolworths) is astronomical...I keep thinking that...because I still convert stuff after 2 and half years here...I thought it was ME.... Im coming back for a visit in July and plan to do a shop and convert it the other way round just to make doubly sure I am being a bit ripped here...fuel is still cheap...for the moment...eating out I find on a par or even cheaper thou...

All the best with your move...expensive food I suppose is just one of the few minuses...silly things like bread and milk..!!! Not enough to make me turn tail and go home mind..

Originally Posted by jce

I was just looking at this compared to the UK and we spend twice as much on food as we did in the UK although most of it is better quality. The "basics" here are much more expensive with no "loss leaders". Part of the issue is the duopoly of Coles and Woolworths - they have 79% of the market between them and in my view are definately overcharging. No other market in the world is that stitched up - the top 2 in the US have 20% of the market whilst the rate in the UK is 30%. Locals here say that food prices have doubled in the past 5 years.

It was great to read the OP list, as having been here 2 years now (on the SC) i think what you've noted is about right, especially the difference between the GC and SC. And where you end up is about personal choice but your observations are about spot on. The SC rate of growth is higher at the moment and will soon be like the GC! The age demographics are also changing from mainly old to mainly 30ish

On the cost of living issue - food is more expensive, but thats about it other than mortgage repayments which are higher due to the higher interest rate.

I was going through some financial comparisions today between the UK and Oz (given that we live about the same way) and these might be of interest;
- food is more expensive (twice the amount in most cases) but is better quality. We also end up getting fruit and veg at a specialist store. Same with meat, so one trip to Tesco isnt available here.
- sales tax of 10% rather than 17.5% makes quite a difference
- less direct taxation. We take home more of what we earn. Although the tax rates are roughly the same there are more tax benefits you can claim and most people get a sizable refund at year end.
- You dont pay the 12% National Insurance charge. If you choose you can take out medical insurance - but not cost is nowhere near as much
- if you get a good employer they pay your pension contributions
- car tax and fuel costs are much lower. Cars are also cheaper to buy new but second hand cars are more expensive - they tend to hold their value more and for longer
- rates/council tax is lower (about half i reckon) and it includes the cost of water
- electricity costs are about the same. You spend on air con rather than central heating
- eating out is cheaper but its quite hard to find decent restaurants (might just be around here though)

Thats just the hard issue but the intangibles are what makes the huge difference - the weather, the open spaces - access to beaches and rainforest, the lower number of people, the more relaxed attitudes and lifestyle

Maybe not for everybody but having been back to the UK in Dec i know we certainly made the right move and i have no intention of returning to the UK. Life for us is great here

Originally Posted by vanessandave

Car hire £265 for 14 days with Ace Car Rentals for a Hyundai Getz, booked online before we went. We spent £60 on petrol in 2 weeks and we drove constantly!