nosuchluck

Hi Guys
having thought long and hard we are not sure that we won't to live in the hustle and bustle of the coasts and cbd. We have looked further out, ie. laidley, samford (which i know is in a valley and gets very hot), seventeen mile rocks etc. but as we haven't been to oz and can't afford to go on a fact finding mission what do you know of these areas?
any one help?
regards
rach

WBB

sorry cant help but i can BUMP to the top.

maybe bring this back to the top later tonight when australia wakes up.

nosuchluck

Thanks so much Welshboybilly, very kind of you!
really appreciate your kindness
regards
rach

Teresa

Hi Rach

its sometimes hard even for us that have spent alot of time in oz to pinpoint exactly where you want to be, so just give yourself time when you arrive to thoroughly investigate the areas you are interested in, just arrive and have a damn good look around before committing.

My friend lives in Mount Nathan, Qlds, which is inland from surfers paradise - gold coast hinterland, same sort of thing you are looking at but south of brisbane, they love living there and have to say it was pretty chilled and every thing in a short drive, worst thing was the mozzies!!! they bought an acreage and had a property built for about $200k but that was a couple of years back now so prices have risen pretty rapidly in that area.

Samford, i believe is v nice and only about 30 mins from cbd, hopefully someone there can help you a bit more.

researching helps take your mind off these horrible wet evenings, doesn't it

Teresa x

nosuchluck

Hi Teresa
thanks for your input, you are so right of course, no one really knows what the other is looking for, the acerage that your friend has sounds lovely, another pal of mine moved to Samford this time last year and loves it, is in the process of having a Queenslander built

i've been searching real estate agents all night, as if i don't have enough with estate agents all day!! but it does take my mind off things, and keeps me focused on days when im feeling a bit down and disheartened,
thanks again
rach x

Teresa

Rach

meant to say that we are not sure ourselves where we want to be, having holiday'd and lived there!!! and sure that is the same for others that have visited before too, it is such a big country, we might have all missed out on somewhere "perfect" and seen a few too many places that we really like too!!!, so not having been is not such a big disadvantage, hope its coming across a bit better now

although saying that you're right by saying that none of us know what others are really looking for

oops red wine not helping to expalin things too well !!

Teresa x

earlswood

Hi Rach,

Have been to Samford an surounding areas earlier this year.

It does get very hot in the valley and property prices have gone mad there as it seems to be one of the "classier" areas according to the locals

The Fords who were regular posters here moved not far from Samford a couple of months ago and their children go to Samford primary which they say is excellent.

We quite liked alot of the surounding areas and will rent somewhere around the Bunya/Albany Creek/Eatons Hill areas until we find where we want to settle, it's such a big place I'm sure we will have a lot of exploring to do before we get it right.

I'm sure you will find the right place for you

Earlswood

MrsDagboy

Rach, I agree with others about not knowing exctly where you want to be, Ive lived here most of my life & I cant decide where to buy a house now . When it comes down to it, its all personal opinion, like I said to someone yesterday, ones man trash is another mans treasure. But it does help to at least know something, this time you picked areas I know a bit about, so here we go .

Laidley - small country town in the Lockyer Valley. Its ok as small country towns go I guess (dotty would have a fit & would try suicide if she had to live there I suspect LOL), about an hour west of the western outskirts of Brisbane, about an hour & a half into the city (non peak). Not somewhere that you would want to commute from . Lockyer Valley is one of our biggest small crops producers ie potatoes, cabbages, broccoli, carrots etc so cheap vegies! Also means that it can smell a bit at the wrong time of year when you drive through (Im not talking about Laidley as a town, just the whole Lockyer Valley area). Like everywhere house prices have gone up, but of course not as much as in Brisbane. It gets hot!!! Not a huge town, dont expect any sort of range of shops ie local baker, butcher & small corner store/grocer, although Gatton (about 15mins drive away) has a Coles supermarket (groceries). Lastly, Laidley is quite close to the University of Qld Gatton Campus (which is actually about half way between them) which is an agricultural college, so you get students in the pubs & quite a few of them renting houses in the town rather than living on campus. Not necessarily a bad thing, but maybe not necessarily a good thing either, just something to know . Oh & it has a thriving dog obedience club LOL.

Samford - I think you have heard my spiel about the heat & bushfires, I wont rant on any longer :lecture: .

Seventeen Mile Rocks is actually in Brisbane, bordering Oxley, Darra & Inala area. What can I say? Hmmmm. Take my comments about Logan & double them, add a huge asian population (so alot of gang violence) & you will get an idea of what Darra & Inala are like. Oxley is ok & borders the upmarket areas of Corinda/Sherwood (where I grew up), but Seventeen Mile Rocks itself is much more like Darra than Oxley. Much of the area is industrialised, theres a cement works & quarry there, lots of industry & there are areas that are affected by powerlines. Im sure that there are probably pockets in there that are OK & some ok houses, but its certainly not somewhere that I would like to live.

Hope this helps.

dmf

Hi Rach, we are The Fords that Earlswood mentioned earlier. We moved to Oz beginning of August.

We have bought in Highvale which is just an extension of Samford really - the village is growing fast, a lot of land is being sold off and new houses being built. You won't find much property or land on the internet for sale, and the few that you do find will more than likely be sold. Properties sell so fast here you will be amazed. We put an offer in on one house having just looked at it and someone beat us to it. As soon as a house comes on the market it sells straight away. You literally have to spend all day every day at the real estate office waiting for properties to come on the market if you are looking for a specific area. Not many properties come up for rent here either, you will end up renting in Ferny Grove, Ferny Hills, Arana Hills, Keperra.
These suburbs are all within 15min drive from Samford - more built up areas where the shopping centres are. I am not a lover of Ferny Hills as it is so hilly - like a rollercoaster - its amazing. There are a lot of places like that here. One road I go down on my way to work is actually quite scary when you reach the top of the hill and look down - it makes my stomach turn every time!

So far as Samford is concerned, it is a lovely area, mostly acreage properties. There are new estates being built which are on smaller blocks. The dairy farm up the road has just been sold to a developer and negotiations are in process with the council as to the size of the blocks, roads etc..... The village has all the shops you need for convenience, nice shops too. It still have the village atmosphere even though it is growing fast. The people have been more than helpful. I had a puncture on the side of the road the other week and someone stopped to help me - I can change a tyre but I can't lift the tyre down off the back of the car!! The children go to school on the school bus which stops at the bottom of the drive - this is a free service. The school has before and after school care (not like the UK) which the children now go to 3 days a week - they love it. It's not expensive either.

Hope this helps. We hadn't been to Oz before we arrived, just did research on the net.

Dawn

Wendy&Mike

HI all
We also moved to Samford in mid Aug. Prior to that we used to be active users of this site. Now I have a life and dont have as much time to sit on the computer.
When we first came out we toured the Brisbane suburbs (within an hours drive of the center of Brisbane). We went along the coast and inland, but none of us (we have 3 children) could agree on where we wanted to live. Eventually reached Samford and finally we agreed that this was what we all wanted and why we had emigrated. I was surprised the kids didnt want to live by the beach, but then again kids always seem to suprise me!
We are currently renting a 4 bedroomed 2.5acre property in Samford while we build our house.
My advice would be, spend as long as you need looking around and when you find the right place you will know it.
Wendy

ps - my youngest child has also started at Samford Primary, my elder two go to Ferny Grove State school. All of them have settled into school extremely well and made new friends.

markeh

Hi Wendy&Mike,

I like the idea, visit and see what it's like. If you like it stay there.
Sound simple advice.

Bye
Markeh