peterp668

My wife, I, and my two teenage sons are moving to Queensland, from the UK, at the end of August and can't decide where to live.
I want to live by the ocean and have the waterfront lifestyle.
The Sunshine Coast, around Mooloolaba, Minyama, Kawana, really appeals to me, but I want there to be enough for my boys (18 & 14) to do; friends their own age, school, activities and so on.
Surfers is a bit too fast, but I have been told to consider Runaway Bay, Broadbeach, Burleigh and maybe Mermaid Waters.
I know there are many more younger people on the Gold Coast and my boys may be happier there. For my wife and I, a more tranquil setting might be more suitable. Our priority is to the boys ofcourse.
Any advice would be appreciated. We are also looking for good capital growth on any property investment.

grahampaula

Hi there we have recently been to validate our visa and stayed in burliegh heads it is a fantastic place and are hoping to buy in that erea .we visited a lot of ereas and they were all nice but b heads as a special feel about it for us and there is plenty for the kids there too. good look in whatever you do

grahampaula

Oh and welcome to british expats you will find plenty of info here

on a mission

have a gander at Coomera Waters or Sanctuary Cove, maybe Hope Island.

kevinbloomfield

Plenty to do on the SC for kids, maybe not so much for teenagers. If they are into swimming, fishing, camping etc it's great here.

moneypenny20

Only you can decide. What's perfect for one, is hell for another. I love GC and wouldn't want to live on the SC - has no bearing on what you and yours will like or want. Sorry, you just have to travel around and decide It's a hardship alright

peterp668

Thanks for the helpful advice. Being undecided about which of these places to live in is a wonderful dilemna indeed. They are so beautiful.
I am thinking about renting something at the SC and spending many weekends at the GC to see what the boys think. We can take about 6 months to make our minds up.

Maple Leaf

hello..i am wondering what they can do at the gold coast that they can't on the sunshine coast..?

for me it would be the sunshine coast..i have lived there..have family still there and they all have teens... in my opinion and experience a much more positive environment for them...good luck!

peterp668

Thankyou. I am going to give the Sunshine Coast a try.
However, most people I speak to do try to put me off and insist that the SC is too quiet for teenagers and is a place for retired and older settlers.
I haven't looked into schools yet, for my 14 yr old, and need to find a University place for my eldest (18). I'll look into this presently.
We are hoping that some of our younger relatives (the boys cousins and friends) will come to visit us and stay with us from time to time. The themeparks and nightlife of the GC appealed for that reason, I suppose.
We were also a little worried that our boys would leave us and gravitate towards the excitement of the City or the GC. These are the type of warnings we are often hearing, whether fair or not.
Thanks

danbex85

I am 22 and I live on the Sunshine coast. I personally love it and I have got friends that are older and also younger than me that also equally love the place. I have visited the GC and it's nice but it's just a big ugly concrete jungle FULL of tourists and tourist attractions.
There is plenty to do on the Sunny coast and I would recommend it!

Dan

P.S
I only moved here at Xmas and I already have made lot's of friends and can find plenty to do so don't worry about that.

Good Lcuk with the move

007

Realistically, I don't believe this will happen. It's easy to say you can do that when you're in the UK and everything seems close. The GC is not just a short trip down the road, it's over 2 1/2 hours each way (mainly freeway) doing 100 km/h with a bunch of knobs who will tail gate and run you off the road if it means they will get to the beach 5mins earlier than you.

Also, think about it, once you have the kids enrolled in school it would be hell for them to have to make a start all over again just when they were starting to feel settled. Moving to a new country and adapting to the new culture is hard enough without moving every few months.

If I had kids I would not even make the move to Australia. I don't believe it's worth the upheaval. Also, It's not cheap here anymore.

Anyway, my advice would be to stay at Brisbane for 2-4 weeks, and do day trips to both coasts. Brisbane is pretty much in the middle making a day trip not too much of a stressful exercise.

Once you decide on Brisbane/SC or GC, stick with it. Chances are, when things go wrong on occasions (and they will) you're going to start wondering about the other coast you didn't choose. This is not wise, as believe me Australia is Australia, it can be quite bland all over - and believe me living by the beach is not all it's cracked up to be. Actually after a while it becomes quite boring leaving many people missing the city.

I, like many people I know prefer the Sunshine Coast, but getting a decent job there would be a challenge, which keeps the population to mainly cashed up pensioners and hospitality/retail workers. You must fall into one of these categories I take it.

The Goldy has more decent work, but even there it's limited. That's why many people live in Brissy and travel to the coast on the w/end. Realistically most people ,even those living right on the beach, don't even use it Mon-Fri anyway because they're at work like the rest of us trying to pay for their indulgent lifestyle.

007

The Goldy is more than just Surfers.

Try visiting the southern end and the hinterland next time.

danbex85

We did!

I guess it just didnt appeal to me or my wife

007

How can you say it's all concrete then. Weird.

peterp668

Thankyou Dan. That is very heartening!
I have noticed a lot of strong reactions to your opinion. It is obviously an emotive subject. I am particularly happy that you are young and that you have friends that are younger and older. That is all I needed to know really.
I am definitely going to give the SC a go.
I will find something to rent for 3-6 months and keep an eye on properties to purchase around Minyama or Kawana Island. It looks lovely!
Thanks again.